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Space Tug – 1949

The above image from a 2010 calendar with Bürgle's illustrations. I don't know if the Space Station illustration was previously published and if so, where? The caption suggests it was unpublished at the time.

The Space Tugs are being used to hold and manoeuvre large panels during construction.

Klaus Bürgle – Image by Tommy Laeng.

The graphic artist Klaus Bürgle created in the fifties and sixties of the last century a rich imagery of the future. The exploration of space was certainly his favorite subject, but many of his images also show futuristic cities and transportation.

Bürgle was born in 1926 in Stuttgart, where he attended from 1948 to 1951, the State Academy of Fine Arts. He was educated by professors Rössing and Schneider. After a year working in a graphic studio he became independent in 1953.

His technical interests soon meant that Bürgle is specialized in technical and scientific subjects and created for a variety of popular science books and magazines cover images and interior illustrations. He also worked for scientific television series.

Bürgle's 2010 Calendar cover.

Notes: The concept of a man inside a space capsule using manipulator arms largely came into being as a result of the logistics of getting man to the moon and beyond. The Space Station idea was conceived by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in the early 20th century and then by Hermann Oberth about two decades later. In 1929 Herman Potočnik's The Problem of Space Travel was published, the first to envision a "rotating wheel" space station to create artificial gravity. But how to build a space station? Wernher von Braun was possibly, and probably the first to fully articulate the approach. When Walt Disney wanted to make his Space films (1954), von Braun was his consultant, and von Braun's ideas on construction were visualised in the form of a "bottle suit" with arms.  Von Braun was thinking about space stations in 1952, possibly earlier. I have not read or heard of Tsiolkovsky, Oberth or Potočnik mentioning space tugs or the like.  The earliest idea I've found to date is the illustrator Klaus Bugle, who, in 1949, produced some illustrations on space station construction and showed space tugs with manipulator arms. Was he illustrating von Braun's ideas, or are these his own?

More Bürgle illustrations of interest.

A depiction of unmanned moon crawlers originally for the Surveyor program. The crawler on the right-hand side is actually the Sperry luna crawler.

Above image from Hobby magazine no.3 1962.

See other early Space Teleoperators here.

See other early Lunar and Space Robots here.

Whilst it was Frank Stuart that gets most of the credit for the famous British Robot Elephant, it was in fact Maurice Radburn, an employee of Frank Stuart's that toyed with the idea of building a Walking Elephant. Frank Stuart had already built a stiff-legged motorised elephant but wasn't entirely happy with it. Maurice Radburn presented his boss with a model prototype, then soon after produced an electric-powered model, complete with hide, dressings, and a model Mahout riding it.

Thanks  to early research work by Larry Gavette in the late 1970's and early 1980's we do have pictures and a captured British "Blue Peter"  T.V. program that featured Maurice and his models.

Video contains British "Blue Peter" T.V. programs dated December 1975, then a follow-up program on 5th April, 1976. Video Courtesy Larry Gavette.

Maurice Radburn.

Stills from video clip.

Maurice Radburn with "Bimbo", the mechanical elephant prototype. All Photos courtesy Larry Gavette.

The same Bimbo that was shown on the "Blue Peter" program 5th April, 1976.

Letter from Maurice Radburn to Larry Gavette (1980) showing the wire-frame model sans masking.

Note: You can see from Radburn's letterhead that he was skilled in Theatrical masks and Costumes, Model Theatres and Puppets. The Craftmasks business was post Frank Stuart's Mechanimals Ltd as a result of Stuart's bankruptcy in the early 1950's.

Maurice Radburn letters to Larry Gavette – 1979-81.

Although the caption is not correct, this is the only acknowledged Macades Mechanical Elephant photo found to date. (Image courtesy Larry Gavette). Update Apr 2011: Eric Smith managed to contact David Taylor, ex retired employee of Luneside Engineering, who has confirmed that this image was taken in the loading bay of one of the many Luneside workshops.

"I worked for Luneside Engineering at Halton from the mid 1970′s until engineering work ceased on the site in 2008. By this time the company had earned an enviable reputation for manufacturing complex parts for the aircraft and nuclear industries. Mechanical elephants were by then part of the company’s early history.
The picture showing a new elephant with a mesh framework was taken somewhere other than Luneside. The Luneside workshops were all smaller than the one pictured.
On a positive note on the page dedicated to the Macades elephants there is an article dated 9 January 1977 from The Visitor by Ken Andrew. Photo 3 in this article shows a Mk.2 elephant. This picture is at Luneside, the loading bay was at the east end of the original stone building. A picture very similar to this and another showing an elephant complete with loading steps loaded on the back of a small truck used to be on display in the Luneside Engineering factory at Halton." David Taylor 29 Apr 2011. – see more on Luneside Engineering below.

