Morning people… Discovered this little gem yesterday in a reclamation yard I visit a lot. The owner now keeps stoves etc back and it had just come in. In fact it’s where I got the derelict Buflam that started me off on this whole shebang! Anyway, broad arrow stamp and pump tube nut show its ex military - 1955 and a sister of another one on this forum if the above number is the batch stamp. After a seal replacement it fired up perfectly - very bright blue flames. I fitted a Burmos trivet to it to replace the small one it came with - I don’t think that’s original. Basically, it had been used as an ornament - the base is still military olive drab and both burner/cup seals had been removed and then the thing tightened to infinity. Sadly there were slip marks on the burner nut from tightening and also chew on the pump from the same. It took a lot of effort to get both undone without further damage… I wonder if it came from the nearby now notorious RAF Bempton…
Ah… and the unexpected guest. Well as I was there the owner also had a group of Tilley X246B’s and this… an R1 from the same source. Highly polished and massively over tightened. £10? Yes please. Seems to be complete - I assume the heater asssembly with the ceramic tube is a push fit? Not sure of date but it’ll be the next victim! C
You can obtain a reproduction R1 radiator cage, pre-heater etc from this seller: https://www.tilleylampsandstoves.com/product-page/tilley-radiator-cage He also has an eBay shop TILLEY LAMP PRE HEATER TORCH CLIP SPARE SERVICE KIT PART SPARES | eBay UK Pharael
Not so much worried about the preheaters - I have more than enough - but the cage I was wondering about. Thanks for the tip
Finally, a Burmos which hasn't given you grief! The British government had a huge number of stoves produced by various British manufaturers in 1955 and 1956. It's been discussed here before, but I don't think there has ever been a conclusion as to why- obviously it was during the Cold War era, and around the time of the Suez Crisis, perhaps there were other reasons, plans or suspicions of events which might unfold which were not made public. Exactly what purpose the government envisioned the 1955/56 stoves would be used for is also unknown, as it happened huge numbers were never used, or only fired for training/testing purposes.
I can’t tell if it’s had much use or not - I’m guessing light. The ‘cleaning’ by the previous owner hasn’t helped but the burner seems to have had some action. And yes, God be praised a successful Burmos! It’s a heavy beast of a thing though - definitely thicker brass. Suffice to say, I like it a lot! C
Thankfully the government specification pump tube means the common Burmos cracks are avoided. Certainly one of the more attractive 55/56 stoves with all the tank engraving.
It’s also around the time there were a lot of ROC underground nuclear monitoring posts being built - many of which are still visible to this day if they’ve not been vandalised (and some haven’t!). I’ve always just assumed that the stoves and the Bialaddin pressure lamps were for this? Although pictures suggest that the more traditional ‘hurricane’ lamp was favoured. Link here if you’re interested and you’ll see what I mean… they’re quite addictive though! Nuclear Monitoring Posts – Subterranea Britannica
Thank you- that's a story for another thread for another day I grew up on the edge of Salisbury Plain- windows rattled by live shelling, tanks growling away in the distance at night. There's an ROC post on the route I used to walk most days, very well preserved thanks to a big concrete block the MOD dumped on top of the enterance. It was occasionally pulled off with a 4x4 by subterranean explorers, which meant a chance to have a look inside before the squaddies craned it back on Whether the 1955/56 stoves were used in them is an interesting thought...
It would make sense - thinking about it a pressure lamp would be much more efficient and brighter than a standard oil lamp, and a small stove would be handier than the solid fuel hexamine burners in use - they’d last longer for a start and as you know hexamine stoves are hard to extinguish once lit… all that tinned food and one paraffin stove. It’s a winning combination… apart from maybe the fumes. Just don’t lose the can opener.
This thread persuaded me to look at the military Burmos I acquired a year or so ago (and have done absolutely nothing with). Mine has the same green paint and serial/stock number, but mine is an older sibling, dated at 1953.
