The wire reels in the photograph above represent the typical methodology of wire transport and storage during World War Two. The largest reel is a DR/5 and has been placed on an RL-31 reel carrier, which could be vehicle mounted or configured into a kind of "stretcher" that could be hand-carried. The DR/5 could hold 1 mile of W-110 field wire.
The next smaller reel is an RL/159 and this reel could hold approximately 1/4 of a mile of W-110 field wire. The next smallest reel is called a DR/8 reel and could hold approximately 1/8 mile of W-110 field wire.
The smallest reel, perched atop the RL/159 reel, is what we at COV lovingly refer to as the "butterfly reel". It will hold 200 yards of wire and is a one-handed reel.
It might be interesting to note that the wire on each of the reels is original 1944-vintage W-110 field wire that was found in an old warehouse.