Brian Wolfe

The Wootton Lantern Featured here is the Wootton Lantern made by Smiths and Son (Cricklewood) and were used from the 1920s to the 1940s. The lamp itself was designed by George Arthur Henry Wootton who was the Assistant (Chief) Engineer of the Metropolitan Police in the 1920s. The patent carries the date of 23rd November, 1922. As may be seen in the photo below there is a compartment in the front under the lens which holds a spare bulb, which is broken in this case. The two lamps shown below have different plates on the front; one with the manufacturer’s name and the other with a note about the need for periodical cleaning. The photo also shows the on/off switch on the lamp’s top. This lamp was powered by an accumulator (battery) of 2 volts and the lens was able to be focused by turning the metal ring around the lens. The lamp to the right of the photo above is also marked with the number “3” on the front and was used by the military as is indicated by the broad arrow mark on the bottom as show in the photo below. The lamps were used mainly by police and fire department but as show by this example also by the military. The manufacturer of these lamps, Smith’s and Son was situated in Cricklewood, an area in north-west London which is five miles (8.2 km) from Charing Cross. Cricklewood was the home of Smith’s Industries which was started in 1915 as S. Smith & Sons, on the Edgeware Road. Originally they manufactured fuses, instruments and accessories including the Wootton Lantern. By 1939 they were producing electrical motors, aircraft accessories and electric clocks. What is significant about this lantern to my collection is that it is one of two lanterns that were designed by police officers. The first one, featured earlier in this series, was an oil lamp designed by Philip Bicknell, chief constable of Lincolnshire, 1856-1902. Regards Brian

I'll post the results when I get to it. Summer's great but way too busy. Regards Brian

Thanks for posting this information IrishGunner. I have several fliers who were KIA during the First World War that I will be researching now I have this website. Regards Brian

Once again you've turned out a master piece. For those how haven't already done so, do check out Spasm's web site, you won't be disappointed. Regards Brian

Your work just gets more and more amazing; you know I'm a fan. Thanks for posting these. Regards Brian

Great feedback and certainly food for thought, thank you to all. Regards Brian

Hi Rick and Mervyn, The cure for squirrels here is hawks, enough of the tree rats are dinner for the raptors that nature seems to balance out quite nicely, at least in my tiny forest behind our home. I think what made the world of sixty or seventy years ago seem a lot safer to Mervyn and I (I don't mean to speak for you Mervyn) was that we were children and viewed the world through the eyes of a child. War was a glorious adventure and as it has been said the only persuit worthy of a gentleman; or at least that was how we say it. Me with my little wooden sword running up and down the alley beside our home, with my friends, chasing imaginary foes and always victorious with only the occasional skinned knee or sliver from the narrow pieces of lumber we used as our swords to show for any misadventures. While the world did indeed change and with it those we seen as the enemy; but the greatest change may indeed have been within ourselves. Regards (and just a slight bit depressed now) Brian

Very interesting post and I do look forward to the whoile article when it is ready. Regards Brian

Hi Mervyn, Thanks for your comments. The world you and I grew up in has gone and the one that took its place might as well have been a century apart from ours as it is so unfamiliar. Not that today isn't as good as the days when we grew up, just different and that is enough to make it seem like a different plannet entirely. As to the First World War I would agree that there were a lot of very good people trying to keep the world from entering into war. Unfortunetly there were more selfish, greedy war mongers that couldn't have cared less about the suffering a European-wide war, which would drag the reast of humanity with it, would cause. I'll climb down off my "soap box" now. Regards Brian

Another masterpiece, thanks for posting it,Spasm. Also thanks to Larry for reintroducing this topic as it is evident several members missed it the first time around (not to mention me). Regards Brian

A very interesting post with what I consider exceptional personal artifacts. I have a certificate to a Special Constable from the General Strike of 1926 and will be posting an article ont he strike later this year. I hope you will be agreeable to add a photo of your father's truncheon to the articale at that time. Regards Brian

Drat! We in that area just two weeks ago. Oh well, thee trip at that time was unavoidable...inlaws. Regards Brian

