Newsletter - 2021-11-13

Saturday, 6th November 2021

Let us start Movember with a fine moustache indeed. And by thanking Mr. Pearks for this scarce card. 

This is George Martin LePage, otherwise known as "Dampy". We know that the surname Le Page comes originally from France, and, as you might expect, it does come from a retainer, or page, to a knight or wealthy family. Oddly it is much more common on Guernsey than on Jersey. 

On the card, it says that he is the "Wanderers Outside Left [and] an all round athlete, heading the batting averages of two different cricket clubs."

It continues that "Last year he proved himself a good partner to Wheway". Now this was Frank Wheway, and he died of wounds during the First World War in November 1917, just a short time after he had been sent out to war. Before that he had been Captain of the Jersey Wanderers, and, poignantly, their Vice Captain, Joe Whitworth, had been killed in action just a few days earlier. 

I have no idea why "Dampy" was so called - if anyone can enlighten us, please do. 

By the way he also appears on another set, as card 13 of "Jersey Footballers" by Cigarette Co. Jersey. These appear in our World Tobacco Issues Index as "Grey Background, Second Issue, numbers 1-50" (C86-1.2) 

Our World Tobacco Issues Indexes both tell us that the issuer of our card, Simonets, Ltd. were "taken over by Jersey Tobacco Co., 1936." and that their output "includes cards without reference to tobacco". This set is listed there as : 

1. Issues 1913-14
LOCAL FOOTBALLERS. Sm. 67-69 x 36. Black and white. Nd. (50). 

Their next issue was not until the 1920s, presumably because of the First World War. 

There is a checklist of our set at the Football Cartophilic Info Exchange/Simonets

Sunday, 7th November 2021

These first appeared in our Wills reference book part III (RB14, issued in 1949). They were given the code W/35 and already it was known that there were two printings, but you need to be pretty eagle eyed to spot the difference which is in the I.T.C. Clause. One set, presumably the first as it given the A classification, has it ending "& Ireland), Ltd." whilst B ends "& Ireland) Ltd."
If you still haven't spotted it, there is a comma after the bracket.
I am fairly certain this error was first spotted by Colonel Bagnall, as it appears in his LCCC Catalogue for 1950. From the pricing it appears that the one without the comma was scarcer, as this was 1/6d. to 4/6d. a card, compared to the comma version which was only 7d. to 1/3d. a card. Interestingly it says "With comma (or stop)", so the tail cannot have been very receptive to the ink during the production... The sets were listed only at the top, not tied to a printing. This probably meant that whichever set was in stock would be supplied unless a preference was made. These sets were 70/-.
Another barely noticeable error is in the style of the date the set was "passed by the Press Bureau" for it can be found as either 30.11.16 or 30-11-16; it was quickly realised that cards with and without commas could be found with either date style.
There is also a reference to slight alterations in the text and to changes in the rank of the subject, which I have not done a study of, but wonder if anyone out there has? And whether you would like to share your findings on our site ?
Horatio Herbert Kitchener died in June 1916, whilst these cards were being prepared, so his name appears on the front as “LATE F.-M EARL KITCHENER” The “F.-M” is Field Marshal. On the back it adds “K.G.” for Knight of the Garter. His death, quoted as being “Drowned while on his way to Russia, June 1916”, is now the subject of much speculation, most now not believing it was not an accident that his ship was lost at sea. You can see the wreck and read more,  via https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3654119/The-underwater-grave-Lord-Kitchener-736-men-died-warship-hit-100-years-ago.html  - whilst other interesting sites include https://www.liquisearch.com/herbert_kitchener_1st_earl_kitchener/death/conspiracy_theories - and - https://anilbalan.com/2013/10/06/the-curious-case-of-lord-kitchener/

Monday, 8th November 2021

As part of our movember tribute, we must mention King Camp Gillette, born on January 5th, 1855. Though, contrary to popular knowledge he was not actually the inventor of the safety razor, he merely invented a better version than the ones currently being used which used a thin, disposable blade. He died on July 9, 1932. You can read more about him at Britannica.com/KCG. And yes, his name still lives on with "Gillette" razors - in fact one of their latest brands is named after him, as The King C. Gillette brand

Six years after his death, along came our card. And in case you are puzzled over the connection between a razor and  a set of boxing cards, it was because their razor was called "The Knock-Out" - and the packaging featured a boxing image on both the box and the sleeves in which the blades came. 

The set is very well done, though only monochrome, which some may find disappointing. It does feature some very well known pugilists though, modern ones like Jack Dempsey , Joe Louis, and Max Schmeling - and some from the dawn of the sport like James Corbett, Tom Spring and Bill Neat. There is also a mix of art drawn cards (the early images) and photographs (the more modern ones) - perhaps that is the reason why the monochrome was chosen. 

