Thos. Forman Preservation Society Issue No.6

Registered as a Charity for tax purposes with HM Revenue & Customs.

THOS. FORMAN PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Preserving the history of printing

HISTORICAL BULLETIN

Last October we received an email from Adrian Rossetto who had found an old 12 page calendar which is pictured alongside. Printed on it is ‘Forman Nottm. 4840’. (Most stock calendar illustrations were printed with a reference number).

This was a stock calendar that was overprinted on the headboard which read:

For several years Formans printed the labels for Skinner and Rook and the Editor’s late father George Parker was the sales representative who used to call and collect their orders. The store illustrated below, closed in 1955 when the wine business was transferred to Maypole Yard, half way up Clumber Street. The building at the corner of Clumber Street was redeveloped and became Hornes (men’s outfitters). The wine business finally closed in the 1960s.

A KALENDER - 1912

The box and label

The Ewbank Display

A label printed by Formans

The original Skinner and Rook Store

We were approached last year by Mark Leslie who had a set of Ewbank window display material printed by Thos. Forman which he had recovered from the Ewbank factory in Accrington the day before the demolition team moved in during the early 1980s. It was unused, still boxed, and a good example of the quality of Forman’s printing. When the display was erected a Ewbank carpet sweeper would have been the centrepiece, with the two standing gnomes holding the handle. The pack measures approximately 32” x 26”. We believe the material dates from the 1920s/1930s.

EWBANK DISPLAY

Mark did offer to sell the display to the Society but the figure he was asking was well beyond our means.

SKINNER AND ROOK

J. A. ALEXANDER

Chemist & Druggist Opposite Post Office

COONAMBLE Tel: 17

Coonamble is a town in New South Wales, Australia

January 2017

FORMAN CALENDER PRINTS Page 2

In April last year we received an email from Keith Hare who lives in Brockville, Ontario, Canada. He has in his possession a couple of framed ‘Forman Nottm.’ prints which he believes were from an old calendar.

THOS. FORMAN PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Keith is curious to know if the prints might be of any value to a collector, and if there might be a collector or dealer in Canada. He lives within an hour’s drive from Ottawa, Ontario.

One picture is titled ‘Drink to me only with thine eyes’, the other is ‘Gaily the troubadour’ and they both bear the number ‘9602’. As stated on the previous page, most calendar prints were given a number for identification and looking at other samples we hold, we estimate the date of these two prints would be 1926/1927.

Keith says they have been in frames for many years, perhaps 50 or more. He thinks the pictures were cut from calendars but is afraid to open the frames to see what’s on the back of the prints because they appear to be very brittle. The prints are ‘matted’ to view of 19.5 inches by 8.5 inches and being very brittle there are a couple of very small punctures.

ROYAL CATHEDRALS and CHURCHES

Drink to me only with thine eyes

Gaily the troubadour

We received another email in August last year from Sarah Hall who attached six calendar prints, two of which are illustrated below. She says “My mother recently passed away and I have discovered these prints, which I believe are lithographs, when I was clearing her home. Obviously this is a sad time for me but these prints have totally intrigued me and I would like to learn more about them. The six prints are enclosed in a brown envelope entitled ‘Cathedrals and Churches associated with the Royal Family’. Each print has a typed signature on the reverse ‘Printed by Thos. Forman & Sons Ltd, Nottingham, England’. I have been unable to find anything about these exact prints on the internet or when these prints were made. If you are able to provide and knowledge or guidance I would be grateful? I would like to preserve the prints and wondered if it would be worth getting them appraised.”

We replied that we could not give her a date when they were printed but believe it would be 1950/1960s or perhaps even earlier. Illustrations of Cathedrals and Churches were frequently used for stock calendars in earlier years but as these prints are in a separate printed folder they must have been produced for some special occasion.

St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey

Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey St. George’s Chapel, Windsor

If any member of the Society can

throw any light on these prints, or

indeed provide information on other

items illustrated in this bulletin,

please contact the Editor.

The other four pictures are:

The choir, St. Paul’s Cathedral

The choir, Canterbury Cathedral

Sandringham Parish Church

Westminster Abbey

MEMORIES FROM MONICA RICHARDSON (nee Latcham) Page 5

THOS. FORMAN PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Monica wrote as follows: “When I was reading the ‘Bygones’ paper, I saw a picture of Ann Todd who was Miss

England. She was a secretary at Thos. Formans. I worked with her in the Typing office 1959-1961. I do not remember

whose secretary she was. The directors at that time were, R. A. Jackson, J. B. Irving and Tom Potter. Ken Aldred also

worked there, and I met up with him again when he came to live in Bleasby. Muriel Drake was R. A. Jackson’s

Secretary.”

