UK

FIREFIGHTER BRITISH LAMPS

SHAND MASON

Shand-Mason and Co. of 75 Upper Ground Street, Blackfriars Road, London SE; were a manufacturer of fire pumps and engines. The company was founded by J. Shand and S. Mason in 1774. This company produced fire lanterns for vehicles and hand lamps.

The glasses were thick and beveled. In the back there are two handles and belt clip. Oil (wale oil, sperm oil, colza oil...), or kerosene (coal oil) were used as fuel, . These lamps, could be made of steel (as the above lantern) or be made of copper and brass (as the down lantern):

This large size hand lamp, it would be designed to senior staff. It is present, in several catalogs of the nineteenth century:

The vehicles could be dragged by people, horses or steam engines. The vehicle lamps,  illuminated the route and could serve as hand lanterns.

This lamp, was placed to the right of carriage:

The next lamp, is a hand lantern, but it could be used as a vehicle lamp, as well:

Looking at this 1895 catalog page, you can see various models shown here:

Horse drawn steam fire engine lamp.

The burner using a fuel vaclite, high viscosity substance. This texture prevents fuel spillage in sudden movements.

Click on photography, to go to original link

Overnight firefighters interventions, it was necessary to monitor the steam engine. The pressure control was critical, the boiler could not work or be at risk explode. Shand Masón was, a very typical gauge lamp:

This lamp has stamped a P under a crown. This punching marking, can mean, that belonged to a fire steam engine of the Duke of Portland:

In the following drawing, you can see two lamps to illuminate the gauge. The Shand Mason steam engine, was moved by human power.

MERRYWEATHER

Merryweather & Sons of Clapham, later Greenwich, London, were builders of steam fire engines and steam tram engines. Although the history of the company dates back to the seventeenth century, not manufactured fire steam engines were not produced until the nineteenth century. Despite Merryweather and Shand Mason were rivals, some of the lamps are almost identical.

This is a lamp on the right side of the steam engine.

As Shand Mason, Merryweather  manufactured hand lanterns. Although they are truly rare.

The glasses were cracked but they are useful. This is the function of the beveled glass.

The next lamp could be hitched to the vehicle by its back part:

In following inset, you can see this type of lamps, with a manometer lamp, which appears in the picture below:

In the following picture, there is a gauge lamp, with a side headlight:

In the image below, you can see how these two lamps were placed in the steam fire engine.

The red lantern is one of the headlights of the vehicle. The fuel was, oil or kerosene.

The obligation to install, the  red rear lights, it was not until the 20s of XX century. Yet, J & R Oldfield patented one model in the year 1904:

This invencion relates to improvements in lamps for automobiles and the like, and has for his object a means for obviating or reducing the transfer of vibration from de lamp casing to the light. The burner is on a platform with coiled springs.

For the rest, it is a lantern, with two side beveled glass and one frontal red glass

A bright red signal light is cast along the roadway, and, as well as this, two bright  white beams are thrown on either side: the one illuminates the side path, whereby a back glance from the driver enable him to see that nothing has extinguished this tail light, the other reflects on the number plate.

The DEPENDENCE lamp:

Was used by Merryweather:

Used in steam fire engines:

Used in many types of vehicles, such as trucks vacuum (year 1913):

Something rarer are the DEPENDENCE headlamps, manufactured for Merriweather.

These lamps are somewhat larger than the rear lights. The lantern  has a plano-convex front lens and a protected side window with beveled glass.

On the other side, the lamp has a device, to place it in the vehicle bracket.

This lamp opens behind. Inside it has two reflectors and burner uses  coiled spring Oldfield system.

This vehicle, belonging to the Hungerford Firefighters Park since1899, produced by Merryweather (Fire King), used this type of lamps. Eventually, that lamps were replaced for acetylene projectors. 

Nevertheless, they were place in the back part of the vehicle, as reinforcement, like any other type of wick lamp.

There was another company, it wasn't as popular as Shand Madon or Merryweather. However, this company had an important presence in british firefighters parks, it was Rose & Co:

This company produced steam pumps and fireproof material since 19th century. Rose & Co firefighter hand lamp, is very similar to Shand's Mason's hand lamp, wich was shown above. As german lamps, the brand changes, but the models are almost identical.

Certainly there are some models that were produced by all brands and companies. The following lamps belongs to J. & AW Birt Company: 

This company, produced rescue meterial, precisely naval resuce. Rockets, lifeboats, and even lanterns were supplied to individuals and to the British Navy. Nevertheless, there is no proof that this company produce pumps or fire scales. Even so, these lamps are considered as "fire engine lamps":

This was a right side lamp.

We could say that the autonomus ventilators, appear at the begining of the 20th century and they were developped during the First World War. This will allow that the rescue teams could get in toxic atmospheres, wich were potentially explosive too. In those cases, security light was needed. And security light was given by lamps designed by miners. 

:

Mine lamps could be wick lamps and electric lamps as well. However, here we show the small lamp designed for inspection works or topography in mines, by CEAG brand-Model used by the "Fire Brigade" of London:

It is the B3 model:

This lamp isn't very different to any other that were used in a mine or in an industry. However, it was bought to a former member of the "Fire Brigade" of London. I have several reasons to believe that he is reliable. After a few years without any contact with him, he sent me a condolence message after the 2004 Madrid train bombings, as only an authentic firefighter can do.

Some time before, during our conversations about the sale, he ensure that this lamp had a great deal of services with de London Firefighters, till it became obsolete and its only function is show how it was used, as it is shown in the Fire Brigade Museum model:

The las photography belongs to Uncle Ebenezer, making "click" on this image, the original one and a very interesting album are shown.