Drill Collection

Poster for Welsh Guards
Smart men wanted to join the Welsh Guards, pictured here in full uniform during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at St. James Palace

GLC-London Fire Brigade, Clerkenwell fire station
Originally built in 1870, Clerkenwell fire station underwent a major rebuild in 1916 and two additional fire engine bays were added

Knotting Class, Training Ship Arethusa, Greenhithe, Kent
A group of boys aboard the Training Ship Arethusa receiving knotting and splicing instruction. The ship received boys aged 13-16 from a variety of poor backgrounds, including the workhouse

Compass Drill, Training Ship Arethusa, Greenhithe, Kent
A group of boys aboard the Training Ship Arethusa receiving compass instruction. The ship received boys aged 13-16 from a variety of poor backgrounds, including the workhouse

Miner at Geevor Tin Mine, Pendeen, Cornwall
Miner at work with a drill underground (below the sea) in Geevor Tin Mine, Pendeen, Cornwall, which was just about to cease operation. Date: circa 1986

Blacksmiths outside their forge
A superb photograph of six Blacksmiths and coachbuilders posing for a photograph outside their forge/workshop, each holding the tools of their trade

The Coldstream Guards taking over the Colour
circa 1910s

LCC-LFB Recruit fireman training at Brigade HQ, SE1
During the 1950s recruit firefighters were trained at the Brigade Headquarters, Lambeth. Here a fireman is undertaking a hook ladder drill on the stations nine-storey drill tower

LCC-LFB Recruit firefighters training at Brigade HQ SE1
During the 1950s recruit firefighters were trained at the Brigade Headquarters in Lambeth. Here they are undertaking hook ladder drills on the stations nine-storey drill tower

LCC-LFB enclosed pump at Lambeth fire station
Pictured at Brigade Headquarters, Lambeth SE1, an example of an 1930 enclosed London pump with carried breathing apparatus

LCC-LFB Leyland Metz 100 foot turntable ladder
Lambeths (D61) turntable ladder at its base station, displayed in the Brigade headquarters drill yard

LCC-LFB AFS Green Goddess pump, Lambeth HQ
A typical AFS (government design) Green Goddess pump, at drill in the yard of Brigade Headquarters station, Lambeth

Detachment of The Black Watch in Dundee, Scotland
Threatening encounters between rioters and the police in Dundee, Scotland, brought a large detachment of The Black Watch to the city

Air Raid Drills at the Windmill Theatre
At the Windmill Theatre, London, the showgirls are given a crash course in fire-fighting and first aid. 1940

Childrens Exercise Drill at Cleevedon Toddlers Home, South
Staff take young children through an exercise drill at the Cleevedon Toddlers Home, South Norwood, run by the Reformatory and Rescue Union (later known as the Childrens Aid Society)

Glasgow Fire Drill Competition, Scotland
The Springburn team of firemen participating in a fire drill competition in Glasgow, Scotland. circa 1911

Training Ship Exmouth, dumb bell drill
Uniformed boys on the deck of the Training Ship Exmouth perform dumb bell drill

Filling a Tooth
A rather bored-looking young dentist fills his clients tooth with the aid of a small dental mirror

Mass jets at the LFB annual review at Lambeth HQ
London firefighters from East London demonstrating mass jets during the Annual Review display at the Brigades headquarters. Lambeth, SE1

Firefighter during hook ladder practice. Date: 1967

LCC-LFB horse drawn 75ft turntable ladder (TL)
Shand Mason (Blackfriars) supplied the London Fire Brigade with this hand operated 75 foot turntable ladder on a four wheel horse drawn carriage

LFB-AFS convoy and fire exercise
Part of the Civil Defence Corps until it was disbanded in the late 1960s

LCC-LFB Fire engines in the HQ drill yard
Lambeth fire station appliances in the drill yard together with senior officer staff cars, and a lorry delivering stores

LCC-LFB Recruit firemen training at Brigade HQ, SE1
During the 1950s recruit firefighters were trained at the Brigade Headquarters, Lambeth

