Author: wmavner

J. Hudson & Co. Joseph Hudson Patent number 435 of 1885,

Photo of a Two Notes Tube Whistle – TNTW, Known to collectors as General service whistle, or Bobby whistle; Here taken apart for a clear view of the 5 various parts.
The Body, Mouthpiece and top loop ring, and the internal parts being the Partition,
and the stamped Diaphragm disc.
The patent was registered on January 13 of 1885, and designed somewhere in 1884
Patent Description:
Whistles, police and similar. The internal sheet-metal disc or diaphragm A crossing the barrel B is furnished with strengthening – fangs C which lie along the sides of the barrel, and is secured by soldering.

The patent for the diaphragm with the two tines-strengthening – fangs, came to solve the problem of weak diaphragm-disc in previous Hudson model (and other makers
as well which solved the problem in various ways), supplied to the Metropolitan Police in 1884, the previous diaphragm was loose and many came back to the factory to be fixed and refurbished, (whistle had to be taken apart in order to do so)
The Patent was valid for 14 years at that period, and the diaphragms using that patent were stamped, 1885 -1899, (Needs to be verified). *

The address stamp on this whistle 13 Barr Street Birmingham. is post 1894 -5 (Considered by many to be solely post 1888).

The whistle and drawing came from the great whistle scholar Martyn Gilchrist and he used it for the research of his book along with Simon Topmann:
Collecting Police Whistles and Similar Types. (1998) wow, that 25 years… The book was the ‘bible’ for Police whistle collectors for many years,
Chapter 8: Identifying Manufacturers & Dating Whistles Page 88 remains,
to this day, the best article available on whistle parts proving what a genius pioneering work was done by the writers.
The book and article are a must for whistle collectors, and those who wish to
know more about whistles of this type.
(Foot note)
*There is a lot more to write to discuss & learn, I will keep it short albeit it brings to mind many questions and some will remain unanswered since the further you dig the more the questions regarding the pre patent years, especially when one reads the great details on pages 6-12 in the book mentioned, regarding the “Metropolitan” police whistle, (Name registered as trademark in early 1884 ), showing it was on the 2nd of January that the order or of 7000 whistles was placed, more whistles supplied in April 1884 and numbering the whistles started July 1884.


P. S a suggestion when reading other posts here one should enlarge the screen for full view, then the side menu is not seen and and photos and texts are clearer.

Avner Strauss

Late 19th Century & Early 20th Century whistles by J. Hudson & Co. – Acme Whistles Ltd. Birmingham Archive Photoss. Unknown photographer.

A Variety of whistles by J.Hudson & Co. as seen in 1909 catalogue,
at their 1– 13 Barr St. Birmingham Address.

To Be cont.

By A. Strauss
Dating G.P.O Whistles.

The History of the General Post Office in Great Britain is well documented,
I shall concentrate on British Whistles used with the GPO and bring NEWS and New information and findings as to whistle’s dates and makers, previously not published,
(It is underconstruction, and an on going research ! )

I shall start with late Victorian times first, then mid Victorian.
and continue to Post Victorian and up to WWII and later up to the 1980s when they stopped the use of whistles.
VICTORIAN PERIOD G.P.O WHISTLES.

As of writing only 2 Known Hudson & Co. GPO whistles are known ,
and as a rulle of thumb G.P.O Numbered whistles are rare;
1 Digit one known 2 Digits 1 known pre 1895 and one 2 Digits from 1902 Order
3 digits (a later 1914 series) very few known.
All these are very rare, and I am sure more may surface in the future,
Hopefully of other London Districts.
Others are 4 did its numbered in the series of 1000, 2000, 4000.
Ordered in 1915 supplied 191are all scarce.
———————————————————————————————-
We know that as early as 1891 Two note tube whistles by Osborne & Son
(Made by Bent & Parker) were marketed in advertisements to Rural Postman & Mail Cart Drivers;

Next we see 1888-1901 whistles,

The Metropolitan stamp Patent and J. Hudson & Co.
stamps are curved – arched.
The address has a DOT after 13 so 13. Barr St.