Hi Chris, Very good points. I too am constantly surprised at the number of parrells between then and the events right up to today. Thanks for adding to this post. Regards Brian

Mervyn, I would think the blade screwed in to prevent accidental loss from the scabbard. These were were used as tools for cutting ropes and when needed nets to free the diver and not so much so as weapons. I don't think they were used by scuba divers, or "frogmen", but by the divers in the large round brass helmets and attached to an air pump on the ship above. Regards Brian

Hi Jock, Thanks for your comments. Perhaps the only blessing for our generation is that we won't last long enough to find out. From what I've read WWII had its roots in the decisions after the end of WWI. The world slipped back into a state where most people wanted peace at any cost so really WWII may not have been avaoidable either considering the atmosphere of the times. Certainly we have proven that war is not preventable by our actions as a species even as late as yesterday. This blog is getting depressing. Regards Brian

One cannot express the emotions this generates. Thanks once again Rick. Regards Brian

Thanks for bringing this to the membership's attention. After 100 years this is both an amazing and moving event. Regards Brian

Hi Rick, Thanks for your comments and you'll get no arguments from me on your additional points. While this has truly been a topic covered many times I wanted to reintroduce it due to the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the War. In addition I was hoping that it might start some dialogue on the subject, which thankfully, it has. Regards Brian

Hi Dieter, A really nice find in the manufacturer's marked Golden Kite. I haven't been around the Japanese collecting field that long but it is the first marked specimen I've seen. Thanks for posting it. Regards Brian

