An Original, Antique, Edwardian Royal Artillery Undress Pouch and Bullion Dress Cross Belt

Gold bullion crossbelt with gilt bronze fitting of traditional finest quality. A leather undress pouch with gilt brass swivel mounts. Reverse of leather pouch with old score marks. The undress pouch is in patent leather with gilt Royal Artillery badge and motto. The belt has superb original bullion with gilt bronze mounts, embellished finely cast acanthus leaves and the flaming canon ball. The design of the full dress pouch followed that of the full dress sabretache in that the royal arms were central over the battle honour, UBIQUE, latin for 'everywhere'. Laurel leaves are on the left and oak leaves on the right. Below UBIQUE is a metal gun badge, and below that is a three part scroll with the regimental motto QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT - Where Right and Glory Lead. This pouch was worn for special occasions. Mostly the full dress pouch belt was worn with the undress black leather pouch. A vintage photo in the gallery show a Royal Artillery officer wearing his cross belt and pouches however, the pouches are worn across the back and not visible from the front in this photo  read more

Code: 23005

A Superb and Scarce WW2 Issue SBS Morse Signalling Torch in Dark Green. AP16001 Admiralty Pattern Made in Canada CCB. For Covert Tactical Signalling

In Special Boat Service dark green livery, the Royal Marines service examples are painted in Admiralty grey.

These rugged torches are highly valued by collectors today due to their heavy-duty wartime construction and their specific association with beach landing operations and elite commando units

Markings: Alongside "CCB" and "Made in Canada," these pieces are typically stamped with the code "AP16001" and the "C-Broad Arrow" (the official Canadian military government ownership mark).
The "AP" Designation: The "AP" stands for Admiralty Pattern. This model was based on a British Royal Navy design and was widely manufactured in Canada during the war to support Allied naval, commandos, {painted grey} and amphibious SBS operations {painted in non reflective dark green}.

Photo in the gallery of Royal Marines on a D.Day beach head, one commando has a morse signalling torch in his belt, with American tank in the background, and an SBS squad in Greece armed with LMGs, and a German photographed with one in his belt after the failed Dieppe Raid by the Royal Marines and Canadian Army  read more

Code: 26389

An Original, Inert, Imperial German, WW1, Trench Fragmentation Grenade, The Kugelhandgranate Model 1915

A fabulous German souvenir of WW1 trench warfare This is the German Kugel 1915 Na (new model), a High-Explosive-Fragmentation (HE-Frag), hand-grenade, a simplified fragmentation pattern of the Kugel 1913 Na hand-grenade adopted, in order to improve its massive production ability.

This Kugel 1915 Na hand-grenade only difference between the Kugel 1915 Na hand grenade and the older type, Kugel 1915 Aa, was that the outside groove pattern was easier to machine, but it kept all the other characteristics.

The use of these two Kugel hand-grenades was pretty safe, but uneasy due to their heavy weight (1kg).

Launched by hand, their range was not longer than 15m, unless on favourable ground on which they could continue to roll for a certain distance after landing.

The only way to reach longer (up to 300m) ranges was the use of a mechanical spring-based grenade-launcher.

Not answering to the trench warfighting conditions, these hand-grenades were gradually replaced by newer models, including the famous stick-grenades.

Inert, deactivated, and completely safe.  read more

Code: 26387

An Important Volume From The Library of The Women's Retreat of Dr Octavia Wilberforce, Wilberforce Library, Backsettown. Dear Friend to Virginia Wolf, and Friend of The Bloomsbury Group, & Companion to American Actress Suffragette Elizabeth Robins.

Strickland's, Lives Of The Queens Of England, Volume II, Published in 1875. With Dr Octavia Wilberforce's, bookplate of her Wilberforce Library, Backsettown. Octavia's women's retreat near Henfield, Sussex. Virginia Woolf was driven to Brighton to visit Octavia just the day before her suicide in 1941. She put heavy stones in her pockets, and drowned herself in the River Ouse in Sussex. The River Ouse runs through the partners farm near Lewes.

An opportunity to own a volume from Dr Octavia Wilberforces library is a most rare event, as they appear very infrequently, and are incredibly sought after by followers and collectors, in regards to Virginia Woolf, the Bloomsbury Group and the earliest members of Womens Suffrage. Just the thought of who may have studied and enjoyed this historical volume at Backsettown, on early English Queens, is incredibly fascinating and most intriguing. See below for just a few of these incredible women

The Wilberforce Library was established by Dr. Octavia Wilberforce (1888–1963)—a pioneering English physician, close friend, and medical attendant to Virginia Woolf who famously advised rest shortly before Woolf's suicide in 1941.

