A rare Brunton Pocket Transit Compass, made for Herga & Co. of Brisbane, Australia, by F. Barker & Son c.1926 -1932. It comes complete with its original fitted leather case. Although there are no maker’s marks, other than ‘Made in England’, the compass is identical to those made and supplied by Francis Barker around this time, and Herga & Co are known to have imported many of the products they sold from England. Barker often supplied compasses unsigned to the retail trade, with the retailer then adding their own company name and details. This compass has ‘Herga & Co, Brisbane’ and the initials ‘R.M.’ engraved on the lid. The Brunton featured in several early 20th century Barker catalogues, being described in the 1919 and 1926 editions as 'Invaluable to mining and civil engineers, surveyors, & c.’ The additional ‘bullseye’ spirit level on the clinometer arm, an improvement on the original design, was first introduced in 1926.
Examples of Francis Barker Brunton's can be seen in the 1919 and 1926 Barker catalogue entries reproduced on pages 428 and 477 of Paul Crespel's definitive work on Barker compasses, Trade Mark London.
Herga & Co were established in Australia in 1888 when Alphonse Herga opened a watch repair shop in Queen Street, Brisbane. In 1894 he apprenticed Frederick Bright and formed Herga & Co., specialising in chronographs, watches and clocks imported from England. In 1927 Herga & Co opened a new shop in Edward Street, selling imported English barometers and clocks, and supplying Queensland schools and Government Departments with high quality wall clocks. The company became well known throughout Australia for their range of fine wall clocks, using imported English movements in Australian oak, cedar and maple cases. During WW2 Herga repaired navigation instrument for the US Navy, and the company began to specialise in surveying equipment.
The Brunton Pocket Transit compass was invented in 1894 by D. W. Brunton, a Canadian-born geologist and mining engineer. Brunton commissioned a skilled watchmaker in Denver, Colorado to manufacture his invention, and it proved to be very succcessful as an alternative to the bulky surveying equipment of that time. Unlike most modern compasses, the Brunton Pocket Transit utilizes magnetic induction damping rather than fluid to damp needle oscillation. A specialized instrument, used to make accurate navigational and slope-angle measurements in the field, it is still used by geologists, archeologists, environmental engineers, mining engineers, and surveyors. The US Army adopted the Pocket Transit as the M2 Compass for use by field artillery. Modern versions, made by the Brunton company in the USA, are still in production.
Francis Barker & Son: were established in London in 1848, as a maker of compasses and scientific instruments. One of the most important British scientific instrument makers of the Victorian era, Francis Barker produced a very wide range of compass designs throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, supplying major British retailers such as Negretti & Zambra, J. Lizars, C. W. Dixey, and Dollond & Co, and exporting their products worldwide. The company prospered until 1932, when it was taken over and became F. Barker & Son (1932). After WW2 the company changed hands several times and the name is now owned by Pyser Optics of Edenbridge in Kent. They continue to produce the renowned Barker M-73, widely acknowledged to be the world's finest prismatic compass.
Condition:
In very good condition, full working order, and finds North well. There is some wear to the original black painted finish of the case. The needle, jewelled pivot, transit lock, clinometer arm, mirror, sights and levels are all in very good condition and working well. With the retailer's details ‘Herga & Co, Brisbane’ and the initials ‘R.M.’ engraved on the lid. The leather case is in good condition, with the name ‘Robert Montgomery’ stamped on the lid.
Dimensions : 80mm x 70mm x 30mm
