I like the way that a story comes back and takes off on another journey of discovery.*
This time it is about those crested pieces of porcelain which were produced in their thousands from identical moulds, with just the application of a transfer coat of arms and a name to mark them out as Ramsgate, rather than London, Blackpool or Great Yarmouth.
They have featured a lot over the years on the blog, and in particular those made during the Great War, when the china companies swapped from reproducing Blackpool Tower or Buckingham Palace to war time themes.
They ranged from tanks, battleships, and ambulances to aircraft and zeppelins.
And it is of zeppelins, that neatly brings me back to that earlier story when there two zeppelin raids on the same place in May 1915 and again in June 1917.
That must have felt very personal, but someone in the porcelain company saw the upside of the two Zeppelin raids, and never one to miss out, the producers or the retailers at Imperial Bazaar had the idea of adding on the base of each piece, the legend, “Souvenir from the Imperial Bazaar Albion Hill Ramsgate Twice wrecked by Zeppelins May 17 1915 and June 17 1917”.
All of which made these bits of unremarkable china something very special.
And yesterday Duncan Prebble shared a piece he had just acquired, and never being one to miss an opportunity I got permission to reproduce the piece.
What makes this one even more interesting, is that it dates from 1919, two years after the second bombing, pointing to that very simple economic truth, that if you have a good marketing theme, continue using it.
So far I haven’t uncovered a press report on the specific raids, but the Manchester Guardian was full of German airship attacks which were often driven off by the RAF.
That said, there will be someone with access to the local newspapers who can offer up a detailed news story.
Until then I shall just leave you with this “souvenir” of aerial bombardment and a thank you to Duncan.
Location; Ramsgate
Picture; “Souvenir from the Imperial Bazaar Albion Hill Ramsgate”, 1919 from the collection of Duncan Prebble
*That Zeppelin raid on Ramsgate ..... not once but twice and the porcelain cat and Teddy, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2018/05/that-zeppelin-raid-on-ramsgate-not-once.html
This time it is about those crested pieces of porcelain which were produced in their thousands from identical moulds, with just the application of a transfer coat of arms and a name to mark them out as Ramsgate, rather than London, Blackpool or Great Yarmouth.
They ranged from tanks, battleships, and ambulances to aircraft and zeppelins.
And it is of zeppelins, that neatly brings me back to that earlier story when there two zeppelin raids on the same place in May 1915 and again in June 1917.
That must have felt very personal, but someone in the porcelain company saw the upside of the two Zeppelin raids, and never one to miss out, the producers or the retailers at Imperial Bazaar had the idea of adding on the base of each piece, the legend, “Souvenir from the Imperial Bazaar Albion Hill Ramsgate Twice wrecked by Zeppelins May 17 1915 and June 17 1917”.
All of which made these bits of unremarkable china something very special.
And yesterday Duncan Prebble shared a piece he had just acquired, and never being one to miss an opportunity I got permission to reproduce the piece.
What makes this one even more interesting, is that it dates from 1919, two years after the second bombing, pointing to that very simple economic truth, that if you have a good marketing theme, continue using it.
That said, there will be someone with access to the local newspapers who can offer up a detailed news story.
Until then I shall just leave you with this “souvenir” of aerial bombardment and a thank you to Duncan.
Location; Ramsgate
Picture; “Souvenir from the Imperial Bazaar Albion Hill Ramsgate”, 1919 from the collection of Duncan Prebble
*That Zeppelin raid on Ramsgate ..... not once but twice and the porcelain cat and Teddy, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2018/05/that-zeppelin-raid-on-ramsgate-not-once.html
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