WD & HO Wills was founded by Henry Overton Wills (1761-1826), who opened a shop in Castle Street, Bristol in 1786. It initially traded as Wills, Watkins & Co, but on the retirement of his partner, Samuel Watkins, in 1789, the company became Wills & Co. In 1826 Henry Wills was succeeded by his sons, William Day Wills and Henry Overton Wills II, the company adopting its familiar title in 1830. The company pioneered canteens, free medical care, sports facilities and paid holidays and was one of the first of the larger tobacco companies to make cigarettes. and became one of the biggest and most prosperous in the country.

Gold Flake were introduced in 1878

During the late 1800s the company expanded to build factories in London, Swindon, Dublin, Newcastle and Glasgow. The largest cigarette factory in Europe was opened at Hartcliffe, Bristol, in 1974, but with increased health awareness and a steady rise in excise duty, the company felt the economic pressure and the Bristol factory closed in 1990.

In 1901 Sir William Henry Wills et al formed the Imperial Tobacco company from a merger of W.D. & H.O. Wills with seven other British tobacco companies. Imperial remains one of the World's largest tobacco companies. Nearly 30 members of the Wills family served the company, the last being the great-great grandson of H O Wills, Christopher who retired as sales research manager in 1969.

This 'Gold Flake' tin was later appropriated by BANZARE scientists to store penguin eggs collected during their expedition to Antarctica, 1929-1930. In November 1929 Sir Douglas Mawson's expedition remained on Heard Island for seven days, during which time this egg was most likely collected.

http://www.imperial-tobacco.com/index.asp?pageid=24&subsection=major_businesses