"Samuel Lee Bapty" electric battery police lamp c1938-1960
Name/Title
"Samuel Lee Bapty" electric battery police lamp c1938-1960
Entry/Object ID
63
Description
Pressed metal black painted electric dry cell police lamp, with leather belt clip on rear and fitted with a red light filter for traffic control. There is triangular shaped plate on the front marked "SAMUEL LEE BAPTY LTD WATFORD ENGLAND "THE INSPECTOR" LAMP No. 683.
Use
For a police officer to use at night for illumination and to assist with traffic control.
Context
In the 19th and early 20th centuries police officers still used oil lamps for night duty, which were hung on their belts. These were both messy and expensive to maintain but were more reliable and cheaper than the first battery powered torches invented c 1899. However after the First World War technology had improved and electric lamps began to be adopted by police forces. The Metropolitan Police began using them in 1920 (Fido and Skinner) and East Sussex Constabulary in 1921 (Kyrke 1969).
What is interesting about the designs of these early battery lamps and those used later, is that they often retained features of the old oil lamps, usually having handles at the rear and a clip to enable the lamp to be hung on a belt. They also tend to be box shaped. It was only in 1962 that the Metropolitan Police adopted cylindrical torches (Fido and Skinner).
This particular lamp made by "Samuel Lee Bapty Ltd", is a common type and it's features and model name show it was intended for police use. Companies' House records show that "Samuel Lee Bapty Ltd" was incorporated as a limited company in September 1938. This general style of lamp was used by the British Police until the 1960s and could date anytime from 1938 to 1960. The fact that it came from Sussex Police stores indicates that its was used by one of the Sussex Police Forces prior to the 1968 amalgamation.
