Montana Smith
Active member
Junk, junk never stops.
When a ship was sent to the wreckers they would often make small souvenirs from the teak decking which contributed to sailors charities.
HMS Queen Elizabeth was the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of dreadnought battleships, named in honour of Elizabeth I of England. She saw service in both World Wars. She and the other super-dreadnought battleships were the first of their type to be powered by oil instead of coal.
First World War
She was launched on 16 October 1913 at Portsmouth, Hampshire, and entered service in January 1915 during World War I.
While still undergoing testing in the Mediterranean, the Queen Elizabeth was sent to the Dardanelles for the Allied attempt to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war. The Queen Elizabeth was the only modern battleship to participate, though a number of battlecruisers and pre-dreadnought battleships were also involved. She became the flagship for the preliminary naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign, leading the first line of British battleships in the battle of 18 March 1915. During the attempted military invasion of the Gallipoli on 25 April, the Queen Elizabeth was the flagship for General Sir Ian Havmilton, commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. However, after the sinking of HMS*Goliath by a Turkish torpedo boat on 12 May, the Queen Elizabeth was immediately withdrawn to a safer position.
She joined Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas's 5th Battle Squadron (consisting of Queen Elizabeth-class battleships) of the Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow, but she missed the Battle of Jutland due to being in dock for maintenance.
Inter war period
Between the wars she wvas the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet from 1919 to 1924. The future First Sea Lord John H. D. Cunningham served aboard her as Master of the Fleet, in 1922. From 1924 she was the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. Following a refit, she rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet in 1927, went to the Atlantic Fleet in 1929, and later that year returned to the Mediterranean, where she served until 1937. During the 1930s she participated in the non-intervention blockade during the Spanish Civil War.
She was rebuilt twice between the world wars; in 1926?1927 bulges were added, the funnels were trunked, four 4*inch guns were added, and a new foretop was installed. In her 1937?1941 rebuild she was fitted with a tower bridge in place of her old bridge; her 6*inch (152*mm) guns were removed and in their place received 20 4.5*in (114*mm) guns and several smaller anti-aircraft guns; horizontal armour was added; engines and boilers were replaced; and the elevation of her main battery was increased to 30 degrees. Deck armour was increased to 5*inches over the magazines, 2.5*inches over the machinery, while the new 4.5" guns had between 1 and 2*inches of armour. She also received facilities for aircraft with a launching catapult amidships. New fire control equipment was installed, including the HACS MkIV AA fire control system and the Admiralty Fire Control Table Mk VII for surface fire control of the main armament. This reconstruction was completed in January 1941, when Britain had been at war for over a year.
Second World War
HMS Queen Elizabeth in Alexandria harbour surrounded by anti-torpedo nets
When her reconstruction was complete, Queen Elizabeth rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet, covering the evacuation of Crete in June 1941. She, along with HMS*Valiant, was mined and seriously damaged by Italian frogmen (Antonio Marceglia and Spartaco Schergat), in an attack on 19 December 1941 in shallow water in the harbour at Alexandria, Egypt, with the loss of nine men of her complement.
Although grounded on the harbour bottom, her decks were clear and the Italian crews were captured. For this reason, the British maintained the illusion of full operational status, to conceal the weak British position in the Mediterranean during the period the two ships were patched and refloated. However, this concealing action lasted through a few days only, whereas the Valiant went back into service after many months and the Queen Elizabeth after more than a year and half. Following completion of temporary repairs in an Alexandria drydock in June 1942, she steamed through the Suez Canal and around Africa to the Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia in the United States. From September of that year until June 1943, she was comprehensively repaired.
Queen Elizabeth went to the Home Fleet in July 1943, and in December she left for the Eastern Fleet, which she joined in January 1945. She took part in raids on Japanese bases in Indonesia, and was placed in reserve in August 1945.
The vessel was paid off in June and scrapped in July 1948.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Queen_Elizabeth_(1913)
Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO, PC (17 January 1871 ? 11 March 1936...escorted the German High Seas Fleet to internment at Scapa Flow in November 1918 giving the order from his flagship HMS*Queen Elizabeth that "the German Flag will be hauled down at sunset and will not be raised again without permission". This was not a lawful order, as the fleet remained the property of the German Government having been interned rather than having surrendered, but nevertheless Beatty enforced it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Beatty,_1st_Earl_Beatty
And more junk...
This is a genuine Mk. IX Marching Compass made by J.M. Glauser of London.
The back bears the War Office arrow, serial number, Mk. IX and the date 1940.
While referred to only as the Mk. IX, this compass is based on the Verners Pattern: a prismatic dry card compass with both a momentary bearing lock and automatic transit lock activated by lid closure.
As such it might be regarded as the final evolution of the Verners before it was superceded by the liquid filled Mk. III prismatic compass during the Second World War.
It has a floating mother of pearl dial - for low light reading - on a jewlelled pivot.
The black paint or lacquer has worn away.
http://www.compassmuseum.com/diverstext/profiles.htm#GLAUSER
Due to the glow in the dark Radium the compass is apparently highly radioactive:
<iframe width="640" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m7vNufU7hVU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I elected not to keep it in the house, and banished it to the summer house along with my second world war General Service/Temporary Pattern pocket watch.
When a ship was sent to the wreckers they would often make small souvenirs from the teak decking which contributed to sailors charities.
HMS Queen Elizabeth was the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of dreadnought battleships, named in honour of Elizabeth I of England. She saw service in both World Wars. She and the other super-dreadnought battleships were the first of their type to be powered by oil instead of coal.
