Advertisement for the United Co-operative Baking Society in Ygorra, January 1939.
The UCBS was founded in 1869 to supply bread to the city's co-op branch stores. It had a large factory in McNeil Street in Hutchesontown which employed nearly 1,000 people by 1958. The advert notes that the UCBS baked 50 per cent of all the bread eaten in the city.
Co-operative societies played a large part in retail distribution in Glasgow. A 1950 census indicated they accounted for one tenth of all retail sales in the city. Between 1938 and 1954 the combined membership of Glasgow's eight co-op societies rose by nearly 50 per cent, from nearly 135,500 to over 210,000 people.
This advertisement depicts three students dressed up in fancy dress for Charity Week holding a giant slice of bread. The importance of bread as the fuel of the city is demonstrated by the depictions of famous landmarks: the University of Glasgow; George Square and the shipyards.
Reference: Glasgow University Archive Services, DC198/2/18
Glasgow University Archive Services
Keywords:
advertisements, bakers, baking, bread, cartoons, Charity Week, Co-operatives, Co-ops, food distributors, food importers/distributors, food manufacturers, students, UCBS, United Co-operative Baking Society, wholesalers, Ygorra
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