Fire station drill, hook ladder and 50 foot escape ladder
Regular training continued at all London fire stations during WW2, though it was unusual for a sub-station to have a drill tower

Greens Motors charabanc outing, Haverfordwest, South Wales
A Greens Motors charabanc outing, with five charabancs in total, makes its way through the streets of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, South Wales

Jealousy by H. M. Bateman
A dental patient sits prone in a the dentists chair with his mouth wide open while his dentist is momentarily distracted by the sight of workmen with much bigger drills across the road

Barnardos Fire Drill, Woodford Bridge
A boy is carried down a ladder during a fire drill at the Barnardos boys home at Woodford Bridge, Essex. Date: Date unknown

Finsbury Rifles Dart Club, North London
Group photo, Finsbury Rifles Dart Club outside their headquarters and drill hall, 17 Penton Street, Islington, North London. Date: 1930

Finsbury Rifles recruiting HQ, North London, WW1
Finsbury Rifles recruiting headquarters and drill hall, 17 Penton Street, Islington, North London, around the start of the First World War. Date: circa 1914

Copper Miners Strike - Calumet, Michigan, USA. Industrial action by Copper Miners of the Western Federation of Miners

LCC-LFB battery-electric pump-escape at Southwark
An early electric wheeled escape ladder vehicle, Cedes battery-driven pump/50ft escape, based at Bow fire station, seen here in the drill yard at Southwark Headquarters

LCC-LFB battery-electric pump-escape at Southwark HQ
An early electric wheeled ladder escape vehicle, a Cedes battery-driven pump/50 foot escape, based at Bow fire station, seen here in the drill yard of Southwark Headquarters

LFB Dennis dual-purpose pump, Lambeth HQ
Lambeths (D61) pump at its base station, on display in Brigade headquarters drill yard. Side mounted pump outlets together with hose-reel tubing and two hook ladders can be seen

Massey Shaw fireboat demonstrates pumping
Moored at its Blackfriars river station on the Victoria Embankment, the newly commissioned Massey Shaw fireboat demonstrates its massive pumping capacity by discharging a vast amount of water

Jumping Sheet Drill - London Fire Brigade Date: circa 1940s

Hiking Outfits Advert
Advert for Lang & Norton, specialists in British made hiking outfits, including sensible walking shoes, khaki drill shorts and natty sleeveless pullovers

Montenegro Soldiers
Montengro soldiers at their weekly drill and inspection of weapons

Officers Training Corps, Rugby School, WW1
The Officer Training Corps at Rugby School going through a drill in 1915. Date: 1915

LFB-AFS parade for an exercise
Part of the Civil Defence Corps, until it was disbanded in the late 1960s

A sensational moment in the Titanic inquiry: Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon giving evidence in the London Scottish Drill Hall. Date: 1912

Members of the Red Cross nurses of the Camberwell division learning how to use gas masks, under expert supervision of a Territorial Officer. Date: December 1933

Creed ball drill for grace of body. Date: 1901

Christmas dinner table laid with saw, drill and axe to carve turkey Date: circa 1940s

The New Drill - Smart performer with a Diabolo - In the USA the fad for the toy ran from circa 1905 to 1910 (caricatures of public figures with the toy made it to newspapers)

Regency jeweller working at his bench in a workshop
Jeweller working at his bench with leather covers in a workshop. His tools include files, drills, hammer, pliers, wire drawer and crucible

Roman soldiers strip Jesus Christ before his crucifixion
Roman soldiers strip Jesus Christ of his robe, while a soldier drills a hole in the cross for his crucifixion. Les soldats depouillent Jesus de ses vetements et l'attachent a la croix

Firth Brown Twist Drill Point Grinding Machines - Thos Firth & John Brown Ltd Sheffield. Date: 1937

Cork industry. Semi-automatic cork drilling machine. Machinery used at the beginning of the 20th century to obtain stoppers from the perforation of cork pieces. Cork Museum of Palafrugell

