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Oddfellows Procession in St Helens (c.1901)

Members of this Friendly Society stream past the camera.

Non-Fiction 1901 3 mins Silent

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.