{"id":1398,"date":"2025-10-24T16:24:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T16:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillumeny.com\/johnwalker\/?page_id=1398"},"modified":"2026-05-29T07:46:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T07:46:23","slug":"on-line-exhibition-chapter-10","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/phillumeny.com\/johnwalker\/on-line-exhibition-chapter-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Matches between the World Wars"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
1916 Tobacco magazine advert, \u00a9 John Luker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Period covered : 1914 to 1945<\/strong><\/p>\n

By 1914, matches had become a basic commodity found in homes everywhere and loved by all. John Walker would have been proud, and probably not a little surprised, to see what had grown from his \u2018simple\u2019 invention.<\/p>\n

The raw materials for making matches, labels, and boxes and the machinery itself was often being sourced internationally, and the global industry was thriving.<\/p>\n

Patriotic slogans<\/h2>\n

Patriotic slogans had appeared on matchbox labels before WWI but were used extensively during the war to inform the public, encourage careful use of scarce resources and to support home industries.<\/p>\n

World War I<\/h2>\n

With the outbreak of war in 1914 the availability of raw materials changed. New regulations were imposed to ensure that any domestic factories that were supporting the war effort had access to all the people and materials that they needed. New import restrictions were also put in place to prevent businesses purchasing materials from enemy industries. The UK match manufacturers had to dramatically and quickly re-think their business models, leading to a simplification and standardisation of their product lines.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Pilot label used during WWI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Naturally the public were encouraged to support UK industries. Examples of this can be found on matchbox labels from the time, slogans like \u201cEncourage Home Industries\u201d and \u201cCareless Talk Costs Lives\u201d became popular.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Trench Art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Matches were part of soldiers\u2019 ration packs and often carried patriotic images and messages. Patriotic grips for match boxes were also becoming popular at this time. In the Trenches, soldiers often created metal cases for their matchboxes, known as “Trench Art”.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lady Byron matchbox label 1915\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the First World War Lady Byron<\/strong><\/a> (1857 – 1936) strongly personally supported the British war effort. It was quite an achievement by her to persuade the Wartime Government to order the R Bell match company to produce matches for the troops in a Wartime economy where wood and chemicals were heavily rationed and in short supply. In ca. 1915\/16 she paid for 100,000 of her uniquely personalised boxes of matches to be sent to the troops in France and Belgium on the Western Front after hearing that soldiers on the Front had cigarettes but no matches.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n

Reduced supplies of timber and potash<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Once war broke out timber was soon in short supply. But chlorate of potash<\/strong><\/a>, an essential ingredient in match making, was at that time almost exclusively a German Product. Manufacturers had to look elsewhere for supplies, and the old Scottish and Irish kelp industry which extracted the chemical from seaweed experienced a revival.<\/p>\n

Perhaps one anomaly to all of this was Swedish Match<\/strong><\/a>. Sweden of course was neutral in the World Wars, as it had been since Napoleonic times. This meant that Swedish Match was able to supply matches to anyone, and their boss Ivar Kreuger<\/strong><\/a> ruthlessly exploited this situation to his, and the company\u2019s, advantage.<\/p>\n

Match Tax and ban on imports, 1916<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With almost no consultation with the match industry 6 the UK Government imposed a four pence duty on one thousand matches in 1916, to raise funds for the war effort. Unfortunately, the Government had not thought through the method of calculating tax, and manufacturers were compelled to suspend the sale of matches until agreement could be reached on a new retail price of two pence for three boxes.<\/p>\n

Some manufacturers reduced the number of matches in a box to compensate for increased costs, but the tax was unavoidable.<\/p>\n

Also, in 1916 the Government prohibited the import of foreign matches, which led to a great match shortage and the placing of matches under the control of the Tobacco and Matches Board.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
John Walker tableau in Peace Day Celebrations Parade in Stockton, 19 July 1919, image : Michael Heavisides<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peace Day Celebrations, 1919<\/h2>\n

Like many towns and cities Stockton held a Peace Day Celebrations Parade the year after hostilities ended. to mark the end of the Great War. Photos of the Parade were included in Michael Heavisides’ 1920 Stockton Almanack, with the following description:<\/p>\n