Gnome monosoupe propeller identification question

[trev]

Dear All,

Would anyone be kind enough to identify the following wooden propeller hub that I have recently found lurking in my loft:

Darra 00 Motor Eng Co. London
100 HP
Gnome Monosoupape

It has 8 bolt holes and a centre bore diameter of 2.75"

Thanking anyone in advance who may be able to help.
Trevor

[Dbahnson]

Are you sure that there aren't any other numbers stamped on or around the hub? Most Darraq propellers had a drawing number stamped on it.

[trev]

Dear Administrator
Thanks very much for taking the time to respond to my question. I've had another look at the prop hub and found the following additional information:

FE8
T7928

All the best,
Trevor

[Bob Gardner]

Good Morning Trev,

Thank you for your email and best wishes for your new year!

The data from your prop is translated below. I have added at the end of the list the original diameter and pitch. It was a four bladed pusher prop and dates from 1915, so it's about a hundred years old.

Darra 00 Motor Eng Co. London The maker Darracq Motor Company, which was recruited to make propellers at an early stage of WW1. They made motor cars before WW1 and were recruited because of their know-how and skill in making car chassis (which were wooden at this time) in comparatively large numbers.
100 HP The power of the engine.
Gnome Monosoupape. The French supplied engine, a nine cylinder rotary. The name translates as One Valve. The model used was the B2.
FE8 The aircraft; one of the first Scout aircraft built by the Royal Aircraft Factory, a pusher aircraft.
T7928 The drawing number of the propeller where the designator letter T indicates the Royal Aircraft Factory.
Diameter 2440 The diameter in mm.
Pitch 2339 The pitch in mm.

With kind regards,

Bob

[Dave]

The "drawing number" (which refers to a blueprint) is the key to identification on all of these British props.

See this page for one with the same drawing number. I've found this to be a fairly common propeller to have survived the hundred or so years, and usually when that's the case it indicates they were manufactured in fairly large numbers and became obsolete soon afterward.

[trev]

Dear Bob

Thank you so very much for taking the time to respond to my various queries - very much appreciated and valued! Now that I've found this fascinating piece of history I'm unsure/at odds to know what to do with it. Would it be worth selling? if so, what might it be worth and where should I sell it?
Your thoughts please??

Kind regards and a very happy New Year to you good sir!
Trevor

[trev]

Dear Dave

Thank you for taking the time to provide me with this information. Every little piece of info that I gather gives me a better understanding of where this incredible piece of war history originates.
Happy New Year
Trevor

[trev]

Hi Again Bob

Any idea who would have flown such a plane? Where would it have likely to have flown to and for what purposes?

Sorry to pester you yet again.
Trevor

[Bob Gardner]

Trevor,

It was a single-seat scout aircraft intended to protect slow moving recce aircraft. The first flight was in October 1915. It was produced by the Royal Aircraft Factory, a government organisation and thus encumbered with slow-moving deliberation and inaction. It came into squadron service in the Western Front in August 1916 and equipped four squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps. By this time it was already obsolete and the new German designs, such as the Albatros D II and D III were incomparably better. It continued in use until mid-1917. About 300 were built.

If you have a hub with the stubs of four blades it is likely to sell on eBay for around £100-£150 GBP. You'll see that there are several on ebay, most at unrealistic prices such as £600 to £2300 GBP. These prices are based on wishful thinking and some of them have been there for several months.

With kind regards,

Bob

[trev]

Dear Bob

Thank you so very much for all of the valuable information that you have kindly passed my way. So fascinating!
If I include a picture, would you be so kind to let me know if this might impact on the pricing?

Best wishes
Trevor

[IMG]C:\Users\Corina\Desktop\EBay\Wooden Propeller[/IMG]

[Dbahnson]

Trevor, you'll need to upload the photo as an attachment to your post, which you do by clicking the "Manage Attachments" icon below the reply field after you hit "reply" (or "edit" the above post). What you have uploaded is still on your hard drive and not visible on the forum.

[Bob Gardner]

Yes please, Trevor.

As well as helping me to value it, all our regular forumites would like to see it.

Two or three photos please. Top, bottom and sides where the data is.

Forgive me for stating the obvious but please take the photos in good light and in focus. You'd be amazed at some of the photos we get, some taken on a mobile phone and sent to us apparently without any review from the sender!

With kind regards,

Bob

[trev]

Gnome monosoupe propeller identification question

Dear Bob & Dave

Again, indebted for the time that you have both taken to answer my questions relating to the prop hub. At last, I've managed to find out how to upload my photos of the hub. Hopefully there will be enough information for you to be able to provide me with a rough pricing valuation.

Very best wishes and a very Happy New Year!
Trevor (Sevenoaks, Kent)

[Dbahnson]

I defer to Bob's knowledge of market value, but the photos show an interesting phenomenon that he has mentioned previously, i.e. "mis-stamping" of data on props. Clearly, this one seems to be stamped "DARRAOO" (or maybe "DARRAOQ) rather than "DARRACQ" and is not just an acquired blemish that makes the original hard to read.

[Bob Gardner]

Yes Dave, I agree that the stamper was day-dreaming when he stamped this prop!

With kind regards,

Bob