Rizla +

The manufacture of cigarette papers by Rizla can be traced back to 1660, when Philip Lacroix began production. The date of 1796, which appears on the advert below (from Penthouse magazine, 1978), would appear to be when Napoleon agreed to Rizla supplying rolling papers to his troops. From 1865, rice paper was used, rather than tissue, the branding now being Rizla +, riz being the french word for rice. The company remained in the Lacroix family until 1978, the year of this advert, and has continued to grow with the new owners.

Back in the 1960s, it was often my task to get my dad's smoking requirements from our local corner shop, this being 'half an ounce of Old Holborn and a packet of green'..........

Stanley smokes Craven 'A'

It seems almost inconceivable today that a professional footballer should endorse cigarettes, but it was not uncommon back in the 1950s and earlier; here is "football genius" Stanley Matthews, who played for Stoke City, Blackpool and England, putting his name behind Craven 'A' in Picturegoer magazine, 15 November 1952. A vegetarian and teetotaller, Matthews did live to be 85, so perhaps smoking Craven 'A' really was OK...............

Senior Service Satisfy

As a non-smoker, I can't say whether it does satisfy or not, but it was a very popular brand of cigarette. My mother smoked Guards until she gave up, whilst my father's tobacco of choice was Old Holborn. I was regularly sent to the local shop, three doors down, for "Half an ounce of Old Holborn and a packet of green", the green being Rizla cigarette papers. Rolling your own appeared to be very economical smoke, with very little wastage, There would always be 'dog ends' lying around our house, waiting for their last puffs. A girl I knew back in the 1970s rolled her own too, as did her mother, I recall. Heaven forbid that I should condone smoking, but I did raise a smile when I saw a girl student on a bus recently, painstakingly constructing a cigarette from the contents of a battered old pouch so as to be ready on the completion of her journey.

Many adverts for Senior Service had a nautical theme, understandable as that was also the nickname for the Royal Navy.

The two colourful adverts depicting naval scenes heading this post were painted by Harold Wylie and appeared in Punch magazines in1960/61, and that with the red background from a 1960s theatre programme. The three black & white illustrations were found in various editions of Picture Post of the early 1950s. Lastly, the photograph above was taken in 2010 of an old shop front in Margate, now a cafe, but retaining the old sign-age above the lovely curved windows. The owner did give me a funny look though! The brand was first manufactured in 1925 and is still sold today.