Hello All,
I collect Rangefinders and Surveying Distance Measurement Instruments, and my aim is to create and publish an Online Museum about these instruments (and perhaps create a private museum when I retire - who knows!).
So, if you've got something Rangefinder-related, perhaps you were trained on one in your Military Career, or know someone who has-one, and want to know a bit more or have something that needs identifying etc. then perhaps I can help - and also hopefully I'll also learn something new into the bargain.
I'm also on the look-out for any period photos or other material that depict or discuss British, Commonwealth, and Allied forces which are somehow related to Rangefinders / Heightfinders themselves or to the process of Rangefinding. In comparison to the quantity of German WW1 and WW2 photos that I have been able to collect, the number of Allied photos that I have been able to acquire are extremely limited owing primarily to secrecy rules (no doubt), and perhaps to a lesser extent the low incidence of privately-owned cameras that might have been used against the rules. All of my Allied photos are either Official Portraits, Group photos of Course Attendees, or Newspaper / Official archive photos, but unfortunately no private photos at all - unlike German WW2 photos where it seems that private camera usage was perhaps even encouraged. Certainly even official Allied photos are rarely encountered of this type of equipment.
I'm attempting to cover all forms of 'remote' distance measurement / determination from year dot through to 1970s for purely Optical Instruments whereupon infra-red lasers started to be used for Electromagnetic Distance Measurement (EDM) surveying applications. I've also collected a few military and surveying instrument examples from 1980s through to 1990s 'Total Station'. I haven't concentrated only on Military and Surveying applications however, and also include a quantity of photographic Rangefinders and 'Rangefinder' Cameras amongst my collection that use familiar methods / technology to WW1/WW2 military rangefinders to determine distance for focussing (Early 1900s through to 1960s generally), and also include other Civil rangefinding-related items for Tree Height, Cloud Height, Sports or Hunting, and other civil purposes (navigation, for example), plus binoculars or telescopes that have telemetric functions or Stadia / graticules. Basically if it's used for determining distance, then I want to learn about it, and include it amongst my published material. Yes, I think that I bit-off more that I can chew, but now I'm up for seconds!
So if you have something in your own collections that I would find interesting, know of a book that covers the subject (even partially), or you've visited a Museum that includes something related, or you would allow me to include your photos or copies of documents / manuals / guides etc. within my Online Museum, then please get in touch, as I have so much to learn - particularly in relation to equipment and methods prior to WW1.
Finally, if you're aware of the location of a Barr & Stroud 9ft Range / Height Finder or any large Naval instruments (even if it's in a scrap-yard somewhere), then please be sure to let me know.
Thank you in anticipation, and many thanks for reading this far!
Best regards,
Paul
P.S. When it launches, it'll start-out at http://www.fieldofview.org.uk