PLOTTER

Description: BURGUNDY PRESSED CLOTH BOARD WITH HARD PLASTIC COVERING WHICH HAS KHAKI CANVAS COVER AND STRAP. BURGUNDY BOARD HAS CANVAS FLAP RIVETED TO TOP WITH FOUR BRASS EYELETS. SIDES AND BOTTOM CORNERS OF BOARD HAVE STEEL HINGED BRACKETS TO HOLD PLASTIC DRAW COVER DOWN. AT MIDDLE OF BOTTOM OF BOARD ARE TWO BRASS SNAP LUGS SEWN TO LINING OF FLAP IS GREEN PLASTIC DRAW BOARD ON WHICH TO PLOT RANGES. BOARD HAS ROUNDED CORNERS AND BLUE INK WRITING ON IT. COMES WITH YELLOW PLASTIC PROTRACTOR WITH BLACK DEGREE LINES. INSIDE OF CANVAS COVER HAS CANVAS PENCIL SLOTS SEWN TO IT. INSIDE HAS "NO.2 MK I" WRITTEN IN BLACK INK AND STAMPED IN BLACK INK IS "CASE & MAP MARK I Z.L. & (???) 1943". STAMPED IN BLACK ON OUTSIDE OF COVER IS "18 R.C.A.". SEWN TO TOP OF COVER ARE TWO CANVAS LOOPS WITH STEEL BUCKLE FRAMES. THROUGH FRAMES IS CANVAS STRAP WITH STEEL TAB ENDS. TABS HAVE SINGLE HOLE WITH EYELET. AT END OF COVER FLAP ARE TWO SNAP COVERS WHICH SNAP TO LUGS ON BOARD. COVER IS STAINED AND BRASS RIVETS HAVE MILD AMOUNTS OF GREEN CORROSION.

History: MAP BOARD IS WORLD WAR II ISSUE AND THE BASIC MODEL HAS NOT BEEN IMPROVED UPON AND IS STILL IN USE. PLOTTER BOARD WAS MOST LIKELY USED BY 18TH FIELD BRIGADE (1920-1946) OR THE 18TH FIELD ARTILLERY REGIMENT (1946-1992). NARRATIVE BELOW SOLICITED FROM CONRAD WESTERSON IN EARLY 2010 WHEN THIS ARTIFACT WAS EXHIBITED AS PART OF THE GALT’S TREASURES & CURIOSITIES DISPLAY. THE NARRATIVE BECAME THE BASIS FOR THE ARTIFACT’S LABEL COPY IN THE EXHIBIT. *** I JOINED THE 20TH INDEPENDENT FIELD BATTERY A UNIT OF THE 18TH REGT. ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I WAS SHOWN WHEN WE STARTED TO ACTUALLY MAN THE GUNS WAS AN OLD PLOTTER BOARD. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT A VERY SIMILAR BOARD, ALBEIT LARGER, WAS USED FROM EARLY IN THE CENTURY RIGHT THRU UNTIL JUST BEFORE I JOINED; AND IT WAS STILL BEING USED AS A “CHECK” AND SAFETY DEVICE EVEN AT THAT TIME. *** *UPDATE* IN 2012 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT DAVID SMITH CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS. HE WAS UNABLE TO DISCOVER NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE OBJECT BECAUSE IT WAS COLLECTED IN THE INTEREST OF REPRESENTING TYPOLOGY RATHER THAN INDIVIDUAL OWNERSHIP. NO UNIQUE MARKINGS TO HELP IDENTIFY ORIGINAL OWNER.