British WW2 Escape compass ‘pill box’ type as issued to allied pilots, paratroopers, commandos, the regular army and SOE agents as part of escape and evasion kits - Cigarette lighter type hidden in base and accessed using reverse threaded screw cap -rare base section only, no lighter component.
British WW2 Escape compass ‘pill box’ type with bevelled glass lens., secreted in escape lighter base, 78mm x 22mm. Compass accessed by unscrewing cap which has reverse thread to help avoid discovery.
Condition: Good condition
This is the most common model. Together with escape maps, a hacksaw blade and phrase cards, they were packed in a rubberized canvas map pouch. Soldiers also called it the ‘asshole compass’ because it was so small, you could hide it anywhere… It is cylindrical in shape and consists of a brass shell, 0.60” (15,24 mm) in diameter x 0.19” (4,9 mm) high, with a wall thickness of 0.015” (0,38 mm). The blackened compass card is a non-ferromagnetic material balanced on a brass pivot and encased beneath a swaged-in 0.030” (0,76 mm) thick glass cover. The seal between the glass and the shell is hermetic to prevent the entry and/or entrapment of moisture in the compass chamber. The compass card has points at each corner and at the middle of each edge: eight points in all, set at 45 degree intervals. North is designated by a white dot lined up between a corner of the card and its centre. A pair of white dots are located on the opposite corner. The dots have been coated with a luminous material, which has depleted due to age. The compass card turns freely on its pivot. A small magnet secured to the underside of the card aligns the card with the North Magnetic Pole
