The monthly meeting was held on 1 September. John Illston stressed the urgent need for someone to come forward as the next Chairman, to join the committee now ready to take over in March 2005.

Chris Dickson drew attention to vacancies still remaining on certain groups, including ‘Edmund Spenser an Exploration’ and the beginners’ birdwatching group to be run by John Brown, Jeanne Waller’s Sharing Poetry group has been postponed and will now be starting in January. The family history visit to London scheduled for 16 September has been cancelled due to lack of numbers, but Chris hopes to arrange another trip later in the year.

Rosemary Nicholls is now taking bookings for a day in Bath on Thursday 2 December.

Jim Palm gave an illustrated talk entitled “Adverts in Aspic”. It was nostalgic to see so many old departed friends, such as Reckitts blue (“makes laundry whiter”), Huntley & Palmers biscuits and Players Navy Cut cigarettes. We were not quite so sad to see the back of Sid Jell’s wringers and “Mangling done here”, nor the Empire lamp oil and Veritas incandescent mantles. Some of the advertisements predated even the oldest members of the audience, like Taylor’s depositary promising to safely store the household belongings of the 1880s.

It was interesting to compare the prices with those today, Oxo cubes, 16 oz for 4/10d, a copy of the Daily Sketch (“the premier picture paper sold everywhere”) for a halfpenny, a flagon of Keystone Burgundy for 2/- and Ogden Tabs cigarettes five for one penny, the cheapest way ever to lung cancer!

Some advertisements appealed to buyers’ snobbery. Maples oriental carpets advertised their offices in London Paris and Smyrna. Simpson whisky was “as supplied to the House of Lords”, Chivers carpet soap was “prized in the Royal Household” and Jones Dome black lead was “used in the Royal Household” – visions of the Queen down on her hands and knees blackleading the fireplaces. Others appealed to patriotism, like Bryant and May matches which urged its users to “support home industries, employ British labour”.

Advertisements were widely displayed, particularly at railway stations and we saw a picture of the tiny station at Codford liberally plastered with adverts. Dr Beeching’s cuts must have been a blow not only to railway passengers but also to the advertising industry.