Self lighting cigarettes


Recommended Posts

I'm sure we've mentioned self lighting cigarettes here in the past but I can't find it. Does anyone but me remember "Self Lighting Cigarettes" from the early/mid 1960s? I remember buying a pack from the tobacconists at eh bottom of Sneinton Boulevard when I was at school. They were a new introduction and a few of us shared the fags. You struck the fag along the edge of the pack, just like striking the then new safety matches.

I will follow this up later but I'd like to know if anyone else remembers them other than me?

Link to post
Share on other sites

After leaving school and starting my first job, the gaffa there used to smoke 'Capstain Full Srength' and would always be sending someone to the shop when he'd run out. He would light up and cough, splutter, gasp for breath and turn red and blue. His eyes would be bulging that much I used to stare at him, waiting for his eyes to pop out of his head. I've since learnt that 'Capstain Full Strength' had, by far, the highest tar and nicotine content of any other brand.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Park Drive....................or 'Parkies' as we called 'em, I'd awake from slumber, turn over in bed & reach for me fust Parkie of the day, always called it me 'dizzy fag' after which I was Ok for the rest of the 20 a day I smoked.......................bin' packed up now since 1996, but still fancy a fag sometimes...................

Link to post
Share on other sites

My dad smoked Senior Service, being an ex navy man, then moved on to Park Drive.

He died at 54 due to a smoking related illness.

My brother another Park Drive enthusiast, could not get out of bed without his first one of the day, then proceeded to cough his guts up for 10 mins ! ready for his next hit.

It got him too eventually just after his 65th birthday, never got up as the emphasemia (spelling) had got him in the night ! That was after an operation to remove a throat tumour the previous year ! he still could not give it away though.

Sorry but I'm not a smoking person.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry got a bit caught up in my reply. Yes good on yer Paulus for giving it away.

How did you get that nickname ? My eldest son we called Paul, but he was always Paulus the wood gnome to us.

As for the OT, no never heard of self lighting cigs.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I packed up 40 years ago after 15 years of smoking so I guess my lungs are back to normal now. Funnily enough - not funny really I suppose - my Dad died in his sixties with terminal emphysema (sp?). His lungs were totally shot and he never smoked at all. Worked down the pit, though.

(Paulus the little wood gnome! I remember that! Eee!)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't recall self lighting fags, but used to smoke 20 and upwards a day, finally threw my last packet at the Ex around 1974 almost 40 years back now!

Both my parents died of heart problems caused by a life of heavy smoking, Mother was wheel chair bound the last few years of her life.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Emphysema or Pneumoniconiosis (black lung) Eileen?? I worked most of my life on one coal face or another or underground in hard rock mines but completely clean, well was on my last x-ray.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Not sure how true this is, but I was told that it is very rare for a non-smoker to develop black-lung (pneumoconiosis), or the hard rock equivalent, silicosis.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well there is silicon in every plant material Eric, so I bet it's more common in smokers than realized.

You can get silicosis in coal mining too where they are driving roads through sandstone.

Just John, Eileen, I still get the urge every so often, but it doesn't last long these days.

I misread your post Eric and you misread Eileens post, that's the problem first thing in the morning.

Eileen said her Father never smoked but worked all his life "dahn pits" Hence my " or was it Pneumoniconiosis"

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry but I'm not a smoking person.

High five, fellow none-smoker! Many family members of mine do, and my partner does but i wont have it in the house.. hate the smell. But im not one of the none smokers that preach to people who do, its your life, your choice and if you manage to quit then good on you for the hard work and will power!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry got a bit caught up in my reply. Yes good on yer Paulus for giving it away.

How did you get that nickname ? My eldest son we called Paul, but he was always Paulus the wood gnome to us.

As for the OT, no never heard of self lighting cigs.

That's the one, got the nickname about 'thotty yair agu' & it's bin wimmee ever since........................might change the Avatar soon..................

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not a chain non-smoker - you know the type, can't stop not having one before not having another :) I stopped in 1985 after being a 40 a day man. The original point was that non-one I knew seemed to have heard of the self-lighting fag before. I have managed to obtain an unopened pack of self lighting fags for my museum of 20th century tat. You can see the striking surface on the side of the pack:

IMG_5960.JPG?gl=GB

Link to post
Share on other sites

Who made the Deca brand???? Doesn't bring back any memories..

Link to post
Share on other sites

Says on the pack:

"Autolite cigarette manufacturing company. Made in the united Kingdom"

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...