SIMONDS FARSONS LTD
1929-1948

 Enamelled metal wall sign from the late 1920s / early 1930s

H&G Simonds Ltd began importing beer to Malta in the 1870s, opening an official branch in 1890, and a bottling plant at Pinto Wharf.

The local branch of a Reading-based brewery firm H&G Simonds at Palazzo Ferreria in Valletta 
 The firm's bottling plant at Pinto Wharf

Luigi Farrugia & Sons established a gas-making facility in 1925 and got into business with Simonds as a supplier of Co2 which is used for the bottling of beer. The Farrugia's founded their own brewery in 1928, launching their first beer styled as Farsons Pale Ale in April of that year.

Farsons first Brew House and their first Beer - Farsons Pale Ale featuring Neptune as their trade-mark

This development prompted Simonds to merge their Maltese branch with their budding competitor resulting in a new company registered in 1929 as Simonds Farsons Ltd. The firm was licensed to produce British-style Ales and did so successfully for the next two decades until it merged with the Malta Export Brewery in 1948. 

Brigadier General Harry Simonds de Brett  in 1920. He got back into the family brewery business after retirement from an illustrious career with the Royal Artillery. De Brett  in sidecar with Lewis Farrugia (pinion rider) in the 1940s

During its existence as an independent firm, Simonds Farsons adopted a variety of different glass bottles, labels and crown caps, for its range of beers. The Neptune trade-mark was retained with the addition of Simonds' Hop Leaf logo on its wares and printed matter. Further details pending upload at a later stage. 

Evolution of Simonds Farsons Trade-Mark as a result of the 1929 merge between the two firms

 Resources
Farsons.com
Simonds Brewery - Wikipedia.org
Simondsfamily.me.uk
The Beer Giant Turns 90 - Timesofmalta.com
Simonds Malta Brewery - Breweryhistory.com
War Office Secret Mission - Post by Centurion via greatwarforum.org
Images
Early Simonds Farsons Wall Sign - Antiquesnavigator.com
H&G Simonds Malta branch in the 1920s - Simondsfamily.me.uk
H&G Simonds Bottling Plant at Pinto Wharf - Ditto
SFC First Brewery in Hamrun - Timesofmalta.com
Farsons Brewhouse - Ditto
Farsons Pale Ale Bottle from 1928/9 - SFC via Facebook.com
Harry Simonds De Brett & Lewis V. Farrugia - Timesofmalta.com
Brigadier General Harry Simonds de Bret - Walter Stoneman via the National Portrait Gallery, London (npg.org.uk)
Evolution of the Simonds Farson Trade-Mark - AAFM Collage
Some images may have been cropped, resized or altered for better clarity & presentation