Historical information

Edward Cook & Co were soap makers and chemical manufacturers in Bow, London. The company registered its new name in 1898. It was later taken over by Unilever. The document, issued for use during the First World War for its employees is dated 29 December 1915. While days of prayer were traditionally conducted in parish churches, large companies also undertook to hold the services during World War 1.

Significance

This work forms part of the collection assembled by the historian Dorothy Rogers, that was donated to the Kew Historical Society by her son John Rogers in 2015. The manuscripts, photographs, maps, and documents were sourced by her from both family and local collections or produced as references for her print publications. Many were directly used by Rogers in writing ‘Lovely Old Homes of Kew’ (1961) and 'A History of Kew' (1973), or the numerous articles on local history that she produced for suburban newspapers. Most of the photographs in the collection include detailed annotations in her hand. The Rogers Collection provides a comprehensive insight into the working habits of a historian in the 1960s and 1970s. Together it forms the largest privately-donated collection within the archives of the Kew Historical Society.

Physical description

Order of Service of Prayer held on 29 December 1915. The service included a Prayer for our Soldiers and Sailors and a Prayer for Victory and Peace.