J Hudson & Co
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | Birmingham, England (1883) |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, England |
| Key people | Joseph Hudson, Founder Simon Topman, Managing Director |
| Products | Whistles |
| Revenue |  5 million GBP (2005) |
| Employees | ~100 |
| Website | www.acmewhistles.co.uk |
J Hudson & Co was founded in the 1870s in Birmingham by Joseph Hudson (1848–1930) and his brother James Hudson (1850–1888). The company became a manufacturer of whistles and is still active today as Acme Whistles. Acme is the world’s largest and most famous producer of whistles. Headquartered in the Jewellery Quarter district of Birmingham, England, their patented designs are the recognized standard in loud noise production.
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[edit] History
The company was family run for over 100 years and three generations; Joseph Hudson's son, James Clifford Hudson, and his grandson, Leon Clifford Hudson ran the company after Joseph retired. Today the company trades under the name Acme Whistles, and the company's manager and owner is Simon Topman.[1]
In 1883 Joseph Hudson, a toolmaker and violinist, began tinkering in his toolshed to make gadgets to sell. One of the things he made were whistles. After observing Bobbies (British Police) having a hard time communicating with rattles,[2] he realized that his whistle could be used as a tool.
As the story goes, Hudson accidentally dropped his violin and it shattered on the floor. After observing how the discordant sound of the strings breaking traveled, he got the idea to put a pea in the whistle.[3] This gave it an ear splitting rattle that could grab attention up to two miles away. After a demonstration at Scotland Yard he had his first sale.
The name “Acme” comes from the Greek word “acme”, meaning a high point. This indicates that the whistle is a tool for producing a very high decibel level. Their Tornado 2000 whistle demonstrates this as it is capable of easily reaching 122 decibels.
[edit] First period
First period divides to early period: up to Hudson winning the contract of supplying the Metropolitan Police with 7000 whistles at 1884 and prior to that.
Early beginning: Joseph Hudson started working at the age of 12, at various jobs, later he began working for Bent & Parker a long established company of army supplies and whistle makers in Birmingham. at 1870 age 22 he started his own Business with younger brother James.
The 1884 contract gradually made Hudson the largest whistle manufacturer for British Empire Police and other general services.
In the 1890s, Hudson was faced with the rise of many competitor makers and companies .
The growth of Hudson at the end of the Victorian era and the end of the first period:
- 1898 Hudson purchased Black & Co. and kept making their models.
- 1898 J Barrall ends his whistle making Business.
- 1901 Hudson is making Stevens & sons whistles.
- 1904 Hudson purchased R A Walton.
- 1907 Hudson purchased S Auld Whistle making business and kept manufacturing their models especially the Round " pignose " type known as 'Glasgow type police call'.
- 1904 Hudson is filling whistle orders (along with De Courcy) for [W Dowler & sons] who stops manufacturing whistles.
- During this period, Coney & Co. stopped making whistles and Hudson is making their models.
- In early 1900 Hudson is making whistles on a small scale for Bent & Parker.
- At an unknown date c, late 1890s early 1900 T Yates stops manufacturing whistles.
- Circa 1908 H A Ward stops making whistles.
So in a period of 10 years. 1898 to 1908 all other whistle makers actually end making whistles, leaving Hudson and De Courcy as the two major whistle makers in England.
[edit] Second period
Starting 1909 at a new Building in the northern part, 244 Barr St., Hudson changed their whistle making and expanded to more markets in Europe and overseas, with an office in Paris, a large 1910 French catalogue, and new connections with United States sporting goods companies and distributors. Hudson was left with just one British competitor, A De Courcy & Co, from 1909 to 1927.
In 1927 Hudson purchased A De Courcy patent rights, tools and stock. Hudson became the world's largest whistle maker, gaining the Thunderer Registered Trademark. The Acme thunderer whistle and its variations becomes the world's best selling whistle.
During this transition time, 1925 to 1930, three generations of the Hudson family ran the business together. This was the end of the golden age of whistle making.
[edit] Third period
1927 to 2000: modern era
The beginning of this period certainly stood in the shade of the Great Depression and the changing demand of the market using more and more plastic materials for making calls and whistles, trying to keep costs down and competing in a market that was flooded with cheaper tin and cast base metal whistles, made in Germany, Japan, U.S.A. & other countries.
On October 26, 1940, the factory received a direct hit from a German air raid, no one was injured but the factory suffered a major crisis which took months to recover. The ARP whistles were made during the next few years and dated whistles for army, navy and Royal Air Force equipment and for Civil Defence.
