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'File 29/28 British Industrial Fair' [‎203v] (406/512)

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The record is made up of 1 file (256 folios). It was created in 13 Sep 1934-24 Dec 1950. It was written in English, Arabic, French, Spanish and Portuguese. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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•N
These Territories Scut 285
to First B.I.F.
in 1015
Countries
No. of
Buyers
France - -
- 77
Belgium -
- 40
Russia - -
- 29
Holland -
- 25
Australia
- 19
Switzerland -
- 13
India - -
- 10
South Africa
- 10
Canada -
- 9
Norway -
- 9
Spain - -
- 9
Denmark -
- 5
South America
- 5
United States
- 4
New Zealand
- 3
Egypt -
- 3
Italy -
- 3
Far East -
- 3
Japan - -
- 3
Sweden
- 2
Portugal -
- 2
West Indies -
- 1
Fiji
- 1
Total 285
Last year the same territories sent 12,994
buyers. In addition, 100 other territories
sent 4,067 to make a record total of 17,061.
cations with Britain was
not revealed until
three days before the first British Industries
Fair opened.
On May 7th, 1915, a
German torpedo
sank the liner Lusitania,
bound from New
York to Liverpool, off
Kinsale, Southern
Ireland. Of the 2,000 passengers (1,600 of
whom were Americans)
were saved.
only about 500
The Lusitania tragedy destroyed hopes of
a good attendance of Americans at the first
B.I.F. No one was surprised when only
four appeared in the list of 285 overseas
trade buyers, representing 23 countries, who
attended the Fair at London’s Agricultural
Hall from May 10th to
21st.
The first British Industries Fair took
place against a backcloth of almost continu
ous sensation. Only a few hours before it
opened, a German airship, nosing its way
toward London, dropped 100 bombs on
Southend ; the Allies opened the great
Ypres offensive on the Western Front ; the
Invasion of Gallipoli was front-page news.
During the Fair the Italian Cabinet
collapsed ; the British Cabinet reshuffled ; ^
insurrection broke out in Portugal ; the
German spy, Kuepferle, hanged himself in
Brixton Gaol ; Smith, the notorious “ Brides
in the Bath ” murderer, was committed for
trial.
Within three days of the Fair closing,
Italy had declared war on Austria.
Her Majesty Queen Mary, one of the
most regular annual visitors to the British
Industries Fair, was among the first into the
B.I.F. on May 10th, 1915.
She spent several hours among the 591
exhibitors’ stands (which occupied 88,714
square feet), and expressed great interest in
the Pottery and Glass section where
chemical glass, formerly a German mono
poly, was on show for the first time as a
British product.
THE FIRST ORDER AT FIRST B.I.F.
M
The Pottery and Glass section drew the
first order ever booked at a B.I.F. It was
placed by a French buyer within a quarter
of an hour of the Fair’s opening. Another
early order was also placed by a French
buyer : it was for 10,000 gross of buttons.
One of the biggest attractions was a
working exhibit of button-making and
fastening machines. Considerable technical
interest also attached to the rolled-gold
work in the Jewellery section, much of
which represented the installation of new

About this item

Content

This file contains correspondence, promotional material and other documents related to the British Industries Fair (BIF) in London and other similar events in London, including a mechanical handling conference (1948) and an engineering and marine exhibition (1949).

The file contains a number of invitations to attend the fair that were sent to prominent merchants in Bahrain by the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Bahrain as well as replies sent back by these merchants. Much of this correspondence is in Arabic (with English translations).

The file also contains promotional material related to the BIF and other events including the following:

  • a pamphlet written by Malcolm Logan entitled 'Story of the B.I.F.' The pamphlet is in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese (folios 142-149);
  • two posters for the Mechanical Handling Conference in London 1948, one in French (folio 151) and one in English (folio 152);
  • a pamphlet entitled 'Background to the B.I.F.' (folios 203-210).
Extent and format
1 file (256 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 256; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 4-117; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled (except for a few circled numbers which have been crossed out).

Written in
English, Arabic, French, Spanish and Portuguese in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 29/28 British Industrial Fair' [‎203v] (406/512), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/1755, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100026470001.0x000007> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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