John Cecil Burton and his brother Cecil Hubert formed The Leicester Rubber Company in 1906, to sell imported cycle tyres. The Company's patriotic 'John Bull' trade mark came into force a few years later in 1908. In 1915 the Rubber Company started to manufacture its own bicycle and pram tyres at its Evington Valley Road site in Leicester, and in 1928 they started to mass produce car and motorcycle tyres at the site. The name was changed to the John Bull Rubber Company in 1934, and in 1937 an associated company was formed to manufacture rubber to metal components - Metalastic. In 1955 the John Bull group companies merged, and in 1958 the company became part of the Dunlop Rubber Company.An empty blue tin with a hinged lid for 'John Bull' Tyre repair outfitLid top ; JOHN BULL Reg. T / REPAIR OUTFIT/John Bull Rubber Co. Ltd. Evington, Valley Mills, Leicester Trade Mark ;Central Photo of 'John Bull' encased in a circle around is written ' Made for the Man who will have the Best' / TRADE / MARK Lid Inside ; INSTRUCTIONS FOR REPAIRING PUNCTURES/ ................ Base ; RIDE / JOHN BULL TYRES / and you will have practically no use for this OUTFIT* tyres, rubber, bicycles, cars, prams, leicester, england, john bull rubber company, burton john c , hubert cecil, leicester rubber company, dunlop rubber pty ltd,

The first bicycles arrived in Australia in the 1860s. They gradually gained in popularity and by the 1890s they offered a cheap and relatively comfortable mode of transport. Far being just a means of leisure, long distance cycle travelling became a fact of life in rural areas for people such as sheep shearers and other agricultural labourers with migratory work. The bicycle and swag travelled much of Australia on dusty dirt tracks, long before the automobile was introduced. Today the bicycle continues to be an important item for general, cheap transport, sport and leisure. Tool kits such as those shown in the item, were and important piece of equipment for bicycle enthusiasts, particularly on a longer ride where assistance may not be close by if the rider experienced a punctured tyre. John Bull Rubber Co. Ltd. was a British tyre manufacturer based in Leicester. It was established in 1906 and was originally named Leicester Rubber Company. In 1915, a new factory was built in Evington Valley Road as indicated on the repair outfit tin in this kit. It was renamed John Bull Rubber in 1934 after its popular product of the same name. In 1958, the company was acquired by Dunlop Rubber. A leather bag containing tools and 2 tins containing rubber patches to repair bicycle tyres. The bag has 2 straps and metal buckles to attach it to the back of the bicycle seat.On tin 1: "The John Bull / Repair Outfit/ John Bull Rubber Co. Ltd./ Evington Valley Mills, Leicester" On tin 2: "ZENITH Repair Outfit / For Cycle and Rubber Repairs/ Self Vulcanizing" On tin 3: Around the DUNLOP logo "Six Self Lighting/ Patch Heat Units / For Cycle Tube/ Vulcaniser"bicycle history, bicycle repairs, john bull rubber, cycling leisure

Blue cardboard box depicting John Bull and Bulldog on front, containing tiny rubber squares with a letter on them to be fitted into wooden block with grooves. Metal tweezers enclosed.John Bull Printing Outfit/Made in the British Isles/No 6 'Carbak' Series/London SES/Englandtoys, general