Description:Cadbury’s archives hold a bound volume of Personal Reminiscences of Bridge Street and Bournville 1870-1929 by 63 men and women living at the time of the Bournville Jubilee 1929.<small><sup>1</sup></small> Each account was hand transcribed in 1929 and represents one of the few examples of Cadbury’s employees expressing their opinions on working for the company. Although a very subjective series of accounts, the reminiscences reflect very positively on Cadbury as employers. The volume provides an abundance of information relating to working practices, as well as the impact Cadbury’s expansion and relocation to Bournbrook had on employees, and records of difficulties commuting from central Birmingham. In S.M. Winter’s entry, she recalls walking from Suffolk Street in central Birmingham to the Bournville Works – often leaving home at 4:30 in the morning to get to the works for 6:00. Cadbury was in constant negotiation with the railways and organised special commuter trains to facilitate the company's working hours. Later, Cadbury also coordinated charabancs<small><sup>2</sup></small> and other modes of transport for staff. Another employee makes reference to Cadbury’s commuter trains which were known affectionately as ‘Cadbury’s Angel trains’.<small><sup>3</sup></small> It is interesting to note that ‘angels’ is a reference to the white uniform worn by female employees, which was not worn outside the company grounds, but was frequently used in Cadbury’s advertising and promotion, forming part of the iconic brand identity. The photograph shows how self expression was asserted thought variations in fashion, but, once women arrived at work, expressions of individuality had to become more subtle because workers were required to wear their uniforms at all times.
The inscription beneath the image notes that: 'This photograph is kept as a fair record of the costumes of early 1900s. Many fashionable girls bunched their hair by wearing a pad fastened on by elastic over which the front hair was drawn and fastened at the back. This necessitated large fluffy ‘tam-o-shanters’ as the only headgear capable of accommodating the re-in forced hairdressing. Others preferred straw hats of various sizes. The blouse-and-skirt fashion was pre-eminent with practically no exceptions, while the cult of the high boot was only just beginning to give way to the freedom of the low walking shoe'.
<font color="#666633"><small><sup>1</sup> Cadbury’s Archives, Personal Reminiscences of Bridge Street and Bournville 1870-1929 by 63 men and women living at the time of the Bournville Jubilee 1929
<sup>2</sup> A charabanc was an early motor vehicle, similar to a bus but often open-topped.
<sup>3</sup> Cadbury’s Archives, Personal Reminiscences of Bridge Street and Bournville 1870-1929 by 63 men and women living at the time of the Bournville Jubilee 1929</small></font>