RAF Easco Life Jacket Light

EASCO lamp for RAF and Royal Navy life jackets, mint condition.

For sailors torpedoed in the Atlantic at night, there was a very real problem of being found before they were overcome by exposure. At night it is almost impossible to spot a human in the vastness of the oceans in the dark. A pin prick of light can be seen for great distances however, so it was quickly realised that it would be a good idea to equip lifejackets with a small light that could be turned on by the sailor if he thought rescue was nearby to help guide them to him.

A company called Easco Electrical Service of London came up with a small battery powered lamp, with a red bulb, that could be clipped to lifejackets and was a simple but very effective safety device. Their publicity boasted that in the first six weeks of the lights’ service they helped save 400 men. The lights were cheap to make and were issued to Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and RAF personnel alike throughout World War II. A number of different designs of these lights exist, but one of the most common is this one made of black tin