Trivia Investigation Team

[NewcastleFalcon]

Just in case anyone wants a proper Subbuteo trivia wallow this site should have plenty to go on.

http://www.peter-upton.co.uk/sub1.htm

Subbuteo was launched in March 1947. It was invented, manufactured and solely distributed by Peter A Adolph from his base in Langton Green, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The first sets were sold by mail order, and also at events such as the 1947 "Schoolboys Own Exhibition".

Subbuteo's original box set was called the "Assembly Outfit". It was a very primitive set put together by Peter Adolph, with help from his mother. It sold via mail-order, and the first sets were sent out in March 1947. The set came in a red box, about the size of a 1960s team box, with details written on a brown panel on the lid. It featured a dark brown celluloid ball, two team sheets of cut-out card players, twenty patented plastic bases (made from Woolworths buttons), two "T" bases with wires for the goalkeepers, two flat packed metal wire goal frames (with paper nets), a number sheet, and a piece of chalk to mark a pitch onto any available cloth, preferably an old green army blanket.

Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

One for Steve

For about 1 year in 1982, while owned by Waddingtons Subbuteo had a factory in Washington at Unit 1 Crowther Industrial Estate.

https://subbuteo.online/the-former-subb ... e-to-rent/

Neil

[myglaren]

Never knew that Neil and I can walk there in about fifteen minutes. Never had any interest in stuff like that though so it would probably have passed me by if I had heard of it.
Never ventured onto that estate until the late nineties when my son in law worked there, except for one unfortunate expedition when my wife was making another attempt at learning to drive.
Three kids in the car and eight months pregnant she drove of a perfectly straight road and into the ditch. Fortunately there was an amused groundworks crew there with a tractor that dragged us back onto the road. Hillman Imp remained unscathed. Or at least no worse that it had been.

I had another coincidence to report. Unfortunately I have forgotten what it was

[CitroJim]

Never ventured onto that estate until the late nineties when my son in law worked there, except for one unfortunate expedition when my wife was making another attempt at learning to drive.
Three kids in the car and eight months pregnant she drove of a perfectly straight road and into the ditch. Fortunately there was an amused groundworks crew there with a tractor that dragged us back onto the road. Hillman Imp remained unscathed. Or at least no worse that it had been.

Like you Steve, I never had any interest in this or indeed, any board games in general and still don't. I abhor them in all forms. Maybe because I was brought-up spending most of my time outdoors and where my toys were not ones you'd find in any toy shop! Once, an attempt was made to teach me chess. I felt trapped and had an urge - which i eventually acted upon - to scream and run away. My idea of torture is an afternoon of monopoly or similar. Even worse torture for me is card games. Once, whilst regularly commuting by train to London, brave attempts were made to recruit me to a bridge club. I tried but ultimately the urge to scream and run away got the better of me. I always found watching the world go by out of the carriage window was far more enjoyable...

I do love though, how this discussion of a football game - which until now, I never knew even existed - has led to a great reminiscence about the other half learning to drive Steve... Pure magic! I take it she did eventually pass

[myglaren]

No, she tried many times but never took a test. Unusual as in every other respect she was embarrassingly smart and competent. I definitely learned more from her than she did from me.

[NewcastleFalcon]

The Trivia Investigation Thread paper aeroplanes.

The simple pleasures...paper aeroplanes...mix with a bit of science and a simple piece of A4 folded at home could fly over many metres.

The Guinness world record for it...indoors, hand launched 40° angle of attack made from 100 gsm A4 is currently 88.381m metres

https://onfirstup.com/boeing/BNN/articl ... plink=true

This is one from a former record holder from 2012 John Collins...advantage really easy to make.
Give it a go, entertain your nearest and dearest...it is highly likely to be the best flying paper aeroplane you have ever made...less than 5 mins to make



Bit more commitment required to watch John Collins present the science ending up with his "Suzanne" design.


Neil

[Michel]

I've been using our local tap-water for ever in all sorts of vehicles - never had a problem...

Same here Jim, never, ever had a problem. I put the advice not to use tap water in vehicles in the same category as not using fairy liquid to wash the car, as "it has salt in it"...

[myglaren]

I too have never used other than tap water but we do live in a soft water district.
Allegedly it is better to boil tap water to precipitate and calcium prior to using it in the car but I have always been lucky. With this operation anyway.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Just a bit of associated trivia to add to the picture of the day "Joicey" brick...

http://www.twizellheritagetrail.co.uk/g ... -alma-pit/
Grange Villa
As with other colliery villages, there was very little of Grange Villa before the Alma Pit was opened in 1858.

Owned by James Joicey, the Alma Pit was named after the Battle of the Alma, which was fought during the Crimean War and took place on 20 September 1854. In 1872, a brickworks was opened, between the colliery and the Twizell.

