Any crockery experts out there?

So my best bet is a NOS (new old stock) mug? I’ve found one source that prints the NAAFI logo onto a modern cup but none reproducing the pleasantly domed profile of the original. A gap in the market perhaps? A stack of these in the Duxford shop would sell like hot cakes! :very_drunk:

Wishful thinking no doubt, but is there anywhere to purchase a replica NAAFI cup? It looks like a stylish design and fairly sturdy.

They come up on eBay occasionally. For example: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351306984635

Wishful thinking no doubt, but is there anywhere to purchase a replica NAAFI cup? It looks like a stylish design and fairly sturdy.

ME JUG!

This was a very cheap Ebay find-buy of a few years ago, I love studying old images, RAF WW11 etc….and when I saw this unassuming, plain white jug and saw it was ww11 dated I decided to go for it, reason being the two pics of air crew eating meals!.(hope I haven’t broken any Copyright laws in posting them) pretty sure it IS what it appears to be, though, of course not necessarily by the same manufacturer. its by BOVEY I think, they finished production sometime in the 1950’s if I remember correctly.
No chips / cracks but damage to finish inside (base)[ATTACH=CONFIG]235122[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]235123[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]235124[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]235125[/ATTACH] which I believe milk can cause over time? so definitely been used, even though where bottom of handle joins body, there is a huge gap on one side, these must have been mass produced for service (permanent) bases I suppose. Never be valuable or even highly collectable but CHUFFED TO BITS to have it………..nice to have the ‘small’ stuff to go with the ‘big’ stuff!

(The soup ladle ‘prop’ is dated 1939, AcrownM marked, even has its own stores number 21C/308)

Can anyone explain what the ‘W’ in a diamond means? noticed it on other ‘Military’ porcelain from DIFFERENT manufacturers…….wartime related?

Dunno why my images always seem to be in the wrong place?!

Ok thanks. Will send you a PM Denis.

Rob

It was nothing to do with the Duxford museum Rob, it was a private venture as the dump is out of the boundary as such.

Really good finds, both of you.

Denis – just out of interest do you know if Duxford kept anything from this dump search, or was it all disposed of?

Rob

These spoons and the complete NAAFI teacup (one of five I found) were recovered from Duxfords pre-war Dump which several of us were privileged to have dug a year or so ago. these were four feet or so deep among all sorts of domestic rubbish from the period. Above these finds were the torn up remains of newspapers that were dated April 1939 and one page told the story of German troops entering Czechoslovakia the previous month. Since these were below it is safe to assume they are pre-war relics.

Here’s a complete one! purchased from an Antiques Centre many years ago, ‘Military’ use, both Army AND RAF I believe.[ATTACH=CONFIG]235098[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]235099[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]235100[/ATTACH] And a whole NAAFI example,(J.E. HEATH. VITRIFIED. ENGLAND) not perfect as it has a large hairline crack plus chip, found this in a second hand shop, again many years ago…….there ought, in theory to be ‘tons’ of this NAAFI-ware about, but I have rarely seen any, only broken-smashed, saw some on a dealers listing which had been found on a famous Battle Of Britain airfield dump, so I guess its ww11 period. That YMCA Mug is interesting………..cannot remember seeing one of those.

Very little scratching indeed. The North-West side of Cramond Island was awash in white crockery pieces when I was there last. I was lucky to turn over the NAAFI piece, but I’m sure the majority of the stuff there is of the same vintage and just not as readily marked. I will have to go back for another look and see what else turns up.

I used to comb the beach at Cramond fairly often for older crockery. I believe that sailing ships used to be ballasted with crockery and roof tiles, and would dump these in the Forth. I’ve had good luck finding intricately-painted crockery on Aberdour beach, but a lot less luck finding anything around Cramond. The majority of the material I picked up in Aberdour is much older, and even the NAAFI piece was not really the subject of my interest when I picked it up.

My only complete find to day – YMCA van mug from RAF Stoke Orchard

I found a similar item on Cramond island a couple of years ago

Some nice finds there gentlemen, amazing what still turns up with a little scratching around.

Any other finds please feel free to post some pics.

Rob

Found a few bits like this. If you’re lucky it’s stamped NAAFI too. Often the plates had a very intricate NAAFI logo on the other side on the rim.

I found a similar item on Cramond island a couple of years ago:

My only complete find to date – YMCA van mug from RAF Stoke Orchard

Another little find from awhile back, although on the edge of a different airfield. This time it’s a very large almost complete tea mug save for the handle and from a later post-war period.
I’ve written to the Maling Ware society in the hope that they can confirm or not whether that the company supplied the RAF with crockery, or maybe one of you knowledgeable guys already knows the answer?![ATTACH=CONFIG]235054[/ATTACH]

Rob

Have you ever found all the pieces to complete one?

Unfortunately no, Whenever I have found a large piece I always thought it would come out whole….it never does 🙂

A. J. Wilkinson Ltd were part of the Staffordshire Potteries in Burslem, and at one time had an employee by the name of Clarice Cliff.

Produced pottery from 1881 until 1974, typically tableware. They also produced George VI and Elizabeth ware as did Doulton…. who should need no introduction…..

The G VI R marks appear on several manufacturers products and usually denoted military or government use.

Found a few bits like this. If you’re lucky it’s stamped NAAFI too. Often the plates had a very intricate NAAFI logo on the other side on the rim.

No Rob, its a VI.. as in George VI 😉

on closer inspection its not a “W” is it, DOH!

hi,
i,m from the potteries(stoke on trent),Doultons,Wilkinsons were large pottery firms,dont recognise the last plates makers name though.

regards
jack…