About the Wilberforce Library

Founded by Dr. Octavia Wilberforce, who defied her parents to qualify as a doctor at the London School of Medicine for Women and practiced medicine in Brighton for decades.

Housed at Backsettown, a women's health convalescent home and retreat near Henfield, Sussex, which Dr. Wilberforce ran alongside her companion, the American actress and suffragette Elizabeth Robins. The American-born actress, playwright, and suffragist, lived much of her life in England, where she and Woolf developed a deep friendship during the interwar period
The library preserved rare and antiquarian volumes—such as historical essays on English songwriting and literature—some of which descended through historical estate provenances like Lavington House and were integrated into the intellectual and community life of Backsettown.

Dr. Wilberforce's extensive correspondence with Virginia Woolf (spanning 1940–1941) and Leonard Woolf (spanning 1941–1963) is preserved within the University of Sussex Library Special Collections

Octavia Wilberforce (1888–1963) was an English physician who made a medical career despite opposition from her parents, with support from Elizabeth Robins. She was in general practice in Brighton, and ran a women's shelter near Henfield. She treated Virginia Woolf's mental illness in the final years of Woolf's life. She was also friends with multiple members of the Bloomsbury Group.

Octavia Margaret Wilberforce was the daughter and eighth child of Reginald Garton Wilberforce (1838–1914), son of Samuel Wilberforce, and his wife, Anna Maria Denman (died 1938), daughter of Richard Denman; her great-grandfather was Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman.12 She was born at Lavington House, Petworth, Sussex, and had little format education. She came out as a débutante in 1907

Wilberforce met world famous stage actress, and suffraget Elizabeth Robins in 1909. In 1910 she took one of the family's maids to hospital, and met Louisa Martindale, an influential contact. Her parents planned for her to marry Charles Buxton, son of Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton, but the match was against her wishes and she refused him. Instead, she entered the London School of Medicine for Women in 1913, beginning seven years of study and qualifying in 1920.

With her father refusing her financial support and disinheriting her, Wilberforce relied mainly on Robins and Lord Buxton. Upon qualifying, she worked as house physician to Wilfred Harris at St Mary's Hospital, London.

From 1923 Wilberforce was in general practice in Brighton, retiring in 1954.
Robins met Leonard and Virginia Woolf in 1928, at the award ceremony for the Femina - Vie Heureuse Prize, she had known Leslie Stephen, Virginia's father.
The Woolfs came to know Wilberforce, who lived with Robins in Brighton, on a social basis at this point.

A social call for tea by Wilberforce to the Woolfs at Monk's House, Rodmell on 9 December 1940 became a consultation when Leonard Woolf involved Wilberforce in her professional capacity. Wilberforce subsequently advised Virginia on the lines of her treatment of exhausted women at Backsettown, a farmhouse belonging to Robins.

On 27 March 1941 Leonard drove Virginia to consult Wilberforce in Brighton; she advised complete rest on the basis of a physical examination. Virginia Woolf died by suicide the following day.

Octavia Wilberforce died on 19 December 1963

Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group formed an influential collective of early 20th-century English writers, artists, and intellectuals who radically rejected strict Victorian conventions in favor of personal freedom, aesthetic appreciation, and liberal politics.

Formed around 1904–1905, the group started when Virginia and her sister, the painter Vanessa Bell, moved to 46 Gordon Square in the Bloomsbury district of London. They were joined by friends from Cambridge University, establishing regular Thursday evening salons and Friday Club discussions.

Alongside Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell, prominent members included Vanessa's husband Clive Bell, writer and publisher Leonard Woolf, economist John Maynard Keynes, writer E.M. Forster, biographer Lytton Strachey, and artists Roger Fry and Duncan Grant. Heavily influenced by philosopher G.E. Moore, the collective prioritized deep personal relationships, artistic creation ("art for art's sake"), and a skeptic view of orthodox morality and religion

Heavily influenced by philosopher G.E. Moore, the collective prioritized deep personal relationships, artistic creation ("art for art's sake"), and a skeptic view of orthodox morality and religion

The Hogarth Press: Founded by Virginia and Leonard Woolf in 1917, this independent publishing house gave Virginia complete creative independence from traditional commercial publishers and printed works by modern trailblazers.

