Skip to main content

Wend-al Toys of Blandford

These days most toys seem to be made in China. Yet 70 years ago, some very fine toys were made in Blandford. Wend-al was a Blandford company which was a highly regarded maker of aluminium toy figures.

Edgar Kehoe was its founder. Immediately after World War II he was looking for a business opportunity. Travelling in France, he discovered his opportunity in the town of Luxeuil-les-Bains where a company named Quirala was making die cast aluminium figures. At the time, lead was more commonly used in the manufacture of toy figures. This company, located in the French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Compte, did not use lead but solid aluminium. Quirala was a combination of the company founder’s surname Quirin and the word aluminium. Edgar Kehoe realised that solid aluminium was stronger and lighter than lead and would not break. As a consequence, he struck up a deal to use French moulds and so production began in Blandford in 1946. He opened his factory in the former Blandford Isolation Hospital that had just closed. Within 18 months, the company was employing 50 people and exporting its products across the world.

The company prospered and gained an excellent reputation and this led to them making their own range. These figures were identified by having a paper label on the base. Wend-al products were generally divided into three categories. These were figures, such as toy soldiers, zoo & farm animals and farm vehicles. At the time, use of plastics to make toys was in its infancy. However, in time the company was unable to compete with plastic toy competition so the business sadly closed in 1955. Wend-al toys are still highly sought after by collectors and several can be regularly found for sale on the internet. Recently, a rare 1948 boxed nativity set of Wend-al figures was advertised for sale at £470. While a Wend-al salesman’s wooden sample case was valued at £600. In 2005, author Philip Dean published a hard back book, Wend-al of Blandford. It detailed the history of the company and included many illustrations of its products. That year, Wend-al Toys founder, Edgar Kehoe had celebrated his 100th birthday.

Today, all that remains, located close to where the aluminium figures were made, is the name Wendal Road, Blandford.




Comments

  1. Can anyone tell me more about the Model House in Blandford St Mary. I have been told that in the 1940s and 50s, the people who lived here made model toys but I don't kow much more than that.

    Thank

    Joy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi joy I don't know about toys made in Blandford st Mary but the wendal toy factory was on the upper Shaftesbury road Blandford which was there in the forty's and fifty's I know this because my Dad was a manager there after the war.
      Regards David

      Delete
  2. Hi David, that's amazing! Do you know anything about Edward Kehoe himself or have any Wendal toys?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

True Lovers Knot - a Tragic Tale

True Lovers Knot public house describes itself as a traditional  inn set in a picturesque Dorset valley in Tarrant Keynston. Yet, this historical hostelry is said to have gained its name from a particularly tragic tale and still to be haunted by a distressed former publican. This publican’s son met and fell in love with the daughter of the local squire. Because the young lad was not from the gentry they decided to keep their relationship secret from her father. Unfortunately, a stable hand saw the two young lovers together and told her father. Set firmly against this friendship the squire made plans to send his daughter away from the district. Not able to face up to life without her boyfriend, the young girl decided to commit suicide and hanged herself from a tree in the village. So upset was the publican’s son of hearing of his girlfriend’s death he too hanged himself from the same tree. The Tarrant Keynston publican had, himself lost his wife at child birth and now losing his son b

Chimney Sweep Tragedy

Crown Hotel, Blandford is reckoned to be one of Dorset’s oldest hostelries. Yet its most tragic day, during a long history, must surely be when a young chimney sweep lost his life. The chimney sweep, who was just a child, suffocated and was burnt to death in a Crown Hotel chimney which had been alight a little while before. ‘His cries were dreadful and no-one could give assistance. Part of the chimney was taken down before he was got out.’ (Salisbury & Winchester Gazette 27th March 1780) The lad had gone up one chimney and attempting to go down another had become stuck. At the time children were used to climb up chimneys to clean out soot deposits. With hands and knees, they would shimmy up narrow dark flue spaces packed thick with soot and debris. After the 1731 Great Fire of Blandford it was realised that it was important to sweep chimneys regularly while many rebuilt houses had narrower ones. Smaller chimneys and complicated flues were a potential death trap for children. The sw

Tarrant Rushton's Nuclear Secret

Tarrant Rushton was a large RAF base used for glider operations during World War II. It was then taken over by Flight Refuelling for the conversion of aircraft for the development of aircraft in-flight refuelling. However, between 1958 & 1965, the Tarrant Rushton airfield had a much more secretive and less publicised role. This was in support of the nation’s nuclear bomber deterrent, as Tarrant Rushton airfield became a QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) dispersal unit.   During 1958, contractors Costain reinforced the main runway and carried out other work to ensure the giant bomber aircraft could be accommodated. At times just a few miles from Blandford, there would have been up to four RAF Vickers Valiant bombers at Tarrant Rushton ready to become airborne in minutes charged with nuclear weapons. The bombers were from 148 Squadron at RAF Marham in Norfolk. As there was no suitable accommodation at the airfield, an old US Air Force Hospital building at Martin was used. At the time, the