Signal Collection

Vale Of Rheidol Railway Aberystwyth to Devils Bridge

HMS Victory, Flags and Nelson Quote
An illustration of Admiral Horatio Nelsons flagship, the HMS Victory with signal flags on display and firing a broadside, set below a depiction of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom and St

Flags used for Nelsons famous signal at the Battle of Trafalgar, 1805. The flags used by Lieutenant Pasco aboard HMS Victory to send the message England expects that every man will do his duty

Flags of Royal Navy
Some of the signal flags of Royal Navy including the Royal Standard, White Ensign, Union Jack

Nelsons Signal
Before the battle, Nelson sends his famous signal : England expects every man to do his duty

Isle of Lewis, part of the island Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Coast and lighthouse at the Butt of Lewis (Rubha Robhanais). Europe, Scotland, July

Underground Tube Train
A Northern Line train on its way to Kennington, via Charing Cross emerges overground from a tunnel

York, locomotive signal box in locomotive yard
Signal box in York locomotive yard, with a signal gantry in the foreground

Sunrise at Tacking Point Lighthouse
Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia

Hms Invincible
British battle cruiser which distinguished herself in World War One in the battle against Von Spees squadron off the Falklands. Date: 1915

ECGs of a normal heart rate, artwork
Electrocardiograms (ECG) of a normal heart rate, artwork. An ECG measures the electrical activity of the heart. The wave on the ECG appears upwards or downwards depending upon whether the electrical

H. M. S. Victory flying the famous signal on 21 October 1905
As part of the Nelson celebrations of the centenary of his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, the H.M.S. Victory, his flagship

Nelsons signal at Trafalgar, England Expects Every Man Will Do His Duty (colour litho)
3643587 Nelsons signal at Trafalgar, England Expects Every Man Will Do His Duty (colour litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Nelsons signal at Trafalgar)

Steam locomotive Sir Nigel Gresley, Welwyn Garden City
Steam locomotive 60007, Sir Nigel Gresley, near the Welwyn Garden City tunnel. It was built in 1937, and is still preserved today. Date: circa 1960s

The Railway Station & Signal Box, Paddock Wood, Kent
The Railway Station & Signal Box, Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. South Eastern Railway Date: 1908

The HMS Victory - brought in to Portsmouth Harbour
The HMS Victory - in Portsmouth Harbour. Fitted up as a Naval School of Telegrapha before becoming a floating signal school proper (as can be seen on this card) until 1904

Carrier Pigeon poster
Poster warning people of the dangers of shooting carrier pigeons who may be carrying life or death messages. Carrier pigeons, we are told, are a vital part of RAF

Railway crossing at Newcastle-on-Tyne
View of the railway crossing at Newcastle-on-Tyne -- claimed to be the largest crossing in the world. Date: circa early 20th century

Movie Theater Marquee
A huge crowd gathers outside the Warner Brothers theater on Wiltshire Boulevard in Los Angeles for a film premiere, 1930s. The marquee reads in part Premiere of Premieres; Grand Opening Tonight

York, Holgate Bridge, London and North Eastern Railway. 1937. At Holgate bridge, a signal gantry stands high above the tracks on the approach into York station

View west from South Road at Saffron Walden Station. Unloading bank on left run-round loop centre and branch line on right. Beyond the station canopy is the signal box. Station Road on right

SOS message from Titanic
A wireless message received by the Russian steamer Birma from the Titanic about five minutes after Titanic struck the iceberg that sank her

Synapse nerve junction, TEM
Synapse. Coloured transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of a synapse, a junction between two nerve cells, in the brain. At a synapse an electrical signal is transmitted from one cell to the next in

Nelsons last signal at Trafalgar, 21 October 1805
At the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, Nelson gives his famous last signal England expects that every man will do his duty

Nelson Sends Signal
Before the battle, Nelson orders his famous signal : England expects every man to do his duty

Driver is a Novice
CAUTION : DRIVER IS A NOVICE A useful notice tied to the back of a learner drivers car as he makes a nervous hand signal

A biplane and a steam train
Speed on the rails and in the air. A biplane flying over a steam train - the London Express - about to disappear into a tunnel. Date: 1928

HMS Exmouth - Royal Navy predreadnought battleship
HMS Exmouth - a Duncan class predreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. HMS Exmouth was launched in August 1901 and served as a flagship for various fleets including the Mediterranean Fleet

The Railway Junction. A signal changing from stop to go. This is a classic British semaphore stop signal (lower quadrant type)

HMS Helmsdale, North Atlantic, 1944
Painting showing HMS Helmsdale, a River class Frigate of the Royal Navy, on convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic, 1944

Train driver and signal reflection, Bridgnorth Railway Station, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Traffic Police Officer
Traffic police officer giving stop signal number 2. Metropolitan police