The group championed Post-Impressionism in art, pacifism and conscientious objection during wartime, and progressive ideas regarding gender equality and sexuality Members frequently split their time between London and Sussex, gathering at iconic countryside locations like Monk's House in Rodmell (the Woolfs' home) and Charleston Farmhouse in Firle (Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant's home).

Photo in the gallery of Octavia's companion Elizabeth Robins,
With pinned back chestnut hair and piercing blue-grey eyes, few could resist the intensity of the gaze - nor the personality to match - of Miss Elizabeth Robins. Actress, writer, suffragist and feminist, in her time a darling of the London literati, a friend of Oscar Wilde, Bernard Shaw and Henry James, she was known in this country as the 'High Priestess of Ibsen'.


Just a few of the notable women who may well have enjoyed this superb volume at Backsettown.

Vita Sackville-West. An aristocratic poet, novelist, and gardener. She and Woolf shared a passionate romantic affair and lifelong friendship; Sackville-West famously served as the inspiration for Woolf's gender-bending novel Orlando.

Vanessa Bell: Woolf’s sister and a foundational post-impressionist painter. They were core members of the avant-garde Bloomsbury Group and maintained an intense, lifelong creative alliance.
Katherine Mansfield. The prominent Modernist short-story writer. Mansfield and Woolf shared a complex "love-hate" friendship characterized by a fierce creative rivalry and a deep mutual respect for each other’s literary innovations.

Lady Ottoline Morrell. A flamboyant and influential literary hostess who patronized the Bloomsbury Group, bringing together the era's most famous writers and artists at her Garsington Manor estate.

Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst. The famous mother-daughter leaders of the suffragette movement (the Women's Social and Political Union). Robins was a staunch ally, using her writing to support their cause and once even hiding a Pankhurst family member from the police at her Sussex home.

Lady Florence Bell. A prominent upper-class writer and playwright. Despite Bell being an anti-suffragist, she and Robins shared a deep creative "sisterhood," translating plays together and co-authoring the anonymous protest play Alan's Wife.

Marion Lea. An American actress who teamed up with Robins in the 1890s to break into theater management. Together, they successfully bought the rights to and produced Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler in London, creating complex, realistic roles for women on stage.

Dame Sybil Thorndike. One of the most celebrated British actresses of the 20th century. She collaborated with Robins through the Actresses' Franchise League and remained a mutual friend of both Robins and the Woolfs later in life.  read more

Code: 26388

A Superb and Scarce Royal Marines Commando's Morse Code Signalling Torch Unit. Stamped By the Ordnance as Admiralty Pattern, AP 16001. For Royal Marines Commando Covert Tactical Signalling

Intact Maker's Plate: Features the original, completely legible brass manufacturer's plate on the Morse tapper assembly reading: "Santon Limited, Somerton Works, Newport. Mon. Signalling Unit." An "A.P." stamp on a WWII British military item stands for Admiralty Pattern, meaning the design was officially approved and specified by the Royal Navy

Highly collectible piece of British wartime maritime history: an original World War II Admiralty Pattern 16001 Morse Signalling Unit.
This tactical torch was manufactured by the prominent wartime contractor Santon Limited at their Somerton Works in Newport, Monmouthshire (Wales). These robust, heavy-duty signaling lamps were standard issue for the Royal Navy, British Army, and Commando units for covert tactical communication during WWII.

Photo in the gallery of a German standing next to British tank holding a British army machete, and a Royal Marines morse code signalling torch in his belt, taken after the Dieppe Raid by the British Commando's and Canadian Army. Known as Canada's single bloodiest day.

Overall in superb condition considering its age and service use.  read more

Code: 26386

Original Japanese WWII Type 93 Non-Commissioned Officer 4x10 Binoculars, with JES ねぢ Mark, Nippon Kōgyō Kikaku, in Original Leather Case & Strap, And His NCO's Service Uniform Twin Piece Interlocking Belt Buckle

These are a very nice pair of Japanese WWII Non-Commissioned Officer's (NCO) Type 93 binocular field glasses. Known in Japanese as the 93式双眼鏡 (93-Shiki sōgankyō), these were intended as a smaller more portable version of binocular field glasses that could be used by NCO's in the field. Lightweight and small, they were well designed for their task. JES Mark: Stamped on the prism plate, JES stands for Japanese Engineering Standards (Nippon Kōgyō Kikaku). This regulatory standard was formally introduced in 1939 to standardize production quality and optimize material supply lines during the war.
JES ねぢ (JES Negi / Neji): The characters immediately following "JES" read ねぢ in historical Japanese hiragana (modern: ねじ / neji), which means "screw" or "screw thread". This specifically denotes that the hardware, fittings, and threads on the optics adhere to unified standard industrial screw specifications


Field glasses have no internal prisms that can be knocked out of alignment so their main advantage is that they are durable, making them a good choice for file combat operations. These binoculars measure 3.5” L x 5” W and are marked with a magnification factor of 4x10°. The binoculars are in good shape, with both lenses clear.