We know from the Eric Smith letter (see below) that Macades [Entertainment] Ltd was set up by local businessmen to engage in the manufacture and sale of Mechanical Elephants. It was set up by Mr. WADE, Mr. MACKINTOSH, Mr. James WILSON and Mr. R.W. TOOLE. Macades had elephants made by FRANK STUART and also LUNESIDE ENGINEERING of HALTON (which is about 7 miles from MORECAMBE. MR. BENIRSKI was the proprieter of LUNESIDE ENGINEERING.

(Note: RH-2011 1. Colonel Teodor Benirski, a Polish officer who settled in the Halton area after the war, established Luneside Engineering in 1946. Other than this, I know nothing about Luneside Engineering. 2. The name Luneside is derived from the fact that the factory was built at the side of the River Lune. 3. Macades was also a name derived from Mackintosh and Wade.

Update: May 2011 – David Taylor, ex employee of Luneside Engineering, has provided a brief history of the business. see further down this post for details.)

See the full letter 

1. MECHANICAL ELEPHANT
INVENTED AND BUILT BY MR. FRANK SMITH
KING STREET GARAGE
MORECAMBE
YEAR 1947
PATENTED BY MR. FRANK SMITH. AN OFFER OF £5000
WAS MADE TO HIM BY A GROUP OF LOCAL BUSINESSMEN
FOR THE PATENT ON CONDITION THAT
MR. SMITH WOULD MANAGE THE COMPANY WHICH
WOULD MANUFACTURE AND OPERATE THE MECHANICAL
ELEPHANTS. MR. SMITH REFUSED THE OFFER, BUT
ACCEPTED THE OFFER OF £1000 FOR THE PATENT
WITH NO PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT.
MACADES WAS THE NAME OF THE COMPANY FORMED
BY THE PURCHASES OF THE PATENT A MR. WADE,
MR MAC????[rh- KINTOSH] MR. JAMES WILSON AND A MR. R.W. TOOLE
WERE INVOLVED. MACADES HAD ELEPHANTS MADE BY
FRANK STUART AND ALSO LUNESIDE ENGINEERING
OF HALTON WHICH IS ABOUT 7 MILES FROM MORECAMBE.
A MR. BENIRSKI IS THE PROPIETOR OF LUNESIDE
ENGINEERING AND I BELIEVE HE REMEMBERS THIS
VENTURE.
FRANK STUART WAS THE MAKER OF THE BIGGER
WALKING VERSION, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS AN
INFRINGEMENT OF THE PATENT. THIS COULD BE
WHY HE SOLD THEM ABROAD.

Source: "The Visitor" January 1977 (Morcambe area) – (Article courtesy Larry Gavette).

This article gives the most definitive story between the different smaller stiff-legged mechanical elephants, and suggest Frank Stuat's involvement was short lived, probably for him for focus on the larger walking elephants. It most likely would have been Macades that took legal action over the patent infringement with Stuart, assuming that the infringement did actually happen.

The Visitor (Morecambe) January 9, 1977 by Ken Andrew
WE DON'T PROMISE THIS IS THE END OF THE STORY
But here's how we tracked those elephants

Captions to Photographs:

1. First appearance of Frank Smith's mechanical elephant, led by its inventor. (Frank Smith's 1st Elephant outside garage)
2. Eric Smith gives local children a ride on the elephant. (Eric Smith on Morecambe beach)
3. "Bionic" Bertha Mark 2. (Macades)
4. Blue Peter's "Bionic" Bertha. (Stuart's)

