n 1870, Joseph Hudson was a man obsessed with whistles. An obsession he poured into creating J. Hudson & Co., the world leading whistle manufacturer and a pioneer in the trade. Each whistle Hudson designed was made with a specific purpose in mind. In fact, it was Hudson himself who invented many of the whistles that are today taken for granted, including the London Bobby whistle and the miraculous silent dog whistle. Hudson was so adamant about perfection and quality, that he insisted each whistle produced by the factory be individually blown to verify its proper functionality. Although Hudson's company now trades under the name ACME whistles, 100 years after its founding, J. Hudson's company still insists that each and every whistle be individually tested in order to guarantee its quality. Each whistle comes complete with a certificate of authenticity as well as a brief history of the model and its origins.
London Bobby Whistle
In the mid 1800s, if a policemen (often known as a Bobby) in London wished to sound an alarm or try to halt a fleeing suspect, their only recourse was through the use of a less than impressive rattle. In 1870, in an effort to alleviate this problem, Scotland Yard turned to Joseph Hudson who had designed a distinctive whistle as a replacement for the rattle. It features a distinctive pitch which Hudson felt was ideal for gaining attention as well as providing listeners with a tone distinct from other whistles. Although the London Police force has gone through countless uniform and equipment changes over the years, including their truncheons, flashlights, and handcuffs - they still continue to carry Hudson's Model No. 15, now in use in over 80 police constabularies around the World.
Titanic Whistle
When the White Star Line began searching for a First Mate's whistle for its luxury liner Titanic, the logical choice was J. Hudson & Co., and the logical whistle was the “Thunderer”. First produced in 1884, the Thunderer was selected for it's powerful ringing noise, which would be vital in a ship's emergency. Tragically, it was just such an Emergency that the whistle was used for when the Titanic struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. The Thunderer was used to marshal passengers to lifeboats, and subsequently to signal lifeboats to return and save passengers who had survived the sinking (as Kate Winslet's character does with her own Thunderer in the recent film Titanic). The original Thunderer recently fetched a remarkable £3100 at a recent auction of Titanic memorabilia. ACME Thunderer features the original logo, along with the engraved name of Titanic.
Boatswains (Bosuns) Pipe
Originally produced in the mid 19th century, the Boatswain's (or Bosun's) pipe has been in use by Her Majesty's Royal Navy since 1868. It was originally used to issue orders on deck, where sound was often drowned out by wind and wave. In recent years, the Boatswains has been relegated largely to ceremony, greeting admirals, kings, queens, and presidents aboard ships throughout the world. The pipe produces two octaves and has been used by at least one skilled sea-dog to play the opening movements to the Mikado opera. The boatswains pipe features polished brass and comes complete with history, instructions for use, and scales showing how to blow the various calls used by boatswains for such orders as meal time and splicing of the mainbrace.
Silent Dog Whistle
While whistles have been used for centuries in order call dogs, it wasn't until 1935 that J. Hudson & Co. invented the first “silent” dog whistle. Proceeding from the fact that dogs are able to hear a much higher range of sound than people, Hudson developed a whistle that was effectively silent, yet could be used by owners to signal dogs over 2 miles away. The advantages of such a whistle were clear, yet when first introduced was not an instant commercial success. Since the whistle was indeed silent, many owners weren't clear if it was actually working. Hudson then developed the current model, which features a very faint whistle to signal the operator that it is functioning correctly. The whistle has a completely variable frequency range, which can be adjusted according to both the owner and dog's needs, and comes complete with instructions for use.
n 1870, Joseph Hudson was a man obsessed with whistles. An obsession he poured into creating J. Hudson & Co., the world leading whistle manufacturer and a pioneer in the trade. Each whistle Hudson designed was made with a specific purpose in mind. In fact, it was Hudson himself who invented many of the whistles that are today taken for granted, including the London Bobby whistle and the miraculous silent dog whistle. Hudson was so adamant about perfection and quality, that he insisted each whistle produced by the factory be individually blown to verify its proper functionality. Although Hudson's company now trades under the name ACME whistles, 100 years after its founding, J. Hudson's company still insists that each and every whistle be individually tested in order to guarantee its quality. Each whistle comes complete with a certificate of authenticity as well as a brief history of the model and its origins.