The included original leather case is in great condition, with company stamp within the fine soft leather lid lining.The original carry strap is present and functional with all the rest of the leather components present.

His very scarce service issue Rising Sun uniform, cast brass, twin piece belt buckle is complete with it. It is also the pattern of buckle also used by regular officer's.  read more

Code: 26380

A Most Beautiful, Ancient Roman, Large Size Candlestick Style, Unguentarium Vase, Of Blown, Iridescent Glass, Circa 1st-2nd Century AD Around 2000 Years Old. This Ancient Beauty is in Superb Condition.

Unusually large survivor from Ancient Rome, as most original glass pieces that remain are barely 3.5 inches tall.

A candlestick unguentarium vase was a vase to contain unguents, perfumes and oils, shaped in the candlestick form of profile.

An early Roman glass vessel or bottle with a 16 cm (approx. 6.25-inch) height typically dates from the 2nd AD and features a fine and elegant form, it sits upon a concave base and features a domed body leading to a long cylindrical neck and out-splayed folded rim.

Roman glass objects have been recovered across the Roman Empire in domestic, industrial and funerary contexts. Glass was used primarily for the production of vessels, although mosaic tiles and window glass were also produced. Roman glass production developed from Hellenistic technical traditions, initially concentrating on the production of intensely coloured cast glass vessels.

However, during the 1st century AD the industry underwent rapid technical growth that saw the introduction of glass blowing and the dominance of colourless or 'aqua' glasses. Production of raw glass was undertaken in geographically separate locations to the working of glass into finished vessels, and by the end of the 1st century AD large scale manufacturing resulted in the establishment of glass as an available material in the Roman world, and one which also had technically very difficult specialized types of luxury glass, which must have been very expensive, and competed with silver and gold as elite tableware.

Invented on the Syro-Judean coast in the 1st century BC, glassblowing transformed glass from a costly royal luxury into a relatively affordable vessels and bottles across the Roman Empire.
Romans introduced mass production, window panes, and blowing techniques to Britain and Western Europe.

However, after the Roman Empire fell, local European glass production slowed significantly
Many centuries later the 12th century brought a limited European revival, led by magnificent stained glass windows in Gothic and Romanesque cathedrals. Although for around 600 years the appearance of glass vessels, vases, cups and goblets became effectively non existent in Europe and Britain


https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1919-0618-4  read more

Code: 26385

Incredibly Rare Collectors Item. A Nuclear Warden's Helmet 1950-55. Named For "Area 13" in the Central Government War Headquarters Bunker, Codename 'Turnstile', 120 feet Underground In Wiltshire, A Complex Housing 4,000 People Incl. 60 Miles Of Roads

We first starting buying WW2 Tommy Helmets within a year of the wars end, and Cold War Civil Defence kit since the 1970's, yet this is the very first Nuclear Warden's helmet we have ever seen outside of a museum.

As can be plainly seen, this is a simple and purely functional helmet, with no elaborate decor or attractiveness at all, but, that was the very point, it was simply supplied to the wardens, with hand painted area designation, for an effective purpose, and without any frills or fancy badging required, or even used. Similar as to how camouflage was applied German combat helmets in WW1 and WW2

A WW2 manufactured, Tommy Helmet, aka the MKII Brodie pattern. Maker stamped dated 1939 Mk II maker stamped JSS. During World War II, the stamp J.S.S. stood for Joseph Sankey & Sons Ltd, a major metal-press and automotive parts manufacturer based at the Albert Street Works in Bilston, Staffordshire, England from 1938 to 1941. Re-purposed in 1950 for the Cold War, British, Nuclear Bunker Government Headquarters.

Original British Army green paint, with original, hand painted, naming of Nuclear Warden and Area 13 on the rear. Area 13 was the section for power and agricultural supply within the bunker complex.

