Wow!
Once again, I am amazed at the information pool available to all of us via the members of MLU. Identifying this company did not take long at all. This is also another excellent example of just how detailed the illustrators were with their work for the Master Parts List for the 52-Set, 80 years ago!
Colin, I will use a couple of your photos in my 52-Set Project Thread, with acknowledgement of you being the source shortly.
Ed, thanks for the informative history of the evolution of the S.S. Holden signage throughout the war. Based on the image of Colin's 1944 Tent Valise, it appears they had reached the 'Diamond' design in time for it to show up in the 1944 tent production.
Bob, interesting comments on a possible relationship between S.S. Holden and Woods. I found a few interesting clues while searching the web.
It appears the Holden operation started with three Holden brothers setting up an outdoor goods company which by the 1930's had become S.S. Holden, just one of the original three brothers. Catalogues of their goods show up for sale on the web, fairly frequently. The most notable is their Catalogue #8, from the Fall of 1938, which is probably their catalogue for the 1939 business year. The war would have diverted them from that line of work for the duration, but one would expect to find a big celebration of reaching Catalogue #10 shortly after the war. That is a significant milestone for any company. There is nothing out there I could find. Not even a Catalogue #9.
I did a little more digging and found the Obituary for Mr. S.S. Holden. According to it, Mr. Holden, his wife and their housekeeper were driving to Miami, Florida late in 1945 when they were involved in an auto accident outside of Savannah, Georgia. All three individuals were taken to hospital in Savannah, about 80 miles from the accident. Mr. Holden and the housekeeper were released with minor injuries after observation and treatment. Mrs. Holden was admitted with her injuries and died a few days later.
Mr. Holden was apparently an avid outdoorsman, and was very active in conservation work of all kinds. In July of 1946, less than a year from the passing of his wife, S.S. Holden was in Alberta, Canada working on a wildlife conservation project when he suddenly collapsed and died of a heart attack.
If, as Bob mentioned, there was some form of working relationship between the S.S. Holden Company and Woods, after S. S. Holden died, his company may have been taken over in some way by Woods.
David
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