M.I.9. Escape & Evasion

[grip3846]

Lovely pipe

Clive,that is a great find,a very rare piece I would say. I hope the seller didn't realise what it was and you got it for a good price.
You must have one of the best escape and evasion collection in the UK!
Regards, Ivan

[seebee1]

The seller knew exactly what it was Ivan, though sold at a fair price. One more item to add to my thread, an unusual Ladies Blouse-Shirt that is made from Escape Maps. When it was made I have no idea, almost certainly some time after the war. Regards, Clive.

PS: If anyone has any ideas about the "Chemical Substance" in the Pipe I would be pleased to receive thoughts-comments.

[seebee1]

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[seebee1]

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[seebee1]

Image 4 - Final

[grip3846]

Ultra cool

Wow Clive that is the coolest bit of militaria I have seen in a long while,worthy of a thread on its own to see what else is out there made from wartime bits and bobs...the one that sticks in my mind is a nurses cape that is lined with formation sigs and div patches,shoulder titles etc,that she collected from patients,some of the titles etc were worth a fortune.
Regards,Ivan

[skypilot]

Hi Clive.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful collection. It makes me think back whistfully to my own modest collection that I sold off a number of years ago. My personal favourite item in my collection was a trench-type lighter that had a removeable base containing flint and spares but hid a clockwise thread, hiding a standard escape compass. Never seen one like it before or since.

The gloves with pouches I feel are probably not MI9 related unless you know otherwise? I would suggest that the pouches are most likely for chemical heater packs, such as "Everhot", as per a model of WW2 RAF aircrew gloves.

I wonder if the chemical in the pipe is Benzedrine? It tended to feature regularly in escape kit materials.

The capsules look small enough to be used to secrete under ones armpit or *ahem* under the foreskin without too much discomfort......? Such delicate matters were considered less squeamish at the time, and more practical. everal veterans have told me that the hacksaw blades were stored in the rubber cases to make hiding them in the rectum easier - whether that's just what they were told or an official method, I have never been able to prove, nor in fairness researched!

[seebee1]

Thank you for your comments Skypilot. Your Trench-type Lighter I think was quite unusual, not seen one of those before. The Gloves came with several of the other items and that is why I thought they may have some E & E connection, but I have never seen another pair, you may be correct though. Benzedrine in the Pipe could be correct, I really do not know. As for the Capsules, again you may be on the right track, although an eye-watering one! In another thread I posted the MI 9 developed Escape Knife and will post it again. This Knife was used by others and interestingly I have heard of two instances where they have been found in the sleeve pocket of the SOE Jump-Suit. Regards, Clive.

[seebee1]

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[skypilot]

The stuff of dreams Clive.....

I always hoped that one day I'd track one of those knives down but never even heard of any in existence so I began to think they were never actually put into proper production.

Superb.

I have a vested interest in some of these bits of kit and have my own items that I put together (nothing issued) when I was in Afghanistan last year. I learned a lot from my reading as a child and from some very good sources (Lofty Wiseman being an acquanitance of mine) so I figured "better safe than sorry", especially after the Andy McNab SERE briefing.

The modern aircrew escape kits are not dissimilar in content but are VERY strictly controlled, in spite of my best efforts! Clayton Hutton would be proud to know his efforts are still in use today.

[seebee1]

You certainly learned from a first class source Skypilot. Somewhere or other I have a fairly modern, 60's or 70's Escape- Survival Kit that was put together by an SAS Trooper. It contains fire making kit, compass, a wire saw and other useful items, all in an Old Holburn Tobacco Tin, fastened by black tape. What was developed and designed in WW2 is just as relevant to this day. The Escape Knives are now quite expensive, but can be found sometimes at Arms fairs and from Militaria dealers. The one I posted I found in Amsterdam a few years ago, the price was either 80 or 85 Euros, a very good price even then. It is the only one I have seen where the main blade has saw-like serrations, definitely a field modification. Regards, Clive.

[skypilot]

Your Trench-type Lighter I think was quite unusual, not seen one of those before. Regards, Clive.

Clive, I am 99% certain that the fourth compass down on this web page is the very one I used to own. The paint wear etc. is identical. The price is......optomistic?

http://www.snyderstreasures.com/pages/compass.htm

[seebee1]

Certainly seems a hefty price skypilot. In this instance it seems to be a good piece, as do many others on that web-page. The seller has "mixed" reviews if you check this out further. Regards, Clive.

[seebee1]

A couple more items to add to the thread. A New Zealand Aircrew Button Compass, quite small, some three quarters of and inch across, this belonged to an Airman who served in a UK based Special Duties Squadron.

[seebee1]

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