March 2012 page 34
Malcolm Barnfield
Ian R. Butson
Graham Aldred

Book Reviews

This section contains three book reviews: "The Bagnold Sun-Compass: History and Utilization" by Kuno Gross, "Essex Sundials" by Peter Meadows, and "A Dial in your Poke: A Book of Portable Sundials" by Mike Cowham, offering insights into each publication.
Book Reviews

June 2012 page 18
Kuno Gross
Malcolm Barnfield

Sonnenkompass 41

This addendum describes the German Sonnenkompass 41, issued to the Sonderkommando Dora unit in North Africa during WWII. Based on an analemmatic sundial, it featured removable dial plates for different latitudes and seasons, including German Summer Time adjustments. Despite its design, field reports deemed it unsuitable for desert use due to gnomon issues, leading to its obscurity.
Dials: Analemmatic, Dials: Portable, Historical Dials

December 2012 page 34
Malcolm Barnfield

The Restoration Of A 19th Century Noon Cannon Sundial

This article describes the restoration of a 19th-century Negretti & Zambra noon cannon sundial. The author recreated missing brass parts, noting design anomalies like incorrect latitude calibration and an inappropriate date scale. The true maker and date remain uncertain, highlighting the common practice of firms selling goods made by others.
Dials: Noon Lines, Historical Dials, Restoration projects, Sundial Design & Layout

June 2011 page 20
Malcolm Barnfield

The Sundial Goes to War: Part 1

This article explores the military use of solar compasses, particularly during World War II, for navigation in unmapped desert terrains. It describes several models, including the Burt, Abrams, Cole Universal, Bagnold, and Union Observatory sun compasses, highlighting their principles and operational advantages.
Dials: Analemmatic, Dials: Portable, Dialling Tools, Historical Dials

September 2011 page 10
Malcolm Barnfield

The Sundial Goes To War. Part 2

This is the second part of an article exploring the use of sundials and solar compasses in military contexts. It describes instruments like the Marean-Kielhorn Director, Howard Sun Compass, Evans-Lombe, Richards, and Micklethwait sun compasses used by Allied forces. It also details German sun compasses, particularly the C. Plath device used by Rommel's Afrika Korps, and the astrocompass, discussing their applications and limitations in wartime navigation.
Dials: Portable, How Sundials Work, Historical Dials

March 2010 page 38
Malcolm Barnfield

The Voortrekker Monument, Pretoria, South Africa

Describes how the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria functions as a timekeeper. An aperture in the dome allows a ray of sunlight to illuminate a cenotaph at Local Solar Noon on 16th December each year, commemorating the 1838 Battle of Blood River.
Dials: Unusual, Sundial Design & Layout, Historical Dials, Dials: Noon Lines

June 2009 page 18
Malcolm Barnfield

Sundials within the tropics

An overview of designing and using sundials in tropical regions. It discusses the suitability and challenges of various dial types, including horizontal, armillary, polar, and vertical, noting issues like noon-line crowding on horizontal dials and the advantages of other formats.
Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Vertical, Dials: Polar, Dials: Astrolabe, Dials: Armillary Sphere

December 2009 page 14
Valery Dmitriev
Malcolm Barnfield

New dials

This section presents two new dials. The first is a stone vertical dial near St Petersburg with a theme from a Chekhov story. The second is a 'triple horizontal dial' made of stainless steel for a garden in South Africa, which includes a nocturnal and family anniversary lines.
Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Unusual, Dials: Nocturnals

December 2008 page 166
Malcolm Barnfield

Timbouctou Sine Quadrant

This article details the reproduction of a sine quadrant from a preserved Timbouctou manuscript for a documentary film. It describes the instrument's function in solving trigonometric problems without manual calculation, like determining unequal hours, and its historical context as a teaching tool in Islamic astronomy. The author discusses the challenges of interpretation and the modern construction using laser-cut perspex.
Construction Projects, Dialling Tools, Historical Dials, Mathematics of Dialling

December 2007 page 173
Frans W. Maes
Roger Bailey
Frank King
Ken Head
J. P. Lester
Malcolm Barnfield

Readers’ Letters

This section contains various letters from readers. Frans W. Maes discusses Lambert circles and seasonal markers on analemmatic sundials. Roger Bailey provides corrections and recommendations for seasonal markers. Frank King confirms a relationship for seasonal marker distance. Ken Head replies to Maes and Bailey. John Lester solves the mystery of a partial sundial motto. Malcolm Barnfield describes the making of a noon cannon sundial.
Dials: Analemmatic, Sundial Design & Layout, DIY Sundial Projects, The BSS and Members