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Busselton Historical Society > Records

Raft Light

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Easco Electrical Service of London

c. 1942

Subcollections

Overview

This is a battery operated buoyancy light which has a long hollow brass tube and a thick wooden casing around the central section of the tube. One end of the tube is where the light bulb (missing) was mounted and the other end can be screwed open to insert the batteries. The wooden casing around the body would have acted like a float and provided buoyancy.

Historical information

Easco Electrical Service of London made their name in WWII when they manufactured a small battery powered lamp, with a red bulb, that could be clipped to lifejacket as a simple safety device. They advertised that in they helped save 400 men in the first six weeks after the issue of this device. As the lights were cheap to manufacture they were issued to the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and RAF personnel alike throughout World War II.

Details

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-124-2024.129

Item type

Themes

Material

Width

15 cm

Height or length

40 cm

Depth

10 cm

Inscriptions and markings

A label on the wooden casing says

RAFT LIGHT TYPE A12E
EASCO ELECTRICAL LIMITED
LONDON

Engraved on the end of the iron tube which can be opened for changing batteries

EASCO

Contextual Information

Lights like this were popular in WWII and used as man overboard markers and for pilots who had jettisoned from their planes over water.

Keywords

Maritime Objects

Equipment - World War 2

Place made

London
United Kingdom

Year

Busselton Historical Society

Busselton Historical Society

Organisation Details
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Other items from Busselton Historical Society

Raft Light

Raft Light

Label on the wooden casing

Label on the wooden casing

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