Appearance
🎉 your bitcoin🥳
"Colonel John Charles Campbell Daunt VC (8 November 1832 – 15 April 1886) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Details He was 24 years old, and a lieutenant in the 11th Bengal Native Infantry, Bengal Army during the Indian Mutiny when the following deed took place on 2 October 1857 at Ghota Behar, India for which he was awarded the VC: Further information He later achieved the rank of colonel. His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, London. His son, John, represented Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics in the men's golf tournament. His granddaughter Yvonne Daunt was a dancer with the Paris Opera in the 1920s."Clothes Do Not Hamper Parisian Dancing Sensation" Escanaba Morning Press (7 August 1921): 14. via Newspapers.com References External links *Burial location of John Daunt "Avon" *News item "John Daunt's Victoria Cross sold at auction" 1832 births 1886 deaths Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross British Indian Army officers British East India Company Army officers People from Normandy British military personnel of the Second Opium War "
"The Hohner Pianet is a type of electro-mechanical piano built by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany and designed by Ernst Zacharias. The Pianet was a variant of his earlier reed-based Hohner electric piano, the Cembalet, which, like the Pianet, was intended for home use. Hohner offered both keyboards in their range until 1968. The Pianet production consisted of two distinctly different mechanism groups with characteristically different sound. The first group, lasting from introduction to 1977, had ground stainless steel reeds, a pick-up using variable capacitance, and leather-faced activation pads. The second group from 1977 until the end of production used rolled spring-steel reeds, electro-magnetic pick-ups, and moulded silicone rubber activation pads. Features The Hohner Pianet is an electro- mechanical instrument, and needs to be connected to an amplifier to produce an audible sound. It had 61 keys ranging from F1 - F6 (43.6 Hz – 1396.9 Hz). Later models had 60 keys, missing the top F. Each key is a single lever element pivoted on a fulcrum point with a spring to return it to the rest position. The key is extended at the rear so that a pad can be mounted over a tuned spring steel reed. This pad adheres to the reed when at rest, and lifts and releases the reed causing it to vibrate when the key is depressed. The vibration of the reed is converted to an electrical signal by a pick-up. The resulting sound has a complex mixture of harmonics when the reed is first struck, which later reduces to a cleaner sustained tone. Early Pianets feature a knee lever volume control. The early 1960s Pianets (Pianet, Pianet C, Pianet CH, and Pianet N) featured lids which opened in an upright 'V' to form a music stand. This feature was introduced on Cembalets and became common to both instruments. The C and N models were equipped with a vibrato circuit operated by a switch mounted next to the keyboard. The N models used a variable- resistance volume pedal cabled to a socket on the rear of the keyboard. History =1960s= The Pianet evolved from the earlier Cembalet, introduced in 1958. Both instruments were designed by Ernst Zacharias. Zacharias became interested in keyboard instruments such as the clavichord, harpsichord and organ as a teenager, and studied electrical engineering at the University of Kiel. He began working for Hohner in 1954 after meeting designer Siegfried Mager. Hohner Combo Pianet sold from 1972 onward. The Pianet evolved through a number of model changes. These included both self-amplified versions and versions that required the use of an external amplifier and speaker. The most popular model, the Pianet N (denoting "natural wood finish"), evolved through two different specifications. The N had side-mounted ‘inverted-V’ legs, and could be equipped with an optional 12-watt valve amplifier, the Amplifier CP, which mounted below the unit in front of the player's knees. The Pianet soon found popularity with music groups of the 1960s, including the Beatles, the Zombies and Manfred Mann. This led to Hohner to producing the Combo Pianet model in 1972. It was designed for the performing musician, without legs, and intended to be placed on top of another instrument. =1970s= Hohner Pianet T In 1977, Hohner began producing the second group of models and ceased production of the Pianet N and Combo Pianet. The second group had two models, the Pianet T and M, and a hybrid version combined with a Clavinet, the Pianet/Clavinet Duo. These featured a change in design from electrostatic pick-ups and leather and foam pads to electromagnetic pick-ups (like the Rhodes piano) and silicone rubber pads. The reeds were also changed from the ground finish of the earlier type to a smooth milled finish, making them incompatible with earlier models. The new range of Pianets had a mellower sound than earlier models. While it could not lend it itself well to rock music, it was aligned more with musical tastes of the time, such as the sound of a Rhodes through a chorus pedal. It was advertised as being practical and portable, but this was misleading as it did not have an inbuilt amplifier or speakers. The M model, designed for home use, was built with a wooden veneer console case with internal speakers, while the T model was vinyl covered and designed for live performance. Subsequently, Hohner produced the Pianet/Clavinet Duo model which combined a Hohner Clavinet (essentially an electric clavichord) with the Pianet T in one instrument, with an integrated preamp that allowed the player to combine the two sounds. Production ceased around 1983. Models During the production life of the