Life at Trebor
Snapshots of a firm at work and play.

CHOOSE A GALLERY
Wild Dancing
They knew how to party back in the 1970s. Here are some Forest Gate employees enjoying a Social in May 1972 at the Little Bardfield County Club in Essex.
Poolsbrook Tigers
Pictured in 1955, this women’s football team was active in Chesterfield factory’s social club, playing to raise money for local retirement homes. For many working class women of the time, there were few opportunities to play sport outside what their employer might offer.
Moffat Sales Conference
Successful Moffat salespeople and partners head off to Benidorm in Spain for a celebratory weekend in early 1973.
Knees-up
Warehouse staff at the Moffat’s Manchester Depot perform a knees-up for the company photographer in 1983. Possibly the woman on the right didn’t get the memo about unconfined jollity.
Hula Hoop
John Marks displays his skills with a hula hoop at a Chesterfield dinner dance in 1959.
Christmas at Chesterfield
Service with a smile as Chesterfield celebrates Christmas 1955 in the works canteen.
Chesterfield Sports Day
Sports Day 1959: Sydney Marks encourages the foremen in their tug of war against the warehousemen. The foremen won with two straight pulls.
Chesterfield Cricket Team
The first outing of this amateur eleven on 25th June 1956 saw them dismissed for 30 runs by a local team, one of whom ‘had appeared for the county seconds.’ But they improved, beating another local team on 21st July with five wickets to spare.
Candy Queen
In 1957 the London Candy Queen contest in Park Lane was won by Mrs Joan Smith (centre) from the samples room at Forest Gate.
Cafe Royal Dinner
6th December 1958. Time for a Christmas party for the directors and senior executives at the Cafe Royal in London.
Blackpool Outing
During a 1960 factory outing to see the Blackpool Illluminations, these Chesterfield staff take a few moments out for some refreshments.
Wild Hair
It’s a Friday night dinner dance for the firm in January 1973. Every lady receives a rose, there’s dancing to the Del Gray Quartet – and John Marks makes probably the shortest speech of his career when he simply proposes ‘The Company’.
Into Germany
In 1963 the firm started selling in Germany. Glitter Fruits and Glitter Mints were chosen to spearhead the venture, with Bitter Cherry soon a popular addition. Clive Robertson headed over to help LG Pattison set up the office in Hamburg. They recruited ten salesmen, seen here in 1965 with their cars.
Ingredients
The world and its ingredients, seen through the eyes of the 1950s in this page from the 1957 Golden Jubilee brochure.
Indonesia
Indonesian drivers pose before their vehicles during the 1980s.
Finland
Some top Finnish salesmen visit Trebor Head Office in the early 1980s.
Export warehouse
Seen in 1957, staff from the distribution warehouse get crates of peppermints ready for their journey to Penang, Malaysia.
World markets
Tootsie Rolls
New Jersey-based Tootsie Roll Candies trumpeted the 1966 arrival in New York of two 20’ containers holding 65,000 lbs of Trebor 10 cent rolls: the first sweets to arrive in this way and the first Trebor goods to be distributed by Tootsie.
Regal Crowns
Remarkable sales of Regal Crown Sours in the US market helped win Trebor’s Queen’s Award to Industry.
Overseas Packaging
Often the same packaging worked abroad, with the currency amended accordingly.
Nigeria
As with Trebor’s factories in Britain, the majority of staff in Nigeria were women.
Nigeria Traders
John Marks entertains some ‘Mammy Traders’ – the businesswomen so crucial to distributing Trebor products in Nigeria.
Nigeria Promotion
In Nigeria, mints sold particularly well in the muslim north, where little alcohol was consumed and peppermint was a popular relief for dry throats caused by dust storms from the Sahara. At one time sales of Trebor Mints in Nigeria exceeded those in Britain.
Nigeria Delivery Truck
Malaysia
Elegant cinema usherettes prepare to sell Trebor goods to Kuala Lumpur moviegoers in 1960.
