The Oliver Whales Story

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terry
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

Post by terry »

Hi all. Went to Kempton Antiques Fair today and picked up a few old photos and paraphenalia related to that favourite old subject of ours.....slot machines! There are several photos of machines related to a Herbert G. Morgan who doesn't feature in the Arcades and Slot Machines book but who was a "Designer & Patentee" of automatic machines from Canvey Island and Benfleet, Essex. Also there was a photo that I've posted here of a trade fair stand for Whales & White of London. Now, obviously Whales is our dear friend Oliver and several of his machines are pictured but who was the White part of the partnership? Does anybody recognise any of the gentlemen pictured and where or when this photo was taken? Machines featured are 24 Winning Cups, Chad, Screen Stars, Players Please, Selecta Cig, White City, Selecta Cup, Defiant, Playball, The Train Test and Boat Race. Not sure if the front two machines are Whales but what a great photo!...click on image for enlarged picture.

Copied to Resources - site admin.
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slotalot
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Hi Terry, you have done well to find that photo :o , I have not seen that one before. I am thinking that one of the 3 men "might" be Tom Boland.... I say this because I can see some of Boland's bandit conversions at the back of the stand, and I know that Boland was also involved with Oliver at one time :D
But I could be wrong!!! :!?!: Anyone?
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badpenny
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Fantastic photo Terry, thanks for sharing it. I love the look of Boat Race.
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Yes, forgot to add that the Film Stars and White City bandits were Bolands creations. Maybe the White side of the partnership was the company who manufactured the plastic signs which seem to be heavily featured in the photo?
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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I am still in contact with Oliver's granddaughter. I will ask her if she can shed any light on the White connection. !THUMBS!
terry
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Cheers Slotty! Feel free to show her the photo too as it may trigger a few memories.
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arrgee
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

Post by arrgee »

Hi Terry, great photo and I hope someone will be able to shed more light on it. Interesting that all the allwins have a top flash/pediment so maybe the date is not quite into the 1960s yet. Don't usually associate top flashes with these sort of machines. Also, on the Shefras stand next door you can just make out what appears to be the wooden top flash/pediment from a traditional clown - still being exhibited in the 50s?
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

Post by pennymachines »

Well done Terry for unearthing such a great picture and thanks for generously sharing it. I'm sure framed copies will appear in a few vintage gamerooms around the country!
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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No problem. I wonder if this Herbert Morgan chap is in the photo as it was in a big frame with other paraphenalia relating to him? I'll add the photos of the other machines when I get the chance. They are mainly pinball stuff but somebody may recognise them.
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Hi :D ,
I have been doing some digging regards this photo !!JUNK!! I have been checking the London phone books for Whales & White. The only listing I could find was for 1950. They were listed as Whales & White, Automatic Machines, 17 Lower Marsh, London SE1. By 1952, they were not listed at all, and I could not find them listed prior to 1950, but some of the pre 1950 directories were not complete :dammit: But it looks as if it was a short lived partnership, but then Oliver had many deals going with many people over the years.
I have also sent a photo to Oliver's Granddaughter Helen. I will give her a ring in the next day or two to see if she has any info. :tarah:
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

Post by terry »

Stuart, as Arrgee rightly noticed, all the Whales machines have topflashes which must have been outmoded by the mid fifties so a very early fifties date would probably be about right. I've even tried to find out how much ice creams were around that time to try and date it! If you look at the lighting in the photo, it looks very old fashioned, almost gas lamp era! The photo is a bit tatty and creased but there is a photographer's stamp on the reverse: "something" Lee, Comyn Road, SW11 Tel. Battersea 5850.
An invaluable artefact though!
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slotalot
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Terry wrote: The photo is a bit tatty and creased but there is a photographer's stamp on the reverse: "something" Lee, Comyn Road, SW11 Tel. Battersea 5850.
An invaluable artefact though!
Hi Terry, I have done a quick search on your photographer. His full name was Walter A. Lee, and he worked from home, and the full address was No.73, Comyn Road, SW11. :o
I wonder if the family still have the negatives???? !PUZZLED!
terry
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

Post by terry »

Blimey Stuart, they could do with you down at MI5!! !!IDEA!! That really is a long shot but possible I suppose? How would we trace them? My mum has an account on ancestry.com. If the negs survive somewhere then they could have loads taken that day.

