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This slimline catalogue is an oddity. Issued in May 1933, it makes no mention of the introduction of the new MA
lamp or of any of the new lanterns; it doesn’t include any information about columns; fleeting information is given
about established and comprehensive ranges such as the Wembley; and an interior lantern is thrown in for good measure.
The only lantern range adequately covered are the new Directional Street Lighting Reflectors,
a resurrection of an old idea from ten years previously (which failed as the LLL range)
and which was obviously indebted to Haydn Harrison’s Bi-Multi range
of reflectors.
Another interesting point is the development of symmetric, axial asymmetric and non-axial asymmetric refractors for the Wembley range.
I believe this catalogue was quickly pieced together to market the Directional Street Lighting Reflectors and the other sections were culled
from other GEC publications. This would explain the brief summaries of other ranges, the incomplete nature of the text, the repetition of
some lantern descriptions, and the inclusion of the Enamelled Steel Dispersive Reflector
(as it was included on the pages for the Conical Reflectors).
The cover emphasised the focus on the Directional Street Lighting Reflectors, and also Hugo Hirst's
publically stated desire to light every mile of the UK's roads. The view of GEC
street lighting equipment installed throughout rolling miles of rural scenes became a recurring motif on the company’s catalogue covers.
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