Gevaert history

[Ian Grant]

Can anyone explain how Gevaert Plates, Films and Papers were available in the UK thoughout WWII ?

This is a bit of an enigma as obviously the Germans would not have allowed exports from Belgium.

Ian

 

[Jerevan]

A plant somewhere in the UK, perhaps? Distributed via some other country? Intriguing question, indeed.

In 1941, it seems that the american assets were confiscated and that became Ansco - maybe things were exported and sold as Agfa in the UK?

I am only guessing, somebody probably has a better explanation or even better, evidence.

 

[railwayman3]

Were they actually available...or just advertised, maybe by the former UK distributors, to keep the name visible? (I seem to remember seeing a wartime advert by Ilford, saying something like (paraphrasing a bit) "all our production is supporting the war effort, but we look forward to the time when our products will be freely available to everyone once again".)

 

[Ian Grant]

A plant somewhere in the UK, perhaps? Distributed via some other country? Intriguing question, indeed.

In 1941, it seems that the american assets were confiscated and that became Ansco - maybe things were exported and sold as Agfa in the UK?

I am only guessing, somebody probably has a better explanation or even better, evidence.

Gevaert had no links to Agfa until 1963 when the two companies merged, and sothey never had a link with Ansco. Gevaert and Voightlander had a tie up in Germany.

It's possible the UK arm of the Gevaert company were distributing & selling materials from smaller British manufacturers during the war. It's noticable that the smaller British film/paper companies seem to stop advertising during the War.

I'd add that Ilford materials were available during WWII but in short supply, my father shot Ilford Selo films and had prints made throughout the war they were available in India, Egypt etc.

Ian

 

[Jerevan]

Ok, sorry - I read the history entries for Agfa-Gevaert too fast. Move on, nothing to see here.

 

[Simon R Galley]

Hi Ian,

I do not know how they could have been available unless in stock at a distributor and then sold through:

ILFORD production was mostly directed to the military, and of course why ( and when ) we invented MULTIGRADE, but film was still available to purchase, I do not know if it was rationed, I presume it was, it certainly was in the 50's.

I also believe that KENTMERE was ordered to produce jam during the war ! as the emulsion vessels were evidently suitable for the purpose.

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology LImited :

 

[Rick A]

Or, it could be that the German gov't allowed some items to remain on the market to fund the war effort. It would not have been the Germans that removed it from the market but an imposed imbargo by opposition governments to freeze finances of Germany so they could not afford arms(a more modern practice), many German items were available throughout the war.

 

[railwayman3]

Or, it could be that the German gov't allowed some items to remain on the market to fund the war effort. It would not have been the Germans that removed it from the market but an imposed imbargo by opposition governments to freeze finances of Germany so they could not afford arms(a more modern practice), many German items were available throughout the war.

I hardly think that you would have found any German goods being imported into England during WW2!

(Even when imports from the allied zones of Germany(and Japan) resumed after the war, lots of people here would not buy these on principal for many years afterwards.)

As stated above, Gevaert was a Belgium company until long after the war, so, as with occupied France, there could obviously be no trade while a war was in progress.

 

[MDR]

I think Simon is right and the photo dealer sold remaining stock from before the war or the photographer bought larger quantitiers of the plates etc... before the war started.

Dominik

 

[Ian Grant]

Thanks Simon,

It's certainly odd that Gevaert appear to have been operating throughout the War in London, but then as you say the British Government were involved in overseeing photographic production at that time. Ilford themselves under the Air Ministry, presumably Barnet Ensign as well. Gevaert would not have escaped some form of Government control.

Focal Press began publishing their Focal Guides for a wide variety of cameras during the war at the behest of the Government because there was as shortage/abscence of Instruction manauls for many of the cameras donated to help the war effort. In addition they published Kurt Jacobson's Devoping and also Enlarging. Three of the key people involved with Focal Press, Andor Kraszna-Krausz ,Kurt (Curt) Jacobson and LA Mannheim, were all jewish emigres who'd left Germany.

Gevaert was based in Antwerp a city with a large Jewish population, presumably some employees had left Belgium for London before Geramny invaded. So the Government must have found some use for the London distribution centre.

For Simon Ilford always used to have the last advert

Ian

 

[cmacd123]

Perhaps the distributor had a large amount of stock shipped from Antwerp intending to clear the warehouse before the factory was overrun. (thus keeping it out of the hands of the invaders.) I would not even be surprised if the British Gov't might have "facilitated" such a move. The stock may have been cleared to be sold on the civil market as the military would prefer to use materials where they had on ongoing supply - ILFORD and Kodak.

 

[cowanw]

Until the United states joined the war, there could have been commerce from Belgium to USA to Britain. Or even perhaps Sweden may have been the middleman.