Japanese field binoculars with leather strap : Lieutenant Colonel A F P Lukyn, 3 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment Accession Number: REL34158

Description

Nippon Kogaku Orion 6 x 24 magnification black-painted Japanese military issue field glasses / service binoculars of Porro prism design. The plastic eye pieces are individually tuned to achieve focus, but the soft plastic eye caps are missing. There is no central focussing wheel on this model. The body of the field glasses is covered with a textured black plastic imitation leather material which provides grip for the user. This is vitually worn away on the right-hand barrel through use. The left-hand rear face of the binoculars is impressed '6x24 KAIKOSHA K.T.', while the right-hand rear face is impressed with a star over a crysthanthemum above 'No 26585'. There is a bracket on the bottom of each body section to which is attached a leather suspension strap.

Contextual Description

These binoculars were used by Major A F P Lukyn during his service with 67 Battalion (BCOF) and 3 Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment in Japan and Korea. A photograph in the Memorial's collection (Accession Number 146184) shows Major Lukyn purportedly using the binoculars while supervising a range shoot in Japan in 1949. Archibald Frederick Philip Lukyn was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1913 and was a Lieutenant serving with 48 Infantry Battalion (Militia) at the outbreak of the Second World War. During that conflict he served with 2/27 Infantry Battalion, 48 Infantry Battalion (Militia) and 27 Infantry Battalion (Militia) . In October 1945 he joined 67 Battalion and served with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan. He later served with 3 RAR in Korea, seeing action at Maryang San. He received his Certificate of Termination of an Officer in August 1960.