INDEX

Abbe, Ernst, 109

achromatic lenses, 25
Adam Hilger & Sons, see Hilger, A & Sons.
Ltd
Adie, Patrick, 1315
aerial reconnaissance, 161
aeroplane periscope, 189
Admiralty
fleet re-sighting programme, 478
procurement policies, 2432, 4653, 58,
706, 813, 93, 104, 1979
request for rangefinder design, 234
Admiralty Research Laboratory, 198
Ahlberndt Co., Berlin, 147
aiming devices, 10, 20, 25, 36, 47, 54, 634
see also telescopic sight
Aitchison & Co., 70, 1356, 140
Aldis Brothers, 103, 1468, 156
Aldis lamp, 148
Aldis, Arthur, 146
Aldis, Lancelot, 146
American Expeditionary Force, 152
analogue computer, 73, 203
angle of view, 47
Annual Statement of the Trade of the
United Kingdom, 11
anti-aircraft rangefinder, 170
Approved Contractors List, 39, 90
Argo Co., 73, 75. 188
Armstrong Mitchell, W. G. & Co., 267,
29, 301
Armstrong Whitworth, 200
Armstrong, William, 206
Army Contracts Department, 60, 66
Army Contracts Directorate, 3941, 43,
70, 88

Army Council, 105

Army, expansion in wartime, 8890
Army financial estimates, 601
artillery, 2, 914, 19, 223, 26, 30, 3642,
54, 627, 85, 90, 94, 123, 146, 148,
150,153, 165, 184, 195, 2056, 212
astronomical telescope, 12, 21, 57, 73, 82,
1845, 187
Auerbach, Felix, 109
AustriaHungary, 73, 95, 135, 210

Copyright
Bacon, Reginald, 57, 82
balance of trade in instruments, 11213, 117
ballistics, 36, 46, 71
bankruptcy, 51, 197
Barr, Archibald, 13, 18, 25, 45, 51, 54, 77,
80, 99, 100, 155, 178, 206
Barr & Stroud Ltd
Admiralty orders, 2732, 4653, 58,
934, 97, 104, 1523, 170, 193203,
211
binocular manufacture, 1745
diversification, 512, 1779
exports, 58, 74, 93, 113, 153
sales agency arrangement, 26, 30
War Office, relations with, 413, 45, 62,
66, 779, 934, 1036, 116, 1523,
16971, 177
Barr and Stroud partnership, 18, 26, 29, 31,
43, 49, 51, 80
Barr & Strouds Patents, 29
battleship, 12, 32, 35, 46, 489, 59, 71,
201, 203
Bausch & Lomb, 106, 1378, 153, 195,
2023
Beck, R. & J., 64, 66, 67, 99, 100, 102,
1256, 129, 144, 1635, 1678

249

250

The Optical Munitions Industry in Great Britain, 18881923

Beck, Conrad, 125, 129

binocular lens sets, 129, 143
binoculars, 2, 378, 40, 60,63, 6870, 859,
1238, 13346, 167, 1745, 183, 212
see also galilean binoculars
Birkbeck College, 109
Blair, Robert, 1245
Board of Trade, 1045, 123, 136, 143
Boer War, 22, 35, 37, 40, 423, 58
boro-silicate glass, 128
box sextant, 11
Brimfield, J. & Co., 128, 1445
British Expeditionary Force, 88
British Optical Instrument Makers Association, 155
British Science Guild, 86
Broadhurst & Clarkson, 130
camera lenses, see photographic lenses
capital, business, 656, 7880, 110, 1201,
163, 167, 207
capital ship, see battleship
Carl Zeiss Jena, see Zeiss
Carl Zeiss (London) Ltd, see Zeiss
castings, 54, 136, 141
Cavendish Professorship of Physics, 13, 51
Chadburn Brothers, 25, 54, 78, 81
Chance Brothers, 76, 81, 98, 11516, 143,
154, 177
Cheshire, Frederick, 10826, 12930, 135,
13840, 1457, 1536, 164, 179, 181,
20910
Chief Inspector of Optical Stores, 61, 138,
142
Chilean Navy, 29
Christie, W. H. M., 1415
cinema projectors, 138, 143, 1778, 199,
211
CIOS, see Chief Inspector of Optical Stores
Clerkenwell district, 99, 124
climatic conditions, influence of, 37, 75
clinometer, 1389
coast defence, 10, 1920, 40, 169
commission earnings, 27, 50
Committee for Imperial Defence, 200
Committee on Demobilization and Reconstruction, 1623
Companies (Consolidation) Act, 65

