Historical information

This type of kit was used by the Regiment for vehicular cross country navigation. The crew commander would stand in front of the vehicle with a prismatic compass and guide the driver to align the vehicle on the back bearing of the required direction of travel. The discs were set for time of day and the required bearing and the driver would watch the compass and steer so that the shadow of the gnome was on the arrow. The compass would be re-set about every half hour to adjust for rotation of the Earth.
In featureless country navigation was by dead reckoning by direction travelled by compass and distance travelled from the vehicle odometer.
Armoured vehicles are now equipped with GPS navigation aids rendering the sun compass obsolete

Significance

Type of equipment used by the Regiment on exercises

Physical description

Metal construction. One fixed and one rotatable aluminium disc with a vertical steel gnome at the centre. The lower disc is marked with bearings in mils, the upper with time of day. There is a rotatable aluminium arrow under the 2 discs.
A 33 mm dia spirit level is fixed to the top disc.

Inscriptions & markings

On spirit level "GENERAL #847"