Beach Back Rest - Mystery Markings.

[floydraser]

I think I may have done it again: accidentally bought something of historical interest.

I had started a thread on here when beach back rests were Special Buys at Aldi a while ago. I think they are a good idea and well suited to flat boat decks. I missed them but when I saw this one in an auction catalogue my thoughts were that it has the wooden boat look about it which would suit the Denham Owl nicely thank you. Because of that, I was prepared to go to £25 but didn't need to and it was mine for a mere £8 plus charges, so around £10.50. 

T

Before we got it home my wife said we could do an “Angel” on it, as in Angel Strawbridge, and replace the canvas with some upholstery. So the plan was that after giving it a good clean I would put on weight and grow a bushy beard and moustache, and Mrs Raser would dye her hair bright orange before we set to work. Before all that though, I set out to take photos and video for my Youtube channel and it was as I was shooting an “as found” bit that I noticed the lettering and crown stamped into the wood.

Woah! Hold everything! 1940???

I was immediately transported back to an airfield where Squiffy would be lounging around using this back rest, outside the dispersal hut waiting for the scramble bell to ring.

Alternatively, looking at the wide bar, it seems to be specifically shaped to fit something? Clearly it's number 1,940 of 2000 and came from the deck of the Titanic.

For those not gullible enough to swallow the above stories I would be interested in any ideas as to the history of this thing. I'll be treating it to a good clean then leaving it until I know more about it.

The auction was not the one over here in Leicestershire within walking distance of my house, but Beeston Auctions near Dereham, Norfolk. Stuff could travel I know but this is more likely to come from a local house clearance.

What does the team think? Or should that be tiim? 

[ChrisB]

Maybe for use in a field hospital or general hospital. I have seen old films of the wounded being stretchered sitting up with a back rest.

[grendel]

I think we are looking for a 1940's business W.L & Co Ltd that made stuff by appointment to King George, perhaps a furniture maker or woodworking company

[ChrisB]

2 hours ago, grendel said:

I think we are looking for a 1940's business W.L & Co Ltd that made stuff by appointment to King George, perhaps a furniture maker or woodworking company

Or working on Government contracts perhaps? My money is still on a hospital bed backrest.

[grendel]

true, it could have been a War department stamp. still a very interesting piece nontheless.

[BroadAmbition]

If it was war dept or mod then it would have had the 'Arrow' stamp?

Griff

[Timbo]

The GR is George Reigns and together with the Crown denotes 'Crown Supplies' or government issue, usually on furniture used by the civil defense or government offices, such as desks, chairs and beds. While hospital beds were metal, many civilian casualty receiving stations used wooden beds.

[Timbo]

A quick update...lists of manufacturers during the war years who were using wood as a material are held at the Archives Office at Kew Gardens. Timber and plywood was our largest import during the war, way in excess of food or metals and was strictly regulated. 

[ChrisB]

Hence the CC41 stamp on Utility goods where CC = Controlled Commodity.

I always thought that it was a very modern looking logo given the times

[floydraser]

Thanks for the replies so far, keep 'em coming!

At first glance it looked like GP but now I've looked closer it's definitely GR

So no Squiffy, no Titanic, probably nicked from Sandringham. Oh kak.

Just have to find W.L. & Co. then.

[grendel]

I did find a wartime pickaxe for the home defence forces with the crown and GR stamp, so maybe not war dept or MOD, but maybe produced for the war effort.

[floydraser]

It does beg the question of what war priority did this have during the Battle of Britain and in regard of Timbo's comment on timber imports. Back to Chris's hospital bed theory then...

[StillCruising]

I remember my grandparents had two very similar looking back rests in the 50's. When my grandparents moved house we inherited them. My mother later told me that she that they had been salvaged from a damaged local first aid post during the war (grandfather was an ARP). The ones that they had seemed wider and the shaped wooden cross piece fitted the bed frame to stop it sliding through or moving sideways. That said I was young at the time so the memory is a bit vague.

[floydraser]

33 minutes ago, StillCruising said:

I remember my grandparents had two very similar looking back rests in the 50's. When my grandparents moved house we inherited them. My mother later told me that she that they had been salvaged from a damaged local first aid post during the war (grandfather was an ARP). The ones that they had seemed wider and the shaped wooden cross piece fitted the bed frame to stop it sliding through or moving sideways. That said I was young at the time so the memory is a bit vague.

I've just nipped out to the garage and measured it. Brrr it's cold out there!

Referring to the middle pic of the 3 above: the widest bar at the rear is 2' 6" over all. But oddly, the varnish seems to be worn mostly along the rear edge; odd because even when folded it doesn't touch the floor. The canvas is hardly worn at all where it wraps under the bottom rail so I am now convinced it was never designed for the beach.

