Molotov Cocktail Tongs

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Overview

2 sets of black painted iron tongs which were reputedly designed for picking up Molotov Cocktails. The tongs are made from a single long flat piece of iron which ha been bent into a U shape where the ends are 6cm apar in their resting position. The last centimetre of the grabbing ends of the tongs have been bent inwards at 180 degrees and have a concave edge. Halfway up the shaft of the tongs flat metal has been curved in on itself to create tubular handles. These tongs came from the Busselton unit of the VDC.

Historical information

The Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) was an Australian part-time volunteer military force of World War II modelled on the British Home Guard. The VDC was established in July 1940 by the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) and was initially composed of ex-servicemen who had served in World War I. The government took over control of the VDC in May 1941 and gave the organisation the role of training for guerrilla warfare, collecting local intelligence and providing static defence of each unit's home area.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-124-2020.325

Item type

Tools

Material

Iron

Width

6 mm

Height or length

36 mm

Depth

3 mm

Themes

War and Conflict

Contextual Information

A Molotov cocktail is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a fuse, typically a glass bottle filled with flammable liquids sealed with a cloth wick. In use, the fuse attached to the container is lit and the weapon is thrown, shattering on impact, igniting the flammable substances contained in the bottle and spreading flames as the fuel burns. Devices like this were used in warfare for the first time in the Spanish Civil War between July 1936 and April 1939, before they became known as "Molotov cocktails". The name "Molotov cocktail" was coined by the Finns during the Winter War in 1939, with it being a disparaging reference to the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov,.

Primary significance criteria

Social or spiritual significance

Busselton Historical Society

Organisation Details
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