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From The Times
July 6, 2009

Searchlight cooker

Sir, Much as I found the Times Archive photo (July 3) of the listening-post team testing its equipment interesting, what was fascinating is the canvas-covered item on the left of the photograph. That piece of equipment is a 90cm carbon arc searchlight, which was introduced into the Army in the early 1930s. These searchlights continued to be used until 1978, not in the anti-aircraft role but for battlefield illumination, and were of great tactical use on exercises across Germany.

As the troop commander in the Army’s only searchlight squadron, I and my TA sappers were in constant demand, even to the stage that on exercises we overheard brigade commanders arguing as to whose brigade could have the searchlights for the next 24 hours. An incidental advantage of these searchlights was that the heat from the carbon arc in the searchlight barrel was great for cooking pies and sausages.

Major Ian Proud (Ret’d), Re(v)
London W5

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