Archive of the month: May 2019

During 2019 we will be celebrating a “Year of Discovery” which will be an opportunity to :

  • look at inventive individuals who have carried out pioneering work in the fields of aeronautics, archaeology, mathematics, Celtic studies etc.
  • find out about adventurous Welsh men and women who have travelled the world as settlers or missionaries
  • discover more about new and exciting resources for researchers in the Archives and Special Collections

The “Year of Discovery” will enable us to build a multi-layered view of our collections – presenting our strengths and what makes us distinctive from other institutions throughout Wales.

Letter from W.S. Kneeshaw to ‘Trevor’ [Mr Trevor of Carter Vincent, Solicitors, Bangor] (including photograph) regarding an invention he intends to patent. Included is a photograph of the invention and the specification.

Wilfred Shafto Kneeshaw was the only son of Henry Kneeshaw of Penmaenmawr (JP, Deputy Lieutenant, Sheriff of Caernarvonshire). He began his military career as a Private with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (later Lieutenant) and later became a Captain in the 66th Training Reserve of the Welsh Regiment. He was badly wounded in August 1915 and, whilst recovering, spent his time researching and inventing a rifle stand, an idea which possibly came from his direct experience of warfare in the trenches. He took out a Patent for his invention in March 1916:

“Patent: 101,441. Machine rests for.-Consists of a rifle stand for use when firing a rifle grenade. The stand comprises a front support 11 having at the top a pivoted fork 13 for the forepart of the rifle, and an inclined trough or guideway 15 for the butt of the rifle. The butt rests on a padded shoe 19 adapted to be adjusted along the trough 15, which may be graduated, by a handle 26. The shoe can be clamped in position by a screw and nut 22, 24”

Cited from: European Patent Office, GB101441 (A) – Rifle Stand for Use when Firing a Rifle Grenade, Application number: GB19160004302 19160323, https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?FT=D&date=19160921&DB=&locale=&CC=GB&NR=101441A&KC=A&ND=1# [Accessed January 2019].

This “Archive of the Month” was created by Lynette Hunter, Archivist

Click on the links below to view all our showcased documents.