It may have been then that the Twizell was diverted to make room on the bank. Certainly, once the brickworks appear on the map in 1895, the burn follows a straighter course around the new buildings.

The bricks from Alma Brickworks were stamped ‘Joicey West Pelton’ and were used to build local houses, including much of Craghead Front Street. Both the Alma Pit and the brickworks closed in 1921 and the population of Grange Villa declined as families moved elsewhere looking for work.

and today this thing perched on an outcrop of the Whin Sill usually monopolises the photos of visitors to Bamburgh.

Not many will have spotted and photographed these gems in a skip...yes none other than hard-as-nails Joicey bricks from Old King Coal's brickworks.

Joicey bricks!

Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

All you wanted to know about Lady Celia Congreve, writer of The Firewood Poem as featured here

viewtopic.php?p=782267#p782267

https://femalewarpoets.blogspot.com/201 ... itish.html

...Celia was born in India on 24th April 1867. She was baptised Cecelia Henrietta Dolores Blount la Touche on 3rd November 1867, in Rajkot, India, where her father was based. Celia’s parents were Charles William Blount La Touche, a British Army Officer, and his wife, Rosa Wilhelmina, nee Müller....

On 3rd June 1890, Celia married Walter Norris Congreve VC KCB MVO (who was later knighted and became General Sir Walter Congreve), known as “Squibs” or “Old Concrete”, at St. Jude’s Church in Kensington, London, UK.

Some excellent names there for the name noticer..

Neil

[Rp0thejester]

Can you give us all information on how current tyre manufacturers are here but the older tyre companies disappeared... like Palmer tyres for an example.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Mergers, and acquisitions, and economies of scale swallowing up the competition.

Never heard of Palmers...but Graces Guide is a good place to start. This was probably the significant take-over moment in 1933. British Goodrich Rubber Co acquired India Rubber, Gutta Percha and Telegraph Works Co including its selling subsidiary Palmer Tyre Co. Palmer tyres for motor vehicles, aircraft and cycles were then made by the parent which became British Tyre and Rubber Co and marketed by Palmer.

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Palmer_Tyre

There is a large image gallery for various Palmer Tyre Adverts over the years here
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Palmer_Ty ... ge_Gallery

In 1955 the Competition Commission Report listed these manufacturers of tyres in the UK

CHAPTER 5. ESTABLISHMENT AND GROWTH OF MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
53. There are eleven tyre manufacturing companies in the United Kingdom
today and three companies ranking as tyre manufacturers who have their tyres made for them by others. All these fourteen companies are members of the T.M.C., and there are no manufacturers of new tyres who are outside its membership. The companies are: —
Manufacturing
The Avon India Rubber Co. Ltd., British Tyre & Rubber Co. Ltd., Dunlop Rubber Co. Ltd., Firestone Tyre & Rubber Co. Ltd., The Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Co. (Gt. Britain) Ltd., Henley's Tyre & Rubber Co. Ltd., India Tyre & Rubber Co. Ltd., John Bull Rubber Co. Ltd., Michelin Tyre Co. Ltd., The North British Rubber Co. Ltd., Pirelli Ltd.
Non-Manufacturing
Bergougnan Tyre Co. Ltd., Davies Tyre Co. Ltd., Dominion Rubber Co. Ltd

By 1956, with the tyre making side of BTR's business becoming unprofitable, they stopped making tyres.

Neil

[Rp0thejester]

O, that was an interesting read, thank you, John Bull? That has me intrigued...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Best place for a possible answer to this...

Would get booed now for the reg no BNP14.

Quite... Back in the days when vehicle registrations were first introduced (1904?), Dorset were allocated BF. This, at the time was seen as outrageous and all vehicles so registered had new numbers issued to them. Once such case was an Ormonde Motorcycle originally issued BF1. It had it withdrawn and replaced by Y5, a Somerset allocation.
This bike is in the Haynes Motor museum back wearing its original BF1 plates although they may not be genuine. BF1 would likely have been reallocated when the fuss died down...

Thing is, nobody but nobody knows to this day just why BF was so offensive and outrageous in the early 1900s...

I would guess BF registrations were issued from 1904 ish to the mid 1920's based on Old Classic Car's info (BD ran from 1903 to 1924. BE from 1903 to 1922 ) From being an innocuous registration up until the mid 20's, the mid twenties also saw the formation of the British Fascisti. The organisation was formed on 6 May 1923 by Rotha Lintorn-Orman in the aftermath of Benito Mussolini's March on Rome, and originally operated under the Italian-sounding name British Fascisti.

That could well have sparked the outrage at the BF registration.

Neil

[CitroJim]

That could well have sparked the outrage at the BF registration.

A top bit of research there Neil and it could well be... I can see how it would have been...