If you are lucky, pumping the lever full of WD40 or similar and working the lever will clean out the accumulated crap and it will all work again. If it still doesn't work then it will be rebuild time and often replacement is easier and often cheaper.
Thanks for the info - much appreciated!
I take your point on the time scales when they may have been used but I would suggest, given the economic situation in 1950's Britain (especially the early part of the decade), that folk did not discard functional kit for new stuff very easily and...
I'm engaged in some component shuffling across the collection at the moment and I came across this pair of early Burlite centrepulls in the spare brakes box. Now, while I can find a little info and a couple of photos across the Web I cannot find any pictures of them fitted to a bike or any...