On Sun, 12 May 2013 12:39:53 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:
Nope, our gas lighter was a glow coil electrical thing. Big single cell
zinc carbon battery, by big I mean about 2" dia and 6" high. Screw thread
around the top which accepted large threaded cap and simple switch. From
the cap there was a 3/8" ish dia tube with a screw in glow coil in the
end. It worked, mostly...

I remember those. They only worked with "town gas" (coal gas) IIRC,
and wouldn't work after the switch over to natural gas.

I think they used a platinum wire, which was warmed up by the current
from the battery. This wasn't hot enough to light the gas, but it was
enough for the platinum wire to catalyse the oxidation of the hydrogen
in the town gas, which raised the temperature enough to light the gas.

We also had a gas poker for lighting the open fires, mainly the coke one
in the front room. Length of rubber hose to a handle from which a cast
iron tube with holes in protruded:

I remember those too. They fitted into a gas connection with a bayonet
fitting next to the fire.