Propert’s Web Cleaner
A facsimile of Propert’s Web Cleaner is supplied by Tommy’s Pack Fillers.
This wrapper uses the font Gill Sans which wasn’t a commercially available font until 1936 and so gives some idea of the period of the product (although it is possible the product had been available earlier in different packaging). There are no clues as to this block’s colour but given the directions it is clearly a solid block not a crème or liquid.
However, Propert’s Web Cleaner was listed in a trade catalogue dated Summer 1966 (sporting a Royal Warrant) under ‘Forces Lines’ and shows Army Renovators 3, 61, 97, 103 & Green plus R.A.F. Blue Renovator ‘227′. The cost is shown as 1s 6d per tin and was a creme product like Quippy and later Pickering products. This would certainly sit alongside manufacturing of their shoe creme products and polish products. There was also a White product in a can with a larger size in a jar.
A tin of Propert’s RAF Blue Webbing Paste which carries the Ministry of Supply specification of TS213 so clearly Pickerings had an official competitor. It isn’t immediately clear why the 1966 brochure refers to the RAF Blue product as “227″ though.
The company was established in 1835 but was to be yet another company swallowed up by Reckitt & Sons Ltd in 1970 (latterly Reckitt Benckiser plc) whose acquisitions include many famous names of old – Wren, Nugget, Meltonian & Chiswick. Their rather splendid premises at 142 Battersea Park Rd, Wandsworth, London SW11 4NB still exist, with the Properts name over the door although now has other commercial uses.
The company specialised in boot and shoe polish and as can be seen from the 1966 catalogue supplied all manner of coloured cremes, polishes, dubbin and saddlery lines.
