Bialaddin 300x - military storage box?

Guys,
i have a 1949 Bialaddin 300x Air Ministry Lamp I have had a good while, its a user and i take it camping and use it in the workshop etc. It is all original apart from i replaced the vaporiser tube with a korean made v40 and the wick is a modern non-asbestos one.

Now when i transport it i put it in a bucket (lol) and wrap a towel around it. Which isnt elegant.

I was told about how these used to be issued, in a wooden box with a spare glass, 10 spare mantles, a funnel, the shade, and a spare vaporiser and a spirit bottle.
I was wondering does any one have any photos of how these (or WD ones in general) where stored by the Military.


They must of put them in something??

thanks

Ed

 

Hello Ed,

First, a (belated) welcome to this forum.

Your question makes sense to me, as I wondered the same thing. After all, the german and dutch armies had special metal casings made for their Petromax and Hipólito lamps.
However, I have never been aware even of that box you describe, nor have I seen any picture or a mentioning of it.

There is an excellent write-up on these Willis & Bates lamps in the form of a nicely illustrated book by Ian Ashton, a member on this forum. But even in there I have not found anything that even hints on such a piece of equipment.

But like Ian himself suggested, there is no known limit to whatever was produced in relation to these lamps.
But while the steel casings from the continent are regularely seen - see here:



I am not aware of anything like this ever offered for sale or even illustrated, which is odd.
A similar case made for the Bialaddin or Vapalux lamp which basicly have their very existence over decades linked with the british military would make sense after all.

Perhaps someone will come forward with more substantial news on this matter.

Regards, Mike

 

Welcome aboard!
Perhaps you could make a box.

 

I made one a few years ago...

 

That sounds more like the Tilley 'Hospital Lamp' based on the SL61 outdoor wall lamp used by the Army etc. - catalogued by them as 'Lamp, Paraffin, Pressure, Hospital and Survey. Having said that, I think the parallel-based Vapalux handlamp was supplied to the military in exactly the same box as the Tilley equivalent - I presume both lamp manufacturers bought in the wooden boxes from the same supplier. One of my handlamps (actually the one pictured on the front of Ian's book) is in a wooden 'Tilley-type' box and also contains a one-piece shade but none of the other accessories mentioned. I've never seen (or even heard of) a lantern so-housed, though.

Smart box you made...

 

They may well have done but it seems the earlier handlamps had a box of their own.
classicpressurelamps.com/threads/1940-vapalux-hand-lamp-e41-style.1133/

 

If this link doesn't work, it's Steve Woods' in the LRG.

1940 Vapalux Hand Lamp E41 Style

 

Coleman do a soft shell carry case that I know will accommodate a 300X (not the shade though) if all you want is reasonable protection for your lamp whilst travelling.

 

Am going to set to with this project this weekend, have searched high and low and can’t find any type of wooden crate mentioned anywhere.

I am going to make my own and try and make it so it ‘matches’ the period of the lamp IYSWIM.

This is the wood I have gathered... rough sawn pine.

 

Sounds like a good project have fun

 

When I was in the army we were issued HPP (High pressure Paraffin) lamps (Bialaddin or Vapalux) in cardboard boxes.

 

Have made a box.

Subdivided interior for the lamp, the shade and all the accessories. I also left space for either a second lamp (and shade) or a container of paraffin

Made out of cut up pallets and some scrap ply inside. The pallet wood sanded down really nicely and has a nice patina to it.

Which now leads me to the finish.
I was planning on painting it dark military green (like the lamp) and stencilling the relevant AM stores ref numbers on it.

I now wonder about just waxing it?

Or should I be painting it in raf blue/grey?

Stencil or not?

Thoughts welcome!

Ed

 

@TocsinEd
Strong looking box. It will protect your lantern nicely.
Weather to paint or not depends on what you want. If you want a military look then paint.
Waxing / oiling is easier to repair damage down the road.

 

okay, after thinking about it for ages, i painted and stencilled the box

 

The box makes a nice little cracket as well.

 

@iwoo

I had to look that up:

http://www.toolsforeverydaylife.com/product/pitmens-cracket/


Cheers

Tony

 

I notice your name tocsin ed. Us that related to tocsin bang of roc

 

Yes, I run a small Observer Corps Museum

 

I'm still none the wiser...

 

Tocsin bang was a code word for when a nuclear explosion was detected

I know half the people in that video, and the entry shaft the guy is climbing down is ‘my’ post - it’s restored as a museum by me and a colleague.

Google Cuckfield ROC Post

 

I know the post well I have my own also.

 

I quite fancy one of those posts. I wonder if there's one around here...

 

They are all over the place David but most are vandalised, there's 2 within 10 miles of me, just look up roc cold war bunkers, someone has made a list of them all and visited them and recorded the condition of them

 

@TocsinEd Fine box. Would I be correct in thinking you may be a fellow Sussex member?

 

Yep I am. Hassocks

 

Oh excellent, which one is yours?

 

@TocsinEd I have an old electrical swan gen set from a bunker in the shed somewhere.

 

oh really? Does it need a good home?

 

@TocsinEd

A very interesting post. I have enjoyed learning more about the Cold War era because of it. Many thanks!

Just out of interest where or how did you get the stencil made?

Regards Jeremy