The BCD

The arrival of Autumn 2014 was heralded for BCD members by the welcome thud of the fourth newsletter of the year dropping on to their doormats. A quick flick through this colourful 16-pager, fronted up with a report of September’s meeting at Malvern and an image of Wentworth’s “Lest we Forget” poppy puzzle, served as a good taster of what would be in store for us when we explored more deeply.

Sure enough, it was full of interest and information including details of all of our forthcoming activities through to next November. Amongst the items featured were members articles on a variety of topics including: preferences twixt cardboard and wooden puzzles; a comprehensive study of “Postcard-Size Puzzles by J. Salmon” (see image); a piece on Wentworth “Wooden” jigsaws for serious collectors; another entitled “My perfect puzzle and why?”, plus a full report of the previous meeting’s “Show & Tell” session, all supported by a collection of over sixty photographs, mostly in colour.

We are trying harder and harder to pose as many questions as possible now in our publications, hoping to weed out answers to many of our queries. This really is a fascinating hobby which can prove such an exciting mixture of pure enjoyment and more research-based interest to all who participate.

Last meeting of the year coming up at Chelmsford in November.

Around 40 members journeyed to the Worcester town of Malvern for our third meeting of the year, including one couple from Spain. How’s that for dedication to the cause? The theme of the meting was “1914-Life and Times”, with an excellent display of members puzzles to represent this most significant year in world history. Many were directly related to “The Great War” itself, but others were far more oriented towards social and cultural aspects of the period. Hopefully the forthcoming newsletter will suitably reflect the variety on display. The images shown are of a wooden puzzle and its box by French manufacturer “Perplexité-Paris”, entitled “Village d’Alsace and featuring a painting dated 1914 beside the signature of illustrator Fabien Fabiano.

The host and hostess for this meeting had taken the unprecedented step of having flask upon flask of tea and coffee prepared for the guests and these proved to be very popular accompaniments to the puzzling activities of the day, enabling us all to concentrate even more of our time towards the assembly of the great selection of fascinating puzzles laid out on the tables for that very purpose. Come along and join us some time, it’s great fun.

We even get together every couple of years for a weekend House Party event where the puzzling continues unabated for two-three days! Next event Peterborough 2015.

August’s newsletter included a front page report of the last meeting held at Frisby on the Wreake, including two pages full of colour images dedicated to the Show & Tell display on British Naval History. Also featured were an article dedicated to one particular puzzle, that of “The Hero of Trafalgar-Lord Nelson”, another relating to a series of  “Detecto” puzzles produced in 1975, news of the “Jigsaw Community on Flickr” and one dedicated to the work of Enid Stocken, a remarkable lady whose production ran to literally thousands of wonderful wooden jigsaw puzzles over a period of approximately 73 years.

 Next meeting-Avenue Road, Malvern on the 20th September 2014.

Alas, the numbers attending the meeting at Frisby were rather down on expectations, but the twenty or so who did make the journey were treated to a great day of puzzle related and social activity. The Show & Tell theme of “British Naval History”, which had been chosen by our host John Greaves, proved a very popular choice and the display tables soon boasted a wonderful selection of members puzzles to help illustrate this. Several new members joined us for their first meetings and I hope enjoyed their day enough to come along to future meetings.

One of the BCD’s most popular speakers was on hand and, following the theme of the day, made a presentation of one of his favourite puzzles, a most impressive 1100 piece wooden jigsaw depicting “The Hero of Trafalgar”-by William Overend. He went on to give a short history of Lord Horatio Nelson, particularly relating to the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805 and his remarkable victory over the combined French/Spanish fleets with a more detailed report promised to follow in the next newsletter.

June 2014 saw the arrival of issue 112 of the BCD quarterly newsletter with details of the meeting and “Show & Tell” report from the AGM, along with the club’s programme for the forthcoming June meeting and other scheduled events through to March 2015. Within the publication were also articles such as “Nister & Peacock Puzzles”, “Charles Dickens and Jigsaw Puzzles”, “Dating of Salmon Puzzles Part 2”, a review of “Grandpa T.J. Puzzles” and a look back by the Editor to issue 61 from Summer 2001, which had included another article on Peacock puzzles as well as a reprint of a 1933 Hobbies Magazine entitled “Jigsaw Puzzles and how to make them”.
Four pages of colour photographs also appear in this summer’s newsletter, helping to illustrate the wide variety of topics discussed, along with puzzles from the “Show & Tell” session of the previous meeting which had been on “The World of Fantasy and Fiction”.
Next stop Frisby on the Wreake” on June 21st. Show & Tell theme “British Naval History”.

Thanks to all of the organisers of the BCD’s most recent meeting and especially to Les, one of our latest recruits to the club’s organising committee, as well as being the host for today’s event. A theme of “The world of Fantasy and Fiction” brought out a wonderfully eclectic selection of puzzles for the Show & Tell display, where members have a chance to discuss and show off puzzles from their own private collections.

Perhaps most notable amongst all of these were those brought along by Julia, who found the theme of the day was right up her street, impressing us all with her display and presentation on the puzzles of English author Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” series, along with all of their accompanying books! Jan raised the roof with his presentation of just one puzzle, that of “Iduna”-goddess of spring and of immortal youth, a superbly colour line-cut puzzle by Meredith Worsfold. This was a tale from Norse Mythology: whenever the Gods needed their youth restoring, she gave them an apple from a magically replenished barrel.

