Mystery Aircraft Component - Is This a Genuine UFO? Contributed by George MILLIE I am anxious to confirm the identity of this aviation curiosity
that "fell into my hands" during the very early part of the period
1959 to 1969 when I was an Instructor at the (then) Technical Training Wing, Army Aviation Centre, Middle Wallop. A RAF colleague at
the time led me to believe that it is a pissoir de l'aviateur.
I concede the possibility that the aforementioned 'expert' may just have been
"taking the piss". The receptacle is expertly fashioned using heavy-gauge sheet
copper, and the quality of the chrome after at least fifty years of faithful service
bears lasting testimony to the craftsmanship of the era.
The original cork seal on the inside of the spring-loaded hinged
cover remains in pristine condition, although the spring has understandably
lost some tension (the mechanical version
of Brewer's Droop perhaps!). Dimensions: (a) length (overall) - 16 cm. (b) diameter (cover) - 6.2 cm. (c) diameter (lower end) - 1.7 cm (the numerals 50 are engraved at this end).
At the centre of the outer surface of the hinged cover a 6 mm
diameter circle is engraved/stamped and (what appears to be) the letters JOCB (the
manufacturer's mark?) A Mystery No Longer
Reference: “The Page 276: (para 2) “One inherent disadvantage of the
Hampden (bomber, known as ‘the Flying Suitcase’) was that you were
unable to relieve yourself once you were in the cockpit, although there was a
device called a ‘peeto’. This had to be fitted on (to
the penis) when you were dressing for flight with a rubber tube running
down inside your trouser leg. The end of the tube then fitted loosely in a
lavatory in the navigator’s position venting to the outside of the aircraft.
It proved disastrous both for the pilot when it froze and for the navigator
when it didn’t.” Notes: 1. The device depicted in the photographs above is a later version of the ‘peeto’ system associated with the Hampden Bomber. 2. Could ‘peeto’ be a comic corruption of the name of the air speed indicator system component, the Pitot (pronounced: pee-toe) Head? 3. Could
it be mere coincidence that yet another name given to the penis was ‘ [George MILLIE, 16 December 2002]
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