IGC lusting for Armstrong:
they appear to have closed in about 1918 but may have traded for a few years longer.
This is for a London firm of Armstrong and the only recorded:
Name Armstrong & Co
Address1 5 Newman Street, Oxford Street
City/Town London
Country United Kingdom
Trade Gunmakers
Dates 1850?-1897
Notes
Certainly connected with the Port Elizabeth, South Africa, firm of G Armstrong (later W G Armstrong) which traded from c.1869 to 1899.
Tim
Tim,
Thanks for the information. I've not come across the London address before but had heard of a London Armstrong & Co and seen advertisements for steel boats in the London Illustrated News. I suspect the London address was a branch. Armstrong had a branch in Darlington as well, and possibly, although this is guesswork, in Carlisle.
I'd be very interested in any "proof" of the South African connection. I've heard it before but find it very dubious myself. The name is so common and the timeline doesn't seem to overlap cleanly. FYI the South African Armstrong's work is illustrated in Cape Gunsmiths.
As to when they closed the end came in 1956. 1957 if you want to be technical. Liquidation started in '56 and the process wrapped up in '57. I have a copy of the newspaper announcement somewhere. I also have a Slazenger tennis racket sold by them in the late '30s
As to who founded them the board of directors of the firm had two Hawdons' (I'd have to double check initials but I think they were W. D. Hawdon and J. T. Hawdon. There was also an A. V. R. Pickerring (yes two r's ) Interestingly there are geneaological records for the time indicating a W. Hawdon married a woman who's maiden name was Armstrong. I'm trying to track down more information; it may be a blind alley but it is suggestive that the Armstrong name came via a maiden name (family funding?? wife involved in the firm ... unusual but not unheard of). The Hawdon's show up in engineering pubulications of the time where they appear to be associated with trivial inventions.
Jeremy
