David Lionel Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons
Sir David Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons University College, London Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | |
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Occupation(s) | Barrister, author |
Spouse | Laura de Stern |
Parent(s) | Philip Salomons Emma Montefiore |
Relatives | Hermann de Stern (father-in-law) |
Sir David Lionel Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons, 2nd Baronet
Early life
The son of
He studied at
Career
He went on to produce several scientific works and pamphlets. He was a
Interests
Salomons had an interest in photography. He joined the Photographic Society of Great Britain, later the Royal Photographic Society, in 1887 and gained its Fellowship in 1895. He remained a member until his death.[3]
House
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/In_memory_of_David_Lionel_Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons.jpg/220px-In_memory_of_David_Lionel_Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons.jpg)
His home north of
One of the new technologies Salomons installed at Broomhill was electric light. He had his own coal-fired generator and could produce enough electricity for 1,000 sixteen candle-power (about 60 watt) light bulbs. Electricity was installed on a small scale at first, in the workshops in 1874, where it was used for an arc light and to drive motors. Domestic electric lighting did not come in until about 1877–1880 when Joseph Swan invented a light bulb that could be used in homes, and Broomhill became one of the first to be lit with electricity.
Salomons also developed one of the first electric cooking devices, an electric butter churn and the first electric alarms, all made and installed by Salomons and his staff.[4] There is also a Welte Philharmonic organ from 1914.[5]
Horology
In addition to his many other achievements, he developed a lifelong passion for
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Bookplate_David_Lionel_Salomons.jpg/220px-Bookplate_David_Lionel_Salomons.jpg)
Over the course of his lifetime Salomons amassed the world's largest private collection of Breguet watches and clocks, comprising 124 pieces, including the two watches considered to be the pinnacle of Breguet's art—the "Marie Antoinette" (No. 160) and the "Duc de Praslin" (No. 92). In 1924 Salomons donated the "Duc de Praslin" to the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, but it was subsequently stolen. Fortunately, after three months of tinkering with the watch, the thief was apprehended and the watch recovered when he took it to a renowned Parisian watch specialist for repair.
He left some of his collection to his wife and she later took them to Sotheby's to be auctioned, although on her first visit she was reportedly dismissed from the office because the Sotheby's staffer could not believe that anyone could possibly have owned such a collection. The timepieces were subsequently sold at auction for considerable sums.
In 1980, British master horologist George Daniels (widely regarded as the most important watchmaker since Breguet) catalogued the Salomons collection and published a study on it. Three years later, on the night of 15 April 1983, the Mayer Institute was burgled and 106 rare timepieces were stolen, including the entire Salomons collection. The multimillion-dollar theft was Israel's largest-ever robbery—by this time, the "Marie Antoinette" alone was valued at nearly US$20 million. The case remained unsolved until 2006 when a Tel Aviv watchmaker tipped off Israeli police that he had paid US$40,000 to an anonymous person to purchase 40 timepieces, including the missing "Marie Antoinette".
Forensic experts examined the timepieces they recovered and detectives questioned the lawyer who negotiated the sale; their investigation led police to an Israeli woman living in Los Angeles, Nili Shamrat, whom they identified as the widow of Naaman Diller, the notorious Israeli criminal who carried out the burglary and then fled to Europe, before settling in the United States. When Israeli police and American officials arrived at Shamrat's home to question her, they found more timepieces and 66 of the stolen Mayer Institute timepieces were eventually recovered.[6]
The Hythe disaster
Sir David Salomons was appointed Honorary Colonel of the
References
- ^ a b "Salomons (post Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons), David Lionel (SLMS870DL)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ Garcke (1897–1924). Manual of Electrical Undertakings (Vols.2–27). London: Garcke.
- ^ Members of the Royal Photographic Society 1853-1901. David Salomons. retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "David Lionel Salomons – Master of electricity". Canterbury Christ Church University. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
- ^ WELTE restored. Royal Academy of Music, 2011
- ^ Aron Heller, "Police solve 25-year-old mystery of Marie Antoinette's watch", The Guardian, 5 November 2008
- ^ Army Lists.
- ^ a b Kent Fortress RE at Kent Fallen.
- ^ Commissioned as Lieutenant 15 August 1912 (Army Lists).
- ^ Salomons at Commonwealth War Graves Commission
External links
Media related to David Lionel Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons at Wikimedia Commons