Ancient Order of the Froth Blower

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The Ancient Order of Froth-Blowers was a humorous charitable organisation formed in 1924 by Bert Temple, an ex-soldier and silk-merchant, to raise £100 for the children's charities of the surgeon, Sir Alfred Fripp. Each member of the 'spoof' Order was given a pair of silver, enamelled cuff-links and a membership booklet for his or her 5/-. The idea was to meet regularly in pubs or clubs ('Vats') to enjoy 'beer, beef and baccy', and there to be fined for heinous sins, such as not wearing the cuff-links; all fines and residual membership fees to be sent to Sir Alfred and Lady Fripp for their 'Wee Waifs' of the East End of London.

[edit] History

In late 1925, the editor of The Sporting Times started to publish articles on the Order's gatherings. The idea took hold of the public imagination and, with the involvement of the now-retired Fripp, thousands clamoured to join - men ('Blowers'), women ('Fairy Belles'), their children and their dogs ('Faithful Bow-Wows') were all enrolled. By late 1928, 700,000 had joined, raising over £100,000 for hospital cots, outings to the country, invalid children, etc. Their song The More We Are Together was heard everywhere, and for five years the Froth Blowers extolled Britishness and 'Lubrication in Moderation'. This was particularly upsetting to the Abolitionists who believed that it was alcohol which caused the 'wee waifs' suffering; not something a doctor and surgeon-to-the-King should be sponsoring.

However, the movement came to a natural end when Fripp died, in 1930, then The Sporting Times folded, and finally Bert Temple died in 1931. In that year the 'Ancient Order of Froth Blowers Limited' went into voluntary liquidation. Residual money was used by Lady Fripp and her family to fund a Girl Guide retreat in the grounds of a hospital which had been bought with the aid of Froth Blower gifts in 1927. Now, in 2006, The 'Ancient Order of Froth Blowers Girl Guide and Boy Scout Charity Limited' still administers this site.

[edit] Quote from the AOFB handbook

"A sociable and law abiding fraternity of absorptive Britons who sedately consume and quietly enjoy with commendable regularity and frequention the truly British malted beverage as did their forbears and as Britons ever will, and be damned to all pussyfoot hornswogglers from overseas and including low brows, teetotalers and MPs and not excluding nosey parkers, mock religious busy bodies and suburban fool hens all of which are structurally solid bone from the chin up."