Welbum

[ArmchairSamurai]

Hello all, been a minute

I am not sure where to post this, but has anyone heard of the Welbum? It's in the same league as the Welrod, Welwand, Welfreighter, and Welman when it comes to British convert R&D at Station IX in WW2. I saw the name pop up while reading about the Welwand and I surprisingly had never heard of it. After a little digging, I found the following: "This device featured a motorized container for agents dropped into water. Worn on the back, it propelled the operator up to two miles at 2mph."
Try as I might, everyone online seems to be copying and pasting the same 2 sentences, so nothing else pops up other than that description. I fancy there has to be a photo of the thing out there because every other device or weapon I listed does. Thoughts?

 

[Cthell]

I don't have a picture, but there's a more detailed description in SOE: The Scientific Secrets by Fredric Boyce & Douglass Everett

Short, non-copyright infringing version:
27kg streamlined metal container holding batteries & an electric motor connected to a propeller, trimmed to be neutrally buoyant.

Incidentally, testing revealed that much better results were obtained by strapping the Welbum to a paddleboard, then having the agent sit on the paddleboard with all their equipment.

The prototype was also labelled "Motorisation of the Swimmer", which might help with searching

 

[ArmchairSamurai]

I don't have a picture, but there's a more detailed description in SOE: The Scientific Secrets by Fredric Boyce & Douglass Everett

Short, non-copyright infringing version:
27kg streamlined metal container holding batteries & an electric motor connected to a propeller, trimmed to be neutrally buoyant.

Incidentally, testing revealed that much better results were obtained by strapping the Welbum to a paddleboard, then having the agent sit on the paddleboard with all their equipment.

The prototype was also labelled "Motorisation of the Swimmer", which might help with searching

That might be the only dedicated info on this device because even the additional label did not help. I am starting to get the feeling it might have been just a prototype and thus a blip. Strange still, if that were the case, you would think it would not even get a passing mention which was typical of such things. I did find this link, yet it would seem the national archives scrubbed the Wayback machine because the two snapshots do not work. That seldom happens in my experience. https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/new_releases_feb2002_SOE_recs.pdf

 

[Cthell]

If it helps, the section on the Welbum ends by saying that SOE passed the project over to the War Office, as being of greater use to airborne forces, and gives the following citation:

PRO file HS8/199

 

[ArmchairSamurai]

If it helps, the section on the Welbum ends by saying that SOE passed the project over to the War Office, as being of greater use to airborne forces, and gives the following citation:

PRO file HS8/199

Do you have any idea what "PRO" stands for? Could be an acronym. Just curious.

 

[Apophenia]

Do you have any idea what "PRO" stands for? Could be an acronym. Just curious.

PRO refers to a former Public Records Office file. PRO was one predecessor to The National Archives (formed in 2003 from a merger between PRO and the Historical Manuscripts Commission).

 

[ArmchairSamurai]

PRO refers to a former Public Records Office file. PRO was one predecessor to The National Archives (formed in 2003 from a merger between PRO and the Historical Manuscripts Commission).

Aha! Thank you, friend. I appreciate that. Back to the National Archives I go. I will laugh if this particular file was in the same Feb 2002 release of SOE records (from earlier) that ended up being a dead link on the Wayback machine.

EDIT: I found it, though it does not seem like anything important. Its just council minutes...
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11029634

 

[CJGibson]

PRO refers to a former Public Records Office file. PRO was one predecessor to The National Archives (formed in 2003 from a merger between PRO and the Historical Manuscripts Commission).

Last time I was there the 'National Archives' sign above the door had been removed and it was back to 'Public Records Office'. Might be nowt, knackered sign, or could be a, ahem, sign of changes afoot?

Chris

 

[CJGibson]

Aha! Thank you, friend. I appreciate that. Back to the National Archives I go. I will laugh if this particular file was in the same Feb 2002 release of SOE records (from earlier) that ended up being a dead link on the Wayback machine.

EDIT: I found it, though it does not seem like anything important. Its just council minutes...
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11029634

Don't be so hasty, it looks like it's the minutes of the SOE council. I'd pull it just out of curiosity. I've found many a gem in a file with a very boring title.

Chris

 

[Apophenia]

Last time I was there the 'National Archives' sign above the door had been removed and it was back to 'Public Records Office'. Might be nowt, knackered sign, or could be a, ahem, sign of changes afoot?

Perhaps it's time for archives to emphasise public service over earning revenue? Oh, wait, we don't want this thread moved to the Alternative History section ...

 

[ArmchairSamurai]

Don't be so hasty, it looks like it's the minutes of the SOE council. I'd pull it just out of curiosity. I've found many a gem in a file with a very boring title.

Chris

Very true. At the very least I may get a good description of the device. I hope for a photograph but I won't get my hopes up too much. Sometimes things remain elusive like that.

 

[ArmchairSamurai]

Perhaps it's time for archives to emphasise public service over earning revenue? Oh, wait, we don't want this thread moved to the Alternative History section ...

If I could like your post harder I would. Double like?