Headquarter and General Supplies Limited were formed just after the war and started selling army surplus items. They were an off the page mail order comapny to start with but then progressed to also operating several retail stores mainly in the South of the UK. I used to work at their Guildford Surrey branch in the early 1970's. After army surplus started to run out they turned to importing their own product and one of the products they became famous for was the cheap mutli band Russian radio - it was actually a very good product.
They were also one of the very first to sell Black and Decker drills and accessories - you may remember those huge hi value packages of sanding attachments, drill sets, polishing mops and all sorts of bits and pieces at their all inclusive prices. They also used to sell carpets and as you rightly say camping tents and accessories.
In the latish 1970's they ended up going bust - they got left behind when the companies such as Argos and other catalogue operations offerred more competitive prices and the age of the importance of branded product started.
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I can remember back in 1965 a cousin of mine had one of the 4 transistor tape recorders the lid carrying strap and microphone had to be bought as extras so long ago best wishes.Paul Boon. ( September 2016).
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My first radio was an "Ivalek" crystal set bought from H & G for just ten bob. Think was about 10 years old then. H & G sold much army radio surplus advertising in Practical Wireless, Wireless World, etc. Went on to become a ships' radio officer and a career in electronics. Would not've happened had it not been for hobby radio. 73 de Richard (former leader national CB campaign, etc ;-)) (stuff the State ;-))
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Richard TOWN
(2020)
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https://ibb.co/8KsmM7q
Still got my tape recorder....
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Jim Stewart (2020)
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Bought many record players and tr radios plus tape recorders with no speed control in the mid 1960s.great fun!
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Stephen Oldham
(2020)
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I remember in the early 60s buying american jazz records. LPs on Coral possibly for 3/11d.Fantastic studio sessions take after take.Unfortunately I didn't buy them all.
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stan langton
(2021)
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Just loved seeing the old ads and reading other people's memories of the Headquarters and General Supplies stores. My dad was a regular customer at the Guildford Branch and he often took me there - at one time buying me a self-winding watch, which I treasured. As a radio and TV engineer he was in his element checking out all the latest electronic gadgets. He took me there once to buy me a compact cine camera. This was to take on a school cruise to the Holy Land and Egypt in 1965/6. I was only 13 but I think he was hoping that I'd make a documentary for him - he had always wanted to go there and thought that sending me was the next best thing! Sadly, the camera conked out after a few days and I only managed to capture about 5 mins of Cairo on it! But the memories I have of the excitement of going into the shop on a Saturday morning with him will live with me for ever.
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Sharon Aitken
(2021)
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I have an American electric hair clippers, Bought March 1967 for 69/6, funny how things were sold in shillings rather than the £3 9s 6d. It has a leaflet with instructions for a crew cut or Butch cut, can't imagine anyone asking for a Butch cut now. Handy. type 183 series A by H & G ( HO & G? ? Ltd) label worn.
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Rod Small (2023)
