Based in Stechford, Birmingham. England, Monitor were a prolific manufacturer of stoves & blowlamps. Their range included standard roarer & silent paraffin models as well as the smaller third pint “picnic’ stove. A small petrol model, the Monitor “Minor” was also made in the 1930’s similar in style to a Primus 71 with an ornate windshield/container. The origins of the company are so far unclear but they were owned from an early stage by W.Parkinson & Co.
Mick Tighe bought this one from e-bay for 30pounds in 2010. It seems to be a 1956 version and possibly ex M.O.D stock.
The name Monitor for the stoves is allegedly derived from the fact that the first ones were used on the monitor ships of the British Royal Navy – according to the 1938 ‘Gampedia’ catalogue from Bukta.
Parkinson itself was later incorporated into Parkinson Cowan Ltd, manufacturers of gas meters, central heating systems & domestic cookers At what stage Monitor was wound up as a stove manufacturer I don’t know. Parkinson Cowan later became part of the British corporate giant Thorn EMI before being sold to Swedish company Electrolux in 1987.