The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
506.2008.1
Compactum Knife, Fork and Spoon Sets
26/11/2008
Hermione Cooper
26/11/2008
Cutlery sets - spoon, knife and fork held together with metal clip.
stainless steel
18(l) x 4(w) x 3(d) cms
5 sets
On knife blade "RICHARDS COMPACTUM SHEFFIELD ENGLAND STAINLESS STEEL"
silver
Richards
England
Like a lot of outdoor gear from the second half of the 1900's, these knife, fork and spoon sets have their origins in the military. It seems that similar sets to these were issued to the infantry as far back as 1938 though the earlier military ones appear to have a different manufacturer.
Simple and effective, these sets were very popular from the end of World War Two right through to the 1980/90's. Because the army continued to issue them they were available in the ex army stores and having spied a good market in the camping, scouting, outdoor world, the manufacturers peddled them to the outdoor shops too.
These sets were once part of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team's camping box which became redundant in the 1990's and were destined for the skip - luckily we managed to salvage some of the contents and the box which you'll find elsewhere in the collection.
Donated by LMRT
26/11/2008
28/04/2009
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
28/04/2009
Bulldog Cooking Pot
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team Field Kitchen
Optimus 510 rocket stove
Tin Plates
Twinco Plastic Mugs