Gun crew of a Basque armed trawler manning their 75mm weapon, near Bilbao, 1937

Buttes New CWGC Cemetery, New Zealand Memorial
The cemetery lies on an area which was a pre-war drill ground. It contains 1, 317 UK burials, 564 Australian, 50 Canadian, 167 New Zealand, and 1, 703 Unknown, plus 35 Special Memorials

18th century surgeon performing a trepanning operation on a mans head, with various surgical equipment: Jean Louis Petits lever 2, trestle 3, Valets pincers 4, cauterizers 5-8, round plaque 9

Boring machine and cornering saw, 18th century
Boring machine and cornering saw, Block Machinery at Portsmouth naval harbour, 18th century

Hardy Patent Pick Co. patent hand boring machine 1890s
Patent hand boring machine, for rock and coal, produced by Hardy Patent Pick Co, works in Sheffield. Date: 1890s

Prince Albert drilling - Hyde Park Locomotive Works, Glasgow
December 1919 - Prince Albert (later King George VI - 1895-1952) visits the industrial suburbs of Glasgow, Scotland - pictured here drilling a boiler at the Hyde Park Locomotive Works. Date: 1919

Gas drill in Australia, two people in gas masks, WW1
Two people wearing gas masks hug each other after a successful gas drill at a Military Training Camp in Australia during the First World War. Date: 1914-1918

The Hardy Simplex road drill, Hardy Patent Pick Company, Sheffield

The Hardy Simplex, early 1900s

HMS Terrible, repelling borders drill, Royal Navy, probably circa 1900 (hand coloured photo)

Fire drill, Rusell Hill Schools, Purley, Victorian period

Fire drill, Warehousemen and Clerks Schools, Russell Hill, Purley

Royal Navy sailors shore drill preparing for a cavalry charge with a machine gun

Royal Navy sailors shore drill - training to face cavalry with a machine gun - early 1900s hand coloured photo

Cutlass Drill, Royal Naval Exhibition of 1891 in London

Royal Naval Exhibition 1891 - Cutlass drill

Torpedo drill, Royal Naval Exhibition of 1891 in London

Royal Naval Exhibition 1891 - Torpedo Drill

Ilfracombe Lifeboat Practice Victorian period

Coal miners drilling holes with a mechanised drill early 1900s

Court Oak House, Harborne, south-west Birmingham
Court Oak House - 150 Court Oak Road - Harborne, south-west Birmingham. Drill Hall for Warwickshire Army Service Corps during WW1. Date: circa 1908

RMS Titanic, Samuel Alfred Smith Archive, leather tool bag
RMS TITANIC - THE SAMUEL ALFRED SMITH ARCHIVE: Early 20th century leather tool bag of joiner's woodworking tools owned and used by Samuel Smith

WW2 - Royal Air Force Metal Worker
A portrait photograph of a British WW2 Royal Air Force metal worker stripping an engine casing with an automatic drill. Date: circa 1940s

Harlene hair drill advertisement. Offered hair products for men and women in order to get the perfect look. Different hair styles seen here throughout the 1920s. Date: 1925

Wartime London Scenes, by Topolski
Cartoon illustration of wartime scenes in London, by Topolski

Dentist's equipment, dental drill Date: 1920

Dentist's equipment, dental drill parts Date: 1920

Gas masks at the Windmill
Chorus girls, cast members and theatre staff at the Windmill Theatre in London, doing a gas mask drill. Date: 1939

Royal Marines Artillery - A Drill turret used by the RMA for training on the operation of turrets on capital ships

Ratner branch bank strong room door, drill proof and blowpipe resisting. Date: circa 1920s

Fire drill at Southwark headquarters. Date: 1896

London Fire Brigade - Southwark Headquarters 1896
Rescue drill at Southwark headquarters. Date: 1896

London firefighters training at Brigade HQ, Lambeth SE1
LCC-LFB firefighters (recruits) undergoing pump training in the drill yard of Brigade HQ

These are scenes from the London Orphan Asylum in Watford

Comic postcard, Soldiers admire pretty woman - eyes right!! Date: 20th century

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