First, the good news. Then the bad. Our article last week concerning "Two Ton Bertha, the world's only Bionic Elephant," jolted the memories of quite a few people who recalled seeing a mechanical elephant on Morecambe promenade in the late 1940's.
The bad news is that Morecambe's "Bionic Bertha" is not from the same herd as the animal featured on BBC TV "Blue Peter." Our's can't walk and it's a good four feet shorter than the televised version.
But the reaction generated from the article has provided an insight into a feature of Morecambe in its post-war days – and even Kojak would have been proud of our detective work.
The story begins with a day out at Belle Vue Zoo. Making it was Frank Smith, a prominant figure in the amusement business of those days.
His son, Eric, recalled for us how his father returned from the trip with the vowed intention of building the world's first mechanical elephant.
"He started the next day in the garage and made an elephant out of iron bedsteads, balloon fabric, mechanical parts from an Austin 7 and a windscreen wiper motor for the moveable eyeballs. He got his dentist to make the toes," said Eric.
Picture one shows the great moment when the elephant was wheeled out. In time, Eric and his father made another and both were put to work on the East and West End beaches. (Picture Two). These elephants ran on wheels.
The Smith family then moved into the amusement business in a big way and made model trains for Happy Mount Park and for export countries including South Africa.
Frank Smith sold the patent of his elephants to a local company called Macades (Entertainment) whose directors include James Wilson. They received help from Mr. R. W. Toole, whose wife remembers his work on the elephants.
"He used to work till three o'clock in the morning on the elephants and wouldn't rest until he got it right," she said.
"The refined elephant (Picture 3 ), was  made by Luneside Engineering Company, Halton, whose proprietor, Mr. Benirski, still remembers the venture.
"After the first year of making the elephant we took over the operation and servicing side of the business. They were 250c.c. petrol-driven engines inside the elephants although we did make one electrically powered. They carried six children, three on each side and for six-pence a ride. Our elephants were more realistic than the others. We had somebody make the masks out of plaster of Paris."
He went on: "We took these elephants throughout the country, to all the seaside resorts. I even spent the night in a Portsmouth jail because all the hotels were full and we had to catch the Isle of Wight ferry the next morning."
Besides Luneside Engineering, Macades also had a contract for the provision of elephants with Stuart Engineering, a firm operating from Thalstead (sic. "Thaxted"] in Essex.
Eric Smith confirmed that Stuart's made an elephant three times the size of theirs, costing over pound1,500. It was featured on television at the time and it seems likely that this was the same elephant the appeared on Blue Peter. (Picture 4).
Stuart's ended their contract for elephants quite soon and although Macades and Luneside continued for a few years the organisation eventually died a natural death.

Eric Smith with an elephant purported to be made by Luneside Engineering.  It has tusks as per the Redcards elephant below, probably the same elephant.

Saturday 31 August 2013 – Rajah the Elephant returns to Halton Mill for its official opening

One of Halton Mill’s famous mechanical elephants was the guest of honour at the official opening of Halton Mill. The “walking”, almost life-sized, elephants, made as tourist attractions by Luneside Engineering, the last occupant of Halton Mill, can carry up to six children and are powered by a diesel engine. Rajah is owned by Crosby Lions, and was visiting along with her handler, Ivan Swainbank. Eric Smith was another guest of honour.

Video from ITV News, Lancashire.

Title:  Jumbo On Wheels
Caption:  29th July 1950: A mechanical elephant giving a ride to a group of children and being led by its 'keeper' Arthur W. Preece. The keeper has a driving licence, the 'elephant' has number plates, a fire extinguisher and road tax is paid! (Photo by Harold Clements/Express/Getty Images).

The vehicle licence plate "LTJ227" indicates it is of Luneside Engineering manufacture.

Children riding on a mechanical elephant, South Shields, August 1950. Source:  'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums'.

VIDEO: MECHANICAL ELEPHANT

Pickering Park, Hull, Humberside. Dated 15 August 1949.

Click image to see video clip.

L/Ss and M/Ss of numerous children sitting on the back of a mechanical elephant. A man pulls cord to start motor. Several shots of mechanical device giving children a ride. L/S and M./S of men taking the machine apart so that we can get a glimpse of the engine. The commentator says it is a simple two stroke engine with four wheels.

The clip mentions that two more of these elephants were on trial at Hull.

A mechanical elephant ride at Seaburn in 1949, with operator Jimmy Sawyer.

This Mechanical Elephant does not have a mahoot (driver or keeper) actually riding it, but walks beside it operating the controls and steering via turning its head. The legs also do not have a walking action, and it is propelled via the rear wheels.

The video clip suggests at least four of this type were built.

Colwyn Bay 1951. Only sixpence a ride!

Puckpool Park, Seaview, west of Ryde, Isle of Wight – 1950's – a genuine Macades elephant manufactured by Luneside Engineering.
From the Ryde Social Heritage Group site: Chris Hayles who kindly contributed the photo and these memories: "I can remember the mechanical elephant well. I used to look forward to my holidays in School Road and going to the Redan Pub in Union Street for a ploughmans lunch in the childrens room! But my biggest treat was on the walk along the front to Seaview we used to stop off at Puckpool and have a ride on the elephant. It used to sit about four or six kids, two or three on each side with a long running board to put your feet on and I think there was a handrail, this was all painted green and it used to plod along giving us all a ride. How it actually worked I do not know as being a kid I was more interested in the ride itself!"

Isle of Wight – Image courtesy Mrs. Alex Wright of Bournemouth, UK (via Larry Gavette).

"Mike" on "Jumbo" at a Butlins children's camp. Sourced from flickr here.

Red Baron Auction House (U.S. based) had a similar Mechanical Elephant for auction at some time.

Mechanical Walking Elephant

During a recent auction (c2004), Red Baron sold a mechanical elephant used by the Dayton Hudson Department Store in Chicago in the 1940s. Children would take rides on the elephant while their parents shopped. Here is the Red Baron's description:

What you see here is a life size motorized BABY elephant. This pleasing pachyderm simply makes you smile when you see it run… If you want to promote your business, participate in parades, spread goodwill or, on the remote chance you collect life size motorized mechanical elephants remember: Only at Red Baron will you find such a thing.

