Tonight we are looking at a small hand light issued to British troops in the Second World War:

The lamp is based on bike lamps of the period and comes apart to allow two large cell batteries to be fitted inside. Unlike contemporary bike lamps though, on the rear is a large straight belt clip for attaching the lamp to a waist belt:As can be seen, faintly marked on the back, is the description Lamp Electric No1, and a /|\ mark. The lamp also has a carry handle on the top:The face of the lamp has a moving hood to direct the beam to the ground and a rotating cover to reduce or increase the amount of light being released:As well as being issued to troops, they were sometimes fitted with red gel covers to the lenses and fitted to poles to mark cleared lanes in minefields at night. These lamps were made in huge quantities and sold off as surplus after the war very cheaply so many push bikes of the 1950s and 1960s sported them. Again this is one of those items that has leapt up in price in the last few years and examples are now fetching nearly £20 on specialist militaria sites, however as many people do not always realise they are military, it is still possible to find them being sold as standard civilian bike lamps and bargains are out there.