compensation payments, 161, 1645,

1678, 1712, 177, 184, 187
see also liquidation payments
competition
for business, 4, 13, 51, 67, 73, 92, 155,
185, 190, 192
foreign, 63, 67, 155, 182, 210
see also trials
computer
analogue computer. 73, 203
fire control device, 73, 126, 203
lens designer, 124
computing, optical, 72, 124, 126, 147
confidentiality, 32
see also secrecy
Conrady, Eugen, 127
conscript optical industry, 1078, 131, 159,
1601, 163, 167, 182, 191
contract cancellations, 159, 1624, 166,
1702, 209
contractors, War Office approved, 39, 912
see also Approved Contractors List
control of firms in wartime, 12, 39, 62, 93,
11819, 1213, 136, 13940, 143,
1534, 157, 166, 168, 184, 192
Cooke, Thomas & Sons Ltd, 18, 201, 39,
62, 66, 726, 81, 99100, 120, 183,
187, 18991
Cooke Troughton & Simms Ltd, 187, 189,
191
CookePollen rangefinder, 73, 756
coordination, 20, 87, 103, 108, 114, 125
Coventry Ordnance Co., 195
craft skills, 82, 86, 124, 135, 140, 160
Crimean War, 10

Copyright

Dallmeyer Optical Co., 81, 146

Daylight Signalling Lantern, 148
de Braux, Paul, 81
defence infrastructure, 5, 11, 38
Defence of the Realm (Amendment) Act,
105, 11718, 139, 152
depression rangefinder, 1921, 24, 3940
dial sight, 60, 63, 669, 83, 85, 88, 123, 125,
126, 144, 163, 165
dilution of labour, 140, 143, 160, 170
Director General of Munitions Supply, 123
Director of Army Contracts, 36, 38, 1989

Index
Director of Artillery, 23
Director of Naval Construction, 74, 185
Director of Naval Ordnance, 23, 47, 192
Director of Scientific Research, 1978
disarmament, 5, 6, 2013
disposal of war-surplus stores, 105, 174, 194
diversification, 512, 74, 100, 124, 178, 183,
204, 207, 211
DORA, see Defence of the Realm (Amendment) Act
Dreadnought, HMS, 48
dreadnought warship, see battleship
Dreyer, F. C., 72, 74
duplex rangefinder, 201
Dutch army, 195
education, 86, 10810, 113, 124, 146, 182,
207, 209
see also training; university
Electric Boat Co., 57
electrical engineering, 12, 24, 54, 71
embargo on foreign trade, 106
end-reflectors, 16
Esslemont, Alfred, 11425, 1301, 13744,
1536, 209
Examiner of Patents, 109
Excellent, HMS, 23, 26, 47, 53
Excess Profits Duty, 121, 168, 190, 199, 200
Expeditionary Force, 88
exports of civil instruments, 12, 21, 11213,
117
exports of optical munitions, 21, 26, 30, 49,
58, 74, 83, 93, 100, 11213, 117, 175