Captain Hurricane
Captain Hercules Hurricane, with his sidekick Maggot Malone, was already a hero from the comic Valiant before he joined the pantheon of Trebor celebrity tie-ins.
Trebor Blobs
Blobs had a hard boiled exterior with a soft centre, and flavours ‘you don’t expect to find in a sweet’ such as toffee apple and fizzy cider. Trebor launched them with a lad called Patch, whose monster chums prefer to eat trash rather than the Blobs sweets he craves.
Double Agents
The 1977 launch of Double Agents was a big one: research-based flavours, a nationwide TV campaign – and some silly facemasks for the sales team.
Softmints
Introduced in 1981, Softmints remain a very popular sweet. With their hard peppermint shell and chewy interior, these mints do not simply dissolve slowly in the mouth. You can hurry their eating, and quickly start another – an advantage emphasised in the early print ads. Spearmint Softmints appeared later.
Extra Strong Mints Wartime
During rationing between 1942 and 1953, product labels had to include the points value of products.
Barley Sugars Wartime
During rationing between 1942 and 1953, product labels had to include the points value of products.
1971
Highlights of the 1971 range.
Treborland
Sweetmakers have long shared comics’ love of silly words. This Treborland promotion featured ‘Konks’ and Robbers, with a belt of ‘fantastic plastic’ for only 75p.
Star Wars
1978 and Star Wars fever still rages across the land. Trebor Refreshers respond with ‘May the fizz be with you’.
Toffee Butters 1930s
The massive success of Toffee Butters during the late 1930s helped the firm secure a large sugar quota during the Second World War.
Snow White
The firm was innovative in 1938 when it bought the merchandising rights for Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It paid 20 shillings per ton of goods manufactured with an advance payment of £150.
Sales Postcard
A rep's calling card from the 1960s.
Retailer of the Year
When June Woolley won Trebor’s Retailer of the Year competition in 1969, the prize was not just a set of steak knives and peer recognition – she won a whole new shop worth £6,000. At a special ceremony at Chesterfield, before much press attention, Sydney Marks presented her with the deeds to the new premises at Creswell near Worksop. She had originally come to the notice of Frost of Mansfield, her local Moffat distributor. Here she and her husband stand proudly before her prize.
Clarnico Works
Clarnico (bought by Trebor in 1969) was one of Britain's largest sweet firms during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Staff at Hackney Wick
Founded in 1872 in Hackney Wick, East London, Clarnico was employing 1249 staff by 1891, of whom 1100 were women.
Fire Brigade
Clarnico was proud of its private fire brigade, which served both the factory and the surrounding area of Stratford.
Brass Band
The firm’s military band would go on tour, visiting Paris in 1905 and Milan in 1906.
1915 Recipe Book
The recipes and accounts for making Crystallized Ginger Squares and Cream Caramels, November 1915.
1913 Price List
The Clarnico wholesale price list of 1913. The firm’s trading title was then Clarke, Nickolls & Coombs.
1913 Chocolates Price list
From the 1913 wholesale price list. Sporting Girl Chocolates came in four designs: Golfing, River, Hunting and Tennis.
World War One Casualty
A sad glimpse into World War One. George Thresher joined as a night watchman in 1909. By June 1915 he was earning 30 shillings a week, but by 3rd August he was dead, presumably in France. Of the 396 Clarnico workers who joined up, 69 were severely wounded and 39 died; a casualty rate of nearly one in three.
Unusual Petition
An oddity from the Clarnico archive – a petition on behalf of an ex-employee who had been sentenced to death.
Clarnico from above
Seen from above in 1921, Clarnico's mighty array of buildings sit astride the River Lee navigation canal, on the eastern side of Hackney Wick. Everything to the right of the canal here now forms part of the Olympic Park.
Fruit Jellies
Fruit Jellies, made with real fruit, were one of Clarnico’s most successful products.
