WW2 RAF/AIRBORNE/SOE MKIII ESCAPE AIDS KIT

WW2 RAF/AIRBORNE/SOE MKIII ESCAPE AIDS KIT. A nice escape aids kit as carried by RAF airmen, British airborne troops and SOE agents. These kits contained essential items enabling an evader to sustain themselves while avoiding capture. 

This example has survived relatively well, most of these kits have now deteriorated, with the contents ruined and the plastic cases often broken and deformed. This is to be expected really, as these kits are now 80 years old or so.  But this kit is relatively intact, with some minor deterioration to the box and contents. The contents in this kit are a compass, fishing or sewing kit, water purifying kit, benzedrine tablets, waterproof matches, a rubber water bottle, malted milk tablets, 2 rolls of sticky tape, a tube of either sun cream or condensed milk, chewing gum, and finally foreign currency notes. The money included in this kit appears to be Belgian francs, but different types of currencies were also included, sometimes, French, Dutch, and Belgian currency was included. There does appear to be additional notes under the first one, but we have not emptied the kit to investigate these. The main part that has deteriorated is the metal tube, there are several holes in the tube and the contents have somewhat leached out, now producing a strong odour. The tube is still intact, and we would assume shouldn't deteriorate any further if left alone. All other pieces of the kit do look to be in pretty good condition. There is some corrosion to the metal components in the fishing/sewing kit. But otherwise all other items are still very much identifiable and displayable. 

The plastic case of the kits comes in 2 sections, both sections consisting of 2 parts. The plastic boxes were manufactured by Halex for MI9, which would have filled them with the contents. The outer parts of the box are in pretty good condition, and there is no major damage. There is a small split in one section as photographed. These two pieces would go over the inner plastic boxes. Again, these are somewhat misshapen now, but not cracked or split at all. the pieces do all fit together. But the outer case is very tight sliding over the inner section. So we have left this off. The plastic is somewhat miscoloured with some minor crazing, but these really are not bad plastic cases, and we have had worse condition kits before. This kit does really display well, and is a rare survivor of a MKIII kit. 

A truly rare piece of escape equipment, it would grace any RAF collection or museum display. 

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