Pianet the case, mechanical features and electronics changed to keep pace with developments in electronics manufacture, reductions in manufacturing costs, and fashion. Changes to the Pianet coordinated with Cembalet production changes from the C models onward. Dating the manufacturing envelope and availability of the various Pianet models is confused by undated sales literature and differing sales availability of models between Europe and the United States. =Pianet= Approximate manufacturing span 1962–1963 The Pianet has a case side profile with a taper towards the front. It has tapered cylindrical wooden legs that mount to the underside of the case. It has a gold hammertone painted aluminum fascia panel below the keys. This panel also performs the key-leveling function. The keys are injection-moulded plastic. The word 'Pianet' appears in gold facing upward on the left hand end of the music support ledge. The ledge includes a routed recess for the bottom of the music. It has a valve pre-amplifier and a knee lever for volume control. =Pianet C & CH= Approximate manufacturing span 1963–1965 The Pianet C has a case side profile with a taper towards the front. It has tapered cylindrical wooden legs that mount to the underside of the case. It has a gold hammertone painted aluminum fascia panel below the keys with a lock fitted centrally. This panel also performs the key-leveling function. The keys are injection- moulded plastic. The word 'Pianet' or 'Pianet C' appears in gold facing upward on the left hand end of the music support ledge. The ledge includes a routed recess for the bottom of the music. It has a transistorised pre-amplifier, a knee lever for volume control and optional vibrato effect. =Pianet L & LB= Approximate manufacturing span 1963–1968 The Pianet L has a stepped rectangular case side profile with no lid. It has straight black tubular steel legs that mount to the underside of the case. It has a black painted aluminum fascia panel below the keys. This panel also performs the key-leveling function. The keys are injection-moulded plastic. It has a transistorised pre- amplifier and amplifier and a knee lever for volume control. It plays through two small internal speakers or through an external amplifier. Available as model L – mains voltage, and model LB – powered by 5 'D' batteries. =Pianet N= Approximate manufacturing span 1965–1968 The Pianet N has a case profile with a taper towards the front. It has tapered rectangular cross-section legs forming an inverted 'V' that mount to the ends of the case and are secured by a large, threaded knob. The legs are wood-grain to match the case. The legs are braced by a gold cross-bar towards the base of the rear legs. It has a gold hammertone painted aluminum fascia panel below the keys with a lock fitted centrally. This panel also performs the key-leveling function. The keys are injection-moulded plastic. The word 'Pianet N' appears in gold facing forward on the left-hand face of the music support ledge. It has a transistorised pre-amplifier and a floor pedal volume control. An optional amplifier, the Amplifier CP, was available which mounted underneath the keyboard between the legs. It is a 12-watt valve amplifier with two inbuilt speakers and two inputs, one for the keyboard and one for a record player. Vibrato effect is standard. =Pianet N Console= This variant can be seen on the cover of a Hohner demonstration record for the Pianet. It has an upper case profile with a taper towards the front. It has a gold hammertone painted aluminum fascia panel below the keys with a lock fitted centrally. The keys are injection-moulded plastic. It stands on two shaped panel legs joined by a modesty panel. There is a piano-like volume pedal fixed on a timber extension from the modesty panel. The optional amplifier unit available for the N model is mounted underneath the keyboard between the legs. Vibrato effect is standard. =Pianet N II= Approximate manufacturing span 1968–1977 The Pianet N (second variant) has a case side-profile with a taper towards the front. It has tapered rectangular cross-section legs forming an inverted 'V' that mount to the ends of the case and are secured by a large threaded knob. The legs are satin black. The legs are braced by a black cross bar towards the base of the rear legs. It has a gold hammertone painted aluminum fascia panel below the keys with a lock fitted centrally. This panel also performs the key- leveling function. The keys are injection-moulded plastic. The word 'Pianet N' appears in gold facing forward on the left hand face of the music support ledge. It has a transistorised pre-amplifier and a floor pedal volume control. Vibrato effect is standard. =Combo Pianet= Approximate manufacturing span 1972–1977 The Combo Pianet has a rectangular case side-profile and no lid. There are no legs or leg mounting points. Four grey rubber feet are fitted to the underside of the case. It has a gold hammertone painted aluminum fascia panel below the keys. This panel also performs the key-leveling function. The keys are injection-moulded plastic. The words 'Combo Pianet' are screen printed in black on the left end of the fascia. It has a transistorised pre- amplifier and a volume control knob is fitted at the left end of the keyboard. =Pianet T= Approximate manufacturing span 1977–1983 The Pianet T has a rectangular case profile with rounded corners and a hinged integral lid with central handle. With the lid latched closed the instrument forms its own carry case. The body of the case is covered with black vinyl leathercloth and the ends are padded with vinyl-skinned urethane foam. There are no legs supplied as standard. An optional stand can be fixed to threaded mounting points on the ends of the case. The keys are injection-moulded plastic