See a more recent article on this elephant further below.

All the images above show elephants with minor variations, mainly around the feet.  It is quite possible that one of these elephants is actually one built independently by Frank Stuart in 1948 according to this press article. If it had an electric motor, it would most likely be it.

Source: The Argus (Australia) 13 Jan 1950.

1957 – Burnhan-on-Sea sea front.

If original, then most likely the only Macades electric elephant, probably the one built by Frank Stuart under contract.

I've since found out that this elephant was converted from petrol engine to battery power.

Here is an extract from Eric Smith's letter (see above) that describes the engine layout for the Macades elephants:

MACADES ELEPHANT HAD A PAPERMACHE
SKIN AND THE POWER UNIT WAS AN AIR COOLED
JAP INDUSTRIAL STATIONARY ENGINE
USED MAINLY FOR PUMPS AND COMPRESSORS
(PORTABLE ONES) THE DRIVE WAS BY FAST
AND LOOSE VEE DRIVE BELTS. THE ENGINE
MOUNTING PLATE ACTUAL SNIVELED BY A
LEVEL, TO PULL THE ENGINE FORWARD AND
TIGHTEN THE BELTS.
WE ADOPTED THIS TYPE OF ENGINE FOR
OUR SANDTRAIN OR TRACKLESS TRAIN (ONE AND
THE SAME) BUT WE USED A CENTRIFUGAL CLUTCH.
MACADES DID HAVE AN ELECTRIC ELEPHANT
BUILT BUT I CANNOT REMEMBER ANYTHING
ABOUT IT, I ONLY SAW IT ONCE FOR A FEW MINUTES.

[RH-2011 is the battery-driven elephant (see pic above) this same elephant that Eric is referring to?]

Luneside Engineering Co. (Halton) Ltd.

"Bamboo" the Mechanical Elephant, from a copy that was on the wall at the Luneside Engineering works at Halton.

The noticeboard says:

LUNESIDE
ENGINEERING Co.  Halton LTD.
GENERAL ENGINEERING
MACHINING WELDING ETC
MOTOR REPAIRS
BODYWORK RE-SPRAYING

Construction of a mechanical elephant inside a Luneside Engineering workshop.

"All aboard!" Time for a ride.

The lorry used to transport the elephants to and from their locations around alll the seaside resorts. The identifiable "LTJ…" registration plates are indicative of being registered in Lancaster County. The picture may have been taken in Ryelands Park, Lancaster. This park is alongside Owen Road which is also the A6, Lancaster's main north-south road at the time.

Pictures courtesy David Taylor and the Former Employees of Luneside Engineering.

See the Luneside Engineering story here

The periscope inside the workshops canteen!

The old Luneside Engineering Co buildings have now been converted into a green-housing estate.

Photo courtesy Leo Hermacinski (Col. Benirski's grandson) from the family archives.

Pictures and text from a blog post (2007) on J.A.P. motors here. This elephant was the one sold at an earlier Red Baron's auction (see pic earlier in this post)

Ric – Location: Florida
How bout this thing my mom picked up at an auction recently?
The motor is crank start with a centrifugal clutch that spins a pair of belt driven gear reduction jackshafts that are chained to a pair of wheels under each rear foot…

Throttle, choke and killswitch is located behind the left ear and the head is connected to the front legs with a mechanical steering linkage, so the one who actually controls the engine, steers and leads the elephant as he walks beside…

There's also a handbrake hidden within a trap door on the left side, but I leave the door open cause it can be quite a pita to access in an emergency situation

Top speed is gear limited to about 5-7mph, which is more than fast enough when you've got a bunch of kids on top of a tippy 500 lb monster

I'd seen references  to "Rajah" the Mechanical Elephant without knowing anything about it. Larry Gavette, the man who knows all about Mechanical Elephants, pointed me to this image.  Thanks Larry. This elephant also referred to as "Bimbo".

Crosby Lion's Club Mechanical Elephant, U.K. c2010

At Rhyll.

"Ellie" as seen on BBC 4 Rooms, a collectables auction program.

See all the Mechanical Elephants here.

On July 28, 1950, Frank Stuart gave his first public outing of his man-made walking elephant, walking the roads of Essex with a load of children in its howdah. This robot “Jumbo” is the remarkable invention by Mr. Frank Stuart, a theatrical mask maker and scenic artist. About two years earlier, when watching donkeys on the sands at the seaside, the idea came to him, and it has materialised triumphantly. He began by building a steel skeleton, the size of a full grown elephant, and mounted a 10 h.p. petrol engine within. This operates the feet by means of elaborate mechanism and the animal can attain a speed of 27 m.p.h. and has a special licence to use on roads. Over 9000 parts were used in its construction, and the cost exceeded £1200. The entire mechanism is covered with a “hide” of 1/2 inch thick specially toughened paper [using a gas technique] , and the admirable modelling of the head and trunk (used as the exhaust pipe) and the convincing tusks can be seen in the accompanying photographs. (Text – Illustrated London News).

