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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Telescope


beestonboxer

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Looking for some thoughts on a telescope I have just received. It has No 2645 w. Ottaway and co London D R Commons Patent 1901 and what looks a K over 0 with a 1 beside it and a K over 0 with a 8 beside it stamped on the main part of the tube. On the eye end part it has Evered and co ltd Smethwick stamped on it. It is a one piece scope not telescopic and has a zoom from 0-7 on it. It has a crosshair visible when looking through it. Measures approx 20.5 inches long the eyepiece springs in and out. Made of brass. I will post some images later. Although dated 1901 is it possible for this to have been used in ww1

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Does it look like it could be attached to something?

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yes it does there is a piece coming off the main tube with another small looking lens under the cap

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I wouldn't think a rifle sight weight approx 2kg I will try to get images on if light is still good enough

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DR Commons is probably short for Doctors Commons which was once a place of specialised lawyers. A young Chas Dickens once worked there and he set parts of David Copperfield and Great Expectations there. They did all sorts of odd things including granting certain types of patent and dealing with Admiralty Law which would possibly suggest that this is some form of navigational instrument. However as they declined their inns became let out to all sorts of companies including patent agents.

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It is an artillery gun sight.

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It is an artillery gun sight.

Thank you for the reply, would this have actually been attached to the Artillery Gun or would it be on a separate piece of equipment, would be interested to see images of one similar in use if anyone out there has one.
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Which of the two makers named on it produced the lenses?

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These and similar scopes appear quite often on the Bay - some of them marked GS for General Service. They are obviously for artillery, and are bigger than the No. 4 telescope used on the sights for mobile artillery like the 13- and 18-pounders. Equally obviously they're for direct fire, where the gunner has line-of-sight to the target and offset for trajectory is handled by the mounting. They don't usually carry an 'N' for naval issue.

I would suspect they're for medium to heavy artillery from 60-pounder to 8", but that's as far as I could go.

Regards,

MikB

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Evered & Co were brass founders and tube makers.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Looking for some thoughts on a telescope I have just received.

Attached is a photograph showing a Gun Sight fitted to a naval Anti-Aircraft Gun, which looks to be the same as your Gun Sight minus the rubber eye piece and shows that type of Gun Sight still in use during WW1.

Here is the caption to the Imperial War Museum photo :-

" A leading seaman gunlayer sighting an A.A. Gun on board the British Battleship AGAMMENON, which brought down Zeppelin L.Z. 85 in the marshes at the mouth of the Vardar, 6th May 1916. "
Regards,
LF

post-63666-0-85414800-1404569794_thumb.j

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Attached is a photograph showing a Gun Sight fitted to a naval Anti-Aircraft Gun, which looks to be the same as your Gun Sight minus the rubber eye piece and shows that type of Gun Sight still in use during WW1.

Here is the caption to the Imperial War Museum photo :-

" A leading seaman gunlayer sighting an A.A. Gun on board the British Battleship AGAMMENON, which brought down Zeppelin L.Z. 85 in the marshes at the mouth of the Vardar, 6th May 1916. "
Regards,
LF

Many thanks LF for finding this image for me good to see one in use it does look very similar to the one I have, the one I have has been in my family for many years it belonged to my Grandfather and always remember him saying it was a Naval gun sight so this image you have sent me has helped cement what my Grandfather said all those years ago.

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Many thanks LF for finding this image for me good to see one in use it does look very similar to the one I have, the one I have has been in my family for many years it belonged to my Grandfather and always remember him saying it was a Naval gun sight so this image you have sent me has helped cement what my Grandfather said all those years ago.

Pleased to help, it is a great item, especially having belonged to your Grandfather who knew what it was.

I am sure, such Gun Sights are quite scarce.

Regards,

LF

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