First World War
She was launched on 16 October 1913 at Portsmouth, Hampshire, and entered service in January 1915 during World War I.
While still undergoing testing in the Mediterranean, the Queen Elizabeth was sent to the Dardanelles for the Allied attempt to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war. The Queen Elizabeth was the only modern battleship to participate, though a number of battlecruisers and pre-dreadnought battleships were also involved. She became the flagship for the preliminary naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign, leading the first line of British battleships in the battle of 18 March 1915. During the attempted military invasion of the Gallipoli on 25 April, the Queen Elizabeth was the flagship for General Sir Ian Havmilton, commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. However, after the sinking of HMS*Goliath by a Turkish torpedo boat on 12 May, the Queen Elizabeth was immediately withdrawn to a safer position.
She joined Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas's 5th Battle Squadron (consisting of Queen Elizabeth-class battleships) of the Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow, but she missed the Battle of Jutland due to being in dock for maintenance.
Inter war period
Between the wars she wvas the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet from 1919 to 1924. The future First Sea Lord John H. D. Cunningham served aboard her as Master of the Fleet, in 1922. From 1924 she was the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. Following a refit, she rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet in 1927, went to the Atlantic Fleet in 1929, and later that year returned to the Mediterranean, where she served until 1937. During the 1930s she participated in the non-intervention blockade during the Spanish Civil War.
She was rebuilt twice between the world wars; in 1926?1927 bulges were added, the funnels were trunked, four 4*inch guns were added, and a new foretop was installed. In her 1937?1941 rebuild she was fitted with a tower bridge in place of her old bridge; her 6*inch (152*mm) guns were removed and in their place received 20 4.5*in (114*mm) guns and several smaller anti-aircraft guns; horizontal armour was added; engines and boilers were replaced; and the elevation of her main battery was increased to 30 degrees. Deck armour was increased to 5*inches over the magazines, 2.5*inches over the machinery, while the new 4.5" guns had between 1 and 2*inches of armour. She also received facilities for aircraft with a launching catapult amidships. New fire control equipment was installed, including the HACS MkIV AA fire control system and the Admiralty Fire Control Table Mk VII for surface fire control of the main armament. This reconstruction was completed in January 1941, when Britain had been at war for over a year.
Second World War
HMS Queen Elizabeth in Alexandria harbour surrounded by anti-torpedo nets
When her reconstruction was complete, Queen Elizabeth rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet, covering the evacuation of Crete in June 1941. She, along with HMS*Valiant, was mined and seriously damaged by Italian frogmen (Antonio Marceglia and Spartaco Schergat), in an attack on 19 December 1941 in shallow water in the harbour at Alexandria, Egypt, with the loss of nine men of her complement.
Although grounded on the harbour bottom, her decks were clear and the Italian crews were captured. For this reason, the British maintained the illusion of full operational status, to conceal the weak British position in the Mediterranean during the period the two ships were patched and refloated. However, this concealing action lasted through a few days only, whereas the Valiant went back into service after many months and the Queen Elizabeth after more than a year and half. Following completion of temporary repairs in an Alexandria drydock in June 1942, she steamed through the Suez Canal and around Africa to the Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia in the United States. From September of that year until June 1943, she was comprehensively repaired.
Queen Elizabeth went to the Home Fleet in July 1943, and in December she left for the Eastern Fleet, which she joined in January 1945. She took part in raids on Japanese bases in Indonesia, and was placed in reserve in August 1945.
The vessel was paid off in June and scrapped in July 1948.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Queen_Elizabeth_(1913)
Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO, PC (17 January 1871 ? 11 March 1936...escorted the German High Seas Fleet to internment at Scapa Flow in November 1918 giving the order from his flagship HMS*Queen Elizabeth that "the German Flag will be hauled down at sunset and will not be raised again without permission". This was not a lawful order, as the fleet remained the property of the German Government having been interned rather than having surrendered, but nevertheless Beatty enforced it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Beatty,_1st_Earl_Beatty
And more junk...
This is a genuine Mk. IX Marching Compass made by J.M. Glauser of London.
The back bears the War Office arrow, serial number, Mk. IX and the date 1940.
While referred to only as the Mk. IX, this compass is based on the Verners Pattern: a prismatic dry card compass with both a momentary bearing lock and automatic transit lock activated by lid closure.
As such it might be regarded as the final evolution of the Verners before it was superceded by the liquid filled Mk. III prismatic compass during the Second World War.
It has a floating mother of pearl dial - for low light reading - on a jewlelled pivot.
The black paint or lacquer has worn away.
J.M. Glauser & Sons Ltd. was a British manufacturer. They were contractors to the War Office, Air Ministry, Government of India, amongst others.
The company was established in 1929 by Jean Maurice Glauser, a Naturalized British subject of Swiss origin.
In 1938/39, due to the expansion in business, the company bought the old St. James's Laundry in Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, and set up a new works (Bridge Buildings). A couple of years later, the company also took over the lease of shops at 349-351 Whitehorse Road, Croydon, where they set up their Head Office.
J.M. Glauser & Sons' scope of production also included equipment such as Braillewriters for the Royal National Institute for the Blind.
The company was wound up in 1956 when the founder retired.
http://www.compassmuseum.com/diverstext/profiles.htm#GLAUSER
Due to the glow in the dark Radium the compass is apparently highly radioactive:
<iframe width="640" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m7vNufU7hVU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I elected not to keep it in the house, and banished it to the summer house along with my second world war General Service/Temporary Pattern pocket watch.