Army Club was a British brand of

cigarettes A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the oppo ...

, owned and manufactured by Cavanders Ltd of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

History

The brand was founded by Cavanders Ltd in 1775. Cavanders was a cigarette company originally based in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, but eventually moved its operations in

. Army Club was a popular cigarette brand in the 1910s, especially during the time of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The brand disappeared in 1961, as the company was taken over by the Godfrey Philips Company, whose main factory is now in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. It is believed that the company was eventually acquired by

Philip Morris International Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. The most recognized and best selling product of the company is Marlboro. Philip Morris I ...

. An Army Club cigarette packet was found in the pocket of the

Somerton Man The Somerton Man was an unidentified man whose body was found on 1 December 1948 on the beach at Somerton Park, South Australia, Somerton Park, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. The case is also known after the Persian language, Persian ph ...

. In September 2014,

Wales Online Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff, Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by Reach plc (formerly known as the Trinity Mirror Group). It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd. History The ''Western Mail'' was fo ...

reported that a +100-year-old packet of Army Club cigarettes exists. The pack is kept by Brian Alexander, which has kept it safe since his father passed it onto him after his grandfather, known as Arthur Maddox, gave it to him. "The cigarettes were brought home from World War One by my grandfather Arthur Maddox, and he gave them to my father, Fred Alexandar. My grandfather bet my father he would smoke them before the month was out because he was a chain smoker. But my father did not smoke them, and so he passed them on to me and I still have them," Brian said.

Advertising

Various posters were made to promote the brand, especially during the time of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The posters were made in multiple languages, such as English and French. Advertising campaigns for this brand adopted the themes of nostalgia of wartime camaraderie and male culture. Army Club cigarettes were also promoted in newspapers, such as

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication in ...

, as well as on railway carriages. Signs promoting this brand were also made. In the 1920s, these cigarettes were sold in elaborate tins made of pressed copper. A set of landscape cards were also issued with every pack of Army Club cigarettes, along with a special camerascope to view the pictures with.

References

{{reflist Cigarette brands 1775 establishments in England

History

Advertising

See also

References