Unknown Propeller, Help Needed.

[Busters]

Hi to all, I have got a propeller, it was my Grandfathers, I know he was in the RFC during the 1st World War & this was amongst his stuff, So I am Presuming that this is an early propeller but haven't got a clue about it, I have looked in Mini Propellers & found nothing, Nor anything about the number That is stamped on it, It is approx 12" Long & 2" Wide, There is one hole in the middle which is 3/4" in Diameter, There is a number stamped on it 'T28083', it's light but feels like a hardwood, That's all i can think of to say, Any help would be appreciated, Thanks, Barrie. I'm trying to upload some photo's So please bare with me.

[Bob Gardner]

Greetings Busters; Welcome to our forum.

Your prop is an auxiliary prop used to power the fuel pump which provided petrol or for the oil pump. Some generated electricity to illuminate the cockpit to enable maps etc to be read. It dates from 1916 to the 1920's. It was used on many WW1 aircraft.

T28083 is the drawing plan used to make the prop. T indicates the Royal Aircraft Factory who designed it.

With kind regards,

Bob

[Busters]

Hi Bob, Thanks, I've had this for ages & always wondered what it was, it's obviously too small to be main propeller (sorry don't know what they're called), i did think an auxiliary prop but what that entailed again i didn't know, So again many thanks, 1 last question which i suppose is what everyone wants to know, is there any value to it? atb, Barrie.

[Bob Gardner]

Busters,

I used to be a dealer in such items but am now retired, with only a few brain cells left. I believe that in the 1990s I used to buy such items at auction, for around a hammer price of £40.00 which rose to £45.00 GBP when the auctioneer's premium was added. I probably sold them then for £65.00.

Latterly, I think I sold them for around £100-£120. If so, the auction value would be around £84 including the auctioneer's premium, which indicates a hammer price of around £70.00. This figure is the sort of reserve you should set if you sell on eBay.

With kind regards,

Bob

[Busters]

Hi Bob, Thanks, That is exactly the info i needed & will be doing, Sorry you must get fed up with people asking the same old questions. I know there was a lot more stuff he brought back from WW1 & i can remember my father just putting it all in a skip In the late '60's early '70's, I think this caused the stroke when he got out of hospital.I can remember the row. All i've got now are his service badges sewn on a blanket. Thanks again, atb, Barrie (or Busters).

[Bob Gardner]

Barrie,

Thanks! I don't get fed up. I'm happy to help. I spend about two hours a day, most days, advising people. And I get quite a bit of co-lateral info for my databases.

Bob

[Busters]

Thanks Bob, One last thing, I've been trying to find out more about my Grandfather, He survived it all (Thank God) but i can't find any information about him, I had an Great Uncle who went down with the Queen Mary at Jutland (unfortunately) & it was easy to find out about him but if you survived i've found it hard to find out about people, I'm not doing a family tree i'm just very interested to find out about my Grandfather, RFC & RAF seem to be really difficult, Do you know where i could look? or point me in any directions please. Thanks, atb, Barrie.

[Bob Gardner]

Barrie,

I don't know much about such things. I advise googling RAF Service Records and RFC Service Records which should lead you in the right direction.

Tell us what you discover.

Bob

[Bob Gardner]

Barrie,

A quick note written in haste. I think I saw your prop on eBay listed under PROPELLORS. This is a minority spelling of the word propeller. It will get more views if you list it under propellers.

I haven't had time to check and see if my memory is correct!

Bob

[Busters]

Hi Bob, Yes it was on Ebay, I put Propeller & Propellor, I thought it was spelt 'er' but as the spelling & grammar is atrocious nowadays especially on Ebay!! I thought I'd put both spellings on it just to make sure as their search engine should do both (or something somehow i'm not a computer buff). I sold it for £80, I originally put it for £100 with offers (taking your advice) i put a bit on, not to be greedy but if I'd put it on for a fiver someone would have offered a Pound. I got what i thought was a fair price for something that old & really quite lucky to have survived. I have just has a message form the buyer & it's going to be put on a Plane, As follows is what he's told me after the finish,
"This auxiliary prop will be fitted to the Rotherham air pump, which pressurizes the fuel tank on an airworthy Sopwith Camel I am building"
So i'm pleased that it's going home again, if you know what i mean & not stuck up on someone's wall (or in a box like i had it), Thanks for your help i really do appreciate it, atb, Barrie.

[Bob Gardner]

It's wonderful to hear that your prop is going to be refitted to a Rotherham Pump on a Camel, which is where it started out, about 99 or 98 years ago.

A happy conclusion.

Bob