[StillCruising]

A small standard bed was 2'6" wide in those days. 

[Vaughan]

This may be a "blind alley" but I know that a lot of firms around Norwich were put to making furniture during the War, especially the big car dealers as they traditionally made bespoke coachwork, so they had woodworking shops.  I am certain that Mann Egertons built furniture at that time and I believe Duff, Morgan and Vermont did as well.  Also the Norwich Motor Co.  Wallace Kings had a big furniture factory on the other side of King St, near Jewsons timber yard.

The crown doesn't look like the usual royal cypher to me but the GR would be correct for George VI in 1940.  Normally furniture built for the forces (such as all the RAF airfields) would have the War Dept arrow branded on the underside.

[ChrisB]

The first house that Judith and I lived in after we married in May 1971 was a Metropolitan Style semi in Sudbury, between Wembley and Harrow. Rented for £25 per month.

Our bedroon furniture was new, as was our sofa and dining room the rest was second hand and scrounged. 

To furnish the spare bedroom we relieved one at my parent's Chorleywood home, of a dressing table, tallboy and lower chest of drawers. They were "Utility" made in light oak by Heal's of Tottenham Court Road. There was more than a passing nod at Art-Deco, especially the dressing table.

My parents did not want them returned so Judith painstakingly pained them matt white and applied Pop-Art and Flower- Power transfers.

Now 50 years later as a lover of Frank lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Art-Deco, Art Nouveau and the likes of Charles Rennie Macintosh I could weep!

These pictures are nearly identical to the Heals that we vandalised.

[grendel]

my parents had 1950's utility plywood furniture in their house, all the kitchen units and wardrobes in the bedrooms, they still have the kitchen units, they were quickly raised on 4" pedestals to bring them to a useable height and covered with formica. I still have a drawer unit as part of my under stairs storage, i have removed the top that my dad added to convert it to a dressing table. the only problem is the drawer runners are pretty near worn out.

[floydraser]

Having spent a few hours yesterday staring at this screen I have learned little but hey, it passes the time.

It seems there was an emergency hospital service set up around the start of the war similar to the Nightingale efforts recently, so that may explain why using timber for medical purposes was allowed. CC41 was then brought it in 1941.

I'm struggling to find the name of the manufacturer. It's fairly obvious that they only used these abreviations on their stamps but finding the full name is difficult. I will though, enlist someone to help navigate the National Archives for a list of Royal Warrant holders to George VI. As Vaughan says, all sorts of companies were enlisted to do things outside of their normal line of business but would they use the roayal warrant stamp in that case? I hope not or it prove to be a red herring.

It's not hugely valuable unless you lot keep quiet and I stick with the Titanic story. Other than that it is still a part of history so we won't be doing an "Angel" on it. Instead we'll do more or less the same by wrapping new material over the old and fixing it to itself, leaving it removeable.

A word on the auctions: Wife's sister and husband live near Dereham. He is interested in militaria etc and the auction near me usually has a lot of medal lots. I offered to collect anything they buy and bring it over to the boat. They then visit the boat, drink tea and help with the work. Then they bought a set of ex-MOD handcuffs. I told them if they buy kinky stuff they can fetch it themselves in future!

Then they told me about Beeston auctions near them and offered to do the same for me. Beeston regularly have lots comprising of "adult material", books and videos. They are now very careful what they bid on over here! 

[grendel]

what they offered to buy your handcuffs for you? most generous

[floydraser]

We had a big ol' extending dining table I used to have my meals at as a kid. When my parents moved I had it as a bench in my garage. When I bought my last car project - 1936 MG SA - I removed the top of the table and the leaves, and used the rest to make a blasting cabinet:

Nice legs.

Woodworm claimed the legs etc but the top and leaves have been used for other things including the Denham Owl.

[floydraser]

Best I can do at the moment is either Walter Lawrence & Sons of sawbridgeworth or more likely, William Lawrence & Co Ltd of Colwick, Nottinghamshire. Both were furniture maunfacturers who turned to wartime contracts to make aircraft bits etc.

[grendel]

bearing in mind the W.L & Co Ltd, I would think the latter is a better option, as otherwise I would have thought W.L & sons would have been on the stamp.

[Timbo]

To my great joy I found the the plans and dimensions for the manufacture of utility furniture. To my great annoyance they have not yet been digitized so can only be viewed by visiting Kew. Here's the library stem https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C3221

[floydraser]

3 hours ago, Timbo said:

To my great joy I found the the plans and dimensions for the manufacture of utility furniture. To my great annoyance they have not yet been digitized so can only be viewed by visiting Kew. Here's the library stem https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C3221

Good hunting Sir!