The most iconic warship light of all and one of our ‘tour de force’ items, the RN Francis Signal Lamp. We have complimented this one with an almost equally impressive Royal Navy gun-metal bronze machine gun stand. Fully refurbished with a no expense spared approach so as to reveal its beautiful sculptural properties, it truly is a statement piece of nautical decor. Shutters operate perfectly if you did want to signal to a friend across the bay, a brass key keeps the shutters open for when you want a soft light in the room.

A Royal Navy signalling lamp was vital for secure ship-to-ship communication, especially before radio and during radio silence in wartime. Using shutters to flash coded light—typically Morse code—it allowed messages to be sent over long distances, day or night, without revealing sensitive information to the enemy. The lamp enabled coordination of fleets, navigation, and tactical manoeuvres while maintaining stealth and reliability even in poor weather. It was an essential tool for command, control, and safety at sea.

When we bought this stunning signal lamp direct out of the MOD we were told that this beautiful signal light was from RFA Gold Rover although unsurprisingly, in those circumstances, we were not provided with any documentation to prove it. Adding to the qualified disposals comments, the dates on the makers plate, denoting the date of manufacture being 1978, and the date of the last inspection being 2014, does provide tangible evidence.