WW2 Goose neck flare ?

Bought this mystery object on ebay & then found out that it might be a WW2 goose neck flare ?

What are they & how do they work ?

Regards Ian

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Stuff the spout with asbestos wool then fill with paraffin and ignite. Should last a couple of hours. Extinguish by placing a cap over the flame. If you have half a dozen or so, then pace them out in a line into the prevailing wind, then place a final one at the upwind end a comfortable runway width away. Think of an elongated L.

The original 'wick' (not shown) was a flat tube of woven cotton about 30mm wide pushed through the spout with about 4 to 6 inches protruding. The can was filled with kerosene (paraffin) to just below interior spout. Wick soaked up the fuel and was ignited using a Match, Fusee or more often, since many might be in use, a Portfire.

Often used as primary or secondary runway marking but also in other applications such as marine target marking on ranges.

The '21G/95' is the RAF AP 1086 Stores Vocabulary number, i.e. Section 21G, Reference 95 used when ordering and identifying the item. I think that these were classified as 'B'' Stores and as such were not expendable but considered repairable and thus had to be held on custody charge of an individual Inventory and were accountable Ground Equipment.

There was available a pair of tongs which could be used to adjust the flaming wick but it was easier to wear a pair of RAF issue leather faced gloves or, in desperation, a folded beret:-P

Ossington_2008;163455 wrote:

If you have half a dozen or so, then pace them out in a line into the prevailing wind, then place a final one at the upwind end a comfortable runway width away. Think of an elongated L.

Do not do this. You may find an Airbus which has problems with its GPS trying to land in your garden.

And how exactly do you set light to asbestos wool???!!! As has been said it uses a cotton wick, and I bet theres a shed on an airfield somewhere with tons of the wicks in it!

Remember these being used at Cranwell in 1958.

PETERTHEEATER;163456 wrote:

The original 'wick' (not shown) was a flat tube of woven cotton about 30mm wide pushed through the spout with about 4 to 6 inches protruding. The can was filled with kerosene (paraffin) to just below interior spout. Wick soaked up the fuel and was ignited using a Match, Fusee or more often, since many might be in use, a Portfire.

Often used as primary or secondary runway marking but also in other applications such as marine target marking on ranges.

The '21G/95' is the RAF AP 1086 Stores Vocabulary number, i.e. Section 21G, Reference 95 used when ordering and identifying the item. I think that these were classified as 'B'' Stores and as such were not expendable but considered repairable and thus had to be held on custody charge of an individual Inventory and were accountable Ground Equipment.

There was available a pair of tongs which could be used to adjust the flaming wick but it was easier to wear a pair of RAF issue leather faced gloves or, in desperation, a folded beret:-P

Thanks for that explication Peter, are they rare ? and were there other designs ?
Regards Ian

Ian wrote:

...were there other designs ?

See [URL="www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk/forum/a...1-goosenecks?start=0[/URL]

and apologies for the first 29 posts with the incorrect apostrophe.

canberra;163461 wrote:

And how exactly do you set light to asbestos wool???!!! As has been said it uses a cotton wick, and I bet theres a shed on an airfield somewhere with tons of the wicks in it!

It's the fuel which burns the wick is simply the carrier. With the cotton wick, if the fuel ran dry, the wick often caught fire and smouldered. Some wicks were marked with printed lines every inch as I remember rather like '4 by 2' gun cleaning flanelette.

Ian wrote:

Thanks for that explication Peter, are they rare ? and were there other designs ?
Regards Ian

Yes, there were other patterns but all had the basic 'watering can' shape. Some had a hinged flap on the end of the spout. Capacity ranged from 8 pints (One Imperial gallon) up to 3 gallons(?)

I doubt that they are rare just not seen and identified for what they are.

There was also a spherical kerosene flare known as a 'Toledo Flare' after the manufacturing company in USA. Often found this type rusting away on ex USAAF airfiekds.