Classic Mode

Mechanical Memories Magazine

Issue: 2013-February - Issue 73

The 1968 Gaming Act caused concern for Jamieson Automatics as it did for many, but
having come out the other side of it, they decided to dip their toe in the international
market exhibiting in Vienna, Zagreb, Moscow, Bucharest, Atlanta and Dublin, with
regular sales and visits to New Jersey, Tokyo, Denmark, Norway and Finland to name
but a few, and by this time they employed a staff of 40.
The 1971 Moscow show was arranged jointly by the DTI and Alan Willis
(BACT A) and involved companies from the UK including Streets, Cromptons,
Mayfield Diamond, Rollites and Jamieson Automatics. To say Moscow was an eye-
opener was somewhat of an understatement!! They all spent three weeks in August at
the Ismailovsky Amusement Park, which was an historic 'Royal' estate, exhibiting for
three hours a day only to Russian dignitaries. Of course these Russian dignitaries soon
realised the exhibitors could be 'used' to demonstrate their products to the general
public who in turn would play the machines with their own money. They were then
allowed to exhibit 4 hours a day with the exhibitors acting like amusement arcades. A
50/50 split with the Russians was agreed with them keeping the keys but emptying the
machines in the presence of the exhibitors.
Ian Jamieson on the right.
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As Russian currency could not be taken outside Russia, and with briefcases bulging
with roubles, the UK exhibitors had to use their currency to buy relatively pointless
products if and when they could find them. Needless to say, some of the roubles were
spent at the British Embassy club on alcohol and when they were leaving Moscow
they left behind what roubles they had at the club instructing them to spend them on
fellow Brits. Then on a return visit in 1972, Ian and his fellow exhibitors found there
were still enough roubles left to quench their thirst!
Bucharest (Romania) in 1972 was a different matter. It was Ian's first solo trip
and the first disaster was that the brand new articulated 40ft lorry which was the pride
and joy of driver Brian Hartshorn of Mayfield Diamond was held up at Customs.
Eventually, after numerous phone calls (remember, there were no mobile phones in
those days) the lorry and the machines turned up. They were there for a week and
again only allowed to exhibit for one hour for three days - this time to officials only,
as no public were allowed here.
The intrepid travellers: Industry luminaries, Alan Willis (BACT A), Alan Wilson,
Gerry Bowyer and his brother Peter, Shane Breaks, Derek Tomlinson,
Ian's father and Peter? from Streets.
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