Barr & Stroud
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by cyngast moderator
Item no. 3 in these orders refers to "Barr & Strouds inspection" which at first seemed like two men named Barr and Strouds. Why an inspection of just two men? There is no explanation. So I searched a bit and found a Barr & Stroud Ltd. that makes binoculars and scopes. Would that be what this refers to? Would such equipment just be called Barr & Strouds?
This is an interesting page also in that the list of six men are named because they need to report to Pte. Charlesworth to settle their claims for separation allowance.
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Cynthia, it does refer to Barr & Stroud Limited.
The Barr & Stroud Rangefinder, a device used to accurately determine distances for military purposes, was widely used by armies across Europe before the First World War, and remained in use by the Royal Navy until it was rendered obsolete by the development of radar in World War Two. See link: https://arts.leeds.ac.uk/museum-of-hstm/collections/physics/barr-and-stroud-rangefinder/
See also - Barr & Stroud Limited was a pioneering Glasgow optical engineering firm. Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barr_and_Stroud
Also an article on Soldiers Separation allowances See link: http://www.ww1propaganda.com/ww1-poster/soldiers-separation-allowances-increased-rates-march-1-1915-0
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by ral104 moderator, scientist
Interesting that they referred to this item of equipment by the manufacturer's name. I guess that says something about the dominance of Barr & Stroud in the field.
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by ral104 moderator, scientist
There's a good example of one of their rangefinders in the IWM collections: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30024884
And an example of one in use: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205305849
And finally, the manufacturing process: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205194012
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by cyngast moderator
New orders issued the following day state that the inspection of rangefinders showed they were not being taken care of properly. In future, it is the responsibility of O.C.s Companies to make sure they are in serviceable condition.
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