Leather WWII military mule trunk

An original British military leather mule trunk from WWII (1944), belonging to Lt Col Frank Walton Roe. Mule trunks were called such, because they were made to be secured to a mule/horse/camel etc, via the metal loops at the back.

They contained uniforms, provisions and equipment, an iconic piece of kit.

A Geologist, Lt Col Roe became Dr Roe after the war. He worked as the Director of the Overseas Geological Survey's (OGS) Borneo and Federation of Malay office. Contributing to the Colonial Geological Surveys of 1947 - 1956, Frank was part of a team that sort to determine the mineral wealth of Borneo, Brunei and Malay. Given the OGS London address is written on the top of the trunk and ring marks are evident on the canvas interior, it is assumed Frank sent samples back to England in his trunk.

His findings from this period can be found in his published papers and research reports available online and in library collections.

Frank was awarded an OBE for his work in geology in 1960 and passed away in 1965.