I’ve split this post up as it got too large. See these:

                      1948-9 Maurice Radburn’s “Bimbo” Prototype
                      1950 – Frank Stuart’s Australian “Nellie”
                      1950 – British “Nellie”
                      1951 – Frank Stuart’s Elephants in America
                                                  1979 – “Jumbo” Restoration by Larry Gavette
                      1952-67 – “Bensina” of Sweden
                    1965 – Electrophants – Frank Stuart

THAXTED part of WORLD NEWS

Stills from the above clip.

There is another video clip showing Harry Secombe riding on a mechanical elephant arriving at Olympia to open Hultons Boys & Girls Exhibition, 15 Aug 1958. Click on image below.

Harry Secombe is one of the original cast members of “The Goon Show”, along with Peter Sellers. As it turns out, Secombe wasn’t even aware he was to be involved with an elephant on the opening of the exhibition (see still image down below).

Also this one

There are also some MovieTone video clips, but you have to log in. Follow these steps:

http://www.movietone.com

Register (free) and/or log in.
Under Search, use fourth option ‘SEARCH STORY’ and type in

54122   then click on ‘Play clip’.

85221 has a few seconds as well.

A photo of a drawing for the original Robot Elephant called “Potsy“. Frank Stuart, in 1949, applied for a British patent of the Robot Elephant. Its application number was 13317/49. (Image courtesy of Derek Tucker)

Frank Stuart Patent Applications

From a walking mechanical elephant perspective, Frank Stuart applied for 5 patents over a 1 year period.
The Official Journal (Patents) records the status of Patent applications. In the Frank Stuart drawing of “Potsy“, written is Patent # 13317/49.  When a patent is granted, a different numbering system is used. To my knowledge Patent Applications of this era are not electronically searchable. The Official Journal (Patents) is a weekly publication. You guessed it, the only way to locate a patent application is to look for ‘Stuart, F’ in the ‘List of Applications for Patents’ section in the journal.

The first Journal issue we are interested in is:
Wednesday, June 1, 1949, page 710.
Stuart, F Mechanical devices. 13317

Followed by:

Wednesday, August 24, 1949, page 1076.
Stuart, F. Vehicle Steering &c. devices  20609

Note: Patent numbering changed in this time, and Patent applications were now Provisional or Completed. Provisional were prefixed with a capital ‘P’.

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 1950, p172.
Stuart, F.. Constructions for animal figures.  P2890

Wednesday, June 28, 1950, page 720.
Stuart, F. Self-propelled vehicles  P15172
——-    Amphibious vehicles propulsion P15122

see pdf here

The above article mentions Stuart’s on-going development into amphibious tractors and swimming elephants.

Full text from article here:

Cairns Post 17 Aug 1950

ROBOT ELEPHANT FOR AUSTRALIA
(From Our Special Representative.)
CANBERRA. Aug. 11.-A mechanical walking elephant will soon make its appearance in Australia. It consists of 9000 parts and costs £1200.
This news came to-day from the United Kingdom Information Service in Canberra, and behind it lies an astonishing story. For weeks past a strange nocturnal apparition-an elephant 13 feet long and 8 feet high-has been seen walking through the dark streets of the small village of Thaxted, in Essex, emitting a faint whirling noise. The monster is the world’s first mechanical walking elephant and its nightly strolls were final tests. In preparation for its first public showing.
Not the least interesting thing about it is that it embodies a new system of propulsion which may be used for agricultural machinery.
The elephant weighs ever a ton and is driven by an 8 horse-power engine, and it is stated to be the first mechanical machine actually to walk over land. Its four legs are mounted on independent oil-controlled points which enable it to pick its feet right off the ground and-to quote the statement issued from the High Commissioner’s office- “add a terrifying realism to an already amazingly lifelike model.”
Here is the rest of the story, which, might very well form a new chapter to “Alice in Wonderland”.
“The inventor, Mr. Frank Stuart, does not intend to restrict himself to robot elephants for this new system, of propulsion. He is now working on a prototype of a great amphibious tractor which will be capable of towing unusually heavy loads. Experiments are also being carried out for using the system for agricultural machinery,
“The elephant gave eight excited children and its driver a comfortable, steady ride when on July 28 it was demonstrated for the first time. The driver sits over the elephant’s neck where there is a steering tiller and normal ear controls.
There are four gears and a reverse, and in perfect conditions a speed of more than 20 miles an hour may be reached, The elephant is said to have a greater tipping angle than a London bus.
“Orders for five of these elephants have already been received from the U.S.A., to be completed by the end of September, two for Canada, one for Australia and one for Africa.
“Mr. Stuart and his 40 factory employees at Thaxted are now turning to the job of completing their 1951 elephant which will be able to swim as well as walk.”

