stevehowarth Posted 20 August , 2006 Share Posted 20 August , 2006 I have come across in our local newspaper (Craven Herald) concerts to raise money for soldiers in 1914; they -the concerts - were referred to as 'smokers'. Could anybody throw light on this term? Cheers Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Clay Posted 20 August , 2006 Share Posted 20 August , 2006 Steve A smoking-concert was a concert at which smoking was allowed, so at the time, would almost certainly have been a male-only affair, and I surmise, perhaps a little less decorous than a simple "concert"?. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 20 August , 2006 Share Posted 20 August , 2006 Steve I guess this a reference to "smoking concerts". As far as I can tell they were generally men-only fundraising musical evenings. Perhaps rowdy and, almost certainly, bawdy. Think, perhaps in today's terms, of a "sponsored piss-up". I suspect you wouldnt be far wrong. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Clay Posted 20 August , 2006 Share Posted 20 August , 2006 John Perhaps we should enter the synchronised posting event at the next Olympics. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 20 August , 2006 Share Posted 20 August , 2006 More.... I also reckon the reference to them being "smoking" is that participants could smoke as and when they like. As opposed to, say , a formal dinner when the convention would be that there be no smoking until after the meal (after the loyal toast ??) Those were the days. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 20 August , 2006 Share Posted 20 August , 2006 Smokers are a common event in the Scottish Borders today. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 20 August , 2006 Share Posted 20 August , 2006 I think there might be a bit more to it than that. I'm transcribing the WO95 diary of the Matron-in-Chief [Maud McCarthy] and conincidentally I've just come across this, and assumed it just referred to cigarettes. 6 December 1914 Abbeville Working all day at letters and returned. Wrote to all in charge re pay and uniform. Received a censored letter from Col. Skinner from Rouen written by a Nurse. D.M.S. advised it should be sent on to War Office, which I did and wrote to Matron for a confidential report on this lady. A letter from Lord Knutsford about the best way of supplying smokers for officers, which I replied to asking they might be sent to all A.D.M.S. for distribution. Could the concerts have started as a money raising idea to send cigarettes to France, hence the name? Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Coulson Posted 20 August , 2006 Share Posted 20 August , 2006 Grandad worked in the local shipyard here in the north east and when a mate retired he would always say they were "having a smoker for him" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 20 August , 2006 Share Posted 20 August , 2006 No. I'm pretty confident 'smokers' were around in the 19th century. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehowarth Posted 20 August , 2006 Author Share Posted 20 August , 2006 Thanks, so far, for all your thoughts on the 'smokers' mystery. I should have stressed that these concerts referred to were either held in the local school (Skipton Grammar School) or its musical students sang/played instruments at them. May be this suggests fund raising for smokes for the soldiers, as opposed to a rowdy male-only piss-up! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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