There is one curious anomaly, as only one of the cards, the Frenchman Gustave Humery, No.44, is horizontal in format, all the rest are vertical. Yet if you look at his online biographies there are pictures of him standing up. So why did the makers not search a little harder for one that matched the rest?

As for our man, Isaac Perrins, it is quite a sad story. He seems to have been a gentle giant of a man, who worked for Boulton and Watt, the steam engine makers at the same time he was a bareknuckle boxer. His father had also worked there. After retiring from boxing he ran a public house, and in 1799 became the lead man of the Manchester Fire Brigade. Just over twelve months later, he was involved in the attempt to fight a huge warehouse fire that burned, unstoppable, all through the night of the 10th of December 1800, and on the 29th of that month he was awarded £20 a year for his efforts, but it is doubtful he ever recieved a payment, as he died on January 6th, 1801, aged just fifty, he died, as a direct result of exertion, and fever, both caused through the fire. There is a sad subtext to this, as his beloved wife had died just a few months earlier, and there is a strong suspicion that perhaps he took those extra efforts so that they not be parted long.

The set is first catalogued in our original British Trade Index, with an informative header, as : 

F. C. CARTLEDGE, Hornsea and Sheffield. 
Cards issued 1938-42. Includes cards inscribed "Knock-Out" Razor Blades, without name of firm.

Two sets are listed, Epigrams, and ours, which is listed as : 

FAMOUS PRIZE FIGHTERS. Sm. 66 x 36. Black. Nd. (50), two subjects at No.13 (Eric Boon and William Thompson) and 19 (Arthur Danahar and Bill Doherty) ...CCL-2

There is another discovery reported in our original British Trade Index part III, namely 

CCL-2 (Famous Prize Fighters). Fronts are found matt or glazed to cream shade. 

When our four original Trade Indexes were updated into one volume, for the year 2000, the text had tidied quite a bit. It now reads : 

Fred C. CARTLEDGE (Sheffield) Ltd,. Hull, Hornsea and Sheffield
Issued 1938-42. Includes brand issues "Knock-Out" Razor Blades and Rheuma Salts

FAMOUS PRIZE FIGHTERS. 1938. 66 x 36. Black. Nd. (50). Fronts (a) matt (b) glazed. Two subjects at No. 13 (a) Eric Boon (b)William Thompson) and No.19 (a) Arthur Danahar (b) Bill Doherty. Album issued ...CAR-540

Tuesday, 9th November 2021

This may be a terribly tatty Taddy but it just happens to be the only Taddy Card I own. It came to me in a mixed lot and I never had the heart to part with it.

Taddy isued three groups of Royalty cards, but this is the first we will deal with. It  is a set of twenty-five cards, which were actually entitled ”Royalty Series” - this is stated to have been issued with “Backs in Myrtle Green, with advertisement for “Myrtle Grove” Tobacco.

Now I thought that was a bit odd, because I was sure my back was blue, and indeed it is, but not only is it not green, it is entirely different, having the advert for variously sized tins of “Premier Navy Cut [Tobacco], Mild Medium and Full Strengths”.

In addition there is no illustration of this back within our original Taddy reference book (RB12, issued in 1948). There is an illustration of a “Premier Navy Cut” back which accompanies “Natives of the World”, but it it much more modern in style, or it could be the back that is quoted for “Boer Leaders” which states “Taddy`s Premier Navy Cut” but does not describe further so might be the same as the one which is shown. Are there any Taddy experts who can clarify this?

There were also two smaller groups, the first being a small five card set(?) which was untitled and un-numbered, and early researchers gave that the name of English Royalty, the cards show Queen Victoria and the two generations below her, these being King Edward VII and King George V, plus their Queens – whilst the second is usually considered as part of a mixed lot known as “Royalty, Actresses, Soldiers” which are again un-numbered and untitled. The Royalty cards in that lot were the Emperors and Empresses of Austria and Germany, the King and Queen of Italy, the Czar and Czarina of Russia, and our own Prince and Princess of Wales. This seems to cover European Royalty, so I tend to lean towards the original theory, that this was a set all its own of ten cards, perhaps with that name, and that the Actresses and Soldiers were also supposed to be alone as separate sets.

I seriously think we need a Taddy specialist to get in touch! 

Wednesday, 10th November 2021

Again this was simply picked for being a man with a movember moustache, but I did like his smile, and think the Tatler got it right. 

He turned out to be Thomas Kirkby "Tom" Walls, not just “a stage and screen star, producer, hunting and racing man”, but to have been “winner of the Derby in 1932” with a horse called April the Fifth who appears on John Player "Derby and Grand National Winners" 25/50. He also worked in a locomotive works, was a jockey, formed part of a seaside Pierrot troupe, was manager of the Shaftesbury Theatre from 1922 and was the assembler of the Aldwych Farces in the 1920s, may of which were remade as films in the following decade.