The Civil Defence Corps (Established 1948)
Following the Civil Defence Act of 1948, the British government established the Civil Defence Corps to prepare for potential future conflicts, including the threat of nuclear attacks.
Volunteers were organized into localized sections, including a Warden Section.
These wardens were not divided into nationwide "nuclear warden areas" only the underground headquarters 'Turnstile, aka, Burlington', likely due to its massive size. Instead, they were organized locally by individual county and borough councils across the UK,

The massive underground complex was located 120 feet underground at Spring Quarry in Corsham, Wiltshire, known by codenames Burlington, Turnstile, or Chanticleer—was designed to act as the UK's emergency shadow government headquarters during a nuclear war.
While the quarry was used as an aircraft engine factory during World War II, the Cabinet Office did not take it over for nuclear civil defence planning until around 1950, with official commissioning happening in 1955. Within this underground city, Area 13 was a specific corridor inside the bunker that housed the power rooms and the agricultural supplies.

The history of 'Burlington' & 'Turnstile'

The Quarrying Era (19th Century)
The complex originated as a series of deep underground mines for Bath stone (Oolite limestone). The industry boomed in the 1840s following the construction of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s famous Box Tunnel for the Great Western Railway. Quarrying excavated vast, pillar-supported subterranean chambers roughly 80 to 120 feet underground.
Beginning in 1938, sites like Tunnel Quarry were converted into the largest ammunition dump in the world , the Central Ammunition Depot (CAD). At its peak, it spanned 125 acres, stored 300,000 tonnes of munitions, and featured its own underground railway platform linked directly to the main line

As the threat of aerial bombardment escalated in the late 1930s, the British government requisitioned the quarries. They were developed into two distinct, massive wartime installations:

In 1940, the Ministry of Aircraft Production took over the 35-acre Spring Quarry. It was retrofitted into a bomb-proof, air-conditioned factory where the Bristol Aeroplane Company manufactured Centaurus aircraft engines safe from Luftwaffe raids

In 1954, following the dawn of the thermonuclear age, the government purchased Spring Quarry to build a hardened, secret bunker code-named Burlington (also known as Turnstile or Site 3). Commissioned under Prime Minister Anthony Eden
Built to operate in total isolation for up to three months, the grid-mapped bunker included 60 miles of underground roads, a hospital, industrial kitchens, water treatment facilities supplied by an underground lake, and a massive telephone exchange. It even featured a fully equipped BBC broadcasting studio to address the surviving population

The Subterranean City: The complex was designed to relocate 4,000 central government personnel, including the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Office, and an army of civil servants  read more

Code: 26384

A Pair of Super & Historical 'Doppelfernrohr', WW2 Third Reich Binoculars Very Scarce SS Panzer Commander's Type 10 x 50 Binoculars. Third Reich Maker Code 'bmj' for Hensoldt & Sohne. In Its Original, Bespoke, Military Leather Carrying Case

10 x 50 with serial number. In original military bespoke leather case and neck strap. A distinctive characteristic of the Panzer manufacturer supplied synthetic outer body covering. They are in superb condition, with very good optics, although the left eye focus adjuster slips. The case has fascinating early post war touring labels attached from a German Hotel in Cologne and a Finnish Hotel.

Although a souvenir of WW2, they are not just a simple war trophy or a 'Tommies bring-back' item, these binoculars are very special with great combat service history..

The company was bought by Carl Zeiss in 1928, but the company {Zeiss} still continued using the company name of Hensoldt & Sohne

Panzer commanders relied on 10x50 Dienstglas binoculars (often made by manufacturers like Hensoldt Wetzlar with code bmj) for high-magnification reconnaissance and target identification from the hatch of their armored vehicles.

The 10x magnification allowed commanders to spot enemy anti-tank guns, infantry positions, and rival armor at much greater distances A 50mm objective lens diameter ensured a bright image even in low-light or dusty conditions, which was vital in environments like the Russian Front or North Africa
Unlike heavy tripod-mounted flak optics, the handheld 10x50 configuration struck a balance of power and portability, making them easier to maneuver inside a cramped turret.
Photo in the gallery show an Heer Panzer with a Panzer Commander, with the highly distinctive Panzer binoculars being worn, a superb photo from the bundesarchive of a closeup of a Tank commander with his binoculars in good detail


Also in the gallery, a photo of Heinrich Himmler with his 10 x 50 panzer binoculars, standing next to Hitler, and an SS-Panzer grenadier-Regiment 25 (12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend") at the Ardennes Abbey/Normandy, late June 1944. On the left is regimental commander SS-Obersturmbannführer Heinz Milius, in the centre (with compact close quarter use binoculars) and standing to his left and slightly behind, his subordinate officer, carrying, over his left shoulder, his 10 x 50 SS SS panzer tank commander binoculars, and lastly a U-Boot commander using his at sea. Photos for information only  read more

Code: 26381

A Delightful & Most Beautiful Edo Period, Japanese Kaiken {Or Kwaiken} Tanto, with Beautifull Hamon Wonderful Polish and Horimono Mei Signature "Made by Tama of the Ichimonji School, Unrivaled Under Heaven."

