Der "Broad Arrow" (Board's mark)
"The broad arrow was the Board's mark, used as such from the 17th century. Stamped on guns, papers, buildings and all kinds of equipment, it originally signified royal ownership. A proclamation of 1699 clarified its use on stores of war belonging to the Board of Ordnance; just over a hundred years later, in 1806, the Board directed its Storekeepers and others to mark "all descriptions of Ordnance Stores ... with the broad arrow as soon as they shall have been received as fit for His Majesty's Service".
"The Office of Ordnance was created by Henry VIII in 1544. It became the Board of Ordnance in 1597, its principal duties being to supply guns, ammunition, stores and equipment to the King's Navy.
The Office and Board used the broad arrow to signify at first objects purchased from the monarch's money and later to indicate government property since at least the 17th century. The introduction of this symbol is attributed to Sir Philip Sidney, Joint Master of the Ordnance in 1585/6, since the pheon appears in the arms of the Sidney family.
The broad arrow frequently appeared on military boxes and equipment such as canteens, bayonets and rifles, as well as the British prison uniform from the 1870s, and even earlier, that of transportees in British penal colonies such as Australia. The broad arrow marks were also used by Commonwealth countries on their ordnance.
With the demise of the Board in 1855, the War Department and today's Ministry of Defence continued to use the mark.
Similarly to hallmarks, it is currently a criminal offence in the United Kingdom to reproduce the broad arrow without authority. Section 4 of the Public Stores Act 1875 makes it illegal to use the "broad arrow" on any goods without permission.
Quelle:
Board of Ordnance (Britain). Mike Comerford (August 2003). "Ordnance Insignia of the British Army: History & Arms of the Board of Ordnance (Ordnance Board)".
Bin grade zu faul zum dolmetschen
Noch zu unterscheiden in B ^ O = Board of Ordnance acceptance mark (-1855)
Und W ^ D = War Department acceptance mark (1855-).
Unterschiede finden sich aber noch im "Broad Arrow" selbst.....einmal dicke geschwungene Linien = "London proof area"
Und feine scharf gezeichnete Linien = "Birmingham proof area"
Gruss
Zardoz