View of Gwinear Road station looking west, Cornwall. Possibly at the opening of the Helston branch line on 9th May 1887
This photograph was probably taken on 9th May 1887, the opening day of the Helston branch line. Every part of the railway infrastructure in view is in almost perfect condition

A general view of the disused Lintz Green Railway Station on the Newcastle to Consett line on 6th August 1953

Newnham on Severn Station, Gloucestershire, c. 1905
A view of passengers boarding an auto train stopped at Newnham on Severn station in Gloucestershire, c.1905. Newnham station opened in September 1851

Steam train outside Newquay station, Cornwall. Around 1925
Cornishman and amateur photographer, Major Arthur William Gill, was well known in Cornwall and elsewhere during the 1920s and 1930s for his presentations of stills

White-tailed Deer - buck with tail up to signal to other deer that an intruder is in the woods - Rocky Mountains
TOM-1953 White-tailed Deer - buck with tail up to signal to other deer that an intruder is in the woods Rocky Mountains - Montana - USA Odocoileus virginianus Tom & Pat Leeson Please note that prints

Postman with trumpet, horse and cart. 19th century

Farol da Barra, lighthouse, Salvador, State of Bahia, Brazil

Hallatrow Station and Water Tower, Somerset, c. 1950s
A view of Hallatrow Station in Somerset, c.1950s, showing the stations water tower, station building and signals. The station opened in September 1873 at High Littleton

Highworth Station, 1960
A view of Highworth Station in Wiltshire taken in 1960 when it was only open to railway employees going to work in Swindon Works

Railwayman - 180 lever railway signal box at Shrewsbury
A railwayman walks across the tracks to the 180 lever railway signal box at Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. First published The Daily Telegraph Date: 1991

Portsmouth, Hampshire - HMS Victory flying Nelsons signal
Portsmouth, Hampshire - HMS Victory flying Nelsons famous signal ( ENGLAND CONFIDES (expects) THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY" Date: circa 1910s

Wireless officer sending a message by Morse Code from on board a ship, 1916
Wireless officer sending a message by morse code from on board a ship, 1916. Wireless telegraphy at sea was made possible by the type of sending

Royal Navy sailor with Union Jack and Red Ensign flags. circa 1900

Zagazig - Egypt - Railway Station Interior Date: circa 1906

Rhayader Railway Station, Powys, Wales - Mid Wales Railway Date: circa 1908

Signal gantry at Newton Abbot Station, Devon, c. 1920
A view of signal gantry at Newton Abbot Station, Devon, c.1920. The station opened with the name Newton in December 1846 by the South Devon Railway Company

Westfalonstadion Art - Borussia Dortmund
Oil painting of the Westfalonstadion, home of Borussia Dortmund, Germany 1974 - current day. Capacity 80, 645. Original painting size 22" x 18" created in 2013 by D.J. Rogers

Channel tunnel. Historical artwork of a tunnel beneath the English Channel through which Napoleons troops are moving to invade England

EXPL2A-00238
Danish Viking ship " Raven" at sea, showing oars and sails. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Castle Pill railway, near Milford Haven, South Wales
View of the Great Western Railway at Castle Pill (pill is a local name for a tidal inlet), near Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, South Wales

Reading Signal Works, September 1936
Construction of a locking frame

Mr. J. D. Cram Station Master at Riding Mill Railway Station is busy with the prize winning flowers on 2nd September 1955

Prossers Wooden Railway, Wimbledon Common, 1845. Creator: Unknown
Prossers Wooden Railway, Wimbledon Common, 1845....a System of Tram-ways composed entirely of Wood, which the inventor, Mr

A very early type of railway signal by W Heath Robinson
A very early type of railway signal now rarely to be seen - an example from Railway Ribaldry, drawn by William Heath Robinson and commissioned by the Great Western Railway to mark their centenary

TV transmitter, Crystal Palace, London C016 / 6286
TV transmitter, Crystal Palace, London. This TV transmitter began transmissions in 1956. At 219 metres tall it is one of Londons tallest structures. Known as Londons Eiffel tower

Completion of the new Earls Court station, London
Completion of the new Earls Court underground station, London. Top: an illuminated train indicator which shows trains in motion. Middle: the new flyover junction

Signal flag for the numbers 0 and 1, international maritime signal flags, international code of signals

Signal flag for the letter N, international maritime signal flag, international code of signals

Adana, Turkey - Old Railway Station Date: circa 1910s

1975 Argentinian Grand Prix - Arturo Merzario and Ronnie Peterson
1975 Argentinian Grand Prix. Buenos Aires, Argentina. 10-12 January 1975. Arturo Merzario, Williams FW Ford, is passed by Ronnie Peterson, Lotus 72E Ford. Ref: 75ARG13

