Hello Stephen
That’s very interesting indeed to read about these letters you found regarding Ludlow and the Ministry of Supply, and I am most grateful to you for sharing this and the reference to them with us. Presumably though even if the Firm was no longer able to tender for contracts, they could still have provided badges for private purchase? Although I can’t be sure, I was under the impression that Ludski/Ludlow mainly made officers’ badges rather than ORs ones, so maybe we shouldn’t read too much into the 1956 date as an absolute end date for their badge production. Having said that you could well be right, and the Company might not have been actively still making badges by the late 1950s.
If the trade directories are any kind of guide, then the last entry I can find to them as “military accoutrement mkrs” is in that of 1942 (the library I use doesn’t have a directory for 1943), and by 1944 they are listed specifically as “button mfrs”. This would seem to indicate a deliberate move away from the manufacture of badges and other regalia in favour of button making, though the 1946 advertisement I mentioned
above does say they were still making “Officers’ badges and buttons” as well as “all metal parts worn on the uniforms of the fighting services” at that date. Another interesting point about the 1942 London Trade Directory entry is that this would seem to be the first where the Firm is given as a limited company - “Ludlow & Co. Ltd.” rather than the plain “Ludlow & Co.” of the 1940 one (though again my library doesn’t have a directory for 1941). This fits well with the 1941 incorporation of the Firm as recorded by Companies’ House, and which I noted in post
#3 of the thread.
Anyway, many thanks again for the contribution and if anyone else has information on the Company, or any examples of their badges that might shed light on matters, then it would be really good to know about things.
Regards
Martin