Ronald White, Ltd.

From his teens Ron owned a camera. He played the Cornet and was Leader of the Salvation Army Boys Band. In December 1931 he signed up to be an apprentice carpenter with Herbert Goodsell a builder in Hardy Street Maidstone. He married Mabel Anne Pearson 24/6/1939 In January 1940 he joined the Wiltshire Regiment. Whilst on leave he visited Maidstone Zoo with the family and camera, other visitors asked if he could take their photograph. At the time the Zoo was a huge tourist attraction although people owned cameras film was hard to obtain. While in Germany waiting to be demobed in 1945/6 he acquired a Contax 35mm camera. German photographers seeing his enthusiasm for photography taught him the finer arts of the trade. On arriving back in England he decided on a career change, with the support and help of his wife Mabel, Ronald White Photography was born in April 1946. The front room of 75 Monktons Avenue, Maidstone became a Studio. Remembering that war time visit to the Zoo he approached Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake who owned the Zoo about hiring a paddock so pictures could be taken .Sir Garrard painted a mural back drop & supplied 2 Royal Cream Pony for children to sit on, the parents could stand alongside if they wished. It proved to be a great success. Equipment was difficult to obtain and expensive but was upgraded during the first year on trading. For example an Enlarger £38 6s 1d, Westax Flash Gun £15 15s, Exposure Meter £8 7s & Leica 111B f2 Sommer £135 3s. Our present Queen then Princess Elizabeth made a private visit on the 12th November 1946 to the zoo. After being presented to the Princess permission was granted to take photographs of the visit. The zoo always opened the season with celebrities ie Richard Hearne (Mr Pastry), Richard Murdock, Elsie & Doris Walters, Pearl Hackney , Eric Barker, John Snagge, & Petula Clark, these visits too were well photographed.