I visited Eden Camp in North Yorkshire a few weeks ago and came across this photo in one of their exhibits - "Bomb snuffers at the ready!". I've never heard of a bomb snuffer before and it looks a very dangerous occupation! Anyone have anymore information? I'm guessing it is to snuff out incendiaries rather than placing over a 500 pounder!
I’ve seen that pic before....I think it was in one of the many period mags.......I think they were domes to put over Incendiaries to effectively starve them of oxygen.....but I may be wrong
Yes I think that it would be the practice to use against incendiaries but not successful when incendiaries dropped into roof spaces which was a different matter. I suppose that device also would be effective against any flares that were still burning when they landed on the ground. I can remember when my father returning home during a raid after an afternoon shift had to deal with an incendiary that fell into our front garden The Luftwaffe dropped most of the incendiaries into a 32 acre field opposite the front of our house.He extinguished the incendiary by tipping the potato peelings collection bin over it.Potato peeling collection bins were located at intervals at the base of street lighting columns (lights blacked out) for purpose of feeding pigs.....collections was done by the local Urban District Council.
Sadly no image supplied online AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS IN MALAYA, C. 20 MAY 1941 Catalogue number: K 129 Object description: Here's one way of dealing with an incendiary bomb, as demonstrated by an Air Raid Precautions warden in Malaya. The gadget is just a large metal snuffer, mounted on the end of a long iron-shod handle. There are two vent holes, each an inch or so in diameter, in the top, to allow the expanding gases to escape: if these are not provided, it is impossible to keep the snuffer on the ground, and it may even be blown seven to eight feet up in the air. With the vents in the snuffer, a firm and steady pressure keeps it down and the incendiary is immediately brought under control.
Here we go, see attached from "Popular Science" 1940 " A variation on the theme: US2355428A - Incendiary bomb snuffer and carrier - Google Patents
Twitter https://m.imgur.com/t/1941/F640emP Original image appears twice on Getty Images. Factory workers demonstrate long handled bomb snuffers. When placed... News Photo - Getty Images Workers bring out incendiary bomb 'snuffers' from the factory where... News Photo - Getty Images
The snuffers were for use where a stirrup pump could not be used to play a fine spray of water over the incendiary, possibly because the bombing had disrupted the water supply. I have seen pictures of other devices not unlike a very large long handled dustpan that allowed the incendiary to be picked up and moved away from combustible material.
I have just submitted my patent application for a "bum snuffer" that negates the need for toilet paper!
Baby Cooker - didn't realise that the food situation got that bad - Johnathan Swift's modest proposal! Actually as a student in the 60's I owned a Baby Belling which had a minute oven and a single hot plate.
