Beach Group Equipment. What are they?

Mike many thanks, seems common sense they would have similar equipment but I have been led down many a dead end from just assuming something.

This whole thread has given a massive insight in to what would have been involved.

Cheers Brian

 

Signals line equipment.


The Beach Group were not issued with this Loyd Carrier, Cable Laying but the photo illustrates some of the equipment listed for use by them.

The 12 foot signals ladder. A wooden ladder used for attaching telephone wire to poles or other suitable items.

17 foot wood signal poles. These were dug into the ground so that they were less than seventeen foot above the ground, but hopefully high enough to prevent the wires being carried away by passing vehicles. The poles were round section. (It had been suggested that square section poles would save on shipping space and some were sent to N. Africa. Signals personnel there doubted that they were strong enough and used two square poles taped together, thus defeating the object).

Wood crossbars in racks on the front of the carrier, These were used where more than one wire was required.

Large cable reels.

A crook stick. This had a ring on the end so that the wire could be directed into the desired location as it was paid out.

Mike

 

Fire extinguisher.



A Minimax fire extinguisher.
This was widely used by both civil and military. Some two foot high it contained water and chemicals. When the knob on the base was struck, usually by banging it on the floor, the chemicals were released and a foam produced.

Vehicles came with small extinguishers as part of their equipment. These contained fire suppressing chemicals which were unpleasant, and and even toxic, especially when used in confined spaces.

Mike.

 

Many of the small fire extinguishers were filled with carbon tetrachloride. This was also known to be a good stain remover so guess what happened when they were needed for their primary purpose!!

Tim

 

Tim,

Ah! But were the extinguishers clean and brightly polished. Much more important.

Mike.

 

The front gate to Minimax is still there in Feltham. (outside a business unit)
The conical extinguisher was a soda/acid type. A glass container of acid was smashed and put into the soda. This produced CO2 which pushed out the water. To stop it, invert.
Carbon Tetrachloride is also an anesthetic. Best used with ventilation.

 

Thanks very much Trackfrower. All additional information is more than welcome, as are corrections and comments.

I must be well down the list now.

Mike.

 

Blankets.


The standard WD issue blanket at this period was made of grey woolen cloth. The edges had stitching in red wool which preventing fraying. This photo shows both top and bottom of the stitching. In earlier and later periods blankets had a red stripe or stripes running down the centre. Opinions differ as to whether these stripes helped to align the blanket on a barrack room bed or to identify it as WD property.

The great majority of blankets came from a limited area of the West Riding, round the towns of Dewsbury and Batley. I will not describe the twenty or so processes involved in the manufacture but blankets were woven from low grade recycled wool known as shoddy. The threads were thick and hairy and towards the end of the process they were hammered or felted to give a dense cloth. This was warm, windproof and 'shower resistant'.

Officers blankets were of a finer, softer, cream coloured material.

The collecting of woolen rags for shoddy used to be a large industry with rag and bone men collecting rags from households, dealers sorting the cloth and mills turning out blanket cloth, serge uniform cloth and duffle.

Mike.

A reminiscence.
Mike remembers his first experience of a school jumble sale in the early 1960's. The moment the doors were opened half a dozen aggressive ladies rushed for the second hand clothing, grabbed armfuls, fought each other for possession and then demanded to know the price of their prizes. One was naturally too terrified to bargain and accepted whatever they offered. Ever after woolens were bagged up and sold directly to a dealer.

Mike

 

Crikey, I remember those old blankets. Being an old Military family, with several uncles/grandfather's serving during both periods of unpleasantness, there always seemed to be a few of these old blankets laying around. I particularly remember one in the boot of my Dad's old Austin which was used to cover the Triplex windscreen on frosty nights, or used for sitting/laying on when out in the fields.

In these days of fitted carpets. central heating and duck-down duvets, those old, and once so ubiquitous, woollen blankets, and what they represent, seem like a hundred years ago! But then, I suppose, it almost is 100 years! I guess what I'm really getting at is just how evocative they are of the long 19th Century when compared to the modern fabrics, and methods, that we use today and whose ubiquity, overt the last 35 - 40 years, has replaced that of wool.