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Company Ventures and World War Two
Part One

By Aslam Hussain

As the First World War drew to a close, ILFORD Ltd. began to venture into acquiring other photographic manufactures.  Such as; Imperial Dry Plate Company, GEM, Illingworth Company and Amalgamated Photographic Manufacturers.Then a new company was formed in 1920, called SELO Limited. It‘s early purpose was to exchange of confidential information between associated companies (mentioned above) and having a place to test their products in one area.

Later on further companies were also acquired, i.e. Rajar and Wellington Limited.  Continuing this success ILFORD Ltd. began to expand its own factory space by creating a new laboratory, new office block and extending the Ilford laboratory. Owing to organisational expansion and rise in business during 1920s, ILFORD Ltd. decided to employ its own sales representatives under the company’s structure - having previously relied on wholesale dealers to handle their products in the past.

Another decision was made that all roll films should be sold under the brand ‘SELO’ and that different company names for plates & papers are to be phased out and the name ILFORD used instead.  The merger of these many companies and subsequent re-structures brought many changes to staffing and interchanges between factories. However, this reduced rivalry between factories and improved collaboration, and helped to bond the organisation. 

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This process led the company to achieve a worldwide reputation for fair dealings; good, reliable products and bright technical ideas. On January 1939 the company celebrated its Diamond Jubilee and months after, they were preparing for the coming war and this was declared in September 1939. During the war the British photographic industry came together as ‘Munitions Work - Scientific Instrument Making (Photographic Materials)’ and Air Photographic Research Council under the Air Ministry to coordinate laboratories into developing better aerial films, new printing papers and to improving resolution in pictures.

Fire bomb damage during World War Two. Courtesy of Redbridge Museum and Heritage

ILFORD Ltd. streamlined their product range to meet these needs by reducing plate production and discontinuing Seltona paper & P.O.P (Printing Out Paper). In turn, ILFORD Ltd. stepped-up its film and bromide paper in monochrome material production, helped by increased working hours as workers had to take-up duties as air raid wardens or fire watchers. Later a local defence volunteer force was formed.

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It was a difficult period for everybody during the war, as food and oil products were rationed by the government and this affected the company’s production quotas & subsequent restrictions on photographic materials. This lead to ILFORD’s exploration in colour technology not being fully compete, even after the war. While Kodak (in USA) had made substantial inroads into cracking negative & positive processes and was able to accelerate its colour research program.

However, researchers at ILFORD Ltd. were developing new emulsion-method process and increasing sensitivity of their black and white film products. This resulted in improved light sensitivity and low graininess. That attracted the RAF (Royal Air Force) to use the films for aerial reconnaissance especially during night time. The demand for such supplies led to further research and to introduction of new higher speed film emulsions and the first ‘Multigrade’ paper/printing system.

 

One the areas that benefitted greatly from the use of high-speed emulsions were X-ray materials, where this enabled a lower X-ray dosage to be given to a patient and had clear definition for health physicians to diagnose from.

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