Source: Margate Historical Society.

Source: Popular Science October 1950.

Source: Popular Mechanics October 1950.

Frank Stuart looking inside on of his elephants.

Frank Stuart

Pictures and a pdf of Stuart’s Mechanimals brochure – courtesy of Larry Gavette.

Jenny at Paignton.

For full brochure pdf, click on image below.

Frank Stuart employed a draftsman to produce these drawings. Initially a lot of the components were made externally. When the large numbers of orders started to come in, Frank decided to bring the engineering inhouse (information sourced from Maurice Radburn letters to Larry Gavette c1980). There are many drawings and they cover the years 1949 to well into 1951 (thanks Derek Tucker).

(Images of Frank Stuart’s engineering drawings courtesy of Derek Tucker)

Source: Life Magazine 18 Dec 1950.

Karl Nelles (German ex P.O.W.) driving a Stuart elephant.

A bit of detail on the Ford engine used. Click on image for a larger copy.

The firm W.A. Hunwicks and Co., Ltd., Harrison Works, Halstead, Essex  was engaged by Frank Stuart to build the elephant chassis for them. They possibly built other fabricated components as well, although final assembly was at The Worthings, Thaxted.

Note: Photo caption mentions three chassis, but I can see only two. Each chassis is made up of two halves, giving the illusion of more.

see pdf here

Frank Stuart called his Mechanical Elephant business “Mechanimals”.

Source: Southeast Missourian 13 Jan 1950.  This publish date indicates to me that Stuart’s first mechanical elephant was largely constructed in 1949, and ready for the public early 1950. The prototype was called “Potsy” and there were several attempts at getting the chassis engineered correctly for strength. The first publicity images of a Stuart elephant are of “Jeannie“, which is possibly the working version of “Potsy“. “Jeannie” was named after Stuart’s then wife, Jean.

Source: The Argus (Melbourne, Australia) 31 Jan 1950.

Frank Stuart shipped an elephant to Scarborough for sea-side rides. As the caption says, it was available for hire at the time. Source: Scarborough Evening News 11 August 1951.

[Not a Rolls Royce engine, but an 8 h.p. Ford Sidevalve as used in Ford Anglia cars. Frank Stuart did live in South Africa for a while, but probably under his birth name of Cecil Cannon.] Image courtesy Derek Tucker.

Note that this elephant looks very much like Bensina that went to Sweden in 1952.

The above series of photos were taken by Mr. H. J. Hurst of Scarborough c1951 and 1952. Images courtesy Larry Gavette.

Photo showing Brian Hewitt in the howdah, Northstead Manor Gardens, Scarborough – from Transport Digest, Summer 2009.

George Lovatt letters – pdf

Interesting first-hand description of running an elephant at Margate, 1951.

Photo and Letters courtesy George Lovatt and Larry Gavette.

Janet Speak and Roger Bullock with the Scarborough Mechanical Elephant c. 1951.

Photos copyright Jan Eaton 2012 and used with kind permission.
Source : Jan’s blog, Archive, is at http://wibbo-archive.blogspot.co.uk/

The “Peter Sellers” Mechanical Elephant.

British actor and comedian Peter Sellers (1925 – 1980) smiles and holds an umbrella as he drives his nearly full-size mechanical elephant, Chipperfield, England, 1960. The elephant sports a license plate, which seems to indicate that the device is street legal. (Photo by John Sadovy/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

From Life Magazine 20 June 1960-

…And then there is the mechanical elephant. This singular beast, which a 77-year-old inventor was fitfully building, came to life in 1958 when Sellers commissioned him to finish the job. Sellers saw the animal as a sound business investment, thinking it would be irresistible to advertisers. The elephant is driven by a mahout who operates a lever which works a Ford engine inside. This in turn propels the elephant in a walk that looks very much like the real thing. Unluckily, the elephant is not partial to inclines. One day recently on a sloping road its legs suddenly flailed out in all directions, and it fell to an inglorious halt, clanking horribly within. It is now in a London garage awaiting repairs.

Above image from here, a blog trying to sort the muddle out. Hopefully my work contributes (to the muddle?).

There is another video clip showing Harry Secombe riding on a mechanical elephant arriving at Olympia to open Hultons Boys & Girls Exhibition, 15 Aug 1958. Click on image below.

