National Benzole
Encyclopedia
National Benzole was a petroleum
brand used in the United Kingdom
from 1919 to the 1960s. In 1934 the company acquired Power Petroleum. In the early 1960s it was renamed as simply National.
in London’s Horseferry Road
. In the early years of the century, benzole
production had been small scale. But, because it was as good at propelling shells as motor cars, production was expanded massively during World War One. And this led to something of a post-war “benzole-lake”.
Gathered in a room around a trestle table, a group of men in the know, including Samuel Henshaw, then the chairman of the Staffordshire Chemical Company, reckoned there was money to be made from these surplus-to-requirements stocks. It was Henshaw who now became the first chairman of the National Benzole Company. Although the idea of using benzole to power automobiles was not new, cars fueled on neat benzole needed altered carburetter settings which was inconvenient for owners who had previously filled up with petrol (gasoline), and the effectiveness of neat benzole as a paint stripper raised concern about the effect it might have on the floats in the carburettors where these were made of varnished cork - a common feature in US vehicles which at the time were being imported in greater numbers than hitherto. There was also concern about the variable quality and specification of the benzole then on sale. It was in the need to address these concerns, especially regarding consistency of fuel quality, that Henshaw and his colleagues recognized their commercial opportunity.
A distribution network was established consisting of a few (initially) storage depots round the country, supplied by a small fleet of well worn lorries shod with solid tyres (tires) and acquired from the War Disposals Board. These transported the fuel in war-surplus drums and cans of 2, 4 or 50 gallons.
Dewar Trophy
to a Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp
that successfully completed a 10,000 mile reliability trial fueled exclusively by National Benzole.
Problems arose in the same year from a coal strike which restricted benzole availability, and increased demand in the ensuing years led to frequent shortages of coal shale from which the benzole was made. At the same time, some reckoned neat benzole
was a little strong for the average engine and started to mix it with petrol. This led in 1922 to the replacement of benzole fuel with a "fifty-fifty mixture" of benzole and petroleum (gasoline), which addressed the supply issue and could be seen as an early example of customer responsiveness. Neat benzole continued to be marketed as an effective anti-knocking
performance enhancing additive.
Military service in the First World War introduced many British men to motoring for the first time: returning survivors began, where funds permitted, to purchase small motor cars or motor bikes, while others set up in business to maintain and repair the motor cars of the wealthy. Before the war motor fuel suppliers in the UK had typically included pharmacies, cycle shops or even blacksmiths, but after the war commercial roadside garages began to appear, slowly at first. Because garages were initially sparse the (British) AA
itself set up twelve strategically located filling stations, supplying fuel only to its own members and making no profit from the transactions. Initially the AA fuel stations supplied only National Benzole which was seen a a particularly patriotic fuel choice because the coal shale which was the principal ingredient of benzole was domestically produced. In 1927 the AA dismantled its small chain of service stations as the growth of a commercially motivated service station network rendered them unnecessary, but by this time National Benzole was a nationally established fuel brand in the UK.
During this period the company consciously "smartened up" its public face. Initially the enthusiastic driver/ salesmen delivery drivers had also been the company's sales force, touting relentlessly for new business as they made deliveries to existing customers. Ten years later the head office had relocated to an upmarket location in London's Grosvenor Gardens
and a sales force was recruited, equipped with Morris Cowley
s painted yellow, which had become the company's colour.
Mr Mercury, in National Benzole’s black and chrome gold corporate colours, became one of the most powerful marketing images of this age. Almost every service station in the 1930’s had a National Benzole pump, for single-brand solus sites were unknown in those days. Eventually Mr Mercury's head was used as the brand's logo
. At the outbreak of the Second World War, all petrol brands gave way to pooled petrol. Mr Mercury would return in 1953, now more modestly attired in the advertisements, though he retained his winged helmet, and National Benzole quickly re-established itself as a market leader.