Regency Candies
A 1952 advertisement.
Clarnico Ad 1952
Another 1952 advertisement.
Mint Creams
Clarnico was best known for its Mint Creams, mint flavoured fondant creams which were crystallised to keep the cream soft. After Trebor bought the firm, it marketed these sweets through the name Sharps, another great British sweet company it bought during the 1960s.
New Clarnico Factory
Built in 1951 to replace the factory destroyed by bombs, the new Clarnico factory was soon rendered out-of-date by the invention of the fork lift truck, which spurred single-floor production. Its location is beneath the International Press Centre within the 2012 Olympic Park.
Ben Britten
It’s unlikely Benjamin Britten always conducted with a jar of Extra Strong Mints beside his table, but he appeared to do so this time.
Ronnie Corbett
Ronnie Corbett at the height of his promotional powers for Moffat in 1971.
Prince Philip
Prince Philip chats with a confectionery student at Chesterfield factory in 1959.
Philip Schofield
Yes, it’s Philip Schofield, on the sofa with his booty bags in 1989.
Max Bygraves
Fag in hand, Max Bygraves enjoys a quick read of the Trebor Magazine, surrounded by Pat, Cicely, Ann and Beryl from the Chesterfield sample room in March 1957.
Linda Lusardi
Page Three pin up model Linda Lusardi arrives to award a trade incentive prize for Maynards wine gums to an excited newsagent couple. Her Edwardian costume reflects the introduction of Original Wine Gums in 1909.Trebor bought Maynards in 1985.
Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker and John Barnes keep it up for Extra Strong Mints.
Emlyn Hughes
‘Half-ton Emlyn cheers ‘em up!’ screamed the headline as Emlyn Hughes, then captain of both England and Liverpool football teams, brought half a ton of Trebor sweets to children’s hospitals. This was June 1979 – a time when few questioned equating children’s health (and happiness) with unlimited piles of sugary sweets.
Dickie Valentine
Pop star Dickie Valentine delights the Chesterfield staff when he arrives for a summer visit in 1955.
Bob Monkhouse
Bob Monkhouse gets buried in toffees for Sharps in 1965.
Maidstone Factory
Nicknamed The Kreemy Works, the Sharps factory in Maidstone seen here in 1970 was one of the Kent town’s main employers through much of the twentieth century.
1920s Factory
A view of the Sharps factory in the 1920s. Boys sort batches of toffee.
Toffee Boiling
A 1920s portrait of the toffee boiling section at the Sharps factory in Maidstone. Once each boil was cooked, it was poured out onto the long benches for cutting.
sir Kreemy Knut
Sir Kreemy Knut became the face of Sharps Toffees in 1919. A ‘knut’ was the name given to a dandy before world war one and was gloriously referenced in the 1914 music hall song ‘I’m Gilbert the Filbert, the knut with a K’.
Cricket Ground Opening
Between the wars Sharps opened its own £10,000 sports ground.
New Sports Ground
Between the wars Sharps opened its own £10,000 sports ground.
Air Freight
These baggage handlers look surprisingly smart while publicising the air freight of Sharps product to Germany during the 1960s. And is that Ernie Bilko?
1965 TV Ad
Sharps made TV history in 1965 with an advertising spot lasting 90 seconds. It featured a dancer parading beside the top four lines: Top Cream, Chocolate Top Cream, My Word and Assorted Super-Kreem.
New van
This cutting edge Commer van of 1963 was decorated to support a special promotion of the ‘my word’ toffee assortment. It featured a walk-through interior in which the driver could directly access stock.
sharps Extra Strong Mints
At one point Extra Strong Mints were sold under the Sharps brand.
Sir Kreemy Knut Ad 1955
Sir Kreemy Knut appeared on Sharps advertising throughout the 20th century.
Swisskit
The chocolate muesli bar Swisskit was too far ahead of its time. It failed to sell. Today such bars are ubiquitous. Moreover, the Swiss chocolate trade association tried to take the firm to court because Swisskit wasn’t made in Switzerland; the firm’s lawyers argued, allegedly, that Mars Bars don’t come from Mars.
