Domestic object - Men's Pocket tool kit, c1940

Historical information

This item is from a collection donated by descendants of John Francis Turner of Wodonga. Mr. Turner was born on 6 June 1885. He completed all of his schooling at Scotts Boarding School in Albury, New South Wales. On leaving school, he was employed at Dalgety’s, Albury as an auctioneer. In 1924 John was promoted to Manager of the Wodonga Branch of Dalgety’s.
On 15/03/1900 he married Beatrice Neal (born 7/12/1887 and died 7/2/1953) from Collingwood, Victoria. They had 4 daughters – Francis (Nancy), Heather, Jessie and Mary.
In 1920, the family moved From Albury to Wodonga, purchasing their family home “Locherbie” at 169 High Street, Wodonga. "Locherbie" still stands in Wodonga in 2022. The collection contains items used by the Turner family during their life in Wodonga.

These tool kits were often carried by men so they were equipped to deal with minor repair jobs away from home. A variety of companies in Britain and Germany manufactured similar kits prior to WW2.

Physical description

A metal miniature tool kit including a screwdriver, an awl and 2 augers stored in a metal cylinder. The cylinder screws together in the centre. There is a central slot on each side of the cylinder sot that the end of each tool can be inserted. The cylinder then screws together to act as a handle.

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