Hills Menke & co

[Mutreeh]

I bought an iron suitcase in the Netherlands from the company Hills Menke & co despite searching the internet I can't find much about this company besides the fact that they started in birmingham. founded in 1878 , do they still exist?
Does anyone know the history of this company? When did they stop, I'm very curious.
Sincerely, Mutreeh from the Netherlands

 

[A Sparks]

There is a bit about the company mentioned on this page of an old thread..

They Were Caught In Our Old Street Pics...

Re: #798 No Health & Safety then! I think he had picked a quiet morning to go up on the roof to find some lead. He didn't realise he was getting caught in one of the old street pics !

birminghamhistory.co.uk

 

[Mutreeh]

A Sparks, thanks for your information I had already found it here. I hope there is more to tell / find about this company, because there is little that can be found on the internet

 

[A Sparks]

The photograph that's refered to was on the previous page..


They were in Great Charles Street as per Graces Guide.

Hills, Menke and Co - Graces Guide

www.gracesguide.co.uk

 

[A Sparks]

A Sparks, thanks for your information I had already found it here. I hope there is more to tell / find about this company, because there is little that can be found on the internet

It's strange isn't it - very little at all!
Another member may be able to find some more info for you - I think members have access to our old Kelly's Directories to check dates they were at that address.

 

[Mutreeh]

Menke is in 1914 the Present Principal, what happend after that date? WW1 has started around that date, has the company stopped because of WW1? hopefully some other members will respond, thank you for respond.

 

[A Sparks]

@pjmburns can you help with dates in Kelly's for this company please, I know you're great with that sort of information!
Thanks

 

[pjmburns]

They seem to vanish around the time of WW1. This may because their premises were also used by the German High Commissioner (or whatever he was called in Birmingham) who was C Menke.

 

[mikejee]

The company did not start in Great charles St, and , because the year in Kellys is the publication date, not the survey date, I believe the company may have started at least a year before 1878.
1876 No mention
1878-1882 Hills Menke & Co, iron, metal, tinplate , iron wire & and hardware merchants, 5 Carrs Lane
1883-1892 Hills Menke & Co, iron, metal, tinplate , & and hardware merchants, 8 Great Charles St
1895 Hills Menke & Co, iron, metal, tinplate ,hardware & and general merchants, 154 Great Charles St
1897-1915 Hills Menke & Co, merchants, 154 Great Charles St
1921 J Browne Wilson & sons,. export merchants, 154 Great Charles St
The change in address from 8 to 154 was real, and not due to renumbering.
Menke was listed as German Consul in Kellys from 1908-1912, but not in 1904 edition

 

[Pedrocut]

The Colonies and India, November 1893.

 

[mikejee]

The following might be of interest:

 

[mikejee]

Apprently the business , after seizing, was taken over by Fletcher Hardware

 

[Mutreeh]

Thank you all for the overwhelming response to my question.

 

[Komtur]

While searching for Carl (Karl) Theodor Menke and his son Frederick William Menke I found this site and thread with its valuable information about Hills & Menke.

May be, the medals of father and son Menke, I could purchase these days, and some other information about them are of some interest here.

 

[Vivienne14]

Very interesting, especially in demonstrating the position of settled German families in the UK around the time of WW1. Seems Mr Menke was prosecuted in 1916, presumably for continuing with contracts to supply customers in Germany. Looks to me that he and his business partner(s) were able to continue until 1915 . (Post #9 suggests the business in that name no longer existed after 1915)

"Immediately after the outbreak of War, the Aliens Restriction Act meant that Germans could not move more than five miles and had to register with the police. The Act also eliminated all German newspapers and clubs. A series of measures also closed down all of the German-owned businesses in Britain and confiscated property and assets without compensation for the owners. Most dramatically, the government introduced a policy of wholesale internment of males of military age" (Source; Our Migration Story).

I wondered where he'd been interned. Looks like he subsequently signed up for service in the Labour Corps in 1917. Was his wealth confiscated ? And of course the German Club would have been closed. I think this was on Easy Row.

The most interesting aspect for me is the knock-on effect for his family, friends, business partner(s) and serving Labour Corps fellow soldiers. His family and business were long established in this country, so was he subjected to exactly the same Alien Restrction Act requirements as per other German residents ?

Thanks for posting. Viv.

 

[Komtur]

In between I found out, that Carl Theodor Menkes daughter was Katharine Wooley with a quite amazing biography.