over pressed metal frames. The words 'Pianet T' are screen printed in silver on the rear of the case and on the inside surface of the lid. =Pianet M= Approximate manufacturing span 1977–1983 The Pianet M has the Pianet T mechanism built into a rectilinear wood grain console case. There is no lid over the keys. Sitting above the box that holds the playing mechanism is an amplifier housing with a sloped front face and two player facing cloth speaker-grills. An acrylic music rest slots into the top of this housing. The leg panels are wood-grained boards finished with a timber foot and joined by a horizontal wood grained panel. The word 'Hohner' is printed in gold centrally above the keys. The model 'Pianet – M' is printed on the amplifier cover panel at the rear. Built in Hohner Modulator, another invention of Ernst Zacharias. =Pianet/Clavinet Duo= Approximate manufacturing span 1978–1983 This hybrid model uses a black case in the style of a Clavinet E7. The Duo has a rectangular case profile with rounded corners and a removable lid to protect the keys and control surface for transport. Samples can be found with both versions of the name: Pianet Clavinet Duo and Clavinet Pianet Duo. The control panels at the left hand end of the instrument include keyboard splits and mixtures of the two instruments as well as normal Clavinet mixture controls. Users Early Pianets were used on a number of hit recordings from the 1960s and 1970s, including "She's Not There" by The Zombies; "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen; "I Am the Walrus", "Getting Better", "The Night Before", "Tell Me What You See", "You Like Me Too Much" by The Beatles; "This Guy's in Love With You" by Herb Alpert; "These Eyes" by The Guess Who; and "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night. In the glam rock era, the Pianet was used by Bryan Ferry on the first few Roxy Music albums, for instance featuring prominently in their hit Editions of You. It was a staple of the "classic lineup" sound of Curved Air (1970–1972), featuring prominently on their first 3 albums, played by both guitarist/keyboardist Francis Monkman and violinist Darryl Way. The 1972–74 lineup of progressive rock pioneers King Crimson used a pair of Pianets in live performance, played both by the group's violinist David Cross, and the guitarist, Robert Fripp. Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks used the Pianet prominently in the group's early career, as a lead instrument through a homemade fuzz box. Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie was a noted proponent of the Pianet N and Combo Pianet from the first group of products. In an article written by Bob Doerschuk in the October 1980 issue of Contemporary Keyboard she outlined why she preferred the sound of the 1960s Pianets and why she eventually replaced them. The Pianet is enjoying a renaissance (e.g. Bugge Wesseltoft's Change) due to its unique sound and the availability of new pads for the earlier models, most of which had been reduced to unplayability due to pad decay. It is also popular as a substitute for the Wurlitzer electric piano, which has a related reed-based mechanism for generating sound but is typically much heavier, requires more maintenance than the Pianet, and is overall more expensive. Restoration issues For two decades in the 1980s and 90s replacement parts for Pianets became progressively harder to find because they were no longer being supported by Hohner. The principal problem was the activation pads for the first group of Pianets, the 1960s instruments. Urethane foam was used as the damper behind the leather surface of the pad. The urethane decomposed with age, making the pads unusable. Hohner intended the pads to be a service-replaceable item (like the strings of a guitar). Restorers and players who wanted to keep a Pianet working were obliged to manufacture their own pads. The second group of Pianets, the T and M, used silicone rubber for their pads. They have aged extremely well and are still functional in most keyboards, as of 2012. The silicone pads of the T & M are not suitable for the 1960s Pianets. Their adhesion properties don't suit the ground reeds of the first group of instruments, and they produce a static discharge that is amplified by the capacitive pick-up of the instrument. In the 2000s, a number of businesses took up the servicing and maintenance of vintage keyboards, so pads suitable for both groups of Pianets are now available. The mechanical structure of keys, pivot rail, reeds, reed bar and pick-up are the same in the 1960s Pianets from the "Mk.1" and C to the Combo, so spares to get a Pianet working can come from most models. While the electronics differ from model to model, they can be exchanged if the aim is to make a keyboard playable rather than to restore it. References * Bibliography External links *Pressed+metal 2003/228/1 Electric keyboard, Hohner Pianet, timber / metal / plastic, designed by Ernst Zacharias, made by Hohner AG, West Germany, 1962–1970 Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia *Detail pictures of a Pianet T and a Cembalet. *Manufactures replacement pads for all Pianets *Manufactures replica replacement pads for group one 1960s Pianets C, L, N (versions I & II), Combo Pianet. *Contemporary Keyboard (10/1980), Christine McVie Electric pianos The Beatles' musical instruments "
