Sorting some old photos I came upon a couple from 1966 with a nice big brassie in the images. In 1966, while serving as a Military Engineer in the Canadian Forces, my late brother Tony was seconded to the newly formed country of Tanzania for a year to help train their army engineers. The attached images show Tony and a couple of other Canadian Army engineering officers out in the bush under canvas. In both images the brassie is heating water...in one on the table and in the other on the ground...not well seen. My brother doesn't appear to enjoying his lunch. Can anyone identify the make of the stove? Rod
I'm sorry your brother's no longer alive Rod. Fine chap. Maybe the food was ok but he disapproved of having his photo taken mid-mouthful. The roarer burner stove is a 2-pinter but doesn't appear to have the pot leg form of a Primus No.1 (splayed towards the base end). I was thinking Canadian Coleman 516, but the burner riser is too tall for that on the stove in the photo. Stumped for now. John
Probably sourced locally there or regular kit of Tanzanian forces as I can't imagine the Canadian gov't sending bush gear to Africa. You might be interested to know Tony rose to the rank of Colonel with a career that spanned 34 years. After retirement he was appointed Sgt@Arms of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly and passed while still serving after 19 years. He died at 69 of mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos at 10 years of age.
Rod, John, Ben, n all, I found similarities with Optimus 1S. that said Primus / Optimus / etc were copies of each other in so many ways there may be other candidates. Somehow the 1S became my focus, I did not look to other models after I began to find 1S similarities. The 1S simialrities > *the collar at base of riser, *collar at base of fill tube, (*info) > **vented fill tube, **tank lid, (**link) . John, I agree leg does appear to be inline above and below tank (somehow? considering that tank seam around the bottom is much wider than the sidewall). Having feet & leg inline as it appears would ALSO rule out the 1S. John you know as much about camera angle as anyone, I am guessing. That and photo images can play tricks on the eye, one's perspective changes (actual view vs photo of the same view). I consider, several images of 2 pint stoves in SRG that due to camera angle the feet appear fairly upright when we know they are splayed (there is one 1S example btw that the legs were bent inward (are now more upright)... bent by the owner. Rod, Thank you for sharing a piece of your family's military history. I like a stovie mystery and yours with it's personal back story is 2nd to none. I'm sorry for your loss. I do see the 1S similarities above, I offer the input but I'm not real confident and it remains unsolved imo. Above I note tank characteristics, the Optimus 1 & 5 (&7?) tanks are nearly identical (some Primus etc VERY similar too) so, I'm afraid, I don't go beyond saying "I find similarities". thx omc
Hi, did you know that about 16 years after the photo was taken, Optimus stoves were manufactured in Zimbabwe?: