Children's Nig & Nog Club badges (1930's)

Two children’s club enamel badges from the early 1930s. Both have pin clasps on the back.

The badge on the left was issued by the Bradford Telegraph & Argus which was one of many local newspapers that sponsored the club. The badge is made from die-stamped brass with blue enamel. It measures 20mm diameter with the maker’s name (Vaughtons Ltd, B’ham) on the reverse.

The other badge was issued by the Northern Echo of Darlington who founded the NigNog Children’s Ring in 1929. This badge is made from die-stamped brass with nickel plating and blue enamel. It measures 21mm diameter with the maker’s name (Collins B’ham) on the reverse.

The NigNog Children’s Ring was one of the most popular newspaper-based children’s clubs in England. Founded by the Northern Echo of Darlington, County Durham on the 21st October 1929 it ran until the 1960’s, with a lull during the Second World War. The club was hugely successful and had over 50,000 new members in it’s first three months.

Boys and girls equally enjoyed the benefits of membership, to join they needed to collect so many consecutive coupons from their local newspaper and send it off with a 6d fee (sixpence), usually in postage stamps (6d could easily be one or two week’s pocket-money for those privileged enough to receive it!). In return they got a membership pack that included their personalised member’s card, member’s number and the much coveted NigNog enamel badge. Special introductory offers included competitions for high valued prizes but these sometimes required 100 consecutive newspaper coupons, not an easy task to fulfil.

Other benefits of membership included competitions, birthday announcements in both the relevant newspapers and sponsored children’s radio shows, a small birthday present such as a cake, free trips and outings. It was also satisfying to know other children who were like-minded members and feel that sense of belonging to a special and intimate group. There were the weekly newspaper’s Nig & Nog page to look forward to with cartoon strips, stories, club news, announcements and competitions. The Nig & Nog club often featured in Uncle Mac’s BBC Children’s Hour Saturday radio shows, a not-to-be-missed schedule for children in those pre-television days. The Nig & Nog club had it’s own annual NigNog Revue at the Bradford Alhambra, at which it is said that Ernest Wiseman first came to fame. Ernest later became better known as Ernie Wise, of the Morcambe & Wise fame.

On the sporting side, there were NigNog junior soccer leagues, NigNog cycling clubs and numerous NigNog swimming clubs. All were instrumental in promoting a healthier lifestyle among children, especially for those from the polluted grimy towns and cities. Club members could win special awards and prize medals at their sporting events.

The NigNog Children’s Ring like other contemporary children’s clubs were primarily charitable organisations who raised funds, mostly for children’s hospital wards but also for orphanages and animal welfare organisations. Club’s rules were few but clearly stated on the membership card;

“As a Nignog in Uncle Mac’s Children’s Ring. I have promised that I will always try to help –
·The children’s hospitals,
·Other children,
·Friendless children,
·Dumb animals,
·And will find new Nignogs.”

Children’s clubs were sponsored by local and national newspapers and supported by children’s radio programmes. The NigNog Children’s Ring was phenomenally popular and supported by many local newspapers that included The Northern Echo (County Durham), The Bradford Telegraph & Argus (Yorkshire), Birmingham Evening Despatch, Yorkshire Observer, amongst others. Some of these newspapers issued their own Nig & Nog badges and were fronted by the club’s two figureheads, namely ‘Uncle Mac’ (Derek McCullough) and ‘Uncle Ernest’ (Ernest Noble, artist and comic illustrator). It seemed to be the convention that children’s club figureheads were bestowed with the honourary title of ‘Uncle’ or ‘Aunty’.

The comic strips by ‘Uncle Mac’ and ‘Uncle Ernest’ centred around the ‘hullo’ imp twins called Nig and Nog who supposedly lived on the moon and had many adventures. They could also be quite mischievous and often badgered the ‘man in the moon’ to keep him awake! The characters of Nig and Nog always featured on the club’s badges and their printed material. Incidentally, the words ‘nig’ and ‘nog’ were County Durham vernacular for ‘boy’ and ‘girl’. Back in those days the term had no derogatory or racist meaning, that came about some decades later.

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Taken on: April 14, 2009

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NigNog Club

Enamel Badge

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Children's Club

1930s

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

Northern Echo

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Derek McCullough

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