Keep in touch!

Terry.
terry
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Well, well... looks like somebody else was looking for our photographer....1920s to 40s eh? I've emailed the lady to see if she managed to find out any details but it will probably turn out to be a wild goose chase!

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j& ... lmvTt6ptlA
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arrgee
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Our intrepid Stuart does it again!
Stuart wrote:I wonder if the family still have the negatives????
Probably not. My brother was a professional photographer until he died in 2005, there were so many negatives in storage (1000s) that sadly, lack of space dictated they were destroyed. However, it is a long shot and I have made enquiries regarding Walter Lee to the three professional associations that my brother was a member of, if anything comes up, I will post it on here straight away.
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slotalot
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Hi, as some of you will know I wrote a story about the life and times of Oliver Whales, and it was published last year in the Mechanical Memories Magazine. And now with the kind permission of Oliver’s Granddaughter, I am able to post the photos from the story in the Arena of the Pennymachines site. There are also a couple of extra photos that were never published in the Magazine.
So please enjoy, and thanks again to the Whales family for this wonderful contribution to our hobby. !!THUMBSX2!!
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slotalot
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Well I have done a little digging !!DIG!! into the history of your photo of Whales & White and this is what I have found so far:
I spoke with Oliver Whale’s Granddaughter about the photo, and I also gave her a copy for her own collection, for which I am to pass on her thanks for finding it. !THANKS! Unfortunately, the people in the photo and the Whales & White “partnership” rang no bells with her or her mother, but in those days the women folk usually didn’t get involved in the men’s business.

So I did some more digging. I know from my previous research into Oliver's life, he had lots of informal partnerships and dealings, call them what you will, with lots of people over the years !!GROUPHUG!! , and I am 99% certain that this was a partnership between The White advertising company, of Midland Bank Chambers, Warwick Road, Birmingham 27, and Whales of Redcar, and if you study the photo you will see that they are selling slot machines & advertising boards etc. White Advertising was run by Harry Bertram White and his brother. Sorry, can’t find the brother's name, so I think it is safe to say that one of the men in the photo will be H.B.White. I have also found out that the White brothers split up a few years after this photo was taken, and Harry went on to run the Master Vending Machine Company, which subsequently went into receivership in 1959 :'( .

But as always, I could be wrong! !!SHIT!!
Can anyone expand on this story and prove or disprove my findings? I would love to know more. !!CHEERS!!
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badpenny
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Stuart .....

At some point in the early 90s I sent one of my wives into the Chester branch of Saucy La Flounce with strict instructions regarding durability and shiny man made materials.
I waited for over two hours for her to reappear but have never seen her since.

Have you any ideas or can you throw any light on this strange occurrence?

This is the last picture I have of her .........
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slotalot
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Hi Jeremy,
Unfortunately tracking wild animals is not within my remit; :!?!:
However you could try the R.S.P.C.A. :cool: but prepare yourself for the worst, as after all this time she may have been re-homed or even put down... !!YIPPEE!!
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slotalot
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Re: The Oliver Whales Story

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Those of you who regularly subscribe to the Mechanical Memories Magazine will no doubt remember reading the Oliver Whales story in issue No.52. I made mention of Oliver’s earlier life as a draper and the fact that one of his shops was at 14/15 Electric Parade Clacton-on–Sea in the early 1930s. This was before he became involved in slot machines.

Well look what has just come up for sale in Australia! Nice to see this bit of history has survived and its made from polished oak, just like his machines !THUMBS!
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