Historical information
‘Strike anywhere’ or ‘Waterproof’ matches are still used today all around the world, including many developing countries and are widely used for camping, outdoor activities, emergency/survival /military situations, and stocking homemade survival kits.
Anton Schrötter von Kristelli discovered in 1850 that heating white phosphorus at 250 °C in an inert atmosphere produced a red allotropic form, which did not fume in contact with air. It was suggested that this would make a suitable substitute in match manufacture although it was slightly more expensive. Two French chemists, Henri Savene and Emile David Cahen, proved in 1898 that the addition of phosphorus sesquisulfide meant that the substance was not poisonous, that it could be used in a "strike-anywhere" match, and that the match heads were not explosive. British company Albright and Wilson, was the first company to produce phosphorus sesquisulfide matches commercially. The company developed a safe means of making commercial quantities of phosphorus sesquisulfide in 1899 and started selling it to match manufacturers.
Bryant and May was a United Kingdom (UK) company created in the mid-nineteenth century specifically to make matches. Their original Bryant and May Factory was located in Bow, London. They later opened other match factories in the United Kingdom and Australia. On 15th December 1909, Bryant & May, Australia’s first match factory at Church Street, Richmond, Victoria. was opened by The Honorable Alfred Deakin, Prime Minister of Australia, and Mrs. Deakin
Significance
The Bryant & May Ltd factory in Church St Richmond is a listed building and has been converted to apartments following the closure of the Company 1980. Bryant & May's Ltd were influential in fighting against the dreadful disease known as Phossy jaw which was caused by white phosphorus used in the manufacture of the early matches. They were also the object of the 'Match Girls Strike' in London 1888, which won important improvements in working conditions and pay for the mostly female workforce working with the dangerous white phosphorus. The public were slow to purchase these red phosphorus sesquisulfide safety matches because of the higher price
Physical description
1 box of unused Bryant & May safety matches 'Greenlite' waterproof
Inscriptions & markings
Greenlites / waterproof / matches / CONTENTS 47 / MADE IN AUSTRALIA BY BRYANT & MAY / E 2994
photograph of a man and woman beside a camp fire on the beach
