Wills's Cigarette Picture-Card Album Life in the Royal Navy Complete Set of 50 Cards 1939

A complete cigarette card album containing the full series of 50 cards entitled Life in the Royal Navy, issued by W.D. & H.O. Wills (Imperial Tobacco Co. of Great Britain & Ireland, Ltd.) in 1939. The album features colour-printed trade cards depicting various aspects of British naval operations and daily life on the eve of the Second World War. Subjects illustrated include the bridge of HMS Warspite, various signalling methods such as flags, semaphore, and searchlights, gunnery practice featuring anti-aircraft pom-poms and broadsides, and naval aviation including the Supermarine Walrus amphibian. Crew activities are also shown, such as Hands to Bathe and Liberty Men Going Ashore. The front cover is printed with WILLS’S CIGARETTE PICTURE-CARD ALBUM and PRICE ONE PENNY. A central yellow panel contains the handwritten title LIFE IN THE ROYAL NAVY. in block capitals with a small 39. noted to the side. The back cover bears the Wills registered trade mark of an eight-pointed star with a central sun face, surrounded by the text WILLS FOR QUALITY and REGISTERED TRADE MARK. Each card is printed with WILLS’S CIGARETTES at the top and a descriptive title at the bottom.