Hearing that the British Legion wanted to buy Remembrance poppies made in Britain, George Howson proposed that the poppies should be made by disabled war veterans in the UK.
The Legion agreed. In May 1922 it gave Howson £2,000 to establish a poppy-making factory.
Howson wrote: “If the experiment is successful it will be the start of an industry to employ 150 men.”
Our first factory opened on Monday 5 June 1922, in two rooms at Mitchell’s Collar Factory near Old Kent Road, south London. Fred Williams helped establish the factory and was appointed foreman. The first workers also included Jack Adams, Arthur Phillips, Jack Pallatt and Bert Harrison. All had been wounded in the war.
Within weeks of opening, over 40 men were employed. Within the first three years, they numbered more than 100.