On this page you can view photographs and read accounts of some of our events and thoughts.
Reports on Presentations given to the Club 2010
Wednesday 2nd June 2010. 'D-Day Experiences' by Cliff Jones. This was a fascinating first-hand account of a topical historical event through the eyes of a twenty-two year old boy for whom it must have been a very frightening adventure.
Cliff joined up in 1942 and was taught to drive Matador trucks which towed anti-aircraft guns. For two years he was based in the UK and the guns were taken to many areas for firing practice and manoeuvres. Interspersed with this he did Battle School and went to rest camps.
By May 1944, he was in a secure camp near Ipswich with brand new trucks and equipment ready for the invasion. They were loaded onto heavy landing craft and, after a five day wait, set off into the Channel where as far as the eye could see were thousands of ships (7000 went over in all).
After an aborted landing on 6th June, the trucks and guns were off-loaded into the nightmare world of Gold Beach on 7th June and Cliff’s truck was the first off. Amazingly they reached the road without coming under fire and drove up onto the cliffs. From there they could provide covering fire inland to support the advancing invasion force eleven miles away. In all 153,000 troops went ashore and there were 10,200 casualties.
Cliff supported his talk with some vivid pictures and excerpts form letters which made it a very moving experience.
Wednesday 19th May 2010. 'Metal Detecting'. John Clark brought along a large array of valuable objects and trinkets to illustrate his hobby of land and underwater metal detecting. Yet this was only about ten percent of the finds that he and his wife have made. Many of the most valuable items, some made of gold or platinum, have been sold. However, amongst the many objects that were passed round, he was able to show us a beautiful puma pendant and ring which are copies of a collection made for Wallis Simpson and are worth at least £5000. He surmised that the pendant had been lost overboard from a yacht or cruise ship but the ring, like many others, had probably slipped off a finger while swimming.
John and his wife travel in their motorhome throughout the spring and autumn (six months in all) and much of their detecting is done in Greece and Italy. The remaining months are spent cleaning, analysing and researching their haul. He emphasised the importance of making a deal with a land owner to share both the profits and the expenses from any find covered by the Treasure Act.
Wednesday 5th May 2010. 'Engineering the Eden Project'. One man’s vision created the second largest free-spanning indoor space in the World. Bjorn Watson, retired director of Anthony Hunt Associates, told us about the brainchild of Tim Smit. Tim had already bought up and renovated the derelict Heligan Estate creating the ‘Lost Gardens of Heligan’. He had now bought a whole china clay pit and wanted to make it into a showcase for good management of plants and an important educational resource.
The team overcame many problems associated with the softness of the clay and moved 1.8 million tonnes of it to create the setting and foundations for a series of interlinked biomes 100 metres long and 50 metres high. The structures were based upon pentagons and hexagons, some as big as 11 metres across, containing ‘cling film with attitude’ (ETFE), in the form of inflated cushions. These were fitted by men abseiling from the top of the structure.
The project cost £80million (compared to £700million for the Millennium Dome) and is a charitable trust. It receives between 1.75million and 2million visitors each year and has generated £150million for the St Austell area. This was a most interesting talk about a truly ambitious project.
Summary Of Responses To Members Questionnaire On The Future Of The Club
At the Annual General Meeting of the Club on February 3rd 2010 there was a discussion about the Future of the Club. Following this discussion the Committee of the Club circulated a questionnaire to ascertain the views of all members including those not present at the AGM. 43 members responded, 66% of the membership, and the views expressed are summarised below.
The first question was about the purposes of the Club, suggesting three, social contact, interesting talks, and visits and events. All three were strongly affirmed with stronger support for the first two. No additional purposes were added. Our present constitution does not define our purposes but the responses to this question state clearly the members’ views of the purposes of the Club.
Asked whether the Club should be all male, mixed male and female, or male with partners invited sometimes, there was a clear majority for the third option. Similarly there was a decisive preference for meetings to be held in the afternoons rather than in the mornings and for the frequency of meetings to be twice a month rather than once a month.
The answers to these three questions amount to a firm affirmation of the present arrangements of bi-monthly meetings in the afternoons with partners invited occasionally. These conservative choices amount to an affirmation of what in other contexts might be called our “core business”, the core activities of the Club.
On the other hand the responses to the questionnaire also offer definite encouragement to some possible new initiatives. There was a 2/3rds majority for joint meetings and for joint visits with other Probus groups. A clear majority would like there to be the option for some members to meet for lunch before a meeting with differing views about whether this should happen once, twice or three times a year. Some would like there to be an occasional optional outing in the morning on a day when there is a normal meeting in the afternoon.
The Annual Dinner and also outings or visits, which are arranged by the club, should be seen as optional events since some choose not to participate and other find them difficult because of infirmity. However the responses make clear that they are both important elements in the Club’s programme. The Annual Dinner had to be postponed to April this year because of adverse weather condition. The majority of the members would like it to continue to be held in April.
