A marine chronometer signed for John Bruce and Sons, maker to the Admiralty.

A marine chronometer signed for John Bruce and Sons, maker to the Admiralty. A marine chronometer ( ship's clock ) signed for John Bruce and Sons, maker to the Admiralty. The 56 hour movement was made for Bruce by Mercer's and the escapement has a split bimetallic balance with two heat compensation weights. The clock has both Bruce's serial number and Mercer's which date the clock to c1914. The two tier deck box is brass bound mahogany. The clock was the property of the late Captain George Read originally of the Elder Dempster Line which operated mail ships from Liverpool to the Gold Coast. He commanded the SS Zine and SS Warri in the 1950's. A complete list of the ships in which he served is shown below in his own handwriting. The silvered inner bezel of the chronometer is engraved AH for the Alfred Holt Line who joined with the Blue Funnel Line to merge with Elder Dempster to form Ocean Fleets.