Austin & Co. Grocers of Derby

Austin Grocers Shop Derby

Austin and Co. Groceries, of the Market Place, Derby, were the providers of the food parcels sent by J. B. Marsden-Smedley to his workers who were serving in WW1.

Originally, Torquay born Giles Austin was owner of the shop but during the war years Arthur Hodgkinson was in charge. Just after the Great War the business became Austin Hodgkinson's High Class Grocery Store.

It’s interesting that a son of Arthur Hodgkinson was Gilbert Hodgkinson (born 1913) who went on to play cricket for Derbyshire. One of Arthur's employees was Mathew Walker, who went on to be involved in the Walker food producing business – famous for Walker's Christmas Puddings.


There was a local campaign, organised by the High Peak News, to send food parcels out to the men serving in the trenches called "Tuck for Tommy". The article below indicates the contents of the parcel.

High Peak News June 1915

WW1 advert for Tuck for Tommy

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