British General Electric

British General Electric
"Sole Australian Representatives of the General Electric Co. Ltd. of England" Logo restoration done by Aaron P. (airin'pringles)
Headquarters	388 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Founded	≥1909
Defunct	1960s?

British General Electric (B.G.E.) was an agency of the General Electric Company (GEC) of Coventry, West Midlands, England. GEC was a major industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defense electronics, communications, and engineering. B.G.E., founded no later than 1909, was a part of the GEC's rapid domestic and international expansion in the early 20th century—it was the sole representative of the GEC in Australia amongst agencies established in Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa, and India. B.G.E. primarily did business in the markets of radio sets and household appliances like vacuum tubes; during World War II, B.G.E. was commissioned to supply electric air raid sirens (alternatively spelt syrens, assembled by English corporations and licensed to B.G.E. under partnership, a common practice for the company) to warn the public of incoming Axis air raids. After the war, the sirens fell out of use and B.G.E. took on other business ventures for the remainder of its existence. The agency had distributors and facilities in Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart, Launceston, and Townsville by 1954. B.G.E. was likely eliminated in the mid-to-late 1960s when the GEC's new managing director Arnold Weinstock made cutbacks and instigated mergers in a drive for efficiency, resulting in new growth for the company. The GEC itself was eventually broken up by 2006 and is now BAC Systems and Telent, while B.G.E.'s former headquarters at "Magnet House" 388 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 is now occupied by several businesses.

Products

Large sirens

Single rotor

WIP

Dual rotor

The dual rotor siren at the Oakville Rural Fire Brigade, Oakville, NSW.

B.G.E.'s dual rotor air raid siren makes use of 2 large 24" 12 (top) and 14 (bottom) port rotors/stators—commonly mis-regarded as 10/12 port stators due to the slower rotation speed of a 50 Hz motor compared to a 60 Hz one—driven by a 2.75 or 3 hp 3 ph dual sided 50 Hz 400/440 V AC motor that spins both rotors at around 2880-2900 rpm. 3 tall mounting legs are attached to the lip of the bottom stator and allow the entire assembly to be bolted down to a flat surface.

wip

Although the dual rotor siren was produced by several different companies, all were supplied to the public by B.G.E.

These sirens were regulated and maintained by the National Emergency Service of Australia. After World War II, the air raid sirens were supposed to be returned to the Department of Public Works; some local fire brigades requested through their local council that the sirens be donated for the purpose of signaling a fire or emergency.