Rag Rag : The Rag Rag Annual Magazine, 1929

University of Manchester Student Union

Rag Rag

<p style='text-align: justify;'><b>Content warning: As an historical item, some content in this magazine contains language and imagery that reflect the prejudices of the era, which are offensive, oppressive and may cause upset. This is not condoned by The University of Manchester, but we are committed to providing access to this material as evidence of the inequalities and attitudes of the time period.</b></p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The 1929 Rag Rag magazine was produced by students to raise money for medical charities in Manchester.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Features include ‘Bowtie’ and ‘The Adventures of John Crusoe’, parodies of globe-trotting adventure stories. A ‘society notes’ page parodies high society gossip. There are also jokes referencing women’s suffrage (granted in 1928), political turmoil in Afghanistan and new one-way traffic systems. Cartoons show landmarks along the Manchester Ship Canal, a frequent topic of mockery in the Rag Rag, and other comedy sketches.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>There are comedic advertisements for Exide batteries, McVitie & Price digestive biscuits, the Co-operative Wholesale Society, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Ferranti, Manchester Corporation Tramways, King Lud tobacco, Kilverts’ lard, Saxon Jefferis cars, Small & Parkes mechanics, Ven Heusen collars, Bermaline bread, Atora suet, Precision Grinding Co., the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, Ewbank mangles, the Manchester Ship Canal, Redpath, Brown & Co. steel, W. T. Glover & Co. cables, Tenasitine glue, Lookers Ltd., John Heywood books, Kolynos dental cream, Oldham & Son batteries, Parkinsons’ chemists, Amazon Overalls, C. Nicholls & Co printing and Pratt’s petrol. </p>