Sharps Toffees
Sir Kreemy Knut continued to sell Sharps toffees in the 1970s.
Forest Gate Unloading Glucose
The firm pioneered the handling of glucose from tankers, receiving in 1930 London’s first ever delivery of glucose in bulk. The older building behind the lorry is most probably the original Trebor works in Forest Gate.
Forest Gate Making Bullseyes
Some processes defied mechanisation, such as interlocking the strips that made up Bullseyes.
Forest Gate Last Jar
An anguished look on the face of Helen Stephens as the last ever jar of sweets is filled at Forest Gate in 1983.
Chesterfield Sugar Bags
Brenda Ashley empties a huge bag of sugar. Aged 18 she joined the Chesterfield factory when it opened during the war. 43 years of continuous service later, she had a big retirement party in 1986.
Chesterfield Colouring and Flavouring
Well before the 1950s the laboratory had taken control of production, with chemists prescribing the colours and flavours to be added, as here, on the slab.
Chesterfield Washing Jars
On some days during the 1950s the firm had to wash 10,000 glass jars which had been returned from retailers.
Chesterfield Loading Bay
The loading bay at Chesterfield factory. Set at the heart of England, Chesterfield was well placed for sending out liveried vans across the nation.
Chesterfield Coolmints
Coolmints, the firm’s first sugar-free mint, were launched in the summer of 1980. Demand for sugar-free confectionery had grown massively in the US and Europe through the late 1970s.
Woodford Sugar Delivery
Tate & Lyle makes a delivery to Woodford factory.
Maidstone Giant Easter Eggs
From 1935 Sharps became famous for creating giant Easter Eggs, each weighing 27.5lbs. Each year the eggs became more striking, promoting the firm at a time when chocolate, rather than sugar, ruled the day. Rising chocolate prices made the monster eggs too uneconomic for production after 1964.
Maynards
Sweet production at the Vale Road Maynard factory in Tottenham, London, included hand-dipping Brazil nuts in maple fondant.
Colchester Work Group
The firm’s Colchester factory pioneered new ways of working during the 1980s. Here, a work group plans the next week’s job allocations with production engineer Frank Parkinson.
Forest Gate in the 1960s
Steve Berry remembers the Personnel Office on the second floor above the word Robertson. Steve has provided details for the captions in this section.
Lollipop Man
The lollipop man to help children from Shaftesbury Road School.
The 155 Cooker
The 155 cooker, right in front of the slabs in P3, was the largest in the factory. Another one, the 156, was later brought in next to it.
Unloading Boiled Sugar
Freddie Young on the boiler wearing the wooden clogs he always wore.
The P1 Slabs
The P1 slabs.
Adding Colour
Adding colour… The P1 slabs.
Slab
Daisy Parry working on the slab. Nell Rockall with her back to us on the left.
On the slab
Laboratory
The Laboratory opposite Number 4 Boiling Room. Set on the roof of the original factory, it was built on legs to give access underneath.
Glitter Fruit Conveyor
The Glitter Fruit machine with supervisor Bill Stewart on the right.
Glitter Fruit Bagging
The Glitter Fruit bagging machine at the far end of Number 3 Boiling Room.
Glitter Fruit Bagging Machine
The Glitter Fruit bagging machine.
Boxing Sour Fruits
Rolls of Sour Fruits being boxed up in Pre Pack.
Wrapping machine
This wrapping machine looks like it might be upstairs in the No 3 Boiler Room
Twist Wrapper
Twist Wrap
Pre Pack
Sour Cherries in the Pre Pack downstairs at the end of the extension.
Pre Pack other end
The other end of the pre pack machine from the previous picture.
P1 Plastic Machine
The P1 plastic machine being fed by Vi Lawrence.
