Categories
1900-1949 Adverts Ephemera Food & Drink

A 20-Hour Joy-day, 1937

Hooray Hooray, it’s a happy holiday! It’s a 20-hour joy-day! To be more precise, it’s May 1937, the week before George VI’s coronation, and The Mirror couldn’t be more excited. I have the overseas edition of The Mirror, which was a week’s worth of newspapers bundled up into one edition (the overseas edition was out a week later, so the dates are actually those of Coronation Week itself). We moaned about the coverage of the last Royal Wedding, but this was something else. Nearly everyone was trying to get in on the act. (By the way, I’ve not been able to scan everything in the paper, it’s quite delicate in places, so the not so good bits are photos that might not be quite as clear.)

Firstly, the reason for George being King at all – Edward and Mrs Simpson. 12th May 1937 was originally Edward’s coronation date and, when he officially abdicated, the same date was kept for his brother. There’s lots of sweet, romantic pictures of the couple, and seemingly no disapproval at all, in this paper at least.

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

Here’s the schedule:

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

There are many ways to celebrate the day, as the Very Reverend Edgar Rogers rather tolerantly points out. He might be singing hymns, but he doesn’t mind if you’re getting completely blotto instead. In fact, is it just me, or is there a bit of a homoerotic vibe going on here? I’m imagining he has a secret passion for a “bit of rough” neighbour of his who likes a drink – all that talk of “he-manness” and everything.

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

And, along those lines….

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

It seemed like all the nations of the world wanted part of it. Nazi Germany was no exception, with Hitler giving George a special honour and sending a present.

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

Generous Ovaltine gave its workers an extra week’s wages to celebrate the occasion:

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

The Mirror had a special song commissioned, with a tune by Ivor Novello, no less.

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

Planning to get a good spot for the procession? Hyde Park was specially open all night on 11th May for overnight sleepers – here’s some tips:

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

But don’t bring your car:

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

Working underground? There’s still no excuse to miss the event!

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

You’re not patriotic enough unless you’re eating the correct food for the occasion.

Eat Nestle’s chocolate (in the days when everyone called it “Nessles”):

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

Or perhaps you fancy a Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp? I know I do. It’s a Kit Kat now, by the way.

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

Drink beer! I love how this isn’t an advert for a particular company, it’s just that YOU’RE BRITISH SO DRINK BEER. From 1429 (that was Henry VI’s coronation) to 1937, beer has been going strong. I don’t know what they had before 1429, though.

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

Stuck in a crowd waiting for the King to go past? Eat some specially shaped cheese triangles:

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

And smoke some special coronation fags while you’re at it:

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937

And here’s the film to use to take your pictures:
The Mirror, 1937

And finally, the new King pardons a murderer to mark the occasion, for some reason (welease Woderick). Well, he only stabbed his 20 year old fiancee to death, poor lamb. At least his “grey-haired” mother gets to see him again:

The Mirror, 1937
The Mirror, 1937
Categories
1900-1949 Adverts Ephemera

Skin Constipation, 1937

I have a feeling things are going to get a bit 1937-y around here for a while as my latest Ebay ephemera purchase is an edition of the Mirror from May 1937. It’s not the usual daily newspaper, though, but the overseas weekly edition compiled from a week’s worth of newspapers. The date is quite portentous as it’s the week before George VI’s coronation, and there’s a huge sense of build up and excitement, with special adverts recommending food to eat whole you’re waiting for the procession to pass, endless details about visitors from other parts of the world arriving to take part in all the pageantry, and romantic asides with pictures of the recently abdicated Edward and Wallace Simpson smiling at each other.

And that’s apart from the amazing news stories and general adverts, which are reliably fascinating. One thing I have learned from the adverts I have from the 1930s and 40s – you’re never far away from a laxative ad. Not sure why this was such a huge deal at this time – I imagined everyone was eating quite a lot of vegetable matter at this point. In fact, I’ve previously written about my favourite advert ever, a laxative advert in my Grandad’s 1940 copy of the Radio Times (he was on the cover) – https://skittishlibrary.co.uk/remembrance-week-the-radio-times-1940/

So, how to capitalise on this apparent fear of constipation if you didn’t actually manufacture laxatives? Wright’s Coal Tar Soap decided to basically invent a new problem -“Skin constipation”, a kind of poisoning from your blocked pores. Luckily, this terrible affliction could be avoided with their soap, of course.

Wright's Coal Tar soap advert, 1937
Wright’s Coal Tar soap advert, 1937
Categories
1900-1949 Ephemera War

Remembrance Week – George VI Thanks the Children of Britain, 1946

Following on from yesterday’s post, in 1946 the children of Britain got their own “Thank you and well done”.

This was a printed letter from King George VI, sent to all schoolchildren at the end of the Second World War, recognising the fact that the whole of the country, children included, played their part.

“For you have shared in the hardships and dangers of a total war and you have shared no less in the triumph of the Allied Nations”.

The one I have belonged to a little girl called Diana Morcom, wherever she is now….