Kathy Martin - Farnell Teddy Bears

Iowe a debt of gratitude to the many people who kindly shared their knowledge and resources with me whilst writing this book. In particular, there are two individuals without whose assistance my task would have been immeasurably more difficult and to them I wish to say a special thank you. The first is Pat Rush, the renowned teddy bear author and enthusiast who generously made available to me the fruits of her own research into Farnells appearances in old toy trade journals. Her readiness to share meant I did not have to duplicate her research and for that I am eternally grateful. For different reasons I am equally grateful to Michael Fisher from Twyford Church of England School in Acton. From my earliest enquiry at the start of this project, Michael could not have been more interested and helpful. Not only did he give me a personally guided tour of The Elms, in itself a huge thrill for me, he also put me in contact with former Farnell employees Stan Hancock and Maggie Cue, took me to the site of the Farnell grave in North Acton Cemetery, provided me with pamphlets and literature relating to the The Elms site and answered my innumerable questions with patience and enthusiasm.

Many others have assisted me in different ways. Stan Hancock and his sister Maggie Cue took time to talk to me about their own Farnell experiences and their memories concerning their late mothers years with the company. Maggie also provided fascinating staff photos for me to use. Shirley Harrison and Sally Evemy very generously shared information with me, while Harrods archivist Sebastian Wormell allowed me to visit the archives and reproduce crucial pages from old copies of Harrods catalogues. Various Farnell owners shared their images with me, including Jill Byron, Amanda Middleditch, Julie Tatchell, Kim Brittle and Wendy Hawkins. Vintage teddy bear specialists Bourton Bears allowed me to photograph several of their Farnell bears and also provided me with one of their own images. Similarly, Vicky Gwilliam from the Teddy Bear Chest made a number of interesting Farnells available to me and also gave me good advice for the chapter relating to the identification and care of Farnell teddy bears. Dot Bird also shared some of her expert knowledge with me. Lorna Kaufman of Vectis Auctions once again came up trumps when I contacted her for photos, as did Laura Sinanovitch of the Puppenhausmuseum in Basel. Richard Evans from the Snarestone village website kindly gave me permission to reproduce images. To them all and to anyone else who assisted during this marathon project I offer my sincere thanks.

Finally, three other people deserve my gratitude. Fiona Shoop at Pen & Sword has been patience personified ever since she asked me to write this book and I am so thankful for all her many kindnesses. That just leaves my husband Alastair and daughter Amy who have travelled the long Farnell road with me and have never wearied of my obsession with Joseph Kirby Farnell and his descendants. As always, they have my deepest love and gratitude.