Past Candy Queens
Sisters Gertie and Nellie Gooch are pictured here in 1919 with their friend Belinda Tyrie. Back then only around twelve women worked in the factory, employed on slab work and making lettered rock. They worked 50 hour weeks at 6½d per hour.
Early Staff
Everyone has donned their best clothes for this works photo from 1908. Robert Robertson (left) and William Woodcock (right) flank six of the women who worked for the firm.
Candy Queens
In 1957 the London Candy Queen contest in Park Lane was won by Mrs Joan Smith (centre) from the samples room at Forest Gate.
Hilda Clark and Sydney Marks
Sydney Marks puffs another of his hundred daily cigarettes while Hilda Clark speaks at one of her retirement parties. Hilda Clark joined the firm in 1918 and worked her way up to build and manage the Chesterfield operations until retiring in 1963.
elizabeth Cornford
Elizabeth Cornford joined the firm in 1920 as a clerk. At first all business was transacted in cash, but soon she got to type out the first wholesale invoice.
David Plaistowe
David Plaistowe joined the firm in 1937 as works manager, rising to production manager then chief confectioner in 1949. The Trebor Magazine later described him as an ‘artist in sugar.’
Cyril Robertson
Cyril Robertson (seen here in 1970) was the son of Robert Robertson, one of the four founders of the firm. He served with Sydney J Marks and Denis Hedley in the same Territorial Army battalion before joining the board in 1931. Thereafter he took several roles with the firm including, in 1949, overseeing the development of the Woodford factory.
Bill Deighan
Bill Deighan joined the company in 1948 as a production engineer working at Forest Gate. As he later recalled, ‘Ian Marks was a young chappie and he and his brother John would appear with their father Sydney in the workshop. They’d bring toys which they'd broken and I’d repair them. As they got older, the toys got bigger. Soon it was go-carts.’
Oggy Avey
Oggy Avey in 1978
JB Collins
J.B. Collins was persuaded by Sydney Marks to take over Moffat in 1950. He went on to turn it into one of the country’s major confectionery wholesalers.
Sydney Marks Retires
Sydney Marks celebrated 60 years with the firm on 17th November 1978. Seen here at a party in the Forest Gate canteen are, from left, Alex Marks, John Marks, Sydney Marks, Bill Marks (son of John Marks) and Ian Marks. Despite retiring, Sydney kept an office in Trebor House. Bill Marks was one of the few members of the next generation of family to work with the firm.
Forest Gate Retirees
Six employees from Forest Gate combined 196 years service at the factory. Vi Lee was the longest serving, having joined the firm in 1934. Twice during the war she was bombed out of the house where she lived, once being buried in the rubble for several hours. She started in hand-wrapping, went on to finishing and then spent 21 years on the box-wrapping machine. Dolly Lamb had 35 years service, starting on a salary of £4 a week with a daily bonus of between two and five shillings. Vi Lawrence followed her mum Mabel into the factory in 1952 as a sugar feeder on the evening shift. Mavis Lewis worked 33 years, straight from school at the age of 15. Ivy Brewster started work ‘on the belt’, producing toffee bars called Trumps, while Nell Antoine joined Trebor soon after arriving from Jamaica in 1956.
John and Ian Marks
John and Ian Marks stand beside the portrait of their father Sydney at Trebor House on 31st October 1989. They had just hosted a farewell party in the canteen. The next day, 1st November, Trebor officially became part of Cadbury Schweppes.
1954 Sales Conference
Thursday 11th February 1954 saw a gathering of all Trebor’s sales representatives, plus the great and good of the firm, at Clacton’s Grosvenor Court Hotel. By Saturday night they were ready to party and Sydney Marks took part in the ‘Cafe Crunchinental’ after dinner entertainment. Seen here in the front row, starting fourth from left: Hilda Clark, Denis Hedley, Sydney Marks, Robert Robertson, Cyril Robertson, Alex Marks, Sidney Bonner and Allan Hurndell.