kaisersoffensive Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Hopefully attached to this enquiry ( in the permitted size to avoid meltdown) is a couple of pictures of recent purchases from our local car boot. I should welcome any comments. The first item is very clearly a rattle ( although it might have a more technical name).It carries no markings at all. Were these items used as a Gas warning or was it only a shell gong or verbal instruction? Does this therefore look like a military item or simply something to rally Roy of the Rovers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshdoc Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 I remember the days of rattles in football matches (1960's that is) before they were regarded as weapons. No idea if this was a footie one or gas warning one though. A really nice item. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaisersoffensive Posted 7 June , 2007 Author Share Posted 7 June , 2007 I remember the days of rattles in football matches (1960's that is) before they were regarded as weapons. No idea if this was a footie one or gas warning one though. A really nice item. Hello Many thanks for your reply.I for one would most definitely not like to be struck on the head from one of these in full orbit. Leave quite a compression of the craneum. Regards, Bob Norman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 It looks to be a little bit too big to be a football rattle, beyond that I have no idea what it could have been used for. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 I agree with Andy. It`s too well made for a football rattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Clay Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Bob Very nice rattle - but where did you get the ruler? I used to have one just like it ... ooh, many years ago, at work. (I wonder if I brought it away with me when I left? Must check ) Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaisersoffensive Posted 7 June , 2007 Author Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Bob Very nice rattle - but where did you get the ruler? I used to have one just like it ... ooh, many years ago, at work. (I wonder if I brought it away with me when I left? Must check ) Jim It might possibly have belonged to you in a former lifetime.Purchased as like most things at a car boot.Very good maker Faber Castell Made in Germany and graduated in a measurement that I can understand. It wasn't called Imperial for nothing! Yours for a Quid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Clay Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Yours for a Quid? Very kind of you, Bob, but as I've now found mine - I DID bring it home with me! - I'll have to decline. Mine, BTW, is marked 'Jakar No. 12 Made in Germany'. It has (which probably explains its 'un-battered' look) a thin steel strip inserted in the top edge. They don't make 'em like that any more! (Do they?) Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 I've now found mine - I DID bring it home with me! .... It has (which probably explains its 'un-battered' look) a thin steel strip inserted in the top edge. They don't make 'em like that any more! (Do they?) I've got one, Jim — I brought mine home when I left too ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punjab612 Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Possibly a police rattle which were used prior to 1884 when whistles were introduced. See this link http://www.oldpolicecellsmuseum.org.uk/pag...434_path__.aspx Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Rattles were sometimes used for gas warning - its somewhat difficult to blow a whistle whilst wearing a gas mask! I think that the rule was fit your own mask before warning others (a bit like aircraft emergency oxygen masks today) Whether your rattle is one of these is another matter. There was quite a lot of paraphenalia associated with dealing with gas and some odd things like special gas shovels for shoveling gas out of trenches - no seriously - some gases were heavier than air and tended to concentrate in the bottom of trenches, I've a googlesnatched photo of American troops in training with British gas shovels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spud Trevor Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Hello, I've seen similar rattles described as bird scarer's in the past, presumably to complement your scarecrow. Regards, Spud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 a thin steel strip inserted in the top edge. I seem to recall that the strip was intended to keep the ink from your pen nib from staining the ruler. Ah, those were the days. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 I seem to recall that the strip was intended to keep the ink from your pen nib from staining the ruler. Ah, those were the days. J Actually it was to stop the ink smudging on the paper (with a cheap wooden ruler you had to turn the ruler upside down so that the non flat side was resting on the paper, this left a gap between the edge guiding the pen and the paper). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphjd Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 I have a ruler given to me several years ago (by a lady at work) bought in the Cloth Hall Ypres marked IN FLANDERS FIELDS MUSEUM IEPER with the thin metal strip inserted so they are still available I presume ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 You'll find them in drawing offices that have not yet gone over to CAD/CAM systems (if there are still any) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Actually it was to stop the ink smudging on the paper Actually I believe you're right. Bet you recall Banda spirit duplicators? J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 The first item is very clearly a rattle ( although it might have a more technical name).It carries no markings at all. Were these items used as a Gas warning They were carried in early days of WW2 by policemen and Boy Scouts to be used as gas warning and air raid warning. Never needed for gas and soon superseded by sirens for raids. They are also known as crawmills here in Scotland. Scarecrow devices originally, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaisersoffensive Posted 7 June , 2007 Author Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Possibly a police rattle which were used prior to 1884 when whistles were introduced. Peter Hello Peter Many thanks for that. This item is a weighty brute measuring 11x 4 inches plus the handle. Makes it somewhat unwealdy possibly to be carried by a policeman unless he was unusually large. Might be useful however in apprehending a villan. Regards, Bob Norman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaisersoffensive Posted 7 June , 2007 Author Share Posted 7 June , 2007 You'll find them in drawing offices that have not yet gone over to CAD/CAM systems (if there are still any) Aren't all you Office Johnnies glad that I included the ruler in the photo attachment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 I seem to recall that the strip was intended to keep the ink from your pen nib from staining the ruler. Ah, those were the days. J The edges of those all-wood rulers were easily damaged and a lumpy edge gave a rotten line. I thought the metal was to protect the edge from damage, as little boys used them as weapons. It actually made a better weapon with the metal strip! Phil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Aren't all you Office Johnnies glad that I included the ruler in the photo attachment? Absolutely! And it looks like it has a "non-flat" side as mentioned earlier as being a characteristic of a cheap one. Don't worry - Siege Gunner will be along soon with his famous discourse on the subject of whether central or local government had the most effective paper clips during the late 1980s. Fascinating stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoW1988 Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Heya! As an orchestral percussionist I thought I'd put in my tuppence-worth. It's definitely a rattle and it may have served the purpose that the others have suggested. However, these are also used widely in orchestras in the percussion section, perhaps thats why you have found it in a car boot. It has also been given the name "ratchet". Lynsey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 When drawing a line in ink, the rule was turned so that the bevel was not in contact with the paper. This stopped smudges and capillary action from causing blots. That was in the days of nibbed pens and inkwells in desks and ink monitors who filled them when required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoW1988 Posted 7 June , 2007 Share Posted 7 June , 2007 Well seeing as everyone else is getting a slice of the action...can I have the ruler please? I smashed my "shatterproof" number into smithereens, during an S4 maths exam...I was subsequently removed from the exam hall. Lynz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now