This film is part of Free
Oddfellows Procession in St Helens (c.1901)
Members of this Friendly Society stream past the camera.
Overview
Before the rise of trade unions and the arrival of the welfare state, membership of a mutual Friendly Society, such as the Oddfellows, provided some protection for families against illness and injury. The bowler-hatted and sash-wearing members of the St Helens order march past, but the young spectators, ushered out of view by an umbrella-prodding commissioner, are more interested in the camera.
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