THE WADDINGTONS STORY, LEEDS DISCOVERY CENTRE, 3RD OCTOBER
8 OCTOBER 2025
The party of 28 guests were truly privileged to combine a curated tour of the Leeds Discovery Centre, a unique museum storage facility which preserves 1.3 million objects including Waddingtons’ ephemera https://museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk/leeds-discovery-centre-c7h1
with two fascinating presentations, Fighting for Freedom, the little-known history of print in the Second World War and, Fighting for Survival, personal revelations behind the scenes of Waddingtons’ battles with Robert Maxwell.
As part of an initiative by Northern Stationers, organised by Liveryman Robert McClements, to collaborate with other like-minded organisations the party comprised of Stationers, members of the BPIF (British Printing Industries Federation) and Brigantes, the Association of City of London Liverymen in the North of England. It was awash with Liverymen of many companies including our own Master, Past Master Robert Flather and PMs from The Worshipful Company of Bakers, The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, The Worshipful Company of Woolmen and The Tribal Leader of Brigantes.
Dr Henry Irving gave a fascinating illustrated talk, Fighting for Freedom, on the history of print in the Second World War. He explained how the government mobilised commercial techniques to produce all manner of materials before exploring a colourful episode in the history of the Leeds printing firm Waddingtons. He explained how the firm entered the shadowy world of military intelligence as part of a plan to use board games to smuggle escape kits into Prisoner of War camps.
John Watson OBE, Past Master, The Worshipful Company of Makers of playing Cards presented, Fighting for Survival, a unique personal insight, that was full of private experiences and a great deal of humour, to the Waddingtons battles with Robert Maxwell the British media proprietor, politician and fraudster. Maxwell’s death on 5 November 1991 shocked the country. Shock turned to anger within weeks when a £460m hole was discovered in the pension funds of his companies - but not Waddingtons.
Liveryman, Richard Walker, provided direct door-to-door transport for the train travellers courtesy of Network Rail’s help - a secret parking place that circumvented the efforts of Leeds City Council to make the train station completely inaccessible without a two-mile run through the one-way system (designed to reduce Leeds’ carbon footprint!).
The Yorkshire Buffet was excellent and catering generous. It was good to know that there was no waste as the Discovery Centre has a plan in place to provide any surplus to a local charity.
Ryan Lee, Ryvacious Productions, captured the occasion on video here.and photographs are available from here.
PHOTO
We were delighted to be joined by the Master, photographed here with his namesake (no family connection, he asserts) and who was able to add his own personal experiences of working for Robert Maxwell to the discussion.
SPEAKERS’ DETAILS Dr Henry Irving Henry is a senior lecturer in history at Leeds Beckett University. While completing a PhD on British politics in the 1940s, he became fascinated by the history of mass communication. He
has spent most of his subsequent career working on domestic communication and propaganda in Britain during the Second World War. He has written various articles and chapters on related subjects, ranging from official publications to the history of paper recycling.
Henry is also to publish a book entitled, Information at War, that rewrites the history of Britain’s wartime Ministry of Information. It is the first book to consider the full range of the MoI’s activities, in Britain and overseas, with chapters spanning topics as varied as newspaper advertising and photographic censorship.
I am certain that we will see him at Stationers’ Hall next year - keep your eyes open!
John Watson OBE
John joined John Waddington plc as a management trainee in 1970 and became Marketing Director of Waddingtons Games Ltd in 1975. Two years later he became Managing Director of that company. He left Waddingtons Games upon his election as an MP in 1979 but remained on the main Waddingtons Board as a non-executive Director. He was therefore heavily involved in the battles during the early eighties to fight off the two hostile bids from Robert Maxwell. At the time of the 1983 bid he was also Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards.
After retiring as a Member of Parliament in 1987 he pursued a subsequent career in industry and finance involving several non-exec appointments.