Fairey Swordfish bomb release selector switch box

[Tatersalad]

hi i am from PEI Canada , i need some help with this switch box (pics below), super long story short is this was in a box of ww1 and ww2 stuff from my grandfather that had every thing from nazi Luftwaffe spoons and dinner plates to ammo to aircraft parts like everything , he was a sergeant in the RCHA died in 94 and we just found this stuff because my mother is moving , it got over looked , i did a google search from the writing on the front and it comes up as a bomb release switchbox from a ww2 Fairey Swordfish airplane .... the only pic i found was a guy selling one of these attached to wood but his switches are black and mine are brass i think. i was hoping there is a way to track down what airplane this is from and if it ever dropped bombs , there is a small trace of a yellow stamp on the back , any help would be awesome i love learning the history of these things .

 

[SaparotRob]

Hi Tatersalad. That's a cool relic! There are quite a few here who might be able to help. I'm just not one of them. Welcome.

 

[Wurger]

Welcome to the site.

It's the 5D Armament - Bombing Equipment switchbox. These made in the Great Britain had the Air Ministry logo with the AM marking. Judging by inscriptions there your one is a canadian made switchox. Depending on the manufacturer the switches could be of the brass either unpainted or painted with the black coat. Or just made of the different material. IMHO it was used for many British and licence made in Canada military aircraft. For instance it was used as the early bomb pre-selector for Vickers Wellington and other early RAF bombers.

the pic source: the net.

 

[Tatersalad]

thanks for the fast reply , do you think this actually dropped some bombs or was it like spare parts ? it looks like it was used for something lol

 

[Wurger]

Actually it is quite difficult to say if it was in using or just was a spare part. The spare parts are packed in a cardboard boxes or wrapped in a paper sheet often. Also there are certificates or data/specification cards attached usually. Generally a such storaged part looks quite new mostly. The one looks like it was used but there is lack of any additional pieces used with a such box. Eg. the white plate for marking which bomb rack was connected to the particular switch. The screws there have the traces of a screwdriver what indicates the box was opened. I would check what the box inside looks like there. If there are thraces of fixing or something like that , it may indicate the using of the item.

 

[Tatersalad]

i opened it up and it was for sure used for something , has cut wires still inside and you can see where wires were soldered to the pins, sadly no hidden numbers or anything .

 

[Wurger]

Copied that. Well ... if there are still the cut orginal wires inside we may assume it was used for a kind of control. What the kind it was it is a different matter and we can't find out. So ... I would stay with the info that it was the early pre-selector for dropping bombs used for the early RAF aircraft that could carry the kind of weapon. For instance the Wellington, Battle, Swordfish etc ... Because it seems to be the switchbox made in the Canada I would say it could be used in the early RCAF planes both these imported from the GB and those made in the Canada, But which the aircraft we can't say because the kind of the switchbox was used for many kites. For sure it is a piece of the History and it is worth to keep it as the remembrance.

 

[Tatersalad]

ill prob get a bunch of hate for this but i think i am going to polish the switches and use it to control my lights in the car , its pretty cool lol

 

[Wurger]

It's up to you only what you can do with that. Good luck !

 

[special ed]

Something to consider. Should your car be in an accident, bad enough for it to go to a salvage yard, who will save the panel for history? My 1948 Plymouth was sold a few years ago to a custom car builder who will not know that the interior lights came from a '53 Hudson and he will not know what the Bermuda Bell is. Most likely stripped out by now.

 

[Tatersalad]

Something to consider. Should your car be in an accident, bad enough for it to go to a salvage yard, who will save the panel for history? My 1948 Plymouth was sold a few years ago to a custom car builder who will not know that the interior lights came from a '53 Hudson and he will not know what the Bermuda Bell is. Most likely stripped out by now.

oh for sure the car its going in maybe sees 2000km a year if that , l keep every car i wreck i always keep them to part out , never give anything good to a salvage yard lol. ,,,sorry salvage yard guys .

 

[salutewwii]

Don't feel bad about using it in your car! I replaced a bunch of control/light switches, lights, key starter, overhead lights in my boat with all WWII aircraft parts. Even put in a magneto switch and Spitfire starter switch for engine starting. Got really tired of cheap plastic crap breaking on me all the time. I've never had a bit of trouble since. These parts were built to take a licking and keep on ticking. There are plenty of those control boxes out there, I've got one myself......so no worries!!

 

[Tatersalad]

Don't feel bad about using it in your car! I replaced a bunch of control/light switches, lights, key starter, overhead lights in my boat with all WWII aircraft parts. Even put in a magneto switch and Spitfire starter switch for engine starting. Got really tired of cheap plastic crap breaking on me all the time. I've never had a bit of trouble since. These parts were built to take a licking and keep on ticking. There are plenty of those control boxes out there, I've got one myself......so no worries!!

ya im the same, im running the horn from a 1968 austin gypsy in my car and the gear select lever on my race mower is a barrel from a remington model 812 shotgun lol

 

[MiTasol]

That switch box was used in multiple aircraft that were manufactured in Canada during World War II. This includes but is not limited to Avro Anson, Avro Lancaster and Bristol Bolingbroke.

The same switch box was also used in a number of imported aircraft such as the Airspeed Oxford, Bristol Beaufort and Fairey Battle as well as naval types like the Swordfish and as such it was "as common as dirt" throughout the late 30s and 1940s in British military aircraft.

I would strongly recommend against using this switch box in your car as the aircraft circuits it was used in only carried a small current momentarily when the pilot or bomb aimer pressed the bomb release button. As soon as his finger came off the button the current ceased.

Passing a continuous current through those switches, especially if is a larger current, is likely to cause the switch box to take up smoking. Worse still, if the switch box gets on heat your whole car may take up smoking and I doubt you will want that.

 

[salutewwii]

Good point MiTasol, always make sure whatever you use for ANY electronic/electrical control, it's rated for the AC/DC voltage and current you will be putting through it. Also, CLOSELY inspect any existing wiring.....I usually replace ALL the wiring. If the items were stored properly for all these decades, it might be ok. I usually replace it anyway...just to be safe.