Senior Service (cigarette)

Last updated

Senior Service
Senior Service cigarettes pack, pic1.JPG
An old pack of Senior Service cigarettes
Product type Cigarette
Owner Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco
Country United Kingdom
Introduced1925;99 years ago (1925)
MarketsSee Markets
Previous ownersJ.A. Pattreiouex Ltd
Tagline"Senior Service Satisfy"
Carcinogenicity: IARC group 1

Senior Service was a British brand of filterless cigarettes, owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco. [1] The brand was named after the nickname of the Royal Navy. [2]

Contents

Senior Service was sold mainly in the United Kingdom, and also in Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and South Africa. [3] [4] [5]

After a long period of decline, as filtered cigarettes came to dominate a declining UK market, they were discontinued by the manufacturer in the UK from January 2020.

History

Senior Service was launched in 1925 by "J.A. Pattreiouex Ltd", a company that was acquired by Gallaher in 1937. [6] [7] [8] Senior Service is no longer available in the United Kingdom, and was one of the most expensive brands available for purchase. [2] One of the most popular slogans used with the brand was "Senior Service Satisfy".

In 1938, J. A. Pattreioux Ltd. issued a 48-card set of "Flying" cigarette trading photo cards that were issued with Senior Service cigarettes. The cards measure 3.05 × 2.05 inches (77.47 × 52.07 mm), and were assigned the London Cigarette Card Company Catalog reference number H.564-3B. The fronts of the 1938 "Flying" cards featured glossy black-and-white photos surrounded by a thin white margin. The card title was located in a rectangular white box centered at the bottom of the image area. The photo cards were presented in both landscape(horizontal) and portrait (vertical) formats. The backs of the cards, printed with black ink, featured two rectangular boxes surrounded by a common rectangular box. The top box featured four vertical segments: (1) the name of the set "FLYING" with two opposing airplane icons; (2) the series length and card number; (3) the card title; and (4) descriptive text. The lower box displayed the products name "Senior Service cigarettes". [7] Various poster advertisements were made to promote Senior Service cigarettes as well. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

In 1999, the Senior Service cigarette factory that produced the Senior Service cigarettes on Ashton Road, Hyde, Greater Manchester was closed down and later demolished in 2011. It had opened in 1905, and manufactured cigarettes until 1999, when production was moved to Northern Ireland [17]

Packaging

The pack is white, with an orange-blue stripe at the top. The new pack removed the orange and instead put two seagulls on either side of the pack. The brand's emblem is a sailing ship, with on the side two olive tree branches and on top a crown. Underneath is written "Senior Service" with underneath that the words "The perfection of Cigarette Luxury". The old packs had the words "Fine Virginia" written instead. On the reverse side of the original packaging, the words "A Product of the Master Mind." were written.

James Bond smokes Senior Service cigarettes in Ian Fleming's novels, Goldfinger , Thunderball , The Spy Who Loved Me , and The Man with the Golden Gun . [18]

It has appeared at 28' on Aki Kaurismaki's film I Hired a Contract Killer (1990).

Mentioned by Polly Shelby in Peaky Blinders , Series 3 Episode 4.

They are mentioned in the film The Bank Job

Patricia Routledge, playing the mundane monologuer Kitty, first originated on Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV , describes the fictional and unseen producer of the supposed television show as stubbing out her Senior Service when they meet. [19]

Elvis Costello wrote a song titled "Senior Service" in 1979 with many references to smoking a cigarette.

Mentioned on the Only Fools and Horses episode "The Yellow Peril" as Joan Trotter's brand of cigarette.

Detective Inspector Harris offers a Senior Service cigarette to Melville Farr in the film Victim (1961).

In the movie Mortelle randonnée , Isabelle Adjani smokes Senior Service cigarettes.

The Still Game episode “Aff” from 2004 features pensioner Winston Ingram favouring the brand, declaring "Senior Service, nae arsing aboot wi yer poofy Silkys", referencing to the difference in strength of tobacco between Senior Service and Silk Cut. His 80-a-day habit resulted in his right leg being amputated. Pack of Senior Service was filmed in HBO Series Pacific Part3 Ep3 on table in pub smoked by Sgt John Basilone played by Jon Seda

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cigarette card</span> Trading cards included in cigarette packaging

Cigarette cards are trading cards issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camel (cigarette)</span> Cigarette brand

Camel is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the United States and by Japan Tobacco outside the U.S.

Benson & Hedges is a British brand of cigarettes owned by American conglomerate Altria. Cigarettes under the Benson & Hedges name are manufactured worldwide by different companies such as Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, Philip Morris USA, British American Tobacco, or Japan Tobacco, depending on the region. In the UK, they are registered in Old Bond Street in London, and were manufactured in Lisnafillan, Ballymena, Northern Ireland, before production was moved to Eastern Europe in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesterfield (cigarette)</span> Brand of cigarette in United States

Chesterfield is a brand of cigarette, named after Chesterfield County, Virginia. The brand is owned by conglomerate Altria and produced by its subsidiary Philip Morris USA.