"Brevet Major John Simpson Knox (30 September 1828 – 8 January 1897) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Early life and military career Born in Glasgow on 30 September 1828, Knox joined the British Army at the age of 14. He was under-age, but was unusually tall, he was promoted to corporal before reaching the age of 18. Crimean War By the time of the Crimean War he was serjeant in the Scots Fusilier Guards (now called simply the Scots Guards). The British and French forces began to land on the Crimean Peninsula on 14 September 1854. On 19 September the combined forces moved off toward Sebastopol and on 20 September came the first major engagement of the campaign, the Battle of the Alma.Small, pp. 43–44, 46. The Scots Fusilier Guards were part of the 1st Division, brigaded with 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards and 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards, the division's other brigade was the Highland Brigade. The division was at the extreme left of the Allied line (furthest inland), and initially in reserve to the Light Division.Small, p. 47. The two divisions halted a short distance before the Alma River, the Russians having taken up defensive positions just the other side of river. Here, on the further side of the river the British troops faced first fording the river itself, climbing the bank on its far side, then after a small amount of level ground, a further relatively low, but steep bank, and then a gradual upward slope, at the top of which the Russians had built an earthworks armed with artillery.Small, pp. 44, 47. The British contingents were ordered forward at about 14:45, the French having managed to force a crossing further downstream, near the river's mouth.Small, pp. 48–49. The Light Division crossed first, but were thrown into confusion by the Russian artillery, and began to withdraw. The Guards' Brigade was ordered forward, and crossed the river. The battalions began re- establishing their ranks on the other side having scrambled up both of the banks on that side of the river. The brigadier ordered them forward without delay, and the Scots, in the middle of the Guards' line obeyed. They began their advance, but the retreating troops of the Light Division broke their line, and some of the Scots Guards joined the retreat. Officers and others, prominent among them Knox, regained control, and rallied much of the battalion. It was this action which was the first of those for which he was eventually awarded the VC.Small, pp. 50–53. Four other Scots Guards were also to be awarded the VC for their actions that day. In a letter to his family, he described the battle: He was commissioned (without purchase) into the 93rd Regiment of Foot as an ensign on 27 February 1855. On 20 April 1855 he was transferred to the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) as a lieutenant, and his original commission was backdated to 5 November 1854. On 18 June 1855, Knox volunteered for the ladder party in the attack on the Redan, an attempt to finish the Siege of Sevastopol, he was struck by a Russian cannonball, removing part of his left arm. His actions that day also contributed toward his receiving the VC. His Crimea Medal shows that he also fought at the Battle of Balaclava and the Battle of Inkerman. The Storming of the Great Redoubt at the Alma by R. C. Woodville. On 29 January 1856 Queen Victoria signed the warrant creating the Victoria Cross with the intention of rewarding acts of valour in the Crimean War. Knox's own VC was not gazetted until 24 February 1857, by which time he had already been made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by an Imperial decree of 16 June 1856. His VC citation read: When serving as a Serjeant in the Scots Fusilier Guards, Lieutenant Knox was conspicuous for his exertions in reforming the ranks of the Guards at the Battle of the Alma. Subsequently, when in the Rifle Brigade, he volunteered for the ladder-party in the attack on the Redan, on 18 June, and (in the words of Captain Blackett, under whose command he was) behaved admirably, remaining on the field until twice wounded. He was among the 62 men at the first presentation of the VC, made by Queen Victoria in Hyde Park, London on 26 June 1857. His action at the Alma was the earliest for which a VC was awarded to a member of the British Army—earlier actions leading to the award of a VC were carried out by members of the Royal Navy. Later life Despite the loss of his arm, he continued to serve, and was appointed an Instructor of Musketry on 7 January 1858, and promoted captain on 30 April. On 15 June 1866 he was appointed Inspector of Musketry for the South Western District. He briefly returned to regimental duties from 22 January 1872, and on his retirement from the army on 8 June 1872 was granted a brevet majority. He took up residence at Cheltenham where he died on 8 January 1897, and was buried in the town's cemetery where three other VC recipients also lie. Sale of medals In March 2010 it was announced that his VC is to be sold at auction in May by medal and coin specialists Spink's, with an estimated price of £100,000–120,000. His VC was sold along with his Crimean War campaign medals, insignia of the Légion d'honneur, and the Russian cannonball which caused the partial loss of his left arm at the Redan. No details of the current owner have been given. The sale took place on 22 April 2010 with the medal and the cannonball being sold for £252,000 ($387,500) to an anonymous buyer. References Sources * Further reading *Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999) *The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997) *Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995) External links *Location of grave and VC medal (Gloucestershire) 1828 births 1897 deaths People from Glasgow British recipients of the Victoria Cross Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross Scots Guards soldiers Rifle Brigade officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War Scottish amputees Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur 93rd Regiment of Foot officers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross "