WWI game?

[Kathryn]

I recently purchased this game for our war and social history museum. It was listed as being 1950's era but it certainly refers to events from WWI and I suspect it is much older. I am hopeless at it - get the ball bearing stuck in either a mine or submarine every time!

 

Has anyone seen it before or know anything about it or the company that made it? I have another ball bearing game from the same era called 'The Silver Bullet Game' but it seems to be far more common or perhaps I'm just not looking in the right places.

 

Any help appreciated.

 

Kind regards,

Kathryn.

[Chasemuseum]

It will be WW1 - absolutely lovely.

Cheers

Ross

[Kathryn]

I think it's gorgeous! So lucky to have found it. Glad you like it too, Ross.

[Chasemuseum]

I had a quick look at Graces Guides and the 1914 Business Who's Who. Cannot be positive but the likely manufacture is

 

HARRAP (CHARLES) & CO., Printers and Advertising Agents, 36 to 38, Whitefriars Street, Fleet Street, London, E.C. Hours of Business: 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. Present Principals: Charles Harrap and Leslie Austen Harrap. Speciality: Special processes of Lithography and Photography; Technical Publishing; Advertising and Printing. Printing Consultants. Patent: Harrap and Crawford's Chromo Process for Aluminium. Connection: United Kingdom, and Colonial. Telephone: No. 879 City, London. Bankers: London and South Western Bank, Ltd. (Charing Cross). Mr. Charles Harrap is the Author of " Metalography," Transferring.," " Lithography, History and Practical Devolopments. He has been President of the Association of Teachers in Technical Institutes. Members of the Institute of Printers. Club: Aldwyeh (London).

 

Cheers

[Kathryn]

Thank you.

[seaJane]

Would the Museum of Childhood people at the Victoria and Albert maybe have an idea? https://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/about-us/contact-us/

 

It gets a brief mention in this thread

 

[seaJane]

Googled: made for Hamleys of London according to this website: https://www.puzzlemuseum.com/month/picm15/2015-05-constantinople.htm

 

[Kathryn]

Thanks seaJane. Great links there. Looks like I need to search for the second game to add to our collection! How fascinating that the company that sold it started in 1760 - before the first settlers came to Australia. I gather they were (and still are) a retailer. The name on the back H Bros London doesn't give much away and the name on the front H B London leads you to a manufacturer of luxury handbags and suitcases.

 

I did actually go on the Victoria and Albert Museum website and searched for it, but with no luck. I hadn't thought about sending them a direct question.

 

Thanks again,

Kathryn.

[Kathryn]

The other thing I just noticed when I compared my game to the one on the puzzle museum website is that the round spacers between the glass and the game surface on mine are much smaller and in different positions than those on the one pictured there. Given that mine has obviously come apart at some point, perhaps they modified the design slightly for stability or to maintain integrity.