A cute, baby-sized Chad Valley Bonzo dog, with original collar and celluloid button c.1930s. Bonzo also comes with a short letter he wrote himself (!), saying he belonged to Betty Joan Marsjerison, who was born in 1923, and was a gift given to her as a child.  Betty was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, and her father was the Port Manager of Boston Docks at the time.

Bonzo stands 18cm (7″) tall, on card-lined feet, and is kapok-stuffed.  He’s made of white velvet, which has darkened to a muddy-brown over time, and shows a little surface wear to the nap.  Bonzo’s endearing facial features are printed in black,  and he has three claws to each downturned paw, with velvet pads.

Although fully-jointed, Bonzo’s arms have more or less seized up, Also, both ears have been re-attached down the line. Overall, though, he’s a good sturdy pup, and wears a handknitted jumper with an attached silver anchor charm.

To preserve his letter, we’ve taped it to cardboard and, as a keepsake of his roots, made him a photocard of Boston Docks as they were in the 1920s. The Docks were a vital North Sea hub, featuring a 7-acre dock, railway sidings, and extensive timber ponds. While commercial shipping thrived – exporting Lincolnshire potatoes, coal, agricultural goods, and importing Baltic timber – the town’s fishing fleet significantly declined during this interwar period. Nowadays, the Port of Boston continues as an active commercial port on the River Witham.