Rotary Club struggles to identify photographic equipment donated to Barnstaple shop

A CACHE of vintage photography equipment has been donated to Barnstaple Rotary Club's Charity Shop — but it has left them with a problem.

Staff at the shop have been unable to identify all the equipment and have been forced to appeal for help doing so.

The donation came from the estate of the late Doctor Eric Lindsay, a resident of Fremington Manor Nursing Home who died last year at the age of 93.

Doctor Lindsay, who appeared in the Journal last year when jailed Darren Smith stole £40,000 from him, was well know in North Devon for his medical skills, passion for the Rotary movement and photography. 

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And the donation has come after his son John came across the equipment in his father's belongings.

In view of his father's commitment to the Rotary cause he opted to donate the equipment to the Rotary charity shop in Barnstaple to raise funds to help others in the community.

Shop Manager Penny Furseman said the charity was grateful for the donation but felt unable to sell the equipment until it had all been identified and valued.

"We have searched the internet, asked around our membership and even a former photographer and television cameraman for help," she said.

"But having identified most of the equipment there are still some items that elude us.

Tony Freeman, who started work as a press photographer on the Express and Echo in North Devon in 1960, was the man asked to help.

Mr Freeman, who used glass plate cameras and produced pictures by mixing chemicals and using a wet process in a  darkroom in the early days of his career, managed to identify several items but was left mystified as to what some of the other pieces of equipment were.

"There are a number of projectors, cameras and light meters as well as editing equipment but there are two items in the collection I 've never seen before," he said. 

"One of the pieces is a wonderful old Kodak Eastman processing tank and another is a, presumably, cine projector which actually still has film in it and dates from about 1902 if my friend, Lefkos Grego, a former film editor for Westward Television, is right.

"There are also various reels and leads I have no idea about but I'm sure there's someone out there who will know."

Anyone who thinks they may be able to help identify the equipment should contact the club secretary on 07768 397857.