WW2 Negretti & Zambra Air Ministry Vane Anemometer AM No. 10A/10164

This wonderful looking antique scientific instrument is a 4-inch WW2 Negretti & Zambra Air Ministry Vane Anemometer AM No. 10A/10164.

It has 8 vanes and 3 Measuring Dials showing feet in hundred's, thousand's, and 10 thousand's. It has an on/off lever and a zero reset button. It appears to be working but I can't attest to its accuracy.

This 4-inch Biram Vane Anemometer No. B22730 was last calibrated on the 11th June 1946 by the Aerodynamics section of the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington. The test certificate is included.

Approximate Size:

• Diameter of Anemometer No. B22730: 10.3cm / 4"
• Dial Diameter: 5.1cm  (2")
• Leather Transit Case labelled 10A/10614
• Width: 13.2 cm Depth: 5.2 cm Height: 13 cm

where 10A = Miscellaneous Radio (Wireless) Equipment 

The blackened brass has faded in places, and there are surface scuffs and scratches commensurate with age and use. The test certificate is very grubby but legible. A very high quality measuring instrument and nice WW2 Air Ministry artefact for the industrial themed home.

Also known as a Wind / Air Speed Flow Meter, it would have been used on an airfield. Non-military versions were also extensively used in mines.

Please click on the following links for more aviation related ephemera or meteorological instruments. 

Mechanical anemometers were a piece of safety equipment, invented by Benjamin Biram in 1844, to determine the volume of air entering or exiting mine workings. They were produced in 2 styles; Biram style which have the dials and vanes on the same plane and the offset style which has the dials perpendicular to the vanes.