I did send this to Moonbase's recent season on the subject,
which continues apace with a tram added the other day (I might have a bus
somewhere, but buried deep in the garage I fear) , however and in the meantime I
had found out a little more about it, so we'll have another look now!
I wondered from the shape if it might have
contained the dry crackers for cheese, but on reflection suspect it may have
been shortbread, aimed at the tourist market, it obviously bearing the
likenesses of several ceremonially-attired British troops, namely a Coldstream
Guardsman (paired buttons), Royal Marine bandsman/drummer, a Yoman Warder 'Beefeater'
from the 'white' Tower of London and a member of the ceremonial 'Kings Troop'
of the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA).
Issued by Huntley & Palmer, a local firm here, down the road in Reading
(I well remember the smell!)* it is apparently the third in a series, issued in
1971 it followed the pattern of tins originally issued in 1910 and 1914 (hence
the 'apparently', it's such a big gap to the third design, one feels there may
have been interim designs?).
*Reading had two smells when I was a kid,
the H&P factory's wonderful baking sugar and bread smells and - in the
centre of town - the sour, stick-in-your-throat smells of the brewery!
The plastic roof was the innovation on the
1971 version, as was the money-slot and all three sentry boxes are on Reading
Museum's website (which is why I suddenly know so much about them!) and the
earlier two can be seen here;
I've had an email exchange with Matthew Williams at the museum, and
after lockdown they will look at adding images of the other sides of the tins,
as while it will be interesting to see who's on the other sides of the 1910
tin, more interesting will be who - if anyone - replaces Germany on the 1914
tin?
[06-06-2020 - In fact the notes have already been updated to reflect that
fact, Germany was replaced with Belgium! But the RHA is still described as a
Hussar. Oh, and it's the 76th anniversary of D-Day today!]
The marking however, is an HBS, which was for many years an
independent 'arm' of the biscuit makers started and run by one of the sons; Huntley, Boorne and Stevens, although
eventually it was brought in-house, it will - for half a century or more - have
also supplied tins and tin-plate goods/components to other customers around Britain
and across the 'Empire' - as was.
Other ceremonial or historical figures in
Chris's donation include the large guardsman who goes with the previously seen Guards
officer and RHA trooper, but this time is based with the full set of Tringa Toy marks including a date; 2004,
showing how quickly things which are 'It's
still in the shops' current production, become 'Blimey, it's over 15 years
old' collectables, purly by dint of the inexorable march of time!
He's missing what I have half a recollection
was an SA80, and I think I may have
one in the loose weapons zone, from another mixed lot as some point? If I can
marry them up we'll have another look at them all-together, as they (three and
a sentry box) have all been donated to the Blog (Chris Smith and Peter Evans)
for showing to you, loyal readers!
Due only to the delay in getting these
posts out, we now know - from the recent plumping of Plastic Warrior magazine No.179
onto our door-mats that the Herald
clones are from the Argentine company Oklahoma,
we looked at another a while ago (from Adrian I think - another officer with
sword?), however, the mag' shows the ACW bugler was also given the Argentinian Army
make-over!
The other three are an Esci gunner, a small Highlander 'mocherette' and another Highlander,
who may have been removed from a pop-up toy and wired, but Chris suggested he
may be an old, damaged earring? I think there's millage in that.
Medievals; Both Chris and I suspect Poland
for the rider, the under-paint polemer is very 'Polish' and I have a memory of
seeing plain, gold-paint foot figures attributed to Poland somewhere? The
little guy may be a war-gaming figure, but I suspect either a board game or a
touristy thing; another 'mocherette' anyway! While the archer is Wild Republic (K&M).
I placed him on a spare horse - also in
Chris's donation, and if you think the angles poor for getting a handle on the
horse, we'll look at it again in the Wild West shots! It's not the rider's
horse, but looks the part of a tough little steppe-pony!
Many, many-thanks again to Chris for
sending us all these and next-up; Wild West, Prehistoric and Civilians!
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