This is one of the highlights for many visitors to Royal Ascot, the King and Queen in a carriage, coming along the racetrack before the races begin. It seems certain, given the date of issue, that this carriage contains the King, George VI, and his Queen, Elizabeth, who would later become the Queen Mother. However it does not actually tell you this. Though it does start by saying "We are indebted to Queen Anne for four magnificent days on the Royal Heath every year".
Now I have just found out that have picked my theme most unwisely this week, because next year will actually be the two hundredth anniversary of the first ever one of these Royal carriage processions, that was in 1825, with King George IV.
The procession actually starts at Windsor Castle, when the monarch and their guests climb into their cars. They disembark and get in their horse drawn carriages inside Windsor Great Park and then head to the racecourse, aiming to arrive at 2 pm. Then they parade up the royal mile (the racetrack), past the Silver Ring, the Grandstand, the Royal Enclosure, and then go around the Parade Ring for good measure. And they do this every day of the meeting.
This set actually first appears as a New Issues Report, by Mr. C. L. Porter, in the London Cigarette Card Company`s "Cigarette Card News", Volume 5 number 56, dated June 1938. That text reads :
GALLAHER, LTD. - "Racing Scenes". Forty-eight small cards (Gallaher size). This is also an unusual issue, for, instead of being confined to pictures of famous jockeys, horses, or owners, as in the usual racing set, features of the race course are included, which as far as I know have never appeared on cards before. Commencing with Ascot Race-Course, tic-tac men, tipsters, gipsies, [sic. the actual card is entitled "Gypsies"], training methods, National Hunt racing, starting and the starter, different aspects of actual racing, the totalisator and other matters of interest to the racing enthusiast are touched on, and a few portraits of owners, jockeys and trainers are included, the final card being of "Golden Miller" the famous steeplechaser
Golden Miller, by the way, was the only horse ever to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same year, that was in 1934. He remains the most successful Cheltenham Gold Cup winner too, over five years without a break, 1932-1936. That card, No.48, also adds that "In 1934 he won the Grand National in the record time of 9 minutes 20 2/5 seconds, carrying the top weight of 12 stones 2lbs."
You can also find him on card 14 of Ogdens "Prominent Racehorses of 1933" (1934) - and as an actual photograph on card 136 of Ardath`s "Photocards" (1936 - Group Z), where the jockey is quoted as being W. Stott. Now William "Billy" Stott only seems to have ridden Golden Miller once, in his second Gold Cup victory. He was also due to ride him in the Grand National but that never happened. And shortly after that he had an almost fatal car crash, and though he did ride again, he died of a heart attack in 1936.
By the way, Golden Miller lived until 1957.
The first actual cataloguing of this set was done in our Gallaher Reference Book, RB.4, issued in 1944. This is still before the sets were given identification numbers, by the way. The text reads :
1938. 48. RACING SCENES (titled series). Size 2 1/2" x 1 7/14".Numbered 1-48.Fronts printed in full colour by offset-litho, black frame lines, white margins and subjects titled. Backs printed in purple-brown with descriptions and "Issued by Gallaher Ltd., Virginia House, London & Belfast in block letters. Printed by E. S. & A. Robinson Ltd., Bristol.
Our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, however, simply record the set as :
RACING SCENES. Sm. Nd. (48)