251

French government orders, 95, 97, 1045,

153
French National Bonds, 200
French optical industry, 3, 76, 85, 11516,
134, 153, 185
FX rangefinder, 199
galilean binoculars, 38, 401, 68
Geddes, Eric, 123
German optical industry, 38, 56, 63, 65,
6770, 76, 81, 83, 856, 94, 10713,
125, 1345, 137, 185, 203, 206, 209
girl labour, 144, 151
see also female labour; women workers
Glasgow, University of, 25, 27, 29, 54
glass, see optical glass
Goerz, 56, 647, 69, 70, 83, 94, 134, 137,
183, 185, 202
Government Laboratory, 108
grants, 116, 141
see also subsidies
graticule, 130
Greece, orders for, 1056
Grubb, Sir Howard & Co., 578, 71, 823,
99, 129, 168, 1837, 1912
Guaranteed Lens Co., 142
gunnery aiming problems, 468, 63
gunnery control, 3, 6, 23, 301, 47, 52, 188,
190, 203, 205
gunnery standards, 23, 74, 46, 170
see also fire control
gunpowder, 36
gunsight, see dial sight; sighting telescope

Copyright

FA2 rangefinder, 28, 30

female labour, 13941, 144, 151, 170
see also girl labour; women workers
field glasses, 38
see also binoculars
field rangefinder, 11
Finance Bill 1915, 1212
fire control, 72
see also gunnery control
flat-grinding, 18
flat-polishing, 81
Forbes, George, 425
foreign direct investment in optical industries, 6670, 88, 94, 109

Hamblin, Theodore Ltd, 144

Heath & Co., 122
Henderson, J. B., 734
High Seas Fleet, 200
Hilger, A & Sons Ltd, 18, 25, 31, 44, 546,
612, 7880, 97, 100, 125, 12930,
142, 163, 167, 207
Hilger, Adam, 18, 31, 55
Hilger, Otto, 18
Hummel Optical Co., 142
Hungary, see AustriaHungary
Imperial College, 1247
Imperial German Navy, 28

252

The Optical Munitions Industry in Great Britain, 18881923

Imperial Japanese Navy, 29, 32, 53, 745,

195, 199, 203
Imperial Russian Navy, 53, 72, 106
imports of civil instruments, 11213
independence of foreign supplies by Admiralty, 56, 76, 116
indirect fire, 62, 64
industrial demobilization
impact on optical contractors, 159,
1624, 166
see also compensation payments; contract
cancellations; liquidation payments
industrial glasses, 115
industrial infrastructure, 11, 12, 38, 106,
145, 156, 159
industrial mobilization, 37, 85, 87, 90, 106,
2089
industrial planning, 106
industrial relations, 154, 162, 168
industrial unrest, Ireland, 184
inflation, 912, 102, 150, 1723
Institute of Physics, 109
institutional inertia, 93
integration, business, 49, 81, 109, 151, 156,
16970, 190, 20910
investment, 25, 512, 76, 83, 86, 101, 109,
116, 119, 147, 199, 203, 207
see also foreign investment
invitation to tender, 91
Italy, 83, 93, 194, 210

Kershaw, Abraham, 139

Kershaw, A, & Sons, 128, 13850, 156, 177,
183
Kitchener, Lord, 44
labour shortages, 81, 104, 11314, 118, 136,
140, 150, 152, 154, 166, 176, 208
see also industrial relations; restrictive
practices; skilled labour; training
LCC, see London County Council
League of Nations, 194
Leeds, University of, 51
legislation, 12, 50, 65
lens design, see computing
lenses, 12, 1718, 25, 547, 69, 73, 76, 78,
81, 83, 968, 100, 102, 112, 11516,
1356, 142, 1478, 1601, 177, 182
see also binocular lens sets; photographic
lenses
licensing arrangements, 29, 4950, 65, 67
Liquidation Committee, 164, 167
Liquidator of Munitions Contracts, 1667,
1712, 177
liquidation, business, 183, 1867
liquidation payments, 1658, 1712
see also compensation payments; contract
cancellations
Lloyd George, David, 923, 123
Lloyd, E. W., 26
London County Council, 110
long-base rangefinder, 19, 42, 170, 188