As motoring passed from being a recreation for the leisure hours of a leisured class to a mainstream means of transport, the National Benzole business continued its growth path. A partial solution to the supply concerns was a long term petroleum contract with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company
which adumbrated still closer links with the future British Petroleum company: in the meantime National Benzole acquired ocean going tankers of its own.
were now routinely included in refined petroleum (gasoline). Therefore from the early 1960s onwards National only sold petrol.
In 1959, responding to the growing importance of benzole as a specialist chemical, it was decided to concentrate on this market by means of a new company named Benzole Producers Limited. At the same time the motor fuel marketing business was now fully merged with Shell-Mex and BP Ltd. Benzole (no longer part of the mixture) was dropped from the fuel's name and Mr Mercury’s black and chrome gave way to sparkling new yellow, blue and white. Following the de-merger of Shell-Mex and British Petroleum (BP
) in 1976, the National brand continued to be distinctively marketed by BP
for over a decade.
of The Smurfs
comic characters whose blue and white colouring matched the National colours, however during the 1980’s, the National brand declined as BP
focussed on the strength of the BP
brand.
By the early 1990s the brand name was phased out in favour of BP
. There was a brief re-appearance of the National Brand from 2000 when Scottish Fuels
branded its retail outlets as 'National'. These outlets have since been re-branded into the colours of Scottish Fuels
. A number of outlets in Shetland are still branded as National as are a few outlets on the Isle of Wight.
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
brand used in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 1919 to the 1960s. In 1934 the company acquired Power Petroleum. In the early 1960s it was renamed as simply National.
Foundation
The company was founded in February 1919 in a room next to the boiler house of the Gas Light and Coke CompanyGas Light and Coke Company
The Gas Light and Coke Company , was a company that made and supplied coal gas and coke. The Company was located on Horseferry Road in Westminster, London...
in London’s Horseferry Road
Horseferry Road
Horseferry Road is a street in the City of Westminster in central London, England, running between Millbank and Greycoat Place. It is perhaps best known as the site of City of Westminster Magistrates' Court...
. In the early years of the century, benzole
Benzole
In the United Kingdom, the word benzole means a coal-tar product, consisting mainly of benzene and toluene. It was formerly mixed with petrol and sold as a motor fuel under trade names including "National Benzole Mixture" and "Regent Benzole Mixture"....
production had been small scale. But, because it was as good at propelling shells as motor cars, production was expanded massively during World War One. And this led to something of a post-war “benzole-lake”.
Gathered in a room around a trestle table, a group of men in the know, including Samuel Henshaw, then the chairman of the Staffordshire Chemical Company, reckoned there was money to be made from these surplus-to-requirements stocks. It was Henshaw who now became the first chairman of the National Benzole Company. Although the idea of using benzole to power automobiles was not new, cars fueled on neat benzole needed altered carburetter settings which was inconvenient for owners who had previously filled up with petrol (gasoline), and the effectiveness of neat benzole as a paint stripper raised concern about the effect it might have on the floats in the carburettors where these were made of varnished cork - a common feature in US vehicles which at the time were being imported in greater numbers than hitherto. There was also concern about the variable quality and specification of the benzole then on sale. It was in the need to address these concerns, especially regarding consistency of fuel quality, that Henshaw and his colleagues recognized their commercial opportunity.
A distribution network was established consisting of a few (initially) storage depots round the country, supplied by a small fleet of well worn lorries shod with solid tyres (tires) and acquired from the War Disposals Board. These transported the fuel in war-surplus drums and cans of 2, 4 or 50 gallons.
The 1920s: Rapid growth
The young company received a boost in 1920 with the award of the RACRAC
-Companies:* Rent-A-Center, an American public furniture and electronics rent to own company* Royal Automobile Club, a private club in Pall Mall, London* RAC plc, a breakdown company in the United Kingdom...
