Cartophilists at War

This will be added to on a regular basis from now on, and please do send your memories and additions as well. It is not quite ready, but neither were the men who were called up. And it just seems fitting that we start it on Remembrance Day (2021).

• WORLD WAR ONE

Sadly, there were no cartophilic magazines at this time, so we must base what we know on the cards.

Military subjects had always been popular; indeed the first true `set` to have been issued by W.D. and H.O. Wills, after their 1888-1894 run of  "Advertisement Cards" was "Soldiers of the World", or at least the first two parts of it, covering "Naval and Military" and "Soldiers", both of which were issued in 1895.

As for the first war to influence the issuing of cards, that was the Second Boer War, which inspired many sets showing leaders and actions, including W.D. and H.O. Wills` "Transvaal Series" in 1899.  

The build up to the First World War seems to have begun as early as September 1910, with W.D. and H.O. Wills` "The World`s Dreadnoughts", which, with its details of armaments, does seem to be early propaganda - though some collectors suggest either of two earlier sets, also by W.D. and H.O. Wills, these being "Naval Dress and Badges", issued in July 1909, and "Aviation", issued in July 1910. I  tend to discount both of these, because the idea of "war" is mentioned on but a few cards, and even then as a vague thought, quite without foreboding. Others state a claim for W.D. and H.O. Wills` "Physical Culture, issued in February 1914, with the thought that it was trying to get more men ready for war - however, this seems to be disproved by the facts that at the start of 1914 the British Army already had 710,000 men ready for war, including reserves, and that the first mention of volunteers was not until the eleventh of August.

If we discount all of these, that means the first true set to have been inspired by the First World War was  W.D. and H.O. Wills` "Flags of the Allies", issued in January 1915. 

• WORLD WAR TWO

In the months leading to the outbreak of war, many Cameric Cigarette Card Club Branches had been announced, but I have come to think that this may have been one of the ways to keep card collecting going in local areas, away from London. The first three of these Branches were announced in April 1939 in The London Cigarette Card Company`s "Cigarette Card News” magazine (Vol.6, No.67, p.147), these being  Ayr, Manchester and Charlton (S.E.).

• We have very little information about "Ayr", and it seems that the appointment of the Secretary was followed almost immediately by its closure until the war was over.
   
• "Manchester" did start, but not until June 1939; and only managed four or five monthly meetings before they were disrupted by the War, or, in actual fact, when the Branch Secretary and founder Mr. A. J. Woolley was called up, and sent to the Royal Navy,. It was then decided that the Branch would close, and resume as soon as it could. 
   
• As for "Charlton (S.E.)", which was on the outskirts of South London, we only have the name of the Secretary, D. Pullen of Victoria Way, London, S.E.7. Their entry does say that "Charlton (S.E.) [London] is also holding meetings between the General Meetings", so it must have been sufficiently developed to host gatherings by that time.. However, after that it is never mentioned again - though David Pullen did go on to write many articles after the war was over. 

It took until Cigarette Card News (Vol 6, No.72 September 1939) saw its front page proclaiming “A State of Emergency”. Though it admitted that “At the moment of writing, while matters look most grave, We are not at war. Before this number is in our readers` hands, however, the issue will have been decided. We hope it will be peace, and we imagine that 99 per cent of our readers share that hope – but it is idle to pretend that the chances of the worst happening have not been immeasurably increased by the happenings of the last few days.”

At that time the Cartophilic Society was sharing the same magazine, but never mentioned any stirrings of impending war at all. In fact it gave a Council meeting date of [Thursday] 14 September, 1939, at 6.30 p.m, followed by an Ordinary meeting an hour later. That date is actually notable for another reason because it was when regulated games of football were suspended, by order of the government.

On March 16 1940, at the first Annual General Meeting of the Cartophilic Society, it was announced that “Your Council were faced with the probability that meetings would be difficult, and decided (very rightly, I think) to increase THE BULLETIN and to reduce the number of meetings … Transport is difficult, and may become more so; times for meetings are difficult; and practically all of us are being, or will be, called on to perform duties whch may make it impossible to attend regular meetings.”

In April 1940 Vol.1, No.IX, reported that Alfred Woodiwiss, a cigarette card dealer based in Chiswick, and a member of a Territorial Unit, had been called up prior to the war being declared. As a result of this he had arranged that his business be taken over by fellow dealers Messrs. R. H. Martin of 1, Orchard House London S.E.16, who offered monthly mailing lists as well as two specialised listings of “Scarce Sets” and “Modern Sets”. For all these, Cartophilic Society members were given 12½% off the quoted prices.

By the time that May`s magazine (Vol. 1, No.X) was issued, other dealers were being affected. Richard Denny of 94, Beamsley Road, Frizinghall, Bradford reported that “owing to rising costs, paper shortage, and general difficulties created by war conditions, it is no longer practicable to issue my list weekly.”

July`s magazine (Vol 1, No.XII) tells us that on the 15 of July, 1940, the Council “met to deal with routine business and discuss matters arising out of the present state of emergency” and that “It was decided to form a Committee with powers to act on the Society`s behalf in an emergency”, this consisted of Eric Gurd (Vice President), Mr. Lewis (Chairman), Mr. A.C. Wiggins (Secretary), Mr. Alan Mabey (Treasurer) and Rev. Stanley Pearce, plus Messrs W.M. Wright and W.K. Keeves. (surely a typo?)

By the time of the August magazine (Vol.1, No.XIII) Mr. A.B.C.K. Keeves had joined His Majesty`s Forces, so a vacancy existed on the Emergency Sub-Committee. On a show of hands Mr, R.F.R. Barrow was elected. They had also forgotten to mention, of course, that Mr Glidden-Osborne, the Society President, was still presiding over that sub-committee in an ex-officio position. In the same magazine The London Cigarette Card Company announced a summer sale, starting on the 29 August, and made a generous gesture, offering to supply annual subscriptions of “Cigarette Card News” at half price (2/6d.) to members of the fighting forces.

In September 1940 (Vol.1, No.XIV) an announcement right at the very back of the magazine

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I have not been able to track this down yet. But will keep trying! But September 1940, only a few weeks after the Battle of Britain, things changed, and instead of factories and airfields, towns and cities became targets for nightly bombing raids. September 7, 1940, is usually regarded as the start of what would come to be called "The Blitz", a shortened form of blitzkrieg, which was German for "lightning war". 

The next month, closer to home:
 

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