And sixteen cards of him are listed at the Trading Card Database/TomWalls 

Our set is first listed in our original Gallaher Reference Book (RB.4, issued in 1944) as : 

1936. 48. SPORTING PERSONALITIES (titled series). Size 2 1/2" x 1 7/16". Numbered 1-48. Fronts printed in full colour by offset-litho, black frame lines, white margins and subjects titled. Backs printed in sage green with descriptions and "Issued by Gallaher Ltd. Virginia House, London & Belfast" in block letters. Printed by E. S. & A. Robinson Ltd., Bristol.

There are no card codes in that volume. 

In our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, the description is shortened to simply : 

SPORTING PERSONALITIES. Sm. Nd. (48)

Thursday, 11th November 2021

Today, on our first Armistice Day at our new website, we are going to start an annual routine and pick a military portrait, at random, then see how much we can discover about the person portrayed.

This is a very unusual and striking card, where the portrait is actually inset within a Victoria Cross medal - first awarded in June 1857. On the back of the card it tells us that the portrait is of Sergeant Major Harry M Daniels (2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade) and that the medal was won because he "courageously dashed ahead and cut wire entanglements at Neuve Chapelle (12/3/15). He was soon wounded by heavy machine-gun fire and his comrade in the deed, Corp. C. R. Noble, V.C., has since died of his wounds. Photo Farringdon."

It seems likely that this has been taken from the citation, which was printed in the newspapers, which reads "For most conspicuous bravery on 12th March, 1915, at Neuve Chapelle. When their battalion was impeded in the advance to the attack by wire entanglements, and subjected to a very severe machine-gun fire, these two men voluntarily rushed in front and succeeded in cutting the wires. They were both wounded at once, and Corporal Noble has since died of his wounds." 

Harry M. Daniels was born in Norwich, Norfolk, on December 13, 1884 - and he is often said to be the first person from that county to win the Victoria Cross. This is not true, that honour goes to Henry Ward, born at Harleston, who was born in 1823 and was dead almost twenty years before our man breathed his first. He won his Victoria Cross during the Indian Mutiny, at the end of September 1857, just three months after its debut. And just over five hundred of them would be awarded up to the start of the First World War - a total only beaten by the six hundred and twenty eight which were awarded during it. After that the amount given out dwindles, and only just over two hundred have been awarded in the years between 1918 and the present day. 

However, unless I find otherwise, it looks like our man was the first Norfolk man to be awarded the V.C. during the First World War, though this was only presented to him on 15 May 1915. But this is almost certainly where the confusion comes in. 

Sadly our man had a difficult childhood, which saw him and his siblings orphaned and split up, he ran away to sea. His brother found a different adventure, and he joined the army, serving with the Coldstream Guards in the Boer War, where he was killed. As soon as our man was old enough, he also joined the army, but in the Rifle Brigade. He found himself in India, where his bravery and independence saw him rise swiftly through the ranks, and he seems to have done much the same during the First World War.

There is one very strange thing, for he was reported killed in action in September 1915, much to the sadness of his wife, to whom he had been wed less than a year. However this proved not to be true. It would not affect his bravery either and he would later be awarded the Military Cross as well. 

This is an odd set, which is often called "V.C. Heroes" but is actually part of a larger set which is untitled, though has been given the adopted title of "War Series - World War I". This is described in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as : 

WAR SERIES - WORLD WAR I (A). Sm. 63 x 37-38 ...  C102-42
1. Admirals, Warships and Leaders. Nd. 1/50. See H.103
2. V.C. Heroes. Nd. 51-100

Friday, 12th November 2021

Many of these workers would find themselves and their jobs well and truly caught up in The Second World War in less than ten years, with this air mail pilot and his trusty aeroplane both almost certainly being swept off into the RAF, though perhaps he might have found himself part of the Army Postal Services, which was pretty much run by the Royal Engineers (Postal Section).

I think the way the cards are drawn definitely foretells the change in the air with its shadows, and its dark backgrounds, and its use of torchlight illumination.

We will never know who these men were modelled on, because nobody thought those sort of facts worth recording, and the same is true for most cards of non-celebrities, which is a very great shame.  

This is a most attractive set, and you can see all of the cards at https://buttes-chaumont.blogspot.com/2013/12/whilst-we-sleep-with-typhoo-tea.html
If you have pinterest you can also see them at https://www.pinterest.co.uk/gene1897/whilst-we-sleep-typhoo-tea-cards/ but I can only look so far before they block me for not having an account. 

Typhoo Tea is still going, dare I say it, "strong" (or is that just the way I make it?) and it has a website, not just to sell its wares, though this is of course the primary purpose of most websites. It also includes the story of how the business came to exist, at https://typhoo.co.uk/about-us/great-british-tea-since-1903/  - during which it even mentions that from 1906 John Sumner included "circulars .... and picture cards ... inside the packets. These are still collectable to this day!"