Harry Secombe is one of the original cast members of “The Goon Show”, along with Peter Sellers. Given the date of the film clip and the number plate “RVX7” on the elephant, I’d say that Sellers has loaned his elephant for the event. The Elephant’s name at this time is “Dumpy”. As it turns out, Secombe wasn’t even aware he was to be involved with an elephant on the opening of the exhibition.

(Above image courtesy Derek Tucker)

Andy from WorkshopShed is also trying to put the “Peter Sellers” pieces together.

Billy Bunter (Gerald Campion) and the ‘Famous Five’. Source: Getty images

British Army Transport show, Oct 1, 1962. Chertsey, England.

There is a MovieTone video clip that have a few seconds of this elephant, but you have to log in. Follow these steps:

http://www.movietone.com

Register (free) and/or log in.
Under Search, use fourth option ‘SEARCH STORY’ and type in

85221  then click on ‘Play clip’.

Source: The Daily Sketch, 28th April 1959.

How Many Frank Stuart Elephants Were Built and Where Did They Go?

Note:  There is confusion on the internet over the different elephants. Frank Smith (not Frank Stuart) made earlier, but smaller stiff-legged elephants (and made 3 in total). Frank Smith sold his patent to Macades, who made many more on a modified plan.

“THE full-size, life-like mechanical elephant was the brainchild of Frank Stuart, fellow of the Zoological Society, theatrical costumier and engineer extraordinary, who didn’t like donkeys being ill-treated for rides at seaside resorts. I was his office manager at Thaxted in 1950. Frank knew nothing of paperwork and I often saw him on hands and knees drawing the intricate details of his project with a piece of chalk on the floor for his engineers. He designed three elephants at £1,200 each. They had big tubular frames supporting a Ford 10 petrol engine providing the power through a series of cranks, levers, gears and bearings to simulate the distinctive elephant gait. The frame was covered with a specially-treated papier-mache skin, made by girls who normally made the outfits for Tom Arnold The trunk swung  to-and-fro but the trumpeting was never quite right. The beast was driven by a tiller and levers from a howdah. Paraded around the village it looked very lifelike. These elephants went to Scarborough, Southend and a newspaper. I later heard that purchase tax demands and financial pressures forced the closure of the enterprise. Derek J. Manley, Bournemouth.” -Derek Manley was office manager for Frank Stuart for 3 months. .

Problem with the names. Just how many Nellie’s, Potsy’s and Jumbo’s are there? Not to mention Jeannie, Mary, and Wendy as well.

I’ll update this list as more information comes to light.

Elephant from Christies auction in 1995.
Blurb from the Auction Site:

c1949 MECHANICAL ELEPHANT “NELLIE”
Price Realized (Set Currency) £8,050
($12,463)
Price includes buyer’s premium
Estimate£3,000 – £6,000
($4,645 – $9,289)
Sale 5454
9 September 1995
London, King Street

Lot Description: c1949 MECHANICAL ELEPHANT “NELLIE”

Registration No. 4554F (not currently registered and thought not road legal)
Chassis No. Unknown
Engine No. 60158
Grey in parts. Driven from behind the ears!

“This remarkable machine was the brainchild of the engineer Frank Stuart of Thaxted in Essex who was quite an expert in a number of theatrical requirements. Thought to have been built in around 1949 Mr Stuart, who specialised in hydraulic developments, decided to demonstrate the use of hydraulics in traction movement by building the elephants. It is thought that three were built, Nellie, Potsy and Jumbo. The power unit is a 10hp Ford side valve unit driving its own gearbox and back axle assembly. Essentially the legs are driven to pivot in a small arc which simulates the four legged walk of a real elephant. At the base of each leg there is wheel with a thick solid rubber tyre and motion is created by an ingenious system of hydraulics which brakes the wheel, enabling Nellie to walk forwards. Included in the sale are some quite comprehensive instructions of operation and a useful working drawing of Potsy by Frank Stuart, amongst other interesting articles of history and information.

The early history of Nellie is unknown although by the late 1950s she was in Essex before becoming owned by The London Tyre company who were taken over by Goodyear. They fully recommissioned the elephant and used it for some demonstrations before selling her to the Ilfracombe Council for part of their holiday amusements. From there she went to the Sandy Bay Holiday Camp in Exmouth. Nellie was last used, we believe, in 1984 when demonstrated on the BBC Pebble Mill At One programme. Sadly, she has been somewhat neglected since then and will require careful restoration and a new skin before returning to the urban jungle!”

