1939 Defence Series & Defence Series Two (AL2-13)
Allen’s Confectionary, Ltd., Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Series Title: Defence Series & Defence Series Two
Australian & New Zealand Index №: AL2-13.1 (Defence Series)
Australian & New Zealand Index №: AL2-13.2 (Defence Series Two)
Issued by: Allen’s Confectionary, Ltd.
Issued with: Irish Moss Gum Jubes, Butter Menthol Cough Drops, Cure-’Em Quick, and Steam Rollers (18-cards total for each product/9-cards per set)
Country: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Total Number of Cards: 72 (36-cards per set)
Card Numbering: Defence Series (1 to 36) & Defence Series Two (37 to 72)
Type of Card: Package insert card
Card Dimensions: 65.70 × 40.30 mm
Circa: 1939
Checklist: Download

Allen’s Confectionary, Ltd.

Allen’s is currently an Australian brand of confectionery produced by Nestlé. It is best known for “Minties”, a soft chewable mint flavored confectionery. “Allen’s” was founded by Alfred Weaver Allen (1870-1925), a Melbourne confectioner. Originally employed by MacRobertson’s, Allen commenced confectionery production in the 1890s at his Fitzroy confectionery shop. By 1909, Allen’s was the third largest confectionery business in Melbourne, after those of MacRobertson and Abel Hoadley. It was launched as a public company in 1922 and erected a vast factory to the design of prominent Melbourne architect Joseph Plottel in South Melbourne on the banks of the Yarra River. Its animated neon sign was a local landmark up to its demise in the 1980s. Allen’s abandoned chocolate production after World War II. However it became Australia’s largest confectionery company. Allen’s was purchased by the UK-based Rothmans Holdings in 1985, and later sold to Nestlé. Allen’s is the top brand in sugar confectionery in Australia. ^[2]

During the 1920s through the early 1940s, Allen’s Confectionary, Ltd. was also known for their trading cards. Allen’s issued trading cards as inserts packaged with their various confectionary products. Subjects included:

1. Bradman’s Records (1931);
2. Butterflies and Moths (1920),
3. Cricketers (4 sets 1933-38);
4. Footballers (3 sets, 1933-1939);
5. Kings & Queens of England (1937);
6. Medals (1938);
7. Soldiers of the Empire (1938);
8. Sports & Flags of Nations (1936);
9. Wrestlers (1926); and
10. Film Stars (1934). ^[3]

They also issued at least 5 series of aviation/military related trading card sets, including: ^[4]

1. 1926 “Flyers Series” (AL2-18) 24-cards
2. 1938 “Aeroplanes” (AL2-1) 72-cards
3. 1939 “Defence Series I” & “Defence Series II” (AL2-13a & AL2-13b) 2 × 36-cards
4. 1943 “Fighting Planes Series” (AL2-15) 36-cards

Overview

During 1939, Allen’s Confectionary, Ltd. issued two 36-card sets of “Defence Series” package insert military trading cards. Each of the two 36-card sets was issued with four distinct back designs (shown below) promoting the following four Allen’s Confectionary Ltd. products:

1. Butter Menthol Cough Drops,
2. Irish Moss Gum Jubes,
3. Steam Rollers, and
4. Cure-’Em Quick.

At first glance, one might assume that there were four different sets, each containing 36 cards. However, that was not the case. In a very clever marketing scheme, Allen’s issued four subsets of nine cards each for each of the two sets. For example:

1. Card #1 had a “Butter Menthol Cough Drops” back
2. Card #5 had an “Irish Moss Gum Jubes” back
3. Card #10 had a “Steam Rollers” back; and
4. Card #28 had a “Cure-’Em Quick” card back.

Unlike most of the card sets issued during the pre-World War II era, these two 36-card sets were not limited to military hardware and equipment, but they also covered civilian preparations for the upcoming conflict. Since the set was produced in Australia, there is a slight hint of favoritism towards Australian events.

The fronts of the cards are rather simplistic. Each card contains a color artwork printed and centered on thin eggshell white card stock, without any borderlines or text.

