Thread: Wiles Senior cooker.

Found some information on the first Boyded cooker.
Boiler is marked
EC 103
SHELLS SEAMLESS BOIER UNIT
WSA S/N 2476
Pressure tested 200lbs
MYD
RADEX N/O DV59
JBA
work pressure 100lbs

The inspection cert found inside the trailer is...............
2BOA
22/72
REGISTED N/O EC103
trailer 123488
28inch long
12 inch dia
95lb safety valve operation pressure.
Boiler operation pressure 100 lbs
next inspection......1065hrs/Nov 73

I Know part of the kit for a wiles cooker is a log and repair book....separate from the boiler yearly certificate and the army recorded operating hours which is most likely the hours mentioned on the boiler cert.

Knowing much of the post army history of this wiles cooker, it which be safe to say it has done no further steaming since army auction.

The boiler barrel inspection plug was found to be loose and I can see inside the barrel..........the parts I can see look OK.
Interestingly the boiler cert numbers match both trailer and boiler.

I know each boiler when made was hydraulically tested to 200lbs


The second cooker ....the wiles made one ,still has its boiler certificate inside it and I should be able to figure out its army/trailer rego number.......it will be a while before I can get a close look at the second cooker.

The other piece of information I have is the Boyded cooker was made in the Sydney surburb of Villawood during the war.
Villawood was a large American stores/warehouse area during the war.
The Americans used as many wiles cookers during the war in the pacific as they could get their hands on.......reverse lend lease.
Some of the first American units to be land here during the war were feed by stationary wiles kitchens in South Australia and how the Americans caught onto the idea early on.
The wiles were made as stationary units for hospitals, large permanent army camps, large ships, large American air fields, ect....could feed 1000 men......none survive.
The Senior mobile for cooking on the move.......could feed 500 men.
The Junior mobile....small enough to tow behind a Jeep or to be parachuted to site....could feed 200 men
All used the same boiler.
On the stationary units a extra oven and steamer pots were fitted with steam from the pressure relief valve used to heat a 100 gallon hot water service as well as the normal boiling water Tea tank and boiling water service.
The Wiles cooker was very well liked by all services.
The British even purchased 30 of them for the Indian army.
They were discovered too late in the war in Europe by the British to be considered for use.

Originally Posted by 101 Ron

The wiles were made as stationary units for hospitals, large permanent army camps, large ships, large American air fields, ect....could feed 1000 men......none survive.

Yikes, what were they feeding them that none survived??!
Hope you mean the cookers, not the men!

Alan

Hi Ron,
Here are a few shots of our cooker, which we have used to cook meals at our Annual Machinery Rally & a few other events. Biggest effort so far is two course meal for 120 vintage car nuts on a miserable winters day at Ebor. At least we were kept warm!
ARN is 124340
If someone can tell me how to include photos in text rather than attachments I'll dig out some more.
Cheers,
Ron

Open the images in a new window then copy the URL into your text with [/IMG] at the end of the URL and [IMG] at the beginning.

Hi Mick,
Thanks for the info.
Here we are cooking on the run so to speak at 2006 Rally


Here is our cooker at 2007 Rally, providing roast dinner for the family & a few friends.


Cheers

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

Open the images in a new window then copy the URL into your text with [/IMG] at the end of the URL and [IMG] at the beginning.

In the second picture I can see mods for a whisle.......that's cool every boiler needs a whisle, but whats the story with the red steam pipe going to the right and a small copper condensing coil from it.

Absolutely right about the whistle!

Coil is a Windermere kettle used to boil the billy - its what the steam boats on Lake Windermere use to make their tea.
Boils the billy in 20 sec or so.