Perfectly simple and simply perfect Anthony Roberts and Norman Heckenberg rediscover Thomas Murday. British horologist, Thomas Murday in either Brisbane or London. Prouds in the early 20th century. arrived with his family in Sydney, Subsequent research has led us to Murday migrates to Australia Australia, on the White Star Line steam believe that this clock was designed by Thomas John Murday was a British ship, Afric, on 22 July 1911, to begin a the well-known British horologist and electrical engineer who arrived in new career. electrical engineer, Thomas Murday, and Australia in 1911 at age 46 with his wife manufactured by Prouds Ltd in Sydney. and two children. He was resident in Background Prouds, as well as being established Sydney, Australia, till his death on The authors of this article have been jewellery retailers, had a ‘works’, Prouds Saturday 19 February 1938. Exactly researching electric clock systems in Ltd Clock and Scientific Instrument what Murday’s reasons were for Australia, particularly Synchronome Makers, which commenced electric clock emigrating, we do not know, but demand clocks, for the past 15 years. The results manufacture in 1912. for electric clock systems was expanding of our research have been published in The late Lawrence Taprell, who served rapidly in Australia at the time, so the book Synchronome Brisbane1 and his apprenticeship at Prouds Ltd from someone with his experience would the Horological Journal2. 1939 to 1945, has written: have been very welcome. In one of As a result of the Horological Journal ‘Electric clock making began in Prouds’ brochures from about 1913 it is articles we were contacted by a collector Sydney about 1909 [sic] with the arrival stated that ‘Mr T.J. Murday is in charge of with several questions about an unusual from England of the well known British the electric clock and scientific Synchronome master clock he owned, horologist Thomas Murday who became instrument workshop’, which we believe similar to that shown in Figure 1. As manager of a clock company set up by is shown in Figure 2. Before coming to explained in Synchronome Brisbane, W.J. Proud Esq. This company had a Australia, Murday was granted several the Synchronome Electrical Co of very close association with the British patents, perhaps the best known Australasia in Brisbane purchased the Synchronome Company of London and being for his horizontal balance-wheel rights to Synchronome patents from Brisbane. Many well known clockmakers clock (GB1910/1326). This clock, shown Frank Hope-Jones in the UK around were employed by Prouds Ltd. during in Figure 3, is eagerly sought after by 1903, and soon began independently to these early days: names like George collectors. produce considerable numbers of Gough, A.L. Franklin and C.R.O Gross As far as we can tell, Prouds master clocks. However, although this who was the manager for thirty two commenced their clock business in 1912 clock had a Synchronome flavour, it was years.’ at 336 Kent St, Sydney, and one different in many ways from those made In this article we would like to brochure showing this address is known concentrate on some of Thomas to us. This brochure shows Murday’s Murday’s activities while employed by horizontal balance-wheel clock and Prouds. We will briefly explore the several case variants of a half-second correlation between his British patents pendulum electromagnetic shelf-clock. and the design of shelf clocks, and Figure 4 shows an illustration of the master and slave clock systems, latter from the brochure, which is clearly manufactured, sold and installed by based on an almost identical brochure

Figure 1: Unusual master clock with many Synchronome characteristics, of Figure 2: A photograph of a workshop preserved by Lawrence Taprell. The dials in the the type which triggered this research. background are marked ‘SYNCHRONOME ELECTRIC SYDNEY’.