SundayHerald-Sydney-30July1950

Real Ones Too Dear. So… HE BUILT AN ELEPHANT
From Our Staff Correspondent
LONDON, July 29.-Six years ago Mr. Frank Stuart decided that circus elephants were too expensive. “I could build one better and cheaper,” he said. Yesterday in the village of Thaxted, Essex, where he lives, his prototype eight horse-power elephant went for its first stroll.
The original, Jeannie- named after Mr. Stuart’s wife -has an engine in her hindquarters, exhaust in her trunk, and gears in her ears.
BEHIND THE EARS
Hidden in the shadow of her ears, too, are brake, steering levers, and a foot clutch. Stretched over a framework of steel, her half-inch thick skin of compressed paper is grey and wrinkled, and springily inflated with compressed air.
Jeannie looks just like the real thing. In top gear she walks on wheels in her feet at 27 miles an hour.
She carries a full load of 12 children and a mahout on her broad back. As she walks she flaps her ears and waves her trunk. One of her few incongruities is that Mr. Stuart had to get a road licence to run her.
“CHEAPER”
But why build an elephant when you can get a real one?
Mr. Stuart says: “Mine costs £1,200 with a complete set of spares-a lot cheaper than a real elephant. And it doesn’t eat £4 worth of hay a day.”
And people do want mechanical elephants. Reports say somebody in Australia has ordered one. Five are going to the U.S., two to Canada, and one to South Africa.

This is what he says in 4 Mar 1951 Sydney Herald:

Mr. Stuart’s Elephants Will Soon Hit Sydney

LONDON.-A herd of 12 “elephants” will be turned loose in Sydney in about two months-but fodder will be no problem, because they exist on petrol and oil.
THEY are mechanical elephants, each weighing one and a half tons and standing nine feet high. These synthetic pachyderms are being built by Mr. Frank Stuart, of Thaxted, Essex, for a Sydney retail firm.
Twenty-four are going to the United States, three to Canada, and ten to South America.
Stuart says: “I’m sure they will be a great success in Australia. The elephants are as realistic as we can make
them and the kids will just love to ride on them. “They fill a gap for people who never go to amusement parks, as they can walk along the promenade or anywhere there is a hard, smooth surface.”
He says he turns out two mechanical elephants a week and the cost of each one is about £1,500.
One has previously been seen in Australia, but Stuart says there have been improvements since then.

The first version of "George' the robot built when Tony Sale was seventeen years old in 1949.

Compare with image below shows that this negative/print masked out the brand of vacuum cleaner.

The later version of "George" displayed bigger feet, broader shoulders, and with ears!

I contacted Tony Sale in 2009 and hopefully soon I will have a recent picture of Tony and "George" as they are now.  Tony is the same person who is responsible for building the replica "Colossus" WWII code-breaking computer from Bletchley Park. See his site here.

Date original Released : 23/05/1949  – Unfortunately there is no preview of this video available

ENGLAND: HIGH WYCOMBE. Seventeen-year-old Terry Sale makes radio-controlled robot. High Wycombe, England SV Boys bedroom with boy surrounded by apparatus which he is soldering. CU Terry Sale (the boy). CU Pan from feet of Robot to head, showing frame built of Meccano and wireless material. SCU Robot head revolves and eyes light up. CU Pan Boy with buzzer Pan to radio short wave aerial. SV Robot walking towards, reaching to short wave signal. CU Robot arms moving. SV Boy tapping out morse, reaches down and adjusts short wave, CU Robot feet moving. BV Pan Robot walking towards boy with short wave equipment, camera Pans to boy. SCU Robot talking. CU Robot talking with smoke in foreground of screen.

ROBOT

Click on above image to see video clip.

Description from Video clip source:

1283.11 | ROBOT (1:15:00:00 – 1:17:13:00) 18/12/1950
Robot invented. RAF (Royal Air Force) Saffron Waldren, Essex.

C/U Robot (George) head turning, eyes light up and mouth moves. M/S Controller Pilot Officer Sale working robot. C/U Robot walking forward, moves arms and shakes head. M/S Pan from controller to robot walking, controller comes back into picture. C/U Feet of robot approaching. C/U Control set, pan up to controller's face. M/S Robot walking. C/U Control set. M/S Robot, controller walks into picture, puts down set and turns robot's shoulders. C/U Turning robot round, controller puts screwdriver inside robot and loosens nut. C/U Controller takes front from robot, showing inside.

Update: December 2010

Back in February 2010, I was contacted by the Aardman/Wallace and Gromit director about an upcoming series on Inventions. Tony Sale and "George" was one of my recommendations that bore fruit.

From the BBC News:

Above: Trailer for Wallace & Gromit's Inventions series.

George as he now appears at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park.

George with Colossus in the background.

"George" with his creator, Tony Sale in 2010.

To see Tony Sale and George back in the media today, check these articles from The Sun, The Telegraph and Metro:

Age Against The Machine – The Sun

Robot George: Early Humanoid Revived – The Telegraph

1950s Robot Back In Action – Metro

** Stop Press -** On 30 August 2011, Tony Sale passed away. Vale Tony.