- 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
- 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.




