The Online Bicycle Museum

1910s Pedal Generator (WW1)

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OFFICIAL  PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT IN FRANCE.
How the Germans  generate electricity for wireless in the trenches
1910s Pedal Generator
as used in WW1 & WW2
(Now sold)
This is a very rare wartime item. Pedal generators  appear to have been used by the signal corps, as you can see in the old German WW1 photos. Judging by its components, this one is British. I’m not sure of its age, but I also have a later version that was used in WW2, so I assume this to be from WW1.
The pedals turn the take off on the side, so I assume you could set it up for a variety of applications – I’ve seen modern versions at music festivals that power a blender to make smoothies. It’s in excellent preserved condition. I’ve sat on it and pedalled it, but not tried to generate electricity.
WW2 PEDAL GENERATOR ADMIRALTY PATTERN 323A
I also own this later version of the pedal generator, from WW2. I’m not sure where I put it, but when I find it I’ll take some more photos.

Pedal generator, World War II, 1945. From the British Special Operations Executive’s (SOE) Descriptive Catalogue of Special Devices. The SOE was formed in July 1940 to conduct warfare by unconventional means. Its activities included espionage, sabotage and assisting resistance movements in enemy-occupied countries.

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