Editors note: Ann Todd was secretary to Eric Corby, Carton Sales Manager and we believe she was Miss Nottingham

but not Miss England.

FORMAN CRICKET TEAM

Rosemary Pinder recently gave us an early picture

of the Forman cricket team. It appears to have

been taken outside the pavilion but unfortunately

there is no date on it.

There were also three postcards from Wollaton

Cricket Club and Southwell Cricket Club confirming

the dates of fixtures. These are dated 1947 and

1948 and addressed to Mr. H. E. Albone who was

Hon. Secretary of the Cricket Section.

One of the postcards addressed to Mr. H. E. Albone

Early Forman Cricket Team

CHARITY WALK FOR LIFEBOATS - from Graham Sheppard

In the 1980s the letterpress and litho boys took part in a

charity walk in aid of ‘Lifeboats’. The boat named

‘Nottingham’ is now in Aberdeen, Scotland.

In the picture is Colin Pepper, Granville, Barry Adkin, Steve

Thomas, Franko Nugnes, Phil Teer, Sting, Peter Lightfoot,

Stuart Pullford, Paul Jenner, Harvey Adler, Graham

Sheppard, Paul Unwin.

ARTISTS AND REPRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Page 6

THOS. FORMAN PRESERVATION SOCIETY

We are repeating the Artists and Reproduction Department picture which appeared in the last ‘Historical Bulletin’ as

we have now identified the names of all those who appear with the exception of one person. We trust this will bring

back memories to those of you who worked in these departments. We believe the picture was taken in the mid 1970s.

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29 24 26

30

(1) Bill Dunn (2) Jim Wright (3) Mike Sullings (4) Peter Townsend (5) John Berry (6) Peter Sinclaire (7) Pete Fellows

(8) Howard Blackwell (9) John Hawkesworth (10) Graham Cope (11) David Eite (12) Stan Prosser

(13) Ian Mcloughlin (14) Bob Humphries (15) Wyn Wall (16) David Richardson (17) Alan Bartlett (18) Gill Elliott

(19) Doug Osborne (20) Ron Lakin (21) Percy Walker (22) Frank Brewster (23) Ken Sheppard (24) Denis Goldsworth

(25) Don Spratt (26) Pat McKay (27) Dave Williamson (28) Brian Brookes (29) Not known (30) Jack Challans (Joiner)

ALBERT WHITLOCK - from Graham Sheppard

Graham Sheppard has asked us if we have any information about Albert Whitlock who died some years ago. Graham says he remembers that Albert worked in the Ink Store but was a very clever guy. He made a carriage out of tins and was invited to Buckingham Palace. He also did special effects for big films and Graham has seen his name on credits for ‘Spartacus & Earthquake’. Graham asked us to confirm it is the same Albert and having spoken to some of the ex-employees who worked in the litho, we can confirm this is correct. Graham says “What a great guy Formans had working with us”. Incidentally we are told that Albert Whitlock’s father was a chauffeur to Col. W. A. Potter.

COMPETITION The last competition:

Richard Shaw was the only entrant for the competition which appeared in the last ‘Historical Bulletin’ and in spite of being on the picture of the ‘Forman Social FC’ himself, he was only able to name three of the others. They were Roger Stevenson, Evan Murray and Dave Smith (although the latter did not work at Formans). New competition:

“What is the connection between ‘warm wishes’, ‘ruby wedding’ and the name of a spirit, and when and where was the latter developed and by who?”

There will be a £10 prize for the first correct entrant received by the Editor. There is a slight Forman connection.

Incidentally this question has been sent to the ‘BBC Round Britain Quiz’.

A SAD STORY - extract from Forman Newsletter July 1957

“Mr. A. was away from work one Friday and his wages were sent by post. They did not reach him, and on Saturday morning his wife came up to the factory to collect them. We hadn’t got the money either. On Monday the registered envelope came back with a note ‘not known at this address’. Mr. A. had moved but had not notified his new address. Could this be a gentle hint to anyone who has moved or married recently?”