Mystery photo in need of a better look!

[O1dgobbo]

The headgear with the light bulb brings up a dim memory of a black and white film shown at a children's morning, perhaps one of the 1930s "Flash Gordon" serials.

The equipment at the man's feet looks like a scientific instrument standing on its carrying box.  The instrument stands on a fairly typical tripod mount fitted with levelling screws so the round thing at the top has to be level to function correctly.  It looks like a laboratory instrument rather than something that would be operated from an aircraft - there is no vibration damping and the setting the thing level using screws would not be practical in a moving aircraft.  Any ex-meteorologists out there who can guess what it is?

Good luck

Gobbo

[rubyrose]

HI all

Well this has certainly got us all wondering.

Perhaps if Piestains was to send the photo to the Met Office they would be able to help us. They have a Library and Archive so there may be someone who will recognise the equipment and put us out of our misery!

Regards

Ruby

[Rabbit B]

Hi everyone,

I have spent ages looking for that instrument, tried all the sites I can think of http://www.worldwar2exraf.co.uk/Online%20Museum/Museum%20Docs/Onlinemuseumhomepage.html 

This is quite a good one for their museum and so one why not e-mail them a copy of this picture and see what they make of it!  Their museum is worth a look anyway!

I think that that those white things are either large slide rules, or a weather measuring device of some kind!

Rabbit B 

PS Quite why this website has put it all in is a mystery!

[PaulaToo]

Well, what ever it is, Rabbit, I reckon it lived in that box, and they have brought it out to display it in connection with...what ever is going on.
Chap with the light bulb and the cable coming down to his hands.
I thought it was a ball of cable he was holding, but looking closer it seems to be the bit of the radio you speak into, while the other two chaps have got the listening bits...

out of my depths and doggy paddling fast in the hope that you can understand what I am seeing....

[Suttonrog]

I think it is a joke.

They are all having far too good a time. They knew that in 80 years time everyone would be wondering what it was about.

Rog

[PaulaToo]

The little devils! 

They certainly look as though they are taking the micky out of chap in the middle, would love to know what was going on.

And that chap in the background, his face looks so familiar, and I'm sure it's not just because he's 'trying to look like Ronald Coleman.'

[Rabbit B]

Hi Paula Roger et al,

Wartime boffins were so very inventive,  it might have been anything from a prop for a camp show, to a scientific instrument! 

I still want to know what the RAF museum would make of it, I am sure that they would be as interested as we are!

They might even be able to name the man in the middle!  There can't have been many black men in the RAF at that time, although there were a lot of Afro-Americans in the US forces stationed here later in the war.

Rabbit B 

[Flakdodger]

Splendid photo!  A real pleasure to see such an informal group.
Scrimnet has it right.
I have posted the link on the RAF Commands forum and I hope their members will be moved to comment.
Any other photos with this one?
Regards
Dave

[PaulaToo]

Son was telling me a lot of pilots came over from Jamaica for WW2...I had a look and found this.
It tells a bit about one of them.

http://www.mgtrust.org/car2.htm