In 1949 the firm was re-constituted as J. Hudson & Co. (Whistles) Ltd. Leon C. Hudson became its first managing director.
The 1950s & 1960s: there was growing demand for Hudson sports whistles, Olympics and other sport events in five continents.
In 1957 A. R. Topman became an assistant general manager, and about 40 years later his son, Simon Topman, became the owner and the Managing director of the company, starting the fourth period of the company developments.
[edit] Fourth period- Acme Whistles
2000 to present. The factory name was changed to Acme Whistles and the factory sells about 5 million whistles each year. It continues to register new patents for whistles. The period is marked with a growing competition from far east and Chinese manufacturers.
Today Acme sells over 5 million whistles per year. They have made over a billion whistles altogether. While most today are made of plastic, the original whistles were made from folded brass strips. In addition to the “Thunderer”, they make varieties of bird calls, dog calls, safety whistles, sports whistles, and party whoopers.
[edit] Patents, registered designs and trade marks
| Year | Patent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1885 | 435 | whistle-diaphragm disk |
| 1898 | 19700 | whistle-diaphragm disk |
| 1907 | 1112 | Whistle combined with pocket knife |
| 1907 | 25619 | Whistle attached to a wrist strap |
| 1908 | 5727 | Two piece top |
| 1911 | 28999 | Unibody GSW |
| 1923 | 213487 | Groove in cap for Escargot-type |
| 1923 | 214519 | Pressed top |
Registered Designs
| Year | Number | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1895 | 256361 | Double end whistle Metropolitan plus Round pea whistle-type |
| 1893 | 217010 | Oval whistle |
| 1897 | 311230 | Oval whistle with oval Porteous top |
| 1909 | 540164 | Pillar top |
| 1924 | 705987 | Compass replacing top cap |
Registered Trademarks
| The Metropolitan | 1884 |
|---|---|
| The Acme | |
| The Kinglet | 1907 |
| Acme city | 1907 |
| Emca | 1922 |
| Acme | 1927 |
- The above tables shows essential patents and registered designs out of many and up to 1927.
- Many patents were registered after 1927 and new improvements and inventions are constantly being registered.
[edit] Catalogues
- 1935 Acme whistle catalogue ( English )
- 1910 Acme whistle catalogue ( French )
[edit] Models & whistle types
While many makers concentrated on limited variety, J Hudson & Co practically made most of the common whistle types & Bird-calls, Duck calls, Dog Calls, Fox calls in use, musical whistles as well as sound effects & slide whistles and novelty combination whistles. Some models as the Thunderer Escargot-type & the 'Metropolitan' general service whistle, cylindrical type being popular during most of the company's history up to date.
[edit] Materials
Hudson was the only Maker in U.K actually using Wood Horn Bakelite Plastic & Silver Beside other metals,while other firms were making either solely metal or other materials, Dixon at 19th century being the exception.
[edit] Body stamps
Hudson stamped General service type whistles that were ordered for thousands of various police forces, Constabularies, Railway companies, Fire Brigades, companies, and for distributors world wide as well as for general services and police forces in the British Colonies. Address stamps are more commonly found on the GSWs than other types as the Escargot-type . some early police small arms inspection marks, Army broad arrow stamp appeared on dated whistles and others. Many of Hudson stamps carry the address and supply an easy tool to date .
- Metropolitan police whistles had a hand engraved number at the back of the very early ones and punched on later ones .
The book "Collecting Police whistles",see footnotes, gives an in depth look at some of the variations and classifies these as MP-1 to MP-22 .
- The Mark st. address is not known to have been used on any whistles, and beside the addresses mentioned at the top table, the address Barr Street Hockley was used on many whistles post World War I.
- The stamp of 131 Barr St. is extremely rare on escargot-type.
- Early GSWs have a Patent & J Hudson & Co stamp on the diaphragm.
- Acme was and is a common stamp on Hudson whistles and so was the name Emca ( same letters in reverse ).
- At times Initials consisting of a single letter or two are used as abbreviations; 'MH' for Mental Hospital 'FB' for fire Brigade' P' for prison or police 'T' for tramway and others.
- Stamps of particular model or popular names at one time or another "International", The King's Own, Taxi call etc.
[edit] Notes
- ^ BBC NEWS | UK | Company whistles through history
- ^ Taylor, J. "The Victorian Police Rattle Mystery"[dead link] The Constabulary (2003)
- ^ ACME Whistles
