Found this Petrol can whilst clearing out a garage. Raised and Embossed on top .Petroleum spirit highly inflammable Body tin, Cap and ferrule brass with two raised drilled nibs on cap.. 10 inches wide,6inches deep 11 inches high. Just wondered if this was WW2 before intro of jerry can? If so would it be of interest to Re-enactment groups?
Could be WW1 - the 2 gallon cans go back to some the earliest regulations for storage of petrol (that's probably why it refers to petroleum spirit - 'petrol' was originally a brand). WD and Air Ministry ones are usually marked as such and dated so this is is probably a civilian one, but they were identical in practical terms. I've got a 1953 dated one, so they weren't inherently bad kit, just not as good as the jerrican.
Hi Idler No Gov. arrowhead. WW1 that would make it more interesting. The holes in nibs on cap look like they could be for a wire seal tho. nothing corresponding on top to tie into.
Hi Redtop, it may be of no help but, (as a young boy growing up in Essex in the very early fifties ) I can recall seeing cans similar to yours. My father was a motor/lorry mechanic after the war and I used to see him topping up the vehicles with petrol with cans. Now I'm not sure if they where Esso or Shell cans. I remember him buying cans from verious petrol stations and filling them up. This of course may be of no help. But ? David PS. Brought back happy memories thank you.
Is there no maker's name or date on the base ? The holes in the cap are usual. Presumably a tag around the handle to indicate that it was unopened.
Lotus Seven Well the Garage is in Essex Richard Thanks for the suggestion ,bottom quite rusted and of ribbed construction gave it a rub with sandpaper and found markings between ribs VALOR 4 P
Valor certainly made government contract cans - This is the base of my December 1939 WD marked example.
HMVF had quite a long thread on 2-gallon cans. It probably doesn't provide your answer but it may be of interest. http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?8360-Petrol-tins&highlight=petrol+tins
Thanks for the link Rich, I stand corrected, Shell and not Esso. My memory is not as good as I thought, must be getting old............. David
Thanks Lotus Seven . Richard base of can same as your pic.apart from lettering. Interesting link.. The can came from a house in Romford Essex that was used as a Home Guard HQ so guess 50 /50 chance of it being used by HG ,In the garden of the house was an air raid shelter (Anderson type dug in ),It contained a suitcase of clothes of the era and newspaper cuttings following the wars progress.
I wonder what they would find if they uncovered my grandads Anderson shelter. My father told us tales of many things that he put in there. I can not remember the name of the garage dad worked for but it was in Woodford, I think it's a housing estate now. When we cleared Mum and Dad's house recently, in the shed was the old metal funnel I use to hold when he put petrol in the tank. Sadly if think it went into the skip. Once again thanks for taking me down memory lane. David