Continue reading G.P.O – General Post Office Whistles Time Line in England.

Metal Detecting bronze whistle found in a field in the vicinity of a village called Chisworth on the Derbyshire Cheshire border. Found in the same field are other finds;
two musket balls, (Larger one is metal smaller seems to be made of stone),
a very old possibly mediaeval lead plumb Bob, the small circular item is an old pocket fob watch winder, a .303 bullet tip, and two King George V half pennies

–
The whistle is made of two parts, Body and Fipple, the fipple is cast metal made with amazing prescision and inserted into body, The body was turned on a lathe, 3 ornamental rings on body (later known as crimp rings used on cartriges probabably 1850s 1860s onward)
The whistle has a SEED PEA, Hollow seed which lost a small part.
The whistle is extreemly loud ear piercing sound level of about 120 Db.
It is not a Hawking whistle.
Date is estimated to be late 18th century to early 1800s.
The small depression, (nook, cranny, niche,socket) in the top shows was it was held by a pin to the lathe ,

Side View shows early Sheffield fipple.

All rights reserved, Avner Strauss 2022

( Under construction)

This Historically important Jewish Police Pocket Whistle* found lately, lead to much research which sheds light on a dark period in Poland during world world II and Nazi regime in Warsaw.
I will quote and bring links for those interested in further study.

The Stamp JSŁUŻBA PORZĄDKOWA means Jüdischer Ordnungsdienst  
In Hebrew : שרות הסדר היהודי
over a Star of King David Symbol.
The Jewish Police in Ghetto Warsaw had 2500 Jewish Policemen.

In the next photo front view of the Beak engraved in Hebrew Letters; פועל – Pron. – POEL means worker,
The was a Jewish organization named Hapoel and I still had not deciphered the
its connection to its history. A matter for further research.
It may suggest the owner was a Member of the Hapoel organization, and members of ‘Hapoel’ were recruited to the Jewish Police. ) Hapoel was a Sport Organization Est. 1920 and its Warsaw Club est. 1933.

Continue reading Jewish Police, Ghetto Warsaw, WWII Ordenung Polizie,Escargot Pocket Whistle, משרוקית של ‘שרות הסדר היהודי’

• Foot note
  The whistle is missing its Metal fipple block (A slight chance it was a wooden one)
  It is clearly a Sheffield style Fipple. (My observation is that there are three types)
  You may search my Dixon & Sons whistles to see further notes as well as examples of the ‘Sheffield Fipple’ (a term I came up with to distinguish these type of Fipples).
  It said 18th Century Sportsman whistle but it could have been very early Military one
  Or a Seaman whistle Trafalgar period, or for early Napoleon’s wars.
  You can also see my observation as to this type of early Pre Drilled tops and Knots
  which I found and pointed as a distinctive feature as Georgian and earlier types of Round Pea Whistles.
  As to Maker it would be one of Sheffield’s Iron Mongers in the 18th Century,
  and at the latest one of James Dixon’s earliest works.
  Previously in the same British Collection as the Walrus Ivory one.
  
  Measures app. 2″ by 1.5″
  

Whistle Museum, A. Strauss, all rights reserved.

Forward

The Subject of British Railway whistles is a fascinating one, I shall bring few whistles from Private Collections, and hopefully would expand with time and article.
The following four examples of the four different types are all from late Victorian period.

Two Notes Tube Whistle (TNTW) shape, Grimsby Dock Police whistle, Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (M.S&L.R) which changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897.

There are 4 Main Basic mouth blown whistle types – Shapes used with British Railway companies, These are:
Escargots – referee type / (Most Common type)
Two notes Tube whistles (TNTW) as in first photo. (also known as General Service whistles)
Round Pea Whistle type, at time without pea.
Conical two notes (TNCW) ( also kknown as Beaufort)