Dewar Trophy
Dewar Trophy
The Dewar Trophy was a cup donated in the early years of the twentieth century by Sir Thomas R. Dewar, M.P. a member of parliament of the United Kingdom, to be awarded each year by the Royal Automobile Club of England "to the motor car which should successfully complete the most meritorious...
to a Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost refers both to a car model and to one specific car from that series.Originally named the "40/50 h.p." the chassis was originally produced at Royce's Manchester works, before moving to Derby in July 1908 and also, between 1921 and 1926, in Springfield, Massachusetts....
that successfully completed a 10,000 mile reliability trial fueled exclusively by National Benzole.
Problems arose in the same year from a coal strike which restricted benzole availability, and increased demand in the ensuing years led to frequent shortages of coal shale from which the benzole was made. At the same time, some reckoned neat benzole
Benzole
In the United Kingdom, the word benzole means a coal-tar product, consisting mainly of benzene and toluene. It was formerly mixed with petrol and sold as a motor fuel under trade names including "National Benzole Mixture" and "Regent Benzole Mixture"....
was a little strong for the average engine and started to mix it with petrol. This led in 1922 to the replacement of benzole fuel with a "fifty-fifty mixture" of benzole and petroleum (gasoline), which addressed the supply issue and could be seen as an early example of customer responsiveness. Neat benzole continued to be marketed as an effective anti-knocking
Engine knocking
Knocking in spark-ignition internal combustion engines occurs when combustion of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder starts off correctly in response to ignition by the spark plug, but one or more pockets of air/fuel mixture explode outside the envelope of the normal combustion front.The...
performance enhancing additive.
Military service in the First World War introduced many British men to motoring for the first time: returning survivors began, where funds permitted, to purchase small motor cars or motor bikes, while others set up in business to maintain and repair the motor cars of the wealthy. Before the war motor fuel suppliers in the UK had typically included pharmacies, cycle shops or even blacksmiths, but after the war commercial roadside garages began to appear, slowly at first. Because garages were initially sparse the (British) AA
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
itself set up twelve strategically located filling stations, supplying fuel only to its own members and making no profit from the transactions. Initially the AA fuel stations supplied only National Benzole which was seen a a particularly patriotic fuel choice because the coal shale which was the principal ingredient of benzole was domestically produced. In 1927 the AA dismantled its small chain of service stations as the growth of a commercially motivated service station network rendered them unnecessary, but by this time National Benzole was a nationally established fuel brand in the UK.
During this period the company consciously "smartened up" its public face. Initially the enthusiastic driver/ salesmen delivery drivers had also been the company's sales force, touting relentlessly for new business as they made deliveries to existing customers. Ten years later the head office had relocated to an upmarket location in London's Grosvenor Gardens
Grosvenor Square
Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, England. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from their surname, "Grosvenor".-History:...
and a sales force was recruited, equipped with Morris Cowley
Morris Cowley
Morris Cowley was a name given to various cars produced by the Morris Motor Company from 1915 to 1958.-Morris Cowley :The original Cowley, introduced in 1915, was a cheaper version of the first Morris Oxford and featured the same "Bullnose" radiator. To reduce the price many components were bought...
s painted yellow, which had become the company's colour.
Mr Mercury
The now famous 50/50 blend became a resounding success. To sustain the success, an imaginative advertising campaign was developed, and in 1928, Mr Mercury – startlingly naked – leapt for the first time from the pages of the national newspapers.Mr Mercury, in National Benzole’s black and chrome gold corporate colours, became one of the most powerful marketing images of this age. Almost every service station in the 1930’s had a National Benzole pump, for single-brand solus sites were unknown in those days. Eventually Mr Mercury's head was used as the brand's logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
. At the outbreak of the Second World War, all petrol brands gave way to pooled petrol. Mr Mercury would return in 1953, now more modestly attired in the advertisements, though he retained his winged helmet, and National Benzole quickly re-established itself as a market leader.
