PAIR OF WORLD WAR II JAPANESE NAVAL BINOCULARS CAPTURED BY H.M.S. "EURYALUS"
1943-1945
With three-inch diameter objective lenses, folding targeting sight, adjustable eyepieces with individual focusing knobs and the mount with elevation quadrant and handle. Finished in original gray paint. Contained within a fitted wooden box, the top inscribed "The Superintendent Admiralty Research Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex. Via. S.N.S.O. at Ports concerned. Case No. E.C. 4624 155 from Capt., R. O-B. H.M.S. Euryalus.".
Case height 9.75". Width 22.25". Depth 16".
Provenance:
Capt. Richard Oliver-Bellasis (1900-1964), Commander of H.M.S. Euryalus, 1943-45, and thence by descent.
Charles Miller Ltd., London, October 2012, Lot #31.
Purchased at that sale by the current owner.

Notes:
Per the catalogue note from Charles Miller, Ltd.: “According to family history, having captured this pair of binoculars and sent them for examination, the Admiralty had no further use for them and returned them to his care. They have languished in the painted and partially padded box he sent them in ever since and remain in highly original condition.”.

Further extracted from the note in the Charles Miller, Ltd. catalogue: Oliver-Bellasis was a specialist in underwater defenses and in charge of experimental mine sweeping before the war. He joined Euryalus on August 15, 1943. After extensive action in the Mediterranean, H.M.S. Euryalus took Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, the Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief, to Taranto on September 23, 1943 for a meeting with the Italian Minister of Marine to settle the surrender of the Italian Fleet. After her service in the Mediterranean, H.M.S. Euryalus transferred to the Pacific Theater and from July through August 1945, she was patrolling in the Pacific looking for the Japanese. Although she did not encounter the enemy, it is likely the binoculars were captured and brought aboard by another (smaller) ship of the Royal Navy. Capt. Oliver-Bellasis left the ship in November 1945 and, upon his return to the Admiralty, became Director of Underwater Weapons from 1947 until his retirement in 1950.

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age; these issues will likely not be mentioned in the condition report. Please contact Eldred's before the auction with any condition questions. Questions about condition will not be answered after purchase. Condition reports are provided as a courtesy, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Important note on frames: Frames are not guaranteed to be in the same condition as they are in the item photograph. Due to handling and shipping, many frames, especially antique ones, are prone to losses. If you have questions about the condition of a frame, please contact us prior to the auction.