Butlin's souvenir tankard, 1961.

Small glass tankard, Butlin's Christmas 1961

Butlin's small glass tankard, Christmas 1961.The first holiday camps in the UK were opened by William "Billy" Butlin, who had seen lakeside holiday centres during a visit to Canada. Butlin selected Skegness, England, as the site for his first holiday camp which opened on 11th April, 1936. He soon introduced "Redcoats" who made sure everyone had a good time. The Butlin's empire eventually expanded to nine camps, but by the early 1970s the British holiday camp industry was struggling against the holiday trends of the British public, when foreign holidays were no longer the privilege of the rich and famous.