The Naze Tower, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex
The Naze Tower at Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex. An historic landmark, it was built on the cliffs in 1721 by Trinity House as a navigation mark to guide shipping

Warning Horn
A watchman at Kunszentmiklos, Hungary, blowing his horn during times of danger due to serious flooding over 200, 000 acres of low-lying acres of arable and meadow land. Date: 1930s

Telegraph receiver. Historical artwork of a Breguet telegraph receiver. Messages arrived at the receiver in wires as a series of long and short electric pulses

REMINGTON: SIGNAL, c1896. The Blanket Signal: oil on canvas, c1896, by Frederic Remington

FOOTBALL GAME, 1965. Defensive tackle Roger Brown of the Detroit Lions exults after sacking quarterback Bart Starr of the Green Bay Packers (kneeling) in the end zone for a safety

End of the Revolutionary War announced by signal-fires
Beacon-fires in the hills along the Hudson River celebrating end of Revolutionary War, 1783. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Lecture on Stephen Grays discoveries in electricity
A lecture at the Charterhouse, London on Stephen Grays discoveries in electricity. In the early eighteenth century, Gray demonstrated that charges of electricity could be conducted by some materials

Abandoned rural branch line signal box, Worcestershire, England. Photograph by Norman Synge Waller Budd

Black-tailed Prairie Dog barking. MI851
TOM-1519 Black-tailed Prairie Dog barking. Greycliff Prairie Dog Town State Park, Montana, USA Cynomys ludovicianus Tom & Pat Leeson Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only

Strike / Volunteer Signals
An undergraduate volunteer in a railway signal box during the General Strike

Electric Signal Box
The all-electric signal-box outside Waterloo Station, London

Signal Box 1940S
A signal box at Kingston showing a hand-operated frame

Armada Beacons 1588
THE SPANISH ARMADA Lighting the beacons to signal the alarm as the enemy fleet approaches the English coast

White Star Line, RMS Titanic - bookpost postcard
White Star Line, RMS Titanic - rare pre-sinking bookpost postcard, Signal Series, real photo postcard postally used 10 February 1912: Dear Father, I'm over in Belfast on the Titanic

Lookout man operating signalling lamp, Croydon Airport
Lookout man operating signalling lamp from the Control Tower, Croydon Airport Date: 1930s

Eddystone Lighthouse, Plymouth, England, c. 1900 (photochrom)
5858524 Eddystone Lighthouse, Plymouth, England, c.1900 (photochrom) by Detroit Publishing Co. (1880-1920); Private Collection; American, out of copyright

Vignette illustration, Railway Ribaldry by W Heath Robinson -- An early and interesting type of signal. Date: 1935

WW2 ATS poster for Signal Operators Date: circa 1940

Synapse nerve junctions, SEM
Synapse nerve junctions. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of nerve cells showing the synapses (junctions, bulges) between them

Signal Room 1940S
A signal box at Surbiton for the Southern Railway

Nerve cell, artwork F007 / 7448
Nerve cell, computer artwork

Pulsar, artwork. This stellar object is a rapidly- rotating neutron star. Neutron stars have powerful magnetic fields (shown by the purple lines)

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"Unveiling the Power of Signals: From HMS Victory to Synapse Junctions" From the historic decks of HMS Victory, flags fluttered in a mesmerizing dance, carrying Admiral Nelson's famous signal at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. These flags, representing the Royal Navy, became symbols of communication and unity amidst chaos. Flags have long been used as signals by seafarers and armies alike. Nelson's ingenious use of them allowed him to outmaneuver his enemies and secure victory. Even today, these vibrant banners continue to convey messages on naval vessels worldwide. But signals extend beyond maritime battles; they permeate our everyday lives. Just like an underground tube train speeding through tunnels beneath bustling cities or the synapse nerve junctions transmitting electrical impulses within our bodies they can everywhere. In Scotland's Isle of Lewis, part of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides archipelago, ancient standing stones stand tall against windswept landscapes—a silent yet powerful signal from our ancestors about their existence and beliefs. As dawn breaks over Tacking Point Lighthouse, its light piercing through darkness with unwavering determination becomes a beacon signaling safety for ships navigating treacherous waters. Even railways rely on signals for smooth operations. The Railway Station & Signal Box in Paddock Wood, Kent stands as a testament to this intricate system that ensures trains travel safely along their tracks. And who can forget H. M. S. Invincible? This mighty warship once sailed proudly across oceans—its presence alone serving as a formidable signal that echoed strength and dominance throughout history books. Yet perhaps no other symbol carries such weight as H. M. S Victory flying Nelson's famous signal on 21 October 1905—an enduring reminder of bravery and sacrifice etched into Portsmouth Harbour's memory forevermore. Whether it be through flags unfurling atop masts or neurons firing within us all—signals connect us across time and space, transcending language barriers.