Witt Burnham & Burndept - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

e188275 · 19th Dec 2022, 5:08 pm

I am researching the Burndept Company (and its founder, Witt Burnham) in collaboration with Chris Simmonds. There was an excellent Supplement to the BVWS Journal some time ago, but little else in recent years. We would welcome any high res images of Burndept receivers, and especially scans of early catalogues and advertising materials. Of course, we will give full accreditation to the source! Thanks to anyone willing to help. . .

Electronpusher0 · 20th Dec 2022, 3:29 pm

Be careful using "Rolls Royce" as a superlative in the title, RR are very defensive of their trademark.

Peter

Paul_RK · 20th Dec 2022, 4:35 pm

Could be worth considering, Messrs. Hoare and Jagels seem not to have stayed in business for very long.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/ro...bung_1928.html

Paul

e188275 · 20th Dec 2022, 5:37 pm

Burndept's slogan. . .

Cathovisor · 27th Dec 2022, 5:14 pm

I have a number of Burndept receivers in my collection, including an Ethodyne in a custom trolley that held batteries, a wavemeter, loudspeaker and frame aerials. It's a pig to get to but in the spring/summer I'll try to photograph it along with several others I own, from crystal sets upwards.

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Cathovisor · 27th Dec 2022, 5:16 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul_RK

Could be worth considering, Messrs. Hoare and Jagels seem not to have stayed in business for very long.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/ro...bung_1928.html

Paul

Mmm... it seems as long as you asked nicely, you could get permission from the car manufacturer - RGD used to use the name "Rolls-Royce" to advertise their products.

I'm also reminded of Rolls-Caydon.

G6Tanuki · 27th Dec 2022, 5:35 pm

Let's not forget John Bloom and his "Rolls" washing-machines... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bloom_(businessman)

He at least had the decency to buy a moribund company called "Rolls" in order to use the name.

Burndept apparently had issues when in one of his adverts someone high-profile was shown using an "Ethophone V" receiver; given that Mr Burnham was also at the time a director of the British Broadcasting Company this was seen as inappropriate product-placement.

Paul_RK · 27th Dec 2022, 6:40 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

He at least had the decency to buy a moribund company called "Rolls" in order to use the name.

Yes, and judging by the number of Rolls razors I've seen around the original company must have been trading conspicuously for quite a while. As far as I know he kept his model names at a distance from those of the car company, unlike the radio company with their Phantom Five following hard on the heels of the first R-R Phantom.

Perhaps Roberts pushed their luck a little too.

19th Dec 2022, 5:08 pm	#1
e188275 Triode Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Francisco, California, USA. Posts: 11	Witt Burnham & Burndept I am researching the Burndept Company (and its founder, Witt Burnham) in collaboration with Chris Simmonds. There was an excellent Supplement to the BVWS Journal some time ago, but little else in recent years. We would welcome any high res images of Burndept receivers, and especially scans of early catalogues and advertising materials. Of course, we will give full accreditation to the source! Thanks to anyone willing to help. . . Attached Thumbnails

20th Dec 2022, 3:29 pm	#2
Electronpusher0 Nonode Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK. Posts: 2,300	Re: Witt Burnham & Burndept Be careful using "Rolls Royce" as a superlative in the title, RR are very defensive of their trademark. Peter

20th Dec 2022, 4:35 pm	#3
Paul_RK Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 4,259	Re: Witt Burnham & Burndept Could be worth considering, Messrs. Hoare and Jagels seem not to have stayed in business for very long. https://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/ro...bung_1928.html Paul Attached Thumbnails

20th Dec 2022, 5:37 pm	#4
e188275 Triode Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Francisco, California, USA. Posts: 11	Re: Witt Burnham & Burndept Burndept's slogan. . . Attached Thumbnails

27th Dec 2022, 5:14 pm	#5
Cathovisor Banned Join Date: Dec 2022 Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 418	Re: Witt Burnham & Burndept I have a number of Burndept receivers in my collection, including an Ethodyne in a custom trolley that held batteries, a wavemeter, loudspeaker and frame aerials. It's a pig to get to but in the spring/summer I'll try to photograph it along with several others I own, from crystal sets upwards. Last edited by Cathovisor; 27th Dec 2022 at 5:20 pm.

27th Dec 2022, 5:35 pm	#7
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 14,007	Re: Witt Burnham & Burndept Let's not forget John Bloom and his "Rolls" washing-machines... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bloom_(businessman) He at least had the decency to buy a moribund company called "Rolls" in order to use the name. Burndept apparently had issues when in one of his adverts someone high-profile was shown using an "Ethophone V" receiver; given that Mr Burnham was also at the time a director of the British Broadcasting Company this was seen as inappropriate product-placement. __________________ I'm the Operator of my Pocket Calculator. -Kraftwerk.