| "Admiralty Arrow Antique Glass Bottles" | ||||||
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marked with the Admiralty arrow
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| JARS marked with the Admiralty Arrow: | |
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Stoneware bottles appear to be much less common than the glass. This jar is 13 cm in height and was found in Guangzhou China by Richard Somerville who kindly provided the photo. |
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This jar was found by recreational divers in Esquimalt Harbour during the 1970's. Like the jar above, it is also 13 cm in height, and 9.9 cm diameter. This jar also has a decorative band and an arrow near the bottom. |
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Stone Jar for Sea Service Caps. Labelled “PERCUSSION CAPS 1000” it is dated July 1854 and bears the broad arrow government mark impressed into the jar and printed on the label. Its owner notes that there is no potter’s mark on the base. 133mm high x 95mm base diameter. (courtesy of Bob O’Keefe) Holden, G.C. in “Notes on Laboratory Course Sections B,C,D. 1865” writes that these jars were closed up with an India rubber covering. This example has a protective canvas cover over a dark leather like substance, which is almost certainly India rubber.
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Stone Jar bearing the broad arrow government mark and found in Chatham Dockyard,
once a Royal Navy facility. Its potter’s mark “STIFF & SONS LAMBETH” dates it to
post 1863. 70mm high x 56mm base diameter. (courtesy of Adrian Roads) It has the capacity to hold 180 loose percussion caps. It is very tempting to speculate that the Royal Navy used jars such as this to hold a smaller supply of caps, however until further evidence comes to light is exact use must remain a mystery.
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This jar was found in Australia. The photo is courtesy of Greg Brace. The Department of Defense in Australia was initiated in 1901. This bottle appears similar to mercury bottles used in the gold fields and may have contained mercury. The bottle probably dates to between 1901 and the 1920's. The bottle is 150 mm (6") high and 85 mm (3.5") across. It has a thread inside the lip to take a screw stopper. The bottle has a definite slope as shown in the photo.
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Pottery shard of a square jar recovered during construction at Naden Naval Base
in Esquimalt.
This photo was taken with permission in the Naden Naval Museum, Esquimalt, B.C.
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White-ware medicine container. 19th century. 9.7 x 6.0 cm. Institute of Jamaica, 1998/1072. The naval seal on this container includes a King’s (or Queen’s) Broad Arrow above an anchor. from: Historical Museum of Southern Florida
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Naval hospital jar with what appears to be Queen Victoria’s crown and was almost certainly used at Esquimalt. There was likely a lid which is now missing. This jar was once used by Colonel Edward Hart, Canadian Army Medical Corps, who served in Esquimalt from 1906. He was awarded the Order of St Michael and St George for his service during WW1. The jar remains with his descendents in Victoria
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Rum Crock
Height : 31 cm Diameter: 17.6 There is considerable debate as to just what the "SRD" stands for. In the "Dictionary of Military Abbreviations: British - Empire - Commonwealth" by B.K.C. Scott, "SRD" is listed as "Service Rum Diluted". These date from WWI and were probably were in use until the beginning of WWII. Unofficially, the "SRD" also stood for "Soon Runs Dry" and "Seldom Reaches Destination". I find it interesting there is no arrow or government marking on these bottles. To this day they are still a fairly common find in areas along the western front, from WWI.
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This is a less common variety with the "SRD" impressed. The handle appears
to be original and would have aided in bringing these jugs to the front lines.
Height: 13" Photo courtesy of Kilshaw's auction house in Victoria, B.C. |
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mark on base
"James Pearson" Chesterfield. This company exited from the 19th
century to 1939.
