Echoes of the past: Rogue traders in the optical industry

Echoes of the past turns back the clock 75 years this week with a glimpse of the March 31 issue of Optician from 1939. The week the issue went to press, Madrid fell to Francisco Franco, marking the end of the Spanish Civil War and an agreement between Britain and France was made to support Poland if it was invaded by Germany.

One of the journal’s news pages is the focus of this week’s retrospective. Optician’s parliamentary correspondent reported on an unusual case of a number of children in a Somerset school having to wear glasses as a result of working by light from an oil lamp. Concerns were raised in a House of Commons debate on nutrition by a Mrs Tate of Frome. It was reported that a number of applications had been made to install an electric light in the school – using a cable said to be just 50 yards away.