Manufactured by
W. & L. E. Gurley Company, American, founded 1845
Issued by
United States Army, American, founded 1775
Owned by
Lieutenant Nicolls, Vernon O., American, 1909 - 2003
Used by
758th Tank Battalion, American, 1941 - 1945
Date
1942-1945
Medium
a. ink on metal and glass;
b. canvas with thread and metal
Dimensions
H x W x D (Overall): 5 1/4 × 3 1/8 × 1 1/2 in. (13.3 × 7.9 × 3.8 cm)
H x W x D (2014.142.6a compass closed): 3 3/4 × 2 1/16 × 7/8 in. (9.5 × 5.3 × 2.2 cm)
H x W x D (2014.142.6a compass opened): 6 1/8 × 2 1/16 × 2 11/16 in. (15.5 × 5.3 × 6.8 cm)
H x W x D (2014.142.6b case): 5 1/4 × 3 9/16 × 1 in. (13.3 × 9 × 2.5 cm)
Caption
Vernon Nicolls was born in Barbados in 1909 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1915. During World War II, while living in Brooklyn, Nicolls enlisted as a Private in the Army at Fort Jay on Governor's Island, New York, in 1942. After graduating from Officer Candidate School, Lieutenant Nicolls served in Italy with the 758th Tank Battalion, the Army's first African American armored unit. He used this compass during his World War II Army service.
Description
A lensatic military field compass (2014.142.6a) with a green canvas pouch (2014.142.6b) owned by Lt. Vernon O. Nicolls. The compass (2014.142.6a) is black with a hinged cover. It unfolds into four (4) main parts: the cover, the dial, rear sight/eyepiece, and the holding ring. The holding ring is a brass loop on the back of the compass to hold the compass steady while in use. Directly in front of the holding ring is the black metal rear sight, which has a lens and an eyepiece that unfolds to a ninety (90) degree angle. The rear sight aligns with the front sight in the front cover of the compass. The front sight is a metal wire, or crosshair, running down the length of a rectangular slot. There are luminous dots above and below the slot. The dial is a black, floating circular plate. Directional markers, [W E / S], are printed in gold text on the face of the dial with a gold arrow, representing north. The dial has inner and outer scales of numbers running around the rim of the dial in white lines and numerals. The outer scale is printed in two degree increments from [2] to [64]. The inner scale is printed in ten (10) degree increments from [20] to [340] with the gold arrow printed over the ten (10) degree mark of the inner scale and pointing to [64] on the outer scale. The manufacturer’s name and information is printed in white text on the surface of the dial, [W. & L.E. GURLEY / TROY, N.Y., U.S.A.] just above the south directional marker. The dial sits in a brass rimmed holder and is covered with glass with a painted gold line that runs across the radius of the glass surface. The pouch (2014.142.6b) for the compass is roughly rectangular in shape with rounded edges. It is constructed from olive green canvas with a top zipper closure and a ball chain zipper pull. The front of the pouch is plain. The pouch has a canvas belt loop on the back and a black metal hook attached to the top of the pouch. The ball chain zipper pull has a large, round connector.
Place made
Troy, Rensselaer County, New York, United States, North and Central America
Place used
Italy, Europe
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Type
compasses (direction indicators)
cases (containers)
Topic
Military
World War II
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Kay L. Nicolls
Object number
2014.142.6ab
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5612c13c8-b080-44e5-959b-f2ebe78f6bbd

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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