Official sock dryer?

[Jem2109]

I finally got hold of the War Diary covering my GGUncles death and at first was most *miffed* to find I was only sent 2 actual pages of the War Diary, as I already had the first page, in reality I got just 7 days, but then I read what was sent.

After learning how Robert died I read on through messages about handing trenches over, and some operation orders, they are fascinating, but imagine the light hearted relief in learning how they dried their socks! I've been sent the plans for a sock drier, 36 pairs can be dried in 15 minutes

Is it OK to post a pic? or is that covered by copyright?

[Malcolm]

John Logie Baird of TV fame was turned down for service in 1915 as medically unsuitable so he went away and invented an undersock and a method of drying socks. The money he made from his sock paid for his TV experiments.

from

http://www.geocities.com/neveyaakov/electr...ence/baird.html

World War One broke out, and Baird never completed his degree. Baird, now 26 years old, tried on many occasions to enlist with the army, but was repeatedly rejected as unfit for army service. At this time Baird had some business with damp-proof socks invented by him. The Baird undersock, warm in winter, cool in summer, and consisted of an unbleached half hose sprinkled with borax. In 1919 Baird decided to close the sock operation, despite it being quite profitable.

Aye

Malcolm

[NigelS]

A biography of Baird (Vision Warrior: The hidden achievements of John Logie Baird, by Tom McArthur & Peter Wandall) gives some more details of Baird's undersock enterprise, but it does not mention any involvement with driers (although, being a typical inventor, it's likely that it's an area he might well have investigated). Acording to McArthur & Wandall, Baird came up with the idea of his undersock as a means of supplementing the income from his day job as a power station engineer. (His initial idea had been a treatment for piles based on a formula given to him by a work colleague; however, he rapidly had to abandon this project when, having tried to ease his own infliction, he found himself unable to sit down for some days!) Baird's undersock business thrived for about 18 months from May 1917 during which time he made about £1,600, an amount that it would have taken him twelve years to earn at his power station job. Being very much a one man band, he was forced to give up the business and move to Trinidad for the sake of his health after spending time in a convalescent home following a Broncheal infection brought on by a severe cold. The biography also describes how Baird encouraged sales of the undersocks by employing women with sandwich boards, and, more interestingly to WWI enthusiasts, two men to trundle a lifesize wooden replica of a tank (complete with realisic dummy guns) carrying the slogan: "The Baird undersock keeps the soldier's feet in perfect health" around the streets of Glasgow. The book reproduces an image of the women with their sandwich boards but not, unfortunately, one of the replica tank (has anybody seen one?)

[Jem2109]

Thanks gents.

The plans I was sent are for a box type structure made of sandbags with lines in to hang the socks on, it was covered in corrugated steel and I assume there must have been a heat source for it.

[truthergw]

I suspect that a working sock dryer and a decent latrine would have been much more important to soldiers than the things we generally are interested in.

[Max Poilu]

Never seen a sock dryer but some years ago I purchased a 'Men in Khaki' sock measure. Nice collectible consisting of a pictorial box, special sock measure and instruction sheet.

[Derek Black]

John Logie Baird of TV fame was turned down for service in 1915 as medically unsuitable so he went away and invented an undersock and a method of drying socks. The money he made from his sock paid for his TV experiments.

from

http://www.geocities.com/neveyaakov/electr...ence/baird.html

World War One broke out, and Baird never completed his degree. Baird, now 26 years old, tried on many occasions to enlist with the army, but was repeatedly rejected as unfit for army service. At this time Baird had some business with damp-proof socks invented by him. The Baird undersock, warm in winter, cool in summer, and consisted of an unbleached half hose sprinkled with borax. In 1919 Baird decided to close the sock operation, despite it being quite profitable.

Aye

Malcolm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29847206