I found this last summer on the top of a shelf in the garage. It is from the previous owner of the house. The kettle does not looks like it has every been used so I am going to assume that the buyer forgot about it or hide it so well that she/he couldn’t find it.
The Thermette was invented in 1929 in New Zealand by John Ashley Hart. It was standard issue to the New Zealand army serving in the North Africa during WW2 when it was known as the ‘Benghasi Boiler’. For more about the history of this item click here Theremette.
This version was made during 1960 to 1970 period. This kettle was designed for boiling water while cooking your meal in a saucepan or frying pan sitting on the top outdoors using twigs and other small combustible materials; these devices consist of a water jacket surrounding a fire chamber which creates an upward chimney draft ensuring efficient and rapid boiling even in windy or wet weather. Low tech at it best but still I like my Jetboil because of the size. Yet if I run out of fuel at least I got one in case of a disaster.
True Survivalist 