M1915 Vickers MG Ammo Box

[Bosley]

Hi All,

 

Wanted to share my M1917 Browning ammo crate for thoughts.  If anyone has a good source on learning the basics of WW1/WW2 ammo crates, I'd appreciate if you could point me in the right direction.

 

Not sure how accurate this could be, but I've read that the earliest M1917 ammo crates from WW1 are the ones with the angled corner, and by WW2 they lost the angled corner and switched from a leather handle to a cloth.  Well this one has no angle, but still has a leather handle, so not sure where that leaves me... Is there really any way to date these, or could any of them be from either war/period and it's really not possible to say?

 

I've included a few photos with different lighting to try to help show what's going on with the paint.  To me it looks like there is an original layer of a more typical olive drab color, and then another layer of a brighter green.  On the top, there's also remnants of some red lettering and white backing that to me looks like might have been under the bright green layer.  I'm guessing the bright green was just somebody getting creative with paint years later?  Aside from the color itself, the way they just painted right over the metal on the inside of the lid seems to suggest that.  Let me know if you disagree.

 

Any thoughts or info appreciated.

 

-Bosley

 

[robinb]

It's a WW1 ammo box for the US made Vickers gun. Many were sold surplus as toy boxes and yours is one of those. The Gilbert Toy Co. put their decal on the top and yours still has remnants of that decal.

[Bosley]

12 hours ago, robinb said:

It's a WW1 ammo box for the US made Vickers gun. Many were sold surplus as toy boxes and yours is one of those. The Gilbert Toy Co. put their decal on the top and yours still has remnants of that decal.

 

Incredible, thanks robinb.  The level of detailed knowledge here is remarkable.  Sorry about the bad thread title.

 

For reference, in case anyone comes across this thread, what I've posted here is actually a US M1915 Vickers machine gun ammo box, i.e. the ammo box set up next to the gun and then used to feed it ammo.

 

[robinb]

Nice picture.

[dcollector]

A US M1915 Vikcers box! - I bought four to go with my M1919 (under the M1 in the pic)

I thought they were for the M1917 - so, a little anachronistic, but worked.

 

Knowing they are for the Vickers is great news as I have one of those inbound.

(Mine is an Aussie not a US Vickers, but, whose arguing.)

 

Also, how cool that yours has the toy company transfer still showing - so much history, love it!

 

But, 

[Illinigander]

Did anyone mention that the Colt Vickers box is a little larger than the Browning box?

illinigander