In the light of these responses the Club Committee will be exploring ways of implementing the new initiatives which the members have requested, while maintaining the Club’s core activities.
BRYAN PETTIFER on behalf of the PROBUS Committtee, 27 April 2010.
Further Reports on Presentations given to the Club 2010
Wednesday 21st April 2010. 'The Last days of Ocean Sail'. Dennis Cartwright took us back to the year 1700 and a time when sailing ships were necessary to move goods and people across the oceans of the World. Navigation was a major problem as latitude could be estimated but longitude could not. Throughout the C18th astronomers and clockmakers worked on the longitude problem. Until then dead reckoning, comparing estimates with other ships, the whereabouts of certain bird species, the presence of seaweed, depth sounding etc all gave clues to a ship’s position. In the early 1700s the East India Company took cloth, lead, mirrors and sword blades to China and returned with porcelain, copper, mercury, silk and spices. Later on fast ships were needed to take ice from Labrador to the sugar planters, for the opium trade and to transport prospectors for the California and Australian gold rushes. The fastest of all were the tea clippers, such as the Cutty Sark, which raced each other back to Britain in order to get the best prices for the tea. The invention of steam ships ended the age of sail. Steam ships were more predictable, larger and had powered winches to lift cargo. They had the disadvantage that they burnt coal.
Wednesday 7th April 2010. 'Gary Powers and the U2 incident'. Paul Booy of Purton Probus Club gave us a fascinating account of one of the USA’s most embarrassing incidents of the cold war. The scene was set with a brief history of the Soviet Union and the USA in the 1940s and 1950s. In espionage terms the USSR had the advantage in human intelligence but the USA was ahead technologically. Hence the U2 spy planes which could take detailed photographs from a height of over 20,000 metres. Gary Powers, a veteran pilot of these missions, set off on May 1st 1960. He was shot down over the Soviet Union and parachuted out of the plane. He failed to use the suicide pill that had been given to him for such an eventuality. Khrushchev set a trap for the Americans by allowing them to assume that Powers was dead and the plane was totally destroyed. Only later, after the Americans had tried to lie there way out of trouble, was it admitted that the plane was virtually intact and Powers was alive and well. This was a huge propaganda victory for the Soviets who used the incident to make many demands. Gary Powers was eventually exchanged for a much more important Soviet agent called Rudolf Abel. Game, set and match to the Soviet Union.
Wednesday 17th March 2010. 'Saving Britain’s Art Treasures'. Visiting speaker, Nicholas McCamley, astonished us that the Government made plans as early as 1934 to save Britain’s Art Treasures in case of a war. Early in the 1939, German planes couldn’t penetrate north or west of a line from the Solent to the Wash. A national register was made of country houses that would take the collections. In early September convoys of lorries and a special train set off with the treasures. For instance, the Wallace Collection went to Balls Park in Buckinghamshire, while the train took hundreds of pictures to Penrhyn Castle in Wales. Awkwardness on the part of the country house owners and German use of airports in Northern France, giving them the ability to bomb a much larger area, caused a change of plan in 1940. The collections would be stored underground. The Manod Quarries in North Wales were used for all the pictures and a special air-conditioned brick structure was built inside the quarry. Part of the local Westwood Quarry, near Avoncliff, was used for all the other artefacts. The air-conditioning of these two quarries proved so successful that it was introduced into the galleries in London after the war.
Wednesday 3rd March 2010. Members were intrigued with Peter Yemen’s presentation title - ‘Musical Reminiscences of the Common Man’. Peter is Chairman of the Bristol Friends of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Almost by accident he has become the very successful interviewer of many celebrated and talented musicians. His introduction commenced with Aaron Copland’s ‘Fantasia to the Common Man’, which explained his talk title. He then continued to present some fascinating stories of the musicians he had had the pleasure of interviewing before their performances with the BSO. He continued by telling us about an interview with the deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie and how she has an amazing ability to lip read other people. We were then treated to another sample of music with her playing the Can Can. Other musicians referred to included Ashkenazy, Simon Rattle, Yehudi Menuhin, as well as some of the musical directors of the orchestra. Again we were treated to a rendering of Yehudi’s violin with Stephan Grappelli accompanying him. Peter’s interviews usually preceded the concert performance and many attending appreciated seeing the other side of such famous people’s personalities. A most enjoyable and somewhat different presentation to that which the Club usually receives.
Wednesday 17th February 2010. 'Interviews for Radio' By Rob Catt, one of our members. The Club was treated to a wonderful romp through Rob's career in a talk that was full of amusing stories and anecdotes. Starting as the Youth and Community Officer for Chippenham, Rob got involved in publicity by writing articles for the local press and then by doing interviews for Wiltshire Radio. Eventually he became an interviewer for the BBC. Having told us about good interview technique, pitfalls to avoid and the improvement in recording equipment, he embarked on a series 'mosts' from his career. The most challenging interview was about a photographic exhibition; the funniest was with Hinge and Bracket; the most irritating was with Nicholas Parsons; the most high