The Great and Unavoidable War On the eve of the beginning of the First World War we are blessed, or cursed depending on your point of view, with many new and old documentaries dealing with the Great War. Of course originally it was referred to as the “Great War” because we had not yet realized that we enjoyed the carnage so much that we started to number them. Finally after years of waiting and countless boring and pointless Olympics, FIFA, NFL, NHL, baseball, basket ball games etc. wasting good research time filling up the television we will have our moment of glory as these documentaries and discussions about the First World War are presented. Before someone inevitably does a spit take spraying their favourite beer all over their computer screens I shall offer an apology regarding my comment about sports games being pointless. Of course there is a point. As far back as the days of ancient Rome it was recognized that presenting sports games not only entertained but distracted the unwashed masses, the plebeians as it were, from seeing what was actually taking place around them. So for those who may have the attention span of a squirrel, that is to say easily distracted, I have apologized for my rudeness in pointing it out. Oh, look, something shiny! Now that I’ve had my fun, I’ll move on to the topic for discussion which is, as the title suggests, whether the Great War was indeed avoidable, as many contest, or an unavoidable consequence resulting from a complex and perhaps naive culture of the times. Often, over the years, I’ve either read or heard it said that the First World War was totally avoidable. The only war that is avoidable is the one we have yet to have. You can’t avoid something that has already happened; it’s like saying that a vehicle accident could have been avoided. How we often have heard that one; though it does seems to make sense unless you take into account everything that occurred from the start of the day up to and including the point of impact. Position of the sun, time of the day, speed and...was that a squirrel? We can take precautions to avoid an accident or steps not to repeat another mishap and with a little luck prevent the accident that we haven’t had but the one we have experienced, as they say, is history. If we could travel back in time to the turn of the twentieth century what would we find? What was the political and social atmosphere of the day? France was still stinging over the loss of territory to Germany as a result of the Franco Prussian War and still in distrust of Britain, Germany and Russia due to their alliance against Napoleon. The British were embroiled in a very unpopular war in South Africa and was being criticised for their involvement by just about everyone outside of their own Empire. The Russians had been a pain in the behind of the British and the French in the Crimea and through their involvement in adding to the hatred of the British Raj in India through Afghanistan resulting in the Indian Mutiny of 1857 (First War of Indian Independence?). Fear and distrust were the watch words of the day. It would be quite accurate to suggest that this period in history was not unlike the Cold War of post WW II times, which was experienced by many of the older members here at GMIC. Add to this atmosphere of international paranoia an arms race and we have what modern man would recognize as the Cuban Missile Crisis of the 1960s. The biggest difference being that no one had the common sense to back down. Not to get too side tracked, but I often wonder who the real hero of the Cuban Missile Crises really was. While President Kennedy rightfully prevented the installation of missiles by potentially hostile parties in the very back yard of the U.S.A. it was the Soviet withdrawal that actually prevented an all out war. It really hurts to have to say that and it flies in the face of everything we have learned through decades of James Bond movies. Back to the topic at hand...darn squirrels. The British had the greatest navy which bothered the Germans considerably and especially the Kaiser, who was the head of the German navy. It would seem that the German government controlled many things in the country but it was the Kaiser who held sway over things military and in particular the German navy. To be fair, the British naturally had the largest navy, after all when you have an empire upon which the sun never sets it only stands to reason that you need a large navy to hold it. The Kaiser feared that the British would use their large navy to control German commerce on the high seas and could threaten the German Naval ports in Europe as well. So the best way to prevent this from happening was to not only match the British but do them one better or even two or three better. Naturally the British couldn’t let the Germans maintain a large navy right in their back yard (see Cuban Missile Crisis) so it was a situation of naval one-ups- man-ship. While the boys were busy building bigger and better boats, not to mention a lot of them, the diplomats were doing what they do best, diplomacy. Early in the new century (1905) Japan had defeated the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War, destroying most of Russia’s Pacific fleet and wiping out the Baltic fleet as they steamed to the aid of the Pacific fleet. The Japanese had made an unannounced pre-emptive strike on Port Arthur destroying the Russian Navy stationed there (can anyone say Pearl Harbour). This left Russia looking for an ally and since Britain had allied herself with Japan Russia turned to France for an alliance. France needed the large military might of Russia in order to offer two fronts to Germany in the chance Germany was to attack France. France also distrusted the British who had been their mortal enemies far back in time to the day when the British had captured Joan of Arc and some cleaver lad decided to burn her at the stake as a witch, rather than imprisoning her as the solidifying or rallying point of the French army. Smart move, now you’ve created a martyr! Then there was the little matter of the Seven Years War and the loss to Britain of Canada and that little matter of the Battle of Waterloo. German diplomats couldn’t just let things alone either and attempted, as did the British to ally themselves to anyone who would consider it. Even a British/German alliance had been tossed about for a while. In the end Germany allied with Austria Hungary, France with Russia and Russia with Serbia. The British made up with France and formed an alliance and in the end the public must have been quite confused. Just when the comedians in the British music halls had developed ripping racist jokes about the French, their cheese and wine and they had to change their material to include poor imitations of German accents and making jokes about bratwurst sausages und beer. Europe was poised on the brink of disaster and not unlike a row of dominos was just waiting for the first domino to be tipped over. Who at that time would have thought that the whole thing would be set in motion by a single pistol shot in Sarajevo by a Bosnian youth on 28 July 1914? Was the whole war avoidable? When looking back and knowing what we know now one would be tempted to answer in the affirmative. However, as we today are blind about what is just about to happen and the effects of our actions on the future so were those people at the turn of the twentieth century. I submit that the First World War was, due to the times, unavoidable. It’s much like this. What are you going to do right after that giant meteor that’s heading towards earth strikes us early next month? Oh, sorry I wasn’t supposed to tell you that...look, over there...a squirrel. Regards Brian

I don't have one in my collection but I do agree with Paul that it is genuine. When you say you got "took" are you saying that you paid too much? Nice specimen regardless of price. Regards Brian

I've often thought the same thing. My first impulse was to assume that the recipients just had to be girls! Ha ha.

A nice looking pair. The 1914 Star looks to be in very nice condition. Regards Brian

Sweet! Regards Brian

This is a WWII NCO sword so not an ancient blade but rather a machine made one. Handle is aluminum. The prices for these are quite inflated, they're worth around $350 to $400. and you'll see them for anywhere from that range to $500. and even $700. Of course I could ask $1,200 for mine but that is not really what it would be worth. True died-in-the-wool ancient blade collectors consider these as garbage, however those of us who appreciate the history of the WWII Japanese blade think they are treasures in themselves. Thanks for posting it. Regards Brian