British Mess Tins of WWII

A piece of kit that was issued to every soldier was the two-piece mess tin. There are three distinct variations seen. They consist of the pre-war type, mid-war type, and the late war-type. The pre-war type (shown above and on left in pictures below) is constructed of thick gauge aluminum with heavy duty folding wire handles and is fairly squarish in appearance. Overall the construction and materials are more robust than the wartime manufactured mess tins. The specimen pictured is dated 1939 and would be appropriate for a soldier of the BEF and used throughout the war. It was purchased out of the UK with a purpose sewn khaki drawstring bag. I do not know if this bag was an issue or private purchase item. The mid-war mess tin (shown in center in accompanying pictures) is constructed of “tin” and as many of you know it does contain lead in the “tinning” process. It is shallower than the pre-war type and more rounded in appearance. There are also reinforcing stampings on the sides of the tins. The specimen shown here is dated 1943. It is believed that the British army discontinued the aluminum mess tin to save as much aluminum for the manufacture of aircraft, they then started producing the “tin” type. This is probably the most commonly found wartime mess tin. The late war mess tin (shown on right in accompanying pictures) is constructed of aluminum, but of a much lighter gauge than the pre-war type. It is a bit more square than the mid-war but not as square as the pre-war mess tin. It is also a bit shallower than the pre-war type. Apparently the mess tin was again constructed of aluminum because there was no longer a shortage of aluminum and for its durability. The specimen pictured is dated 1945.