Portable Radiographs Limited

Records of Portable Radiographs Limited, of X-Rays Ltd and Gamma & X-Rays Ltd., which were absorbed into PRL, of Chiswick Securities, and of these companies' founder, JC Wilson.

Most of the material comprises official documentation pertaining to the companies, including agendas and minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors as well as AGMs and various financial records. There is a framed certificate of registration of company name as well as articles of association of Portable Radiographs Ltd. and Chiswick Securities.

There are some black and white photographs of company cars and horses being x-rayed and press cuttings about the company.

There are six volumes of JC WIlson's appointment diaries and a file of business correspondence. There are also drafts of short stories JC Wilson was writing during his time in Malaya in the 1920s and some press cuttings with his work published.

The papers are arranged in eight sections:

A Constitutional records

B Minutes and Agendas

C Financial records

D Photographs and press cuttings

E JC Wilson's appointment diaries 1929-1934

F JC Wilson's Correspondence

G Commercial brochures etc.

H JC Wilson's personal papers.

John Cameron Wilson was born in Paignton, Devon, on 15th January 1890. He served as a pilot during World War I, then after the war spent some time in Malaya as a rubber planter.

He started a portable X-ray business in 1922. Portable Radiographs was founded in 1924 under the Registration of Business Names Act of 1916. The founders were JC Wilson, AM Low and D Douet. The object of the company was to provide a mobile X-Ray service to health professionals for the X-ray examination of bed-ridden patients, both when they couldn't leave the bed and when they preferred to not go to the hospital even if they were physically fit to do so. The company became a Private Limited Company in 1928.

In 1924 D Douet resigned from the partnership. In 1927 AM Low resigned his directorship and EA Titley was appointed as director, alongside with WH Harding. In 1930 Portable X-Rays Ltd. was incorporated as the operating company under Portable Radiographs Ltd. Between 1950-1959 the holding company for Portable X-Rays and other companies was called Gamma & X-Rays In time Portable Radiographics Limited absorbed Portable X-Rays Limited, Gamma & X-Rays Limited and Chiswick Securities.

Wilson married Constance Joyce Andrews in 1927 and had three children: Jill (b.1929), Elizabeth Ann (b.1931) and Richard Cameron (1937-1960). In the Second World War he served in the RAF again, as a senior officer.

He died of heart disease on 8th June 1967.

JC Wilson's daughter Elizabeth married Mr. P. Boorman and emigrated to South Australia in 1958: it is down this branch of the family that the papers descended and by whom they were eventually donated to the Library.