Gallaher Group was a United Kingdom-based multinational tobacco company which traded on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, prior to its acquisition by American Tobacco in 1974. In April 2007, it was acquired by Japan Tobacco. Japan Tobacco trades in the United Kingdom as Gallaher Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silk Cut</span> British brand of cigarettes

Silk Cut is a British brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a division of Japan Tobacco. The packaging is characterised by a distinctive stark white packet with the brand name in a purple, blue, red, silver, white or green square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mevius</span> Japanese cigarette brand

Mevius, previously called Mild Seven, is a Japanese brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Japan Tobacco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambert & Butler</span> Former English tobacco manufacturing company

Lambert & Butler is a former English tobacco manufacturing company, established in 1834 in Clerkenwell, Central London, that operated as a private business until 1901 when it merged with other UK manufacturers to form the Imperial Tobacco Company. Apart from tobacco products L&B also released several cigarette card sets from the 1910s to the 1930s. They consisted of various topics including motor cars, locomotives, horsemanship, aviation, and association football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gitanes</span> French brand of cigarettes

Gitanes is a French brand of cigarettes, owned and manufactured by Imperial Tobacco following their acquisition of Altadis in January 2008, having been owned by SEITA before that.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Du Maurier (cigarette)</span> Canadian cigarette brand

Du Maurier is a Canadian brand of cigarette, produced by Imperial Tobacco Canada, a subsidiary of conglomerate British American Tobacco. The brand is named after Sir Gerald du Maurier, the noted British actor. The brand is also produced under license by the West Indian Tobacco Company in Trinidad and Tobago.

Woodbine is a British brand of cigarettes which, as of 2019, is owned and manufactured by Imperial Tobacco. Woodbine cigarettes are named after the woodbine flowers, native to Eurasia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kensitas Club (cigarette)</span> Scottish cigarette brand

Kensitas Club, is a Scottish brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco. Before May 2017, Club cigarettes in UK came in a distinct blue packet with the CLUB name and a lion's head.

Vantage is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Capstan is a British brand of unfiltered cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Imperial Brands. The brand dwindled in popularity when the health effects of tobacco became more widely known; few shops sell them today.

Barclay was an American brand of cigarettes manufactured by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the United States and by British American Tobacco outside of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayfair (cigarette)</span> English cigarette brand

Mayfair is an English brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco.

Army Club was a British brand of cigarettes, owned and manufactured by Cavanders Ltd of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoking in Iceland</span>

Smoking in Iceland is banned in restaurants, cafés, bars and night clubs as of June 2007. A large majority of Icelanders approve of the ban. At the time the ban went into effect, almost one in four Icelandic people were smokers.

Belinda is a Dutch brand of cigarettes currently owned and manufactured by British American Tobacco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingsway (cigarette)</span> Cigarette brand

Kingsway is a cigarette brand that gained ground January of 1959, and is currently owned by conglomerate British American Tobacco, and manufactured by its subsidiary American Express of London/Ardath Tobacco Company. In Ireland, the brand was manufactured by W.D. & H.O. Wills, and in Malaysia, the brand is manufactured by Rothmans International.

References

  1. ↑ Peter Hitchens, The War We Never Fought: The British Establishment's Surrender to Drugs
  2. 1 2 "Stubbed out: the 21 most iconic cigarette packets of all time". The Telegraph. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  3. ↑ "BrandSenior Service - Cigarettes Pedia". Cigarettespedia.com. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  4. ↑ "Senior Service". Zigsam.at. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "Brands". Cigarety.by. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "CHAPTER 4. OTHER MANUFACTURERS" (PDF). Webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. p. 55. Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. 1 2 "1938 Flying, H.564-3B, J.A. Pattreioux, UK". Skytamer.com. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "Gallaher's cigarette factory closure: Sad chapter in the history of an industrial giant that sprang from humble origins". Belfasttelegraph. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "Stock Photo - cigarette advert - Advert for Senior Service cigarettes in Punch magazine dated 17th November 1965". Alamy.com. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  10. ↑ "Tilleys Vintage Magazines : ORIGINAL 1953 SENIOR SERVICE CIGARETTES AD. FOR SALE NOV 7 SMOKING CLASSIC IMAGES OF THE TWENTIETH C". Tilleysvintagemagazines.com. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "Senior Service Cigarettes 1950S - Manor Art". Manorart.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "Vintage Tobacco/ Cigarette Ads of the 1950s (Page 2)". Vintageadbrowser.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  13. ↑ Elsey, Brian. "Advert Museum - Senior Service". Historyworld.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  14. ↑ "Senior Service Cigarettes - Available on Planes Everywhere". Pinterest. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  15. ↑ "senior services". Pinterest. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  16. ↑ "Get Satisfaction Again – Senior Service Cigarettes". Advertsadvertsadverts.wordpress.com. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  17. ↑ "Bulldozers move in to demolish Senior Service". Manchester Evening News . 24 September 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  18. ↑ Leigh, David. "Other James Bond cigarette brands". The James Bond Dossier. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  19. ↑ "Victoria Wood as Seen on TV: Kitty 4". YouTube .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.