Sighting Telescope

[Guest Fatboy]

I have a sighting telescope dated 1916 Negretti & Zambra

number 8967 no 4 (mkIII)

It was given to my grandmother from her father who is my great grandfather Patrick Trainer.

I was wondering if anyone has some information on this telesope or knows any information on my Gret Grandfather?

It would be much appreciated.

Razer

[joseph]

Razer,

Welcome to the forum, Negretti & Zambra where a London Company and made telescopes, compass, clocks etc. I have had a look at The National Archive site for you Great Grandfather but could not find him in the Royal Navy. Have you got anymore information?

Regards Charles

[healdav]

The number 8967 is probably the stock number. It would have been preceded by a class number of a number and letter. In this case I think the class would have been something like 2C. This system lasted until into the late 1950s when it was replaced by a more sophisticated system using four numbers starting with 0.

On the item itself the stock number alone sufficedas it was non-recurring across the classes. Both then and now, the class is mainly used to give people a good idea what they are talking about without having to remember thousands of stock numbers (now millions), and help avoid some nasty mix ups.

For example, if you demanded a lead brick, the clerk would know that you had made a mistake with the stock number if the class quoted was for binnoculars.

Mind you, these mix ups can still happen. Notoriousy in the 1960s a ship demanded a target for shooting. They got one alright. It was intended for mjor gunnery practice. They actually wanted rifle targets. They quoted the wrong stock number.

The supply department is under instructions to always supply without question the stock number demanded. They did.

In the Falklands War on ship had an urgent Priority One delivery of a refrigerator during an air raid. The captain complained about the idiots in the supply ship but got his fingers rapped. What had been supplied was what had been demanded. I forget what they actually wanted.

[MikB]

Stock numbers/part numbers/Item Codes etc. have been a rich source of comedy for as long as there've been Stores, but in this case I suspect what was quoted is a Serial Number, therefore unique to the individual piece. Most telescope makers - and N & Z were one of the best - serialised all their major products - sighting scopes, signalling/GS scopes, deerstalking scopes.

I don't know the No. 4, but if you Google it you'll find an old post from 2004 on here identifying its use on 13 and 18 pdrs. They were almost certainly also produced by Ottway, Watson, Ross and the other big London optics makers.

Various WW1 sighting telescopes turn up from time to time on E-Bay, though I don't recall seeing one of these.

Regards,

MikB

[Guest Fatboy]

Razer,

Welcome to the forum, Negretti & Zambra where a London Company and made telescopes, compass, clocks etc. I have had a look at The National Archive site for you Great Grandfather but could not find him in the Royal Navy. Have you got anymore information?

Regards Charles

Thank you Charles,

I just found out that my great Grandfather was in the home guard & not the Navy his surname was spelt Traynor so we may not have a record of him.

I am trying to get more information on him from Scotland relatives and once I know I will follow up, alas most people who would have known him have passed on.

It is good to get information on the telesope though I have had this for 20 years and always thought that the name on it was a ship! & not a maker of the instrument.

Regards

Ray