NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Instrument repair
From: Robert Eno
Date: 2002 Dec 19, 00:42 -0500
From: Robert Eno
Date: 2002 Dec 19, 00:42 -0500
Hello Peter, The fellow that I am referring to is Frank Bartlett of Chatswood, NSW. Frank worked at the RAE plant in England during WWII. And this has spurred me into a little project to try to track him down again.... Robert ----- Original Message ----- From: Peter FoggTo: Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 4:51 PM Subject: Instrument repair > Robert Eno wrote: > > > ... The only person I know of who know/knew > > how to fix these things was a fellow in Australia who may or may not be with > > us anymore. He was over 80 years of age ten years ago. I have not heard from > > him in a while. > > If that was Max of Edwin Bowers & Sons Pty Ltd he did pass away a few months > ago. Apart from being a very nice bloke he will be sorely missed as the only > person known who could repair nautical instruments: sextants, cronometers and > compasses. The last time I saw him he had a huge ship's compass on his bench he > was tinkering with. It seems he was the second generation of a family business, > but his own son died before him so that dynasty, and business, is extinct. > > And here I was thinking that the United States may be the closest place to now > find someone with those skills? If anyone knows of another Australian please > let me know. >