Copyright
Jackson, Harold
dealings with Admiralty, 745, 97, 104,
1936
dealings with Ministry of Munitions,
1545, 169, 1713
dealings with War Office, 1035, 1534,
172
role as manager in Barr & Stroud, 2631,
434, 55, 7381, 97103, 150, 154,
170, 178, 1939
Japanese optical industry, 201, 210
see also Nippon Kogaku
Jena, see Zeiss
Jena glass, see optical glass
Kelvin Bottomley & Baird, 83, 183, 1856
Kelvin, Lord, 18, 54

machinery, manufacturing, 37, 86, 92, 956,

101, 111, 114, 121, 124, 137, 140, 147,
1601, 184
see also tooling
Mallock, H. R. A., 14
Marindin, A. H., 42
Marindin rangefinder
manufacturing problems, 789, 101
War Office selection, 445, 602
Marion Co. Ltd, 139, 141
market forces, 903
mass production, 63, 135, 181
Master General of the Ordnance, 61, 89, 93
mechanical engineering, 12, 734, 1004,
141, 203, 205

Index
Mekometer, 17, 19, 202, 37, 3943, 601,
75
MGO, see Master General of the Ordnance
microscope, 12, 39, 112, 160, 182
Mill Hill, see Zeiss
Ministry of Munitions, 2, 67, 86, 904,
10610, 11618, 1214, 130, 133,
13740, 145, 1502, 157, 15968,
172, 1779, 184, 187, 208
mirrors, 1618, 25, 57
The Modern Rangefinder, 109
Moeller, J. D., 81
monopoly, 49, 57, 65, 713, 82, 934, 979,
103, 116, 137, 139, 172, 183, 1856,
191, 202
Mouton W., Admiral, 74
Munitions Accounts Office, 171
Munitions of War Act, 114, 118, 184, 192
National Physical Laboratory, 145
Nature, 43
naval observation telescopes, 71
Naval Estimates, annual, 47
Navy Contracts Department, 192
Negretti & Zambra, 118
Nippon Kogaku, 203
nitroglyerine propellant, 10

253

optical munitions exports, post-1919,

1935, 199, 201, 203, 210
optical munitions imports, 401, 62, 6570,
11315
Optical Munitions Liquidation Committee,
1645, 167
Optical Munitions and Glassware Department, 103, 108, 110, 114, 11718,
12259, 1637
see also Cheshire, Frederick; Esslemont,
Alfred; Weekly Reports
optical technologies, 10, 131, 1334
Optician, 125
Optische Anstaldt C. P. Goerz, see Goerz
Optophone, 178
opto-technics, 109
Ordnance Committee, 16, 23
Ottway & Co. Ltd, 478, 71, 125, 161,
1678, 183
panoramic sight, see dial sight
Parra Mantois, 116
Patent Office, 1089
patents, 6, 134, 16, 21, 245, 434, 4952,
645, 72, 175, 210
Patents Act, 12, 50, 65
pentagonal prisms, 16, 18, 81, 101
periscope, 1, 34, 579, 64, 71, 823, 163,
168, 170, 174, 17991, 201, 203
Periscopic Prism Co., 81, 99, 101, 103, 146,
148
photographic cameras, 12, 112
photographic lenses, 12, 100, 112, 136,
1468, 1601
polishing, optical, 78, 141, 144, 147, 152
Pollen, Arthur, 726, 81, 100, 188, 191
porro prism, 176
predictor mechanism, 74
price inflation, 912, 102, 150, 1723
prismatic binocular, see binocular
prisms for binoculars, 128, 1358, 141,
1456, 172, 1767
prisms, manufacturing problems, 18, 556,
78, 978, 11516
prisms, use in rangefinders, 1618, 25, 545,
72, 96
procurement procedures, see Admiralty;
rangefinder; War Office