72 February 2009 Horological Journal Figure 3: Murday patent horizontal balance-wheel clock shown in Figure 4: Half-second pendulum clock shown in Prouds Prouds brochure c1913. brochure c1913. from the Reason Manufacturing Co. in Murday’s influence Information about the above clocks Brighton in England, a firm with which Thomas Murday employed a unique was published in the Horological Journal Murday had previously been associated. system to ‘drive wheel work for the of December 1910. It seems reasonable to assume that purpose of indicating time’ on the A clearer picture of Prouds’ clock both the above clocks were made by the balance-wheel and half-second manufacturing is formed by looking at Reason Manufacturing Company and pendulum clocks as well as others we brochures from their next address, sold by Prouds. Both clocks employ what will discuss shortly. It is a ratchet wheel Lawson House, 49 Clarence St, Sydney. we now know as the ‘Hipp toggle’ with two clicks or pawls as shown in These brochures show a number of principle of pendulum impulse. Although Figure 5, which advances the wheel different master and slave clock Matthaus Hipp invented this type of twice per oscillation of the pendulum. movements, two with a Hipp toggle and pendulum impulse system in the mid The use of worm gears as in the half- the countwheel with two pawls, plus an 1800s, Thomas Murday, A.W. Staveley second pendulum clock is another unusual method of impulsing the and I.H. Parsons (of Gents’) were characteristic of Murday’s designs, as is pendulum, whereby, as can be seen in granted a British patent for the same a great simplicity of construction and Figures 6 and 7, an electromagnet pulls device in 1897 (GB1897/6212). finish. up an armature attached to a pivoted arm carrying a roller which then acts downward on an impulse pallet like that on a Synchronome master clock. The brochures depict standard master clocks, tower clocks and slaves, the last being very similar to Synchronome dial Figure 5: movements. Patent drawing showing the Murday Synchronome countwheel with Another (undated) brochure depicts two pawls used by the unusual Synchronome master clock Murday in several movement, shown in Figure 1, which of his clock triggered our research into Prouds. This designs.(patent GB master clock, although basically 1908/22819) Synchronome in nature, shows the influence of a Thomas Murday patent of

Horological Journal February 2009 73 Figure 6 (above): ‘Murday type’ master in unrestored condition.

Figure 8. Drawing from GB1901/15664 showing the zinc rod (G), lever (K) and curb (MM’) temperature compensation.

widely used. Brisbane was keen to sell on rights to the Murday had used Synchronome patents, but we have not this system in an been able to find any record of an ‘electrical agreement. Business directories show a regulator’ while Synchronome Electrical Co. of NSW still working for the in existence in 1915. The records of the Standard Time Brisbane firm show a single sale of three Company, and No.3 dial movements to Prouds in 1913, described it in the and then no further sales to Sydney until Horological 1951. Journal in We are not aware of any examples of November 1901. this ‘Murday Synchronome’ surviving in Another old original state, but have been fortunate Figure 7 (right): From a Prouds brochure c. 1917 entitled ‘Uniform photograph enough to acquire an almost complete Electric Time Service’. provided to us by mechanism that we have now restored the family of to working order. The zinc compensation 1901, in which a drawing , reproduced in Lawrence Taprell shows the Prouds rod is about 30 cm in length. Given that Figure 8, depicts the temperature Synchronome master clock movement, the coefficient of thermal expansion of compensation principle, using a plain Figure 9. Note the badge marked zinc is roughly three times that of steel, steel rod for the pendulum and a zinc ‘Synchronome Patents’. We don’t and that the lever system has a ratio of compensating rod with a lever and curb understand Murday’s relationship with 3/2, and accounting for the expansion of on the suspension spring. It is worth the Synchronome Electrical Co of the cast iron backplate supporting the noting that although this arrangement is Australasia in Brisbane which had zinc rod, we estimate that the curb pins described in great detail in the purchased exclusive rights to the descend 10.3 μ micrometre/C, which is specification, it does not feature in the patents. It is not unlikely that Murday close to, but less than, the expected actual claims of the patent, possibly was acquainted with Hope-Jones and length increase of a metre length of because the principle had already been we do know that A.G. Jackson in steel. If we account for the fact that the

