Sexton Wireless Cage Protective Screen

[Chris Johnson]

Was the protective screen on the Sexton's wireless cage a wartime feature, or was it a postwar addition? I took the attached image of the Borden Museum Sexton and I'm wondering if my arrows are indicating the hinges for this screen. If so, the screen would swing up, and I assume it would rest against the railing on the top edge of the left side of the hull, correct?

Cheers,

Chris

[Grant Bowker]

Is it possible that the grille was a museum addition to keep hands away from things they weren't meant to touch?

[rob love]

I'll make the climb up tomorrow and see if the one at work has it.

[SDT16]

Here are some reference pictures I took a while back for our project.
SD

[Perry Kitson]

Hello Chris,

The screen was just bolted in, no hinges. The two bolts on the top screwed into the tap pads your arrows point to, leaving a gap, and two bolts on the bottom of the screen. My machine is a late war (35th last one) product, and has this setup. There was also a canvas cover that was unrolled from the top to give some protection from the elements.

Perry

[Chris Johnson]

Originally Posted by Perry Kitson

Hello Chris,

The screen was just bolted in, no hinges. The two bolts on the top screwed into the tap pads your arrows point to, leaving a gap, and two bolts on the bottom of the screen. My machine is a late war (35th last one) product, and has this setup. There was also a canvas cover that was unrolled from the top to give some protection from the elements.

Perry

Thanks everyone for your comments and help.

It's interesting to hear that those aren't hinges Perry. With no way to quickly and easily move the screen out of the way, it would make operating the wireless set difficult, if not virtually impossible. That being said, they exist on Sextons that aren't museum pieces so one has to think that they were added by users to protect the equipment. Could that mean it would be more likely that they were a postwar addition? That's my impression.

Cheers,

Chris