Copyright

observation instruments, see binoculars;

telescopes
observation telescopes, 40
Officine Galileo, 83, 183, 185
OMGD, see Optical Munitions and Glass
Department
ophthalmic trade, 25, 99, 112, 144, 202
ophthalmoscope, 12
Optical Advisory Committee, 1256
optical design, 6, 54, 723, 75, 77, 96,
1256, 1478, 188, 202, 209
see also computing
optical glass, 55, 756, 78, 92, 98, 109,
11516, 127, 135, 143, 1524, 163,
197, 208, 210
optical industry, pre-1914, 3, 67, 1213,
378, 56, 60, 62, 65, 867
profitability, 1201
optical munitions exports before First World
War, 77, 934, 11213

254

The Optical Munitions Industry in Great Britain, 18881923

profits, wartime control, 11820

propellants, 10, 36
prototypes, 12, 13, 16, 20, 45, 74, 82, 148,
1889, 203
Purser, H. F. Ltd, 144
quality standards, 102
quick-firing gun, 30
range and order instruments, 29, 312,
512, 54, 74
rangefinder
Admiralty acquisition, 2732, 4653,
58, 934, 97, 104, 1523, 170,
193203, 211
early designs, 1316
scale of issue, 22, 37, 60, 62, 8890
trials, 1119, 235, 2930, 601, 634,
72, 756, 84, 95, 106, 18990, 206
wartime manufacturing problems,
8993, 106, 130, 14956
War Office acquisition, 916, 1924,
357, 415, 602, 778
see also Barr & Stroud; FA2; FX;
long-base rangefinder; Marindin;
Mekometer; short-base rangefinder;
stereoscopic rangefinder; twoobserver rangefinder
Rangefinding Trials Committee, 16, 17
Ratebook for Naval Stores, 47
redundancies, 1624, 170
see also unemployment
requests to tender, 39, 61
research, 13, 25, 27, 30, 32, 50, 73, 867,
110, 113, 116, 1245, 149, 182, 1868,
1918, 201, 203, 206
research centres, 113
restrictive practices, 119, 140, 168
reticle, 47
rifle, 11
riflescope, see telescopic rifle sight
Rolfe-Martin, A. B., 148
Ross Optical Co. Ltd, 478, 6671, 81,
99, 12230, 1347, 1434, 161, 163,
1658, 177, 183
Royal Artillery Institute, 19
Royal College of Science, 109
Royal Dockyard, Portsmouth, 73

Royal Naval College, 73

Royal Navy, see Admiralty
Royal Photographic Society, 109
Royal Society, 44
Royal United Service Institution, 44
royalty payments, 24, 49, 501, 62, 65,
1712
Russia, 53, 93, 95, 100, 135, 210
see also Imperial Russian Navy
Russo-Japanese War, 46, 53, 63
scales of issue, 90
School of Musketry, 22, 41
Schott & Genossen, 756, 109, 135
Schott, Otto, 76
scientific instruments
exports, 11213, 117
imports, 11213, 117
industry, see optical industry
Scott, Percy, 47, 53
secrecy, 19, 245, 74, 83, 109, 135, 193
semaphore signals, 10
semi-skilled labour, 104, 13940, 150, 160
sextant, 11, 12
Sherwood Optical Co., 127, 144
short-base rangefinder, 14, 43
sight, see telescopic rifle sight; telescopic
sight; artillery
sighting telescopes, 9, 20, 40, 48, 71, 88, 126,
128, 130, 136, 1468, 1834, 201, 212
signalling telescope, 88
single-observer rangefinder, 1920, 412,
60, 63, 133
Sir Howard Grubb & Co., see Grubb
skilled labour, 95, 104, 113
Smith, Owen H., 124
Society of Arts, 44
South Africa, see Boer War
spectrometer, 99, 182
speculum metal, 25
spin-off, 48, 62, 79, 148, 182
Standard Optical Co., 102
Steinheil, Munich, 56
stereoscopic rangefinder, 43
stereoscopic vision, 22
stereopsis, 43
Stroud, William, 13, 256, 43, 51, 545, 73,
80, 206

