Membership
Cards
This is one area of BB Memorabilia that can date right back to the very first year of the Brigade. Badges, uniform, certificates etc. all started either one or two years after the inception of the Brigade.
Although there are Membership Cards for 1883 they were only issued to the 1st Glasgow Company, as that was the 'Brigade' at the time. By the time of the first Brigade Council meeting in January 1885 there were still only two companies involved, and both in Glasgow. At the AGM of the Brigade Council in October, 1885 there were fifteen companies enrolled, twelve from Glasgow and three from Edinburgh. Thus it can be seen that to obtain Membership Cards for the first and second sessions is extremely difficult, not to put too finer point on it, but they do exist in the Glasgow HQ archives which is reassuring to know.
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So, immediately comes the problem of which way to collect these items, seeing as the first few years will be very scarce indeed. Personally I like to aim for the ultimate and try to obtain the complete set but there are several useful divisions that we can use along the way to gather a realistic set of cards. Firstly, up to 1890 all the cards were non- pictorial with only varying types of ornate script on the front. As you come closer to 1890 the script is getting more pictorially organised but no real picture has yet graced the covers of the cards. A collection could start from 1891 with the launch of the first real pictorial cards and that carries through to the present day. However during the late 60’s, the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s there have been some fairly close calls at breaking that rule, the worst offenders being 1986/87 and 1995/96. |
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Another demarcation point could
be 1896/97. Although the cards from 1890-1895 had pictures on them, and
most in beautiful subtle colouring with classic BB icons of colours,
bugles, drums and tents etc., these illustrations were in landscape format
rather than the more usual portrait arrangement. But for 1896/97 we are
now treated to the first of many magnificent full colour Victorian style
pictures that many hold as the pinnacle of 
Membership Card design.
Certainly the cards from this period have an attraction for ephemera
collectors who have no BB roots at all, thus the competition for obtaining
these items is considerably increased. However they are well worth the
hunt in tracking them down. Of course, even this rule of portrait
orientated cards does have a single exception to it. The year is none
other than 1983/84 at the height of the centenary celebrations.
The next divisional point is provided by the turn of the century. With the cards up to 1900 being still relatively difficult to obtain, this is quite a logical place to start a collection. Cards from this period do crop up fairly frequently but can still command quite a high price from some sources, but at least it is a realistic goal that can be achieved. The latter cards in this next section veer away from a full pictorial representation to some very ornate and attractive patterned cards.
Union with the BLB brings the next logical divisional point into play. A collection from the 1927/28 card is a very achievable target and there are many fine examples in this band. Many varying art styles are depicted here, reflecting the mood of popular art across the country. The war years cards from 1939/40 to 1944/45 are harder to obtain than most of the others in the section due to reduced quantities being produced and many suffering the ravages of Hitler’s bombing campaign across the UK.
The final divisional area comes
with the introduction of the "modern" membership card in 1967/68
shortly after the publication of the Haynes Report and the renaming of the
Life Boys as the Junior Section. Now two designs of each card were
produced per year, one for the Company Section, as had been standard since
1883, and one for the Junior Section with a Sunday School attendance
record grid printed in place of the Objective and mini review of the BB.
For four years (1972/73 - 1975/76) the Junior Section cards were produced
with different colourations to the Company section cards although the
design remained the same. The two-tier system disappeared after 1986/87
but was later reintroduced for two sessions in 1998/99 & 1999/2000.
However by the 2000/01 card it has reverted to a single issue, then in
2001/02 two-tier again. Only time
will tell which system BB Supplies will adopt (but it seems to be a one
card system from 2001-02 to date!) .
Other divisional areas obviously arise when people commence their service in the BB and many of you have all the membership cards from when you first started in the BB. I particularly like to obtain sequences of cards depicting an individual’s service in the BB and I endeavour, when passing these items on, to try to keep them together.
Having dealt with the particular starting points for various collections, it will now be useful to look at some of the interesting features of the cards that make them so collectable. Obviously the cover design is a major attraction and therefore the earlier cards with the more elaborate designs are more sought after. Some people are very interested to obtain sets of the cards where the monarch is illustrated and this mini-set now consists of six cards 1897/98(Victoria), 1901/02 (Edward VII), 1908/09 (Victoria & Edward VII), 1910/11 (George V), 2001/02(Elizabeth II) and 2006/07(Elizabeth II).
There have been a few pictorial cards where the design has been re-used in a subsequent year but again this is a small group. The paired cards are 1896/97 & 1912/13 (although the colours have changed), 1927/28 & 1945/46 (again some changes here - this time layout) and 1932/33 & 1944/45.
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One interesting variation that people have tried to track down is the 1991/92 card where the "Sure & SteAdfast" motto has had to be overprinted because of the spelling. It was only to be two further card issues before the new spelling was imposed upon us. Also after 1964/65, there was no further reference to our Patron on the cards a fact I must admit it does seem rather strange - there is an exception to this again the 2001/02 card which depicts the Golden Jubilee of the Queen makes reference to her as our Patron (see photo above).
One successful campaign that ran for many years and presumably still does although very little recognition is given to it now, particularly since the photographic covers have been employed, is the invitation to submit designs for the card covers. The particular Boy was always acknowledged inside the card along with his Company title.
Many of the early cards had Company inserts inside them giving varying amounts of information about the Company. It is common to find squad lists and addresses of Boys and a list of the officers. Also such details as Company programmes, special award regulations and general BB rules were often included. Some had camp photographs inside them and I have one card from 1900/01 that has a collection of BB hymns etc. inserted into it. These inserts make fascinating reading and cards that have such information are more highly sought after than the basic card.
The other membership cards that are available are the triplet sets for the Boy Reserves and the Life Boys. Instead of issuing a new design every year, these cards were designed in sets of three to represent the Boy's different years of service in the particular section. They were colour coded to identify the particular service year, Blue for the 1st year, Red for the 2nd year and Green for the 3rd year. The first set to be issued was for the Boy Reserves and these were all buff background, three leaf, two fold cards having a cross design in the particular year colour.
The next set issued was for the Life Boys and they had buff covers with similar cross designs in the relevant colours but only two leaf, single fold cards. The third set, still possessing buff covers, featured designs by BB artist Tom Curr showing individual boys participating in various LB activities. The particular year was indicated by the relevant coloured title and LB crest.
The subsequent set, issued around the time of WW2 are white background cards with much more colourful designs of LB activities, again drawn by Tom Curr, and the heading boxes are in the relevant year colours. The blue card illustrates a new recruit being welcomed into the meeting by other Boys. The red card shows a Life Boy in uniform saluting, whilst in the background others are playing team games. (It is interesting to note that while the main boy has the typical sailor hat with white summer cover, the Boys in the teams have the school boy caps that had the tiny LB badges on them. The Green card shows the Company Captain (complete with walking stick) welcoming the Boy into the Company Section while a sergeant looks on. The final set issued in the 50’s and 60’s have photographs on them, rather than drawings, but the photographs have recreated the drawings of the previous set. Again the header and footer boxes are in the appropriate year colour.
From time to time cards turn up that have been produced by particular companies and these can be quite professional affairs also containing inserts with the relevant local information.
I regularly exhibit my collection at Company Anniversary celebrations, Stedfast AGM’s and similar functions and have mounted them chronologically on three boards. Each card is in a plastic wallet so that only the cover is displayed and these plastic covers are mounted on to the boards and then clear tape seals off the top of the holders to prevent cards from being removed.
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