Offered for sale is a good vintage pair of made-in-Glasgow Barr & Stroud ex military model serial no. 94578 CF42 7 x 50 binoculars – this is a post-WWII pair of military CF42s dating to about 1947.

 

Barr & Stroud were an optical company based in Anniesland Glasgow operational from the Victorian period through to the 1980s, with the business acquired first by Pilkington, then Thales and production eventually re-located elsewhere.  The managing director of the firm from the early 1900s to around 1928 was a Mr Harold Drinkwater-Jackson, who we have a kind of personal connection with, because he built the house on the outskirts of Glasgow where we currently live.  I’ve therefore collected some Barr & Stroud instruments over the years and occasionally sell some of the items from my collection, such as this example of the Barr & Stroud CF42 military model.

 

Barr & Stroud originally manufactured military optical instruments such as rangefinders, with their product range quickly extending to include various other optical items such as: marine periscopes, fire control systems, telescopes and from about 1919 they also made binoculars.  The firm won contracts with the Admiralty and therefore supplied many instruments during WWII, perhaps the best known being their CF41 & 42 models of binoculars with interchangeable internal filters that were widely used by the Royal Navy and Coastal Defence forces.  Production of this model range started in the 1930s, ramping up signifcantly during WWII.  The Royal Navy continued using Barr & Stroud binoculars until the 1980s, so some pairs may have seen service during the Falklands conflict. Barr & Stroud ceased making binoculars in 1971.

 

This CF42 example carries serial number 94578, being along with CF41s the most poular military models, with 7x magnification and 50mm objectives and dates to around 1947, so just post-WWII.  Barr & Stroud serial numbers are always strictly sequential, so dating is pretty certain.

 

This pair is in usable condition with pretty good clear bright optics, smooth eyepiece focusing, working filters, good collimation and just a few small black dots on the prisms which aren’t particularly noticeable during viewing.  

 

The exterior anti-slip coating to both optical barrels is in good condition with no delamination and the yellow broad-arrow military markings as usual have been painted out on both barrels, although you can just about see the yellow paint showing through.   

 

Overall, a very usable example of a military model of binoculars sporting the famous Barr & Stroud brand.  

 

By operating the twin rotating filter controls you have a viewing choice as under:

 

– Start position – clear for viewing in normal conditions
– 1st position – yellow filter – to enhance contrast in hazy conditions
– 2nd position – neutral density filter – reduces glare in bright sunlight akin to wearing sunglasses
– 3rd position – green filter – reduces glare from water surface in very bright conditions, thereby allowing objects to be seen more easily and also used for nighttime reconnaisance in order to help preserve night-vision effectiveness

 

The different filters were used essentially to assist with naval reconnaisance in order to improve visibility in low light, hazy or bright sunlit conditions – all especially important for marine applications – and spotting things like periscopes sticking out of the water!

 

The CF42 model sometimes has an internal graticule visible in the right-hand eyepiece although one isn’t present in this pair of CF42s.  It does have the dessicator tubes with the knurled thumb-screws and securing chains fitted to both prism housings.  This feature was to allow dry air to be circulated through the optics, in order to remove moisture that might have got inside after prolonged use in a wet maritime environment.

 

You might think that 7x magnification is a bit low for military/naval applications, but try using binoculars onboard a ship, with the ship’s motion likely to blurr the view for high magnification optics.  Therefore 7x magnification was pretty universally adopted for naval applications.  German manufacturers Leitz and Zeiss also produced marine binoculars at 7x magnifiction for Kreigsmarine and U-Boat applications.

 

Interestingly, King Charles as then Prince of Wales, when he was in the Royal Navy back in the 1970s commanding HMS Bronington, used a pair of Barr & Stroud CF41 or 42s – see image in listing photos.

 

Note 2:  currently available brand new Barr & Stroud optical instruments are nothing to do and have no connection with the original Glasgow-based British company.

 

Shipping by Royal Mail.

 

Thanks for looking.