Craven ‘A’ cork tipped cigarettes were advertised as “made from the finest imported matured Virginia Tobacco guaranteed pure and absolutely free from adulteration”.

Adverts for the cigarettes claim the cork tips prevented sore throats.

The brand was popular with British soldiers during the Second World War. Smoking increased dramatically during the world wars, mainly due to the free cigarettes available to allied troops as a ‘morale boosting’ exercise.

Later in the Twentieth Century, smoking became less popular due to a rapid increase in knowledge of the health effects of both active and passive smoking.