Walking with the Ancestors - Wrekin Toy Works

The 'Jolly Boy' Sailor et al

Although the Victoria Toy Works produced a wide range of cloth dolls, the most recognisable product in the Wellings line was undoubtedly the 'Jolly Boy Sailor', which the company produced for shipping companies, such as Cunard, to sell on their ocean-going liners. Each doll featured the name of the individual ship upon which it was destined to sail on its hatband and the model also proved popular with the Royal Navy. During the 1930s, they commissioned at least 100,000 dolls annually for 'Navy Week', when the British fleet was in port at Plymouth, Chatham and Portsmouth.

Given the importance of the export trade to the company, the outbreak of the Second World War dealt a severe blow to the fortunes of Norah Wellings' business from which it never truly recovered. Production was scaled down drastically during the conflict and much of the King Street works was given over to the production of essential supplies, such as uniforms and gas masks. Although toy making resumed in earnest after the conflict, the influx of cheap foreign imports and the introduction of new materials, such as plastic, all contributed to make trading conditions much tougher. However, Norah's decision to retire in 1959 seems to have been heavily influenced by the death of her brother, business partner and mentor Leonard. It appears Norah viewed her creations and the immaculately maintained toy works as a personal extension of herself and, seemingly unable to sell the business as a going concern, she chose to close the plant, destroying many of the designs and tools which had crafted her dolls in the process. She retired to her family home at Arleston, where she died in 1975 at the age of 82.