A letter from 1947 illustrating both the amazingly long delivery time - and the common confusion between the Sheffield firms of F. W. Portass (Adept) and Charles Portass (Portass Lathes) whose works were within a mile of each other on the west side of the city.
1947, three years after the end of World War 2, was a time of acute shortages when even the basic food ration was not as generous as it had been during the conflict. "Export or Die" was the cry of the time - and little was left for home consumption.