Hopefully Tesco’s and other leading grocery stores will soon be stocking these!

Don’t forget to make a note in your diary for our next meeting: June 21st 2014 at Frisby on the Wreake, near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. Look out for more details in the next newsletter.

Spring 2014 was heralded by the arrival of Issue 111 of the BCD’s quarterly newletter, a sixteen page extravaganza of articles, reports and photographs including four pages of colour. The articles included one giving a general report of the last meeting as well as a more specific one on the “Show & Tell” element of our trip to Clent in Worcestershire, along with news of Jigsaw Festivals and a “Where is This” contest. Amongst the members articles sent in were one on “Home-made puzzles”, a piece about the artist Trevor Mitchell’s artwork in puzzles, a continuing debate on the correct use of the word “Dissectology and several excellent articles on such diverse topics as “The English Farm in early puzzles” and one by our Honorary Life President Tom Tyler about “Wookey Hole” and the part puzzles played in its promotion.
The newsletter also contained booking details for the next BCD Weekend House Party in February 2015, a copy of the proposed new club constitution, “Sales & Wants” page and details of the forthcoming March AGM near High Wycombe.
All together, this was a very comprehensive addition to our back catalogue of newsletters, so thank you to all involved.
Why not click on the “Joining” tab above to find out more.

Hopes were high for another good turnout at this November’s quarterly meeting and sure enough, the hall was buzzing by the start-time of 10.30. Some exciting puzzles were beginning to appear on the “Sales tables” and the stage, which was being used for the layout of jigsaw puzzles for the “Show & Tell” display on “Farming Through the Ages”, soon started to fill up with relevant puzzles, some going right back towards the late 18th/early 19th centuries! A fine selection of puzzles laid out on the tables around the hall were also soon being worked on by the members, with some very challenging examples amongst them, that’s the puzzles we’re talking about, not the members!

One of our members even journeyed from Spain to make a presentation  on the puzzles of Ernest Nister, bringing with him many examples of his works to illustrate the talk. More and more people are stepping forward nowadays to share their collections and knowledge with us which is great for everyone present, and including news and reports of such talks in the newsletters acts as an important source of knowledge for the future.

A ploughman’s lunch organised by our host proved a great success, with proceeds of around £50.00 going to the charity “Combat Stress” so thank you to all who joined in and especially to Katey and Elaine for their efforts in the kitchen. All in all, another great day with so much to see and do. Thanks to all who helped in its planning and especially to those of you who joined us. See you next time. Have a great Christmas.

The Autumn “Magazine” edition of the quarterly newsletter arrived in the post well in advance of the next scheduled meeting, that planned to take place in Clent, near Stourbridge in Worcestershire, some ten miles or so south west of Birmingham city centre. As usual the publication gave details of the plans for the day along with travelling guidance.

The front cover gave a brief summary of September’s meeting at Ipswich, along with news of a “Jigsaw Puzzle Festival” which had recently taken place at St. Lawrence Church in Alton, Hampshire. Inside there was news of the next forthcoming weekend event in 2015, along with a great article on Bridge Party puzzles following up on an exhibit seen at the last meeting. There was also an extensive report of the last “Show & Tell” session, a report on Victorian jigsaw puzzles by John, which complemented a talk he had presented at Ipswich and another article from David reporting on some of his latest “Jigasaurus” findings.

Four pages of colour content were possible thanks once more to Colin and his ever present camera, these all helping to highlight the puzzles featured in the various articles. The images on page 7 included a puzzle cut by the late Sara White, one of Britain’s finest cutters. Long may her legacy live on in some of the treasures she created during her cutting career.

In response to a members enquiry on possibly help with dating of vintage puzzles, our editor composed an excellent article on his own methods relating to puzzles from his personal favourite manufacturer, that of J. Salmon from Sevenoaks in Kent. It now seems that more and more answers are being put forward in response to some of the many unknowns of jigsaw puzzle research and I for one, certainly hope that this trend will continue. The BCD can proudly count within its membership, some of the world’s great jigsaw minds and I am sure that within our collective knowledge and private collections, we can answer many, many more.

If there is one thing you can be certain of in BCD history, it is that any event hosted by Tom and Tricia Tyler will prove popular and September’s quarterly meeting at St. Andrews Church Hall in Ipswich was a case in point! Over 50 members of the club made the journey and I doubt that any regretted their decision. A super selection of modern and vintage puzzles for sale were evident, along with a huge display of puzzles for the “Show& Tell” session, themed as “British animals and birds” by our host and drawing out a wonderful selection from the members private collections, including several by the brilliant and now very sorely missed, Sara White.

A fascinating exhibit brought along by one of the members, fitting the theme with its depiction of sheep and shepherd’s dog and entitled a “Lox-Sur-Bridge Party Puzzle”, drew a lot of interest, particularly from one of the other members who had a keen interest in bridge memorabilia and felt that this was an American product, probably dating from the era 1920’s-1930’s. The gist of this was that the four-sectioned wooden puzzle was “worked” by the 4 people who were “dummy” at progressive bridge parties, so popular both in the UK and America during this period. A wooden divider supplied with the puzzle kept the four sections separated on the table. The use of the terminology “worked” encourages the American connection, with “assembling” being the more popular British description of the task of putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Fingers crossed for a more expansive report on this super puzzle in the next newsletter, along with more detailed news of the day.