H A Ward
Encyclopedia
Henry Arthur Ward was a Birmingham
whistle maker who made whistle
s of high quality, all rare and hard to find. He made whistles from 1889 to 1908.
H A Ward is one of the whistle makers we know little about and most of it is revealed by his designs and stamps which testify to an innovative maker of high quality whistles. All his whistles are rare and some were discovered only at the last year or two (2008).
During 1889–1890 he had some partnership with a Birmingham whistle maker named Peter McDonald and they applied for a patent
Of the British whistle makers he was the only one that seemed to have made cast GSWs though they may had been made at B Lily & Sons in Birmingham since they were one of his main outlets for selling whistles in Birmingham and also made cast patterns in pewter
and Britannia metal
. It may be noted here that B Lily & sons were located at the same street as J Hudson & Co
at the time and sold other makers but Hudson's. and supplied whistles ordered from Ward, De Courcy
and T Yates
among others.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
whistle maker who made whistle
Whistle
A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
s of high quality, all rare and hard to find. He made whistles from 1889 to 1908.
History & addresses
| 65 Weasman Street | 1889-1897 |
|---|---|
| 27 Loveday street | 1898 - 1902 |
| 99 Snow hill | 1903 - 1908 |
H A Ward is one of the whistle makers we know little about and most of it is revealed by his designs and stamps which testify to an innovative maker of high quality whistles. All his whistles are rare and some were discovered only at the last year or two (2008).
During 1889–1890 he had some partnership with a Birmingham whistle maker named Peter McDonald and they applied for a patent
- 2980 at 1890, the patent was never grunted, it was for a Glasgow style escargot-type whistle constructed of 6 parts in a way similar to one that S Auld received a Patent for in the same year.
Models and Types
- Escargot-type whistles ; H A Ward may have made the First model of the famous "Thunderer" London style whistle, later to be become popular by with numerous whistle manufacturers until J Hudson and co. were granted the registered trade mark at 1927 after years of legal fights and claims. Only one London style of H A Ward 'Thunderer' had been seen.
- Glasgow style Escargot, The Alpha Improved Call No 23 & No 24 are two rare samples and they were planned for use for railway guards and with the Glasgow area police forces( which preferred using round pea whistles and escargot-type while the rest of England adopted the cylindrical two notes GSW. (General service whistle).
- small types of musical slide whistleSlide whistleA slide whistle is a wind instrument consisting of a fipple like a recorder's and a tube with a piston in it. Thus it has an air reed like some woodwinds, but varies the pitch with a slide. The construction is rather like a bicycle pump...
s of one octave range.
- Beaufort whistles .
- General service whistles , mostly ones stamped with " Police or Fire whistle " name variations. These were made with cast top mouthpieces at the earlier ones and later with rolled mouthpieces.
Of the British whistle makers he was the only one that seemed to have made cast GSWs though they may had been made at B Lily & Sons in Birmingham since they were one of his main outlets for selling whistles in Birmingham and also made cast patterns in pewter
Pewter
Pewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally 85–99% tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C ,...
and Britannia metal
Britannia metal
Britannia metal or britannium is a pewter-type alloy favoured for its silvery appearance and smooth surface. The composition is approximately 93% tin, 5% antimony, and 2% copper....
. It may be noted here that B Lily & sons were located at the same street as J Hudson & Co
J Hudson & Co
J Hudson & Co was founded in the 1870s in Birmingham by Joseph Hudson and his brother James Hudson . The company became a manufacturer of whistles and is still active today as Acme Whistles. Acme is the world’s largest and most famous producer of whistles...
at the time and sold other makers but Hudson's. and supplied whistles ordered from Ward, De Courcy
A De Courcy & Co
Alfred de Courcy' was a Birmingham whistle maker from 1888 to 1927, who founded the company A de Courcy & Co.He was the largest whistle maker beside J.Hudson & Co...
and T Yates
T Yates
T Yates was a Birmingham manufacturer of metal goods, for home, being manufactured use since early 19th century .He made whistles during the victorian era and was the leading whistle manufacturer in Britain for many years ....
among others.
- Round pea whistles some stamped and some not, Many named; 'Midget', 'Express', made for B Lily & Sons
- Two pipes or multi tube whistles with inline mouthpieceMouthpiece (brass)On brass instruments the mouthpiece is the part of the instrument which is placed upon the player's lips. The purpose of the mouthpiece is a resonator, which passes vibration from the lips to the column of air contained within the instrument, giving rise to the standing wave pattern of vibration in...
.
Body Stamps
- 'H.A.W', 'Thunderer', 'The City Whistle', (See links for pictures)
- 'The City Police', 'The Standart Police or Fire', 'L.M.S' London Midland & Scottish Railway.
- 'The City Police or Fire Whistle' in 5 Lines & in 3 Lines along the whistle cylindrical body.
- 'Express' on a round pea whistle, 'Speedwell' on a Double pipe type.
External links
- H A Ward 'the City'. whistle museum.
- 'Thunderer' H A Ward Escargot-type,Strauss Collection, Whistle Museum.