The backs of the cards are also rather straight forward. They are printed with black ink on thin eggshell white card stock, the card backs (shown below) are divided into upper and lower sections, each framed by a thin black-borderline rectangle. The top section of the card back contains the company’s name (Allen’s) plus advertising copy for each of the four Allen’s products represented in the series. The bottom section of the card back includes:

1. The series name,
2. the card number,
3. the card title, and
4. a brief descriptive text of the subject aircraft.

Image-Guide

Checklist

1939 “Defence Series” & “Defence Series Two” Allen’s Confectionary, Ltd., Australia Checklist
№	x	“Defence Series” Card Titles
1		Heavy Field Gun.
2		An Attack with Flame Throwers.
3		The Hawker “Fury” M.K. Two Single-Seat Fighter Biplane.
4		Vosper No. 102.
5		The Avro 626 Training Biplane.
6		Observation Balloon.
7		The Short “Sunderland” Long Range Reconnaissance Flying Boat.
8		Heavy Gun on Rail Mounting.
9		Troop Carrier.
10		The Vickers “Wellesley” Long Range Bomber Monoplane.
11		H.M.S. “Halcyon.”
12		Torpedo.
13		H.M.S. “Adventure.”
14		Searchlight.
15		Tanks.
16		Seaplane.
17		Flying Boats.
18		H.M.S. “Nelson.”
19		The Battle of Jutland.
20		The Gloster “Gladiator” Single-Seat Multi-Gun Fighter.
21		Autogiros.
22		H.M.S. “Porpoise.”
23		The Supermarine “Spitfire” Single-Seat Fighter Monoplane.
24		Howitzers.
25		H.M.S. “Mohawk.”
26		Heavy Field Gun on Rail Mounting.
27		H.M.S. “Furious.”
28		Aerial Torpedo.
29		Balloon Apron.
30		H.M.S. “Hood.”
31		Pill Box.
32		H.M.S. “Birmingham.”
33		The Armstrong Whitworth “Whitley” Heavy Bomber.
34		The Avro “Anson” Coastal Reconnaissance Monoplane.
35		The Airspeed “Queen Wasp”
36		Gibraltar.
№	x	“Defence Series Two” Card Titles
37		Power-Operated Gun Turrets.
38		Air-Raid Lessons in Shelter Class-Rooms.
39		R.A.F. Fighters over “Dead City.”
40		Heavy Gun in Action.
41		VAD’s in Realistic Tests.
42		“A Long Drink.”
43		9.2 in. Guns in Action at Penlee, Cornwall.
44		Boating at Aldershot.
45		Invaders, Beware!
46		The “Nelson’s” Anti-Aircraft Defenders.
47		“Resting.”
48		A Star Turn in Britain’s War Machinery.
49		Greyhounds of the Fleet.
50		One of “London’s Own” Air Defenders.
51		Amazing New Instruments.
52		Spectacular Training.
53		Training Officers for the Royal Navy.
54		Firefighting by the R.A.F.
55		Salute to Invaders.
56		An Argument for Peace.
57		Line of 3.7s in the Assembly Shop at Nottingham.
58		Dropping Bombs over “Hell’s Mouth”
59		The New Bren Gun
60		Speed and Power.
61		A Useful Recruit for National Service.
62		The New 6 in. Howitzer
63		The New Light Tank.
64		Sound Locator.
65		Rival War Craft of Two Elements.
66		The Navy Makes a Big Splash!
67		A Realistic Display.
68		Defending London.
69		Anti-Gas Realism.
70		London’s First Gas Dug-Out.
71		New Breathing Apparatus.
72		How Tank Gunners Train Indoors.

References

1. Wikipedia: Allen’s Confectionery
2. Australian Dictionary of Biography: A.W. Allen
3. Neville Fletcher: “Re: 1939 Allen’s Defence Series and Defence Series Two.” Multiple messages to Skytamer Images. 1 October 2015. E-mail.
4. John A. Shupek: Card images via the Skytamer Archive Digital Image Database.

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