J Barrall
Encyclopedia
J Barrall - Whistle Manufacturer
J Barrall (John Barrall) was a British, BirminghamBirmingham
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...
-based 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...
maker, active from 1886 to 1898.
Little is known about him and new whistles made by him are still being discovered to this day.
His whistles are identified either by his logo ("Barrall Birmingham" inside an elliptic shaped stamp), or by special features which enthusiastic collectors can identify.
Addresses
Barrall made whistles from three addresses:| Number Dates | Street | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1a | Caroline | 1886–1894 |
| 12 | Parade | 1895–1896 |
| 115 | Camden | 1897–1898 |
Models & Whistle Types
- GSWs, a common term among whistle collectors for General service whistles.
- Beaufort Whistle
- Escargot Whistle, all rare
- Round Pea Whistle, one type is known.
All of Barrall's whistles are considered very scarce or rare and are of higher values. For some models there is only one copy known to exist.
Body Stamps
On GSWs: " Warranted Perfect " A unique Barral stamp, Birmingham city Police, London city Police, City Police, "Birmingham Police A. R. Thomas New St. Birm.".On Beauforts: "Liverpool police Warranted Perfect " with or without logo.
On Escargot: Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
crest shaped whistle.
On Round Pea: "J. Buck 124 New St", a distributor name.
Barrall is known to have supplied stamped whistles only to the London, Liverpool, and Birmingham police.