J. Hudson & Co Birmingham General Service Whistle with Period Leather Lanyard

A fine and increasingly collectable pre-Second World War J. Hudson & Co. General Service whistle, clearly stamped and dated 1939, retaining an old leather strap or lanyard. Of classic tubular form, the nickel-plated metal whistle has the traditional flared mouthpiece, twin sound apertures and integral suspension loop. The body is clearly stamped: J. HUDSON & CO BIRMINGHAM 1939 J. Hudson & Co. of Birmingham was one of Britain's most important whistle manufacturers, supplying whistles for military, police and other official use throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries. The 1939 date is particularly appealing, being the year Britain entered the Second World War. Of additional interest is the surviving period leather strap/lanyard, which is attached directly through the whistle's suspension loop. The leather has considerable age, wear and patination and appears to have been associated with the whistle for a considerable period. The opposite end broadens to a pointed tab with a punched fastening hole. The whistle has an excellent authentic appearance and has not been over-restored, retaining the surface wear and patination expected from an item approximately 87 years old. A particularly evocative piece of 1939 British social and wartime history, ideal for a collection of Second World War memorabilia, whistles, police and military equipment or as part of a cabinet of curiosities. In good working order.