One seemingly difficult bit of British Empire kit to find is the "Mug, Enamel". These mugs were widely issued to troops all over the Empire and could hold one pint of fluid. They seem to have been adopted during the Great War and were used into the postwar years.

Below is a selection of these enameled mugs. From left to right, top to bottom: A British-made mug used from WWI to early WWII, An Australian-manufactured mug, a typical reproduction mug made in only 12 ounces, an Indian-made mug from 1944 and a pair of later war British-made brown mugs.

The white British-made mug with the blue rim and handle has its original label. It was made by Jury, a firm which made brown and green mugs later in the war. It also states that the mug is "acid proof". Note the three dots on the base, which is where the mug stood on a stand during the firing process to dry the enamel (thanks Ade for this one!).

This mug was made in the Commonwealth of Australia and features a ‘Department of Defence’ mark impressed into the metal on the bottom. I believe this mark was adopted some time in the Interwar years, so the mug was produced some time after this. From what I have seen, the Australian Army made these mugs in a variety of colors, opting for the more traditional white and blue design here.

The Government of India produced these mugs during the war and possibly earlier. This example is made in green enamel by Bengal Enamel in May of 1944. Note the soldered seem along the handle as well as the raised rim on the base.

Brown mugs were introduced during the Second World War (circa 1944) as they were less conspicuous than the old white enamel mugs. These did not tend to have markings during the war, though I have seen 1945 dates on late production examples. These mugs continued to be manufactured into the 1950s and are very similar in appearance. As a general rule, the wartime mugs are a darker shade of brown and have the aforementioned three dots discussed above. The two following examples are unmarked, but have a nice dark color and the dots from firing.

Click to enlarge the picture