Indeed we grew up with white gas stoves and lanterns exclusively. The Optimus 45 my parents gave me in about 1963 was unique; an object of wonderment. I never saw another kerosene stove until 2001, when a nostalgic conversation about that old Optimus with my brothers in the wake of our dad’s death sent me searching and I found Ross’s site.
Apologies- my comments were badly phrased and meant in a historical context. My interest in stoves stops around the end of the 1960s Historically paraffin was king in the UK until gas got a real foothold in the 1960s. Probably around that time small self-pressurising 'petrol' stoves became much more popular on the hills too compared to dwindling use of paraffin. These days, I'd imagine the very vast majority of camping stoves sold in the UK of all shapes and sizes are gas fired (disposable cartridge or refillable cylinder), with multi-fuels for serious outdoorspeople, Trangias of course and other alchohol creations for the ultralight fans. Coleman suitcase types and smaller multifuels have been on the market here for decades, but are rarely seen on campsites although a steady trickle on the second hand market suggests more than a few have been sold. Probably fair to say the main users are the anglers, who often have a complete package with a Northstar lantern or similar. The majority of UK fishing is for carp- but no huge lakes here, so it's a case of a lot of people setting up a personal campsite around the perimeter of a small often artificial pond, trying to catch a fish, photograph it and chuck it back in. A lot of Tilley lamps are used, and gas of course, but it's this type of 'camping' which is probably the biggest user of 'petrol' fueled kit in the UK. An indication of the lack of popularity is that you won't necessarily find Coleman fuel in an outdoors shop in the UK- many stock it but not all. And it will be £10-£15 a litre As discussed in another thread, it all goes back to British perception of the dangers of petrol, which still linger to this day. It began in late Victorian times, when many insurance companies would not cover it's storage or use, or insisted on complex procedures for safety. Paraffin on the other hand was much safer to handle and had been used for illumination by most of the population for decades. The coming of the petrol fueled motor car meant things had to change, and petrol eventually became acceptable for transport. The stigma remained for stove use though- and paraffin was also far cheaper than petrol, so both the safety and economy aspects kept it the popular choice here. Larger military stoves used it in WW2 of course- as just about everything else ran on the stuff.
