Ohlsson's Cape Breweries!

[Lodzaglass]

Good morning chaps!.

Just wondering about this recently 'mudlarked' beer bottle marked Property of Ohlsson's Cape Breweries Ltd!

United States Army/Marine Corps personnel trained in Northern Ireland in large numbers using the Mourne mountains as target practice for artillery and small arms. Tons of military equipment must have been left behind when thousands of soldiers and air force personnel left for Europe in 1944 onwards.

With this in mind I thought that this particular bottle might just have been brought over from America as it sounds like it might just be manfuactured in the US? ...... There are no markings visable. The sight where it was located has yielded m 20s and 30s bottles with the latest dating from c1940..

This is the first American bottle I have located....
Actually I tell a lie, many St Francisco Fig syrup bottles turn up here and a few Fullers.

Any info on this company would be very interesting indeed. Maybe she is not American and possibly Australian?

 

[Bixel]

It is from South Africa, near Cape Town. The second paragraph gives you a bit of info here

Newlands, Cape Town
Newlands is an upmarket suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is located at the foot of Table Mountain in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, and reputed to be the wettest urban area of South Africa due to its high winter rainfall. It is home to a number of schools, notably the South African College Schools (SACS) Junior and High Schools, as well as the Newlands Forest.

It is best known for Newlands Cricket Ground and Newlands Stadium, a famous rugby union and football venue. It is also the original home of Ohlsson's Cape Breweries, which is still located next to the rugby grounds. The original Ohlsson's Anneberg Brewery site now being the location of the SACS schoolgrounds. The only historic remainder of the original brewery being the Josephine Mill, which used a water wheel to grind the grain for the brewery. This is now a Historic Monument and may be visited daily

 

[SAbottles]

Hi Lodzaglass. I posted a picture of an Ohlsson's or SA Breweries bottle a few days ago, which had an Owens bottle mark underneath, so some of these bottles were made in USA in the 40s and then sent over to SA. I find this strange, as Talana Glass in Dundee (vaguely near Durban) was already producing bottles for our market. Possibly something to do with the War?
Incidentally Anders Ohlsson was also responsible for bringing the first trout eggs to South Africa and hatching them in the stream that ran through the Annberg property. As a long time trout fisherman, I am grateful to him for that !!

 

[Lodzaglass]

Fascinating replies. Many thanks for such detailed and interesting information on my Ohlsson's beer bottle. I have examined the bottle and found a U 1 on the base. No sign of an Owens suction scar though.

South Africa were of course Allies during WW2 and manufactured huge amounts of British calibre ammuniton, as did the USA, Australia, New Zeeland. The mudflats were this bottle was found has 99% Northern Irish bottles so this example is very interesting indeed.

Maybe they came over with ammo/Equipment and servicemen/women.

Any info on the U 1 would be of great interest.

Were the Owens bottle machines not in international use or strictly located in the USA?

South African bottle maker seems likely?