Wooden Ammo(belt) Box Identification

[etherialcat]

Hello, this is my first post as I have just registered and am looking for some information.

I have a wooden ammo box that has been in my family as long as I can remember. 
As those who would know its origin are deceased I have 3 possible sources and no way of verifying. Internet searching has failed to shed much light on the design details other than it is similar to the No3Mk1 box.

1) Paternal Grandfather was in the 3rd Australian Light Horse Machine Gun Regiment and served WW1 in Gallipoli and Middle East.
2) Maternal Grandfather was in The Australian Infantry Force and served WW1 in Gallipoli and Western Front.
3) Father was Royal Australian Engineers from 1945 to 1970 as a carpenter in Construction and Maintenance and may have acquired box as a re-purposed toolbox.

I think the box maybe australian in origin as I am no expert in timber but it appears to be made from Australian Red Ceder (hence it's durability). The paint appears to be original as there doesn't appear to be any underlying paint where it has worn through. There are screw holes and imprints on the side that indicate that it had straps on either side. Under the lid there also appears to have been 2 strips of something (paper maybe) under the strap mounts. The dovetailing seems to be very precise, detailed and robust. The design and fixing of the strap seem unique. The brass catch still functions.

BTW. what was the purpose of the 2 brass grooved fittings low down on each end.

Thank you in advance for any information.

    

[andrewupton]

Goldsmiths "Grand Old Lady", 1994, page 473:

"As the .577/450 round was phased out, smaller ammunition boxes became more practical. The No.3 box, made of pine and holding one 250-round belt of .303 cartridges, was introduced by LoC No. 10644 on February 22, 1897. This box was fitted with an end-opening hinged lid secured by a metal catch, and a lifting strap. Metal grooves were let into the ends of the box near the bottom to enable it to be attached to a mounting bracket.

Some early No.3 boxes, known as the No.3 Mk.I, did not have these metal grooves. When stock of this pattern was used up, the No.3 Mk.I was declared obsolete and only the No.3 Mk.II (grooved) box remained standard.

A new box, the No.3 Mk.III, was introduced by LoC No. 16066 on January 11, 1912. This differed from the No.3 Mk.II in that the sides were lined internally with tinned iron sheeting to prevent the cartridges from shifting in their belt, thus causing stoppages during feeding. A leather handle was riveted to the back and front of the box and a tab was attached to the lid to facilitate opening. Some No.3 Mk.II boxes were converted to the Mk.III standard and were then known as the No.3 Mk.II*. The No.3 Mk.III was the standard belt box in use at the outbreak of WW1."

Might also be of interest:

weaponsonline.proboards.com/thread/1619/no3mki-ammo-box

And:

weaponsonline.proboards.com/thread/1622/3-wooden-ammo-box

[etherialcat]

Thanks andrewupton for the info.

I followed your links and thought that further investigation was needed.

Looking at the other boxes I was now aware of possible stampings. I thought I could just make out the shape of the top of an 0 on one corner. With due regard to the heritage of the box and with much hesitation I decided that some of the paint would have to be removed. Using a turps/metho mix and elbow grease I rubbed back the bottom edge and more details became apparent. Also I noticed that the outside of the box had been coated with a pinky red coloured primer/putty prior to painting which had filled in the stamping. I then realized that I would have to use a chemical paint stripper to remove this filler.

Judging by the condition of the stampings I am assuming that the filling and painting where carried out during or shortly after manufacture.

In the following photos you can see the filler still in the stamping. Additionally there is a very faint mark of a triangle with 2 letters - first letter is either a B, E or F and the second letter is a D.

Hopefully this may add further to others knowledge.