I remember growing up as a kid, it wasnt uncommon for people to go on holiday at the queens leisure. Anyway, they would generally come back with a souveneir with them like that. It was made out of match sticks, similar shape to a zippo lighter. The would use strands off a mop and thread it through from bottom to top. Then they would have a slot for a clipper end sunk in near to the mop strand. They flicked the wheel at the charred mop end till they got an ember and light there smoke with it as matches were expensive and werent allowed lighters.
I dont know if thats what these do, they just jogged my memory about them seeing these. Ray