74 February 2009 Horological Journal Figure 9. Contemporary photograph of Murday Synchronome. Note simplified construction and SYNCHRONOME badge. Figure 10. Murday version of Synchronome master clock from an undated Prouds The countwheel backstop is missing in leaflet, entitled ‘Electric Time Circuits’. Note the simplified construction and the zinc rod this photograph. temperature compensation on the right hand side. pendulum bob is supported at its base Prouds clock systems rather than at its centre, we find that the From the brochures we have obtained system would be over-compensated for and the later master clocks we have a lead bob, but very close for a solid seen, it appears that Prouds settled for a brass bob. Unfortunately we do not know somewhat different standard clock by if the bob we have is original. Some 1925, a Hipp toggle type clearly based preliminary tests suggest that the system on the ‘Murday Type Controller ’ of only partially compensates for Figures 6 and 7, which continued in temperature effects, some of which may production up to some time in the 1940s. stem from the variation of elasticity of the But gone is the two click/pawl system, suspension spring, but we have had replaced by a single click/pawl acting on difficulties achieving steady enough a 15-tooth countwheel with 30 seconds rates for definitive results. electrical contacts, which could control It seems likely that production of this internal or external slave dials. type of master clock did not continue for As the years went by, Prouds recorded very long as we have seen only two and hundreds of installations, mainly in New have only one brochure showing the South Wales, but extending to Tasmania, clock, which describes it as being Queensland, South and Western ‘perfectly simple and simply perfect’ Australia, even to Madras, India, and Figure 10, a phrase also used by Suva, Fiji. With the withdrawal of Prouds Figure 11.Thomas John Murday, from a Synchronome in London. from electric clock production some time family group photograph taken in 1931.

Horological Journal February 2009 75 Figure 13. Drawing from GB patent1908/26239.(front view) It is Figure 12. Murday style ‘silent’ slave movement (rear view). claimed to ‘produce…an almost total absence of noise.’ in the 1940s, several former employees collect ships’ chronometers for service continued building and installing similar and calibration3. Notes systems, notably Scientific Clocks Thomas Murday was also responsible founded by Lawrence Taprell and Cecil for producing a type of slave clock. We 1. G. Bianchi, J. Gardner, N. Gross in 1947. have seen one example, Figure 12, and Heckenberg, A. Roberts and J. Murday applied for an Australian this closely follows his 1908 patent Woolrych. “Synchronome Brisbane patent in 1913 (10,747) for ‘an electrical (Figure 13, note that the patent drawing 1903-1991”, NAWCC Chapter 104, device for timing, controlling and shows a view from the front as if the 1998 indicating the duration of boxing contests plate were transparent). It was offered in 2. Norman Heckenberg and Tony and the like’. Such an ‘Athletograph’ with an early Prouds brochure as a silent Roberts, ‘The Synchronomes at the four 4-minute dials, a round counter and alternative to a Synchronome style End of the World’. Part 1, Horological bells, driven by a Murday type controller, slave. In the patent it is claimed to Journal, October 2006, 383-385; Part was installed in Sydney and several ‘produce… an almost total absence of 2, Horological Journal, November other stadiums. The same sort of noise.’ Although the patent drawing 2006, 415-417. controller was used in ‘Murday’s Thread shows ratchet style teeth, the surviving 3. as recounted to his son, Ron Recording Electrical Micro-Barometer’ example has a wheel with normal wheel Rozzoli. and in a ‘Self-contained Watchman’s teeth. Telltale’ manufactured by Prouds Ltd. Until we commenced this research, Both were based on the thread recorder although we had heard of Thomas principle rather than his own recorder Murday and knew of his connection with patents. Murday also applied for a patent the horizontal balance-wheel clock, we associated with ‘Telegraphy, Telephony had no idea of his migration to Australia, and Fire and Police Signalling’ in his connection with Prouds, his other conjunction with Amalgamated Wireless patents and the great influence he had (Australasia) (AWA), but both on the design of hundreds of master applications lapsed. We have not been clock systems in Sydney and Australia in able to find any patents for any of the general. other Prouds clock systems. Thanks to the preservation of historical Murday was granted his last British material by the late Lawrence Taprell, patent in 1927, for ‘a method of and the generosity of his family, we have controlling automatically the recharging been able to learn something about his of accumulator batteries from the supply activities and the clocks subsequently mains, applicable to electric clock produced by Prouds. We are also circuits and the like’. This would seem to grateful to Ross Garnsey for information indicate that he was still deeply involved about Murday’s family, and to Julian in electrical horology at that time, Holland, Ron Rozzoli and Bob Mills for although Frank Rozzoli, apprenticed to their assistance. We believe that there is Prouds in 1928, remembered still much more to learn. accompanying Murday to the port to

76 February 2009 Horological Journal