British Military binocular 6 x 30 No 2 ” MKII “ Taylor-Hobson 1941 1

No serial#

This Taylor-Hobson made standard 6 x 30 bino, has no serial #. Reticule is on the right side.

O.S. 108 M.A. means: Optical Store: Drawing number 108 (this drawing showed the optical design of the instrument). The "MA" means that it was issued without a case while a "GA" suffix would indicate issue with a case (this obviously became confusing when cases were added/lost, etc. so the suffix was later omitted.)

Taylor-Hobson are lens and precision instrument manufacturers based in Leicester, England.

The company was founded in 1886 by engineer William & optician Thomas Smithies Taylor. In 1887, W. S. H. Hobson joined the company.

In 1893 they produced their first Cooke lenses, designed by H. Dennis Taylor (no relation to the company founders) - optics manager of T. Cooke & Sons, York. Taylor was attempting to eliminate the aberrations at the outer edge of lenses, and in 1893 patented the Cooke triplet design (British patent no. 1991). Manufacturing rights were offered to Taylor, Taylor & Hobson, as the company was then known.

In 1932, the first Cooke zoom lens was introduced for cine applications. By 1939, Taylor-Hobson claim to be producing over 80% of lenses for film studios across the world. The company still exists, making lenses and lens measurement equipment, bearings, instruments and medical replacement joints - among other precision items. The separate lens company, Cooke Optics, also still exists.