The 1930s: Competitor issues
Switching from neat benzole to the fifty-fifty mixture was not a complete solution to the supply issue. It reduced but did not eliminate the company's dependence on the UK coal mining cartel, while it introduced an inherent tension in the relationship with the petroleum (gasoline) suppliers who were also major competitors for road fuel sales. The petroleum supply issue was to some extent addressed by "buying on the high seas" whereby the company, having no oil refining capacity of its own, contracted to buy from shippers full tanker loads of refined fuel.As motoring passed from being a recreation for the leisure hours of a leisured class to a mainstream means of transport, the National Benzole business continued its growth path. A partial solution to the supply concerns was a long term petroleum contract with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company
Anglo-Persian Oil Company
The Anglo-Persian Oil Company was founded in 1908 following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjed Soleiman, Iran. It was the first company to extract petroleum from the Middle East...
which adumbrated still closer links with the future British Petroleum company: in the meantime National Benzole acquired ocean going tankers of its own.
Benzole phase out
Effectively promoted and distributed into the second half of the twentieth century, National Benzole continued to be very popular with British motorists and the National Benzole brand remained a common sight at the roadside. However the proportion of benzole in the mixture was reduced progressively after the Second World War as the number of more lucrative specialist applications for the chemical grew with the development of the UK's chemical industry. During the late 1950s Benzole was determined to be hazardous to health: its anti-knocking properties as a fuel ingredient were no longer so important for the smooth running of engines, since various additives including, ironically, Tetra-ethyl leadTetra-ethyl lead
Tetraethyllead , abbreviated TEL, is an organolead compound with the formula 4Pb. An inexpensive additive, its addition to gasoline from the 1920's allowed octane ratings and thus engine compression to be boosted significantly, increasing power and fuel economy...
were now routinely included in refined petroleum (gasoline). Therefore from the early 1960s onwards National only sold petrol.
Shell-Mex & BP
National Benzole joined the Shell-Mex and BP Ltd family in 1957 but continued to trade separately.In 1959, responding to the growing importance of benzole as a specialist chemical, it was decided to concentrate on this market by means of a new company named Benzole Producers Limited. At the same time the motor fuel marketing business was now fully merged with Shell-Mex and BP Ltd. Benzole (no longer part of the mixture) was dropped from the fuel's name and Mr Mercury’s black and chrome gave way to sparkling new yellow, blue and white. Following the de-merger of Shell-Mex and British Petroleum (BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
) in 1976, the National brand continued to be distinctively marketed by BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
for over a decade.
Decline
During the 1970s and 1980s the company's petrol stations sold figurinesThe Smurfs (merchandising)
The Smurfs is a Belgian comic book series created by Peyo in 1958. It became well-known worldwide with the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series in the 1980s. With the popularity of the Smurfs came a wide range of toys and spin-off products and use of the Smurfs in merchandising...
of The Smurfs
The Smurfs (comics)
The Smurfs are a Belgian comic series, created by cartoonist Peyo . The fictional characters of the Smurfs first appeared in Johan and Peewit in 1958, and the first independent Smurf comics appeared in 1959. Twenty-nine Smurf comic albums have been created, 16 of them by Peyo...
comic characters whose blue and white colouring matched the National colours, however during the 1980’s, the National brand declined as BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
focussed on the strength of the BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
brand.
By the early 1990s the brand name was phased out in favour of BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
. There was a brief re-appearance of the National Brand from 2000 when Scottish Fuels
Scottish Fuels
Scottish Fuels is a distributor of fuel oil products and petrol within Scotland. It was formed in 2001 following the transfer of local assets from BP. Scottish Fuels is based in Falkirk and is owned by DCC Plc, an Irish company....
branded its retail outlets as 'National'. These outlets have since been re-branded into the colours of Scottish Fuels
Scottish Fuels
Scottish Fuels is a distributor of fuel oil products and petrol within Scotland. It was formed in 2001 following the transfer of local assets from BP. Scottish Fuels is based in Falkirk and is owned by DCC Plc, an Irish company....
. A number of outlets in Shetland are still branded as National as are a few outlets on the Isle of Wight.