WWII Kit Bag Question

[Estancia]

Hi all, have recently picked these two kit bags up and have a couple of questions about them...

1. Could someone please ID the 'Spare Kit' bag on the left?

&

2. The Aviators Kit bag on the right belonged to a 'J.O.NIBLOCK' with what looks like 'I.T.A.C' stenciled below his name. Could someone help me/ point me in the right direction in finding out more about him? or what ITAC stands for?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[horseback leader]

Estancia

I'm sorry I don't have an answer to your question, but since you've created a thread on kit bags, I do have a related question.

I have two original kit bags, and an Eastman one. The Eastman bag is way smaller an both originals. Do any of you have an original kit bag that's the same approx size as Eastmans kitbag?

Dan

 

[ausreenactor]

The Navy coloured bag looks a lot like a WWII duffel bag. However, the eyelets are too small and too numerous for that style of large metal clip. It may have been fastened by a rope? Spare parts could be for anything. Perhaps tentage or load/aerial delivery equipment? Hard to say. Are there makers marks/dates inside? Uncle Sam is big on naming everthing.

Couchy

 

[unclegrumpy]

I do not know the size of the Eastman bag you are referring to, but there is another very similar original bag that is about 1/2 to 2/3 the size of bag pictured that a seat pack parachute and harness fits perfectly into. I have had them marked to the Switlik Parachute Company. This smaller size bag tends to be an earlier manufacture as well....meaning pre to mid war.

Many....even today.....interchangeably call this style bag both "parachute" and "kit" bags, though there originally was a size difference. To complicate things further, the Navy had very similar, but differently constucted bags as well. Before the 1943 AN standardization, they had an even smaller gym bag sized version, and those can be hard to find today.

 

[MikeyB-17]

I don't have a clue, but the very words 'spare kit' sound either British or Australian to me, and the colour suggests naval. British or Australian Navy, therefore? I've got an ELC AN-6505-1 bag, and it doesn't look much like that. Smaller, different colour (more yellowish) and different strap arrangement. Does that say AN-6505 or 5505 on it?

 

[Estancia]

it says 6505, and has period correct Conmar zips,

the 'spare kit' is most probably British as I picked it up at a local car boot in London, no idea what it was used for though.


How can I found out about JO Niblock?

 

[Andrew]

Aside from the text the blue one looks exactly like the ones we were issued with back in the 1970's in the RAAF cadets. A lot of what we were given was old stock (our forage caps were WWII dated 1944!). IIRC they had RAAF sencilled in white paint.

 

[archbury918]

Taking a look at the bag, I see periods after the T, A, and C.
I think what you should be reading is LT. A.C. which would be: Lieutenant, Air Corp

 

[Andrew]

These guys have killed a lot of original kit bags in their time.

http://216union.blogspot.com.au/

I'm actually in two minds about this. Even though I hate the idea of defacing an original WWII artefact I'm strangely finding the re-use/ recycling / new life aspect kind of interesting.

 

[archbury918]

I couldn't bear the thought of destroying them. Take aside their collector value, you could duplicate them with current fabrics using original construction and make a smart product.

In 1946, this may have been a practical and cheap method.
Now, its defacement.

 

[dmar836]

I'm all for utilizing past items rather than the newest, latest, greatest, Chinese gizmo that is soon out of fashion. OTOH, I agree with Archbury918 about this as hind sight is 20/20..... to most of us here.

 

[SuinBruin]

I couldn't bear the thought of destroying them. Take aside their collector value, you could duplicate them with current fabrics using original construction and make a smart product.

In 1946, this may have been a practical and cheap method.
Now, its defacement.

Agreed. Plus it's an invitation to commit fraud and/or confuse the collector's market.