The A.O.F.B. Membership Book.
The Membership booklet was copyright of the Bert Temple. As Bert died in 1931, the copyright statute ( 70 years ) has now elapsed.
The very first editions were actually membership cards and were 'snapped up' by ex-servicemen. The booklets as featured here did not appear until later, around mid 1926.There were at least 5 versions of the booklet published, the latter versions containing more pages with updated dialogue and including lists of Vats ; places of meeting and froth blowing. It goes without saying that as the membership grew that the number of Vats did too, 25 blowers were required to qualify as a Vat - a place for the Gatherings, Meetings of the A.O.F.B.'s.
It was the humour in the booklet that captured my imagination and whetted the appetite.
A lot of Berts' humour is still valid today , with Bert poking fun at the insurance trade, lager and it's drinkers, and America, it's people and it's products to mention a few.
The pages of the A.O.F.B. Membership book will be split into sections, partly to aid ease of use and partly to make them quicker to load. The following pages are taken from a membership book circa 1927 which contained 36 pages. Pages 1 and 36 are the outer cover and are plain white linen on cardboard . Page two was also a compartment, similar to a wallet presumably used to store the A.O.F.B. cufflinks and possibly money.
Pages 21 - 30 These are the VAT pages. Is your local on the list ?