天下無双一文字珠作
Tenka Musō, a famous Japanese idiom meaning "Peerless in the world" or "Unparalleled under heaven."

A kaiken is a small tanto carried by both samurai men and women for close-quarters or indoor self-defense where longer swords like the katana were impractical.

In the case of women's protection, for traditional samurai wives and daughters, they kept the taiken dagger tucked in their sash for personal safety or as a wedding gift symbolizing family honour

Potentially used historically to swiftly cut the carotid artery to preserve honour in moments of extreme crisis, as a form of ritual suicide (Jigai).

The traditionally made smith made blade is incredibly similar to the type of kaiken seppuku tanto that was presented to the Zero pilots, the 'kamikaze' in WW2, and worn around their neck.

The type as were presented to the WW2 Zero pilots before their Kamikaze suicide missions and also given to or purchased by Kaiten pilots, the Japanese navy's one man human suicide torpedoes. Photo in the gallery shows a WW2 'Kamikaze' pilot being issued his suicide Seppuku tanto in the Kaiten ceremony. Originally they could have had an exterior brown leather cover and neck strap. The pilot had the choice whether to commit suicide, or not. It was not an order, nor directive and if the pilot missed the ship he had the option of killing himself to ask forgiveness of the honourable ancestors for his failure, as many of the planes had only enough fuel for a one way trip. Because the Zero pilot was belted into a very narrow seat and wearing many layers of his cold atmospheric pilot's flying suit with the addition of his life vest; it would be impossible for the aeronautical pilot to commit traditional ritual seppuku. It is said the procedure was to pull the knife out from it's neck sheath and thrust it straight into the throat much like the ladies form of seppuku.

In recognition of the unfavourable progress of the war, towards the end of 1943 the Japanese high command considered suggestions for various suicide craft. These suggestions were initially rejected, but later deemed necessary. Various suicide craft were developed in the Japanese Special Attack Units.

For the Navy, this meant Kamikaze planes, Ohka piloted bombs, Shinyo suicide boats, Kaiten submarines, and Fukuryu suicide divers or human mines. The Kamikazes were somewhat successful, and the second most successful were the Kaitens.

Research on the first Kaiten began in February 1944, followed on 25 July of the same year by the first prototype. By 1 August, an order for 100 units had been placed.

The island of Ōzushima, in the Inland Sea, was used as a training site. The island was equipped with cranes, torpedo testing pits, and launch ramps, and had a large shallow bay for test running and firing. The Kaiten Memorial Museum is now situated there.

Kaiten pilots were all men aged between 17 and 28. Initial training consisted of sailing fast surface boats by periscope and instrument readings alone. When a pilot had advanced past this basic training, he would begin training on Kaitens. Training craft were fitted with a dummy warhead that contained telemetry equipment and an emergency blowing tank that could return the craft to the surface should the trainee dive to a dangerous depth. Kaiten training started with basic circular runs to and from a fixed landmark at a reduced speed; the training advanced to faster and more hazardous runs around rocks and through channels in deeper waters. The more difficult runs required the pilot to surface and check the periscope repeatedly, and required conscientious adjusting of trim tank levels because of the reducing weight as oxygen was used up. When the instructors were confident about a pilot's abilities, they would advance the pilot to open water training against target ships. Training at this level was often done at full attack speed, and either at night or in twilight. The final phase of training would be a submarine launch and more open water attack runs on target ships.

Training was dangerous, and 15 men died in accidents, most commonly collisions with the target vessels. Although the warheads were only dummies, the impact at ramming speed was enough to both cripple the Kaiten and severely injure the pilot.

In action, the Kaiten was always operated by one man, but the larger training models (Types 2, 4, and 5) could carry two or even four.

Kaiten pilots who were leaving for their final missions would leave testaments and messages behind for their loved ones

blade length approx 5 inches long, overall in saya 8.25 inches long  read more

Code: 26379