Copyright

Index
subcontracting, 24, 83, 98, 99101, 103,
146
submarine, 1, 3, 4, 35, 46, 579, 71, 823,
168, 170, 174, 179, 1812, 1856, 191,
195, 203
see also periscope
subsidy, 135, 140, 177, 192, 1968, 204,
210, 211
surveying instruments and techniques, 3,
1012, 14, 17, 1921, 63, 73, 87, 172
symbiotic relationships, 44, 75, 105, 141,
154, 191, 204, 211
taxation, wartime, 11921, 141, 168, 191
Taylor, H. D., optical designer, 723, 76
Taylor J. & H., 142
Taylor, Taylor & Hobson Ltd, 81, 99,
1023, 120, 1267, 1424
technical optics, 110, 1246, 179
Technical Optics Committee, 1256
technical schools, 113, 124, 209
technological infrastructure, 107, 179
telemeter, 19, 42
telescope, early military use, 1, 9
telescopic rifle sight, 103, 125, 133, 137,
1459
telescopic sight, artillery, 3, 10, 3940, 478,
59, 71, 103, 137
telescopes, sighting, 20, 48, 128
tenders, 3940, 62, 912, 146, 200
theodolite, see surveying instruments
tooling, 95, 114, 120, 128, 136, 13940,
151, 182, 196
see also machinery
tracking prism, 16
trade unions, 119, 140, 160
Traill Taylor Memorial Lecture, 109
Traill Taylor Memorial Medal, 155
training, 7, 81, 86, 10810, 113, 1247,
131, 13941, 144, 147, 1501, 156,
170, 179, 182, 207, 209
see also education
Treasury, 12, 39, 62, 93, 119, 121, 164, 173,
1989, 211
Treasury Contracts Committee, 173
trench periscope, 163
trench warfare, 149, 163

255

trials, competitive, 1213, 1620, 235, 30,

37, 426, 52, 601, 634, 72, 756, 84,
95, 106, 18990, 206
Trials Committee, see Rangefinding Trials
Committee
triangulation, 11
Troughton & Simms, 1889
Tlick, Captain, 28
two-observer rangefinder, 19, 412, 72
Twyman, Frank, 445, 7880, 97102, 125
undercapitalization, 86
unemployment, 1623, 166
see also redundancies
university education, 32, 1245,146
unskilled labour, 104, 13940, 151
United States Army, 30, 169
United States Navy, 30, 50, 194, 201
US optical industry, 137, 153, 195, 2023,
210
Versailles Treaty, 202
Vickers, 57, 66, 71, 823, 151, 185, 18791
volume of production, 99, 107, 119, 133,
135, 1389, 141, 145, 149, 156, 161,
211

Copyright
W. G. Armstrong Mitchell & Co., see
Armstrong
warlike stores, 10, 105
War Break Clause, 165
War Office
approved contractors system, 39, 902
expenditure on optical munitions, 66, 93
procurement procedures, 359, 49, 628,
858, 913, 106, 108, 110, 117
Washington Treaty, 201, 203
Watkin, H. S., 17, 19, 201, 24, 39
Watson, W. & Sons, 81, 99, 125, 130
Watson-Baker, T, 125
Watts, E. R. & Son, 144, 163, 1678
weapons technology, 36, 83, 205
Weekly Reports (Optical Munitions and
Glassware Department), 7, 120, 130,
1356, 141
Wedgwood, Colonel, 111, 113, 121, 1234
White, James and Co., 25, 54
William Beardmore & Co., 151

256

The Optical Munitions Industry in Great Britain, 18881923

women workers, 140, 144, 1501, 170

see also female labour; girl labour
Woolwich Arsenal, 17, 23, 45, 61, 89, 117,
1289, 142, 152, 171
Wray Optical Company Ltd, 136, 140
yard telemeter, 19
Yorkshire Banking Co., 21

Yorkshire College, 13, 18, 25

Zeiss, Jena, 22, 28, 41, 434, 50, 56, 62,
65, 80, 88, 106, 10910, 1347, 140,
2023
Zeiss Mill Hill, London, 66, 6870, 88, 94,
1223, 136, 143

Copyright