Out Of The Blue Artifacts A Library of a lifetime of collecting
An Eccles Miners Protector Lamp.
Made from chrome and brass. Size 10″ x 3″ inches.
These re-lightable oil lamps were used by management, deputies and overmen etc, if gas was present they were trained to check for its presence using this re-lighter. Ordinary oil lamps issued to workers were not made to be re-lit, if gas extinguished the flame they had to leave the heading and call for a deputy to check using a re-lighter.
They were lit by a spark which was struck against a wheel inside the lamp by the means of a ratchet (situated on the side of the lamp base) which was struck by your palm.
When lamps were produced all their parts were numbered to correspond to the lamp. If they got damaged underground the lamproom would mix and match parts to re-built it. This would later devalue the lamps to a point. Collectors look for all parts numbered the same.
This lamp (all parts numbered to be all genuine as to the day it was made). This lamp was from the Cwmtillery Colliery, Abertillery.