Exhibits : The Salvation Army Match Factory, Swan Vestas
My collection began in the early 1950’s with New Forest, a brand made in Belgium.
We were living on the Hampshire/Dorset border, and my mother liked this box, with its label showing a deer and a sylvan background.
It was not long before she found another attractive box, and then another …..
We moved to Norfolk in 1955, when I was seven, and while at the village school I came across a shoebox full of empty matchboxes, most of which were new to me.
“Could I please have a few for my collection”, I asked.
They let me have some, and one which I remember well was “Alpha” from United Match Industries.
In the late 1960’s I visited an exhibition staged by the Norwich Phillumenists. This was my first experience of a group of like-minded enthusiasts, and I learnt what to do and what not to do – “never show a matchbox a pair of scissors” was the sound advice of Mrs Peggy Thompson. With her husband Fred and son Stephen she was the mainstay of the club.
In October 1976 I joined the BML&BS and was enrolled by John Luker. My collection expanded, to take in hardware and ephemera, all helping to complete the picture. In June 1989 I became the Honorary Librarian, and am very happy to hold this post.
Today I concentrate on British material, and the former British brands from Republic Technologies UK, the Society’s Patron, especially Swan Vestas. I have never tried to make the biggest collection, preferring quality to quantity, deriving much enjoyment from my collection. Although I don’t have a computer I am pleased to have an Exhibit in our John Walker On-line Exhibition, an important milestone for the Society.
Click here to return to the Exhibition Catalogue.