WikiWirral Share a Little Learn a Lot about your Wirral
Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics76,486
Posts1,034,065
Members14,865
Most Online80,173
Apr 25th, 2025
Who's Online Now
6 members (1 invisible), 31,467 guests, and 866 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters
sunnyside 45,164
MattLFC 22,315
Mark 21,269
granny 17,810
_Ste_ 16,347
Newest Members
Yyyyuuiuu, roggersskinner, EGWtoffee, Nufrio, Lumabear
14,865 Registered Users
New General Forums
Moan about the Weather Page
by RUDEBOX - 1st Jul 2009 1:31pm
New Wirral History
Birkenhead Scandal, 1916.
by bert1 - 14th Jun 2025 8:17am
Temporary Hospitals (WW1)
by bert1 - 6th Jun 2025 5:42am
Birkenhead Fever Hospital, 1847.
by bert1 - 3rd Jun 2025 1:12pm
Anti Cigarette League
by bert1 - 31st May 2025 7:35am
Mad Dogs at Large
by bert1 - 29th May 2025 7:30pm
Top Posters(30 Days)
bert1 37
joney 3
Erainn 2
Topic Replies
Montpellier Crescent
by Chopper1979 - 18th Jun 2025 11:08pm
New Ferry regeneration
by diggingdeeper - 17th Jun 2025 11:36pm
132 Central Hotel
by bert1 - 15th Jun 2025 10:31am
Birkenhead Scandal, 1916.
by bert1 - 14th Jun 2025 1:21pm
737 Master Mariner, 3-5 Union Ter, New Brighton
by diggingdeeper - 12th Jun 2025 4:38am
Asda Ambrosia Rice Pudding.
by bert1 - 8th Jun 2025 8:20am
Temporary Hospitals (WW1)
by bert1 - 8th Jun 2025 7:13am
Birkenhead Fever Hospital, 1847.
by bert1 - 5th Jun 2025 1:22pm
Wirral College of Art , Whetstone Lane
by diggingdeeper - 5th Jun 2025 10:17am
June
M T W T F S S
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30
Top Likes Received (30 Days)
bert1 2
Top Likes Received
bert1 28
casper 4
Mark 4
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#1085847 31st May 2025 7:35am
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,779
Likes: 28
bert1 Offline OP
Wiki Veteran
OP Offline
Wiki Veteran
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,779
Likes: 28
I research family history and I came across a relative of the wife Patrick Croal who at the age of 11 in 1901 died of nicotine poisoning. Newspaper reports said he had been an excessive smoker from a very early age.

The editor of the Sunday School Chronicle, Rev Frank Johnson after Patrick's death took up the fight to have tobacconists to stop displaying cigarettes packed in bright colours next to sweets and to stop selling cigarettes to young boys. He wanted sweet shops not to be able to sell tobacco at all.

Writing in his Chronicle he threatened all tobacconists if they didn't change their ways he would start an organisation called the Anti Cigarette League.
This he did and for a fee of one and a half pennies you could enrol and effectively take up the fight. The organisation went international.

Here in Wirral many joined the League and one school in New Ferry had 200 members.

The Shaftsbury Boys Club gave up a room so the Anti Cigarette League could hold weekly meetings but the meetings were for boys under 9 years old and was heavily attended each week.

The problem eventually reached parliament, proposals put forward was to tax cigarettes, at the time you could buy 10 for one penny and if you looked around you could buy 10 for a half penny. The proposer wanted to put cigarettes out of the reach of children through pricing.

Another proposal was to ban the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 16, which eventually happened.

Reasons given, at 16 the body is more mature and tobacco has less affect.


God help us,
Come yourself,
Don't send Jesus,
This is no place for children.


Bertieone.
Google Ads
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,511
Likes: 32
Wiki Master
Offline
Wiki Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,511
Likes: 32
Prior to the availability of mechanisation to produce cigarettes (late 19th century), smokers primarily used pipes, especially cheap clay pipes for the poor. Lung cancer was virtually unheard of until cigarettes came into use, possibly because the price of tobacco dropped, most pipes used a very small amount of tobacco.

Tobacco smuggling into Liverpool was a huge business in the 19th century, the legitimate importers formed societies to wipe out the black market - although it is difficult to believe that any company didn't get creative with their own figures.

Taxation on tobacco in the UK started around 1660, much of the smoking world at and before that time were smoking cannabis or similar concoctions. It is not until the first world war that cannabis and opium smoking effectively got overtaken by tobacco, there is a paradox that many of the UK WW1 (and WW2) military hadn't smoked cannabis before being posted abroad yet cannabis usage still declined. I suspect in the UK that cannabis smoking may be getting on a par with tobacco again.


We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn

https://ddue.uk

Moderated by  Mod 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Random Wirral Images

Click to View Topic.
Newest Topics
Birkenhead Scandal, 1916.
by bert1 - 14th Jun 2025 8:17am
Montpellier Crescent
by robin47 - 8th Jun 2025 4:36pm
Temporary Hospitals (WW1)
by bert1 - 6th Jun 2025 5:42am
Wirral College of Art , Whetstone Lane
by PaulKennedy - 4th Jun 2025 3:04pm
Asda Ambrosia Rice Pudding.
by BultacoAstro - 3rd Jun 2025 1:45pm
For Sale & Free
Member Spotlight
TheComputerLab
TheComputerLab
Wallasey
Posts: 1,318
Joined: May 2011
Today's Birthdays
There are no members with birthdays on this day.
New Wirral Info
Montpellier Crescent
by robin47 - 8th Jun 2025 4:36pm
Wirral College of Art , Whetstone Lane
by PaulKennedy - 4th Jun 2025 3:04pm
Asda Ambrosia Rice Pudding.
by BultacoAstro - 3rd Jun 2025 1:45pm
Work Adjacent to West Float
by Excoriator - 10th May 2025 6:13pm
News : New Topics
New Ferry regeneration
by Excoriator - 16th Mar 2025 4:22pm
New Enthusiast Forums
Mobile mechanic wanted.
by phillhere - 24th May 2025 1:43pm
Popular Topics(Views)
10,404,618 CW Chat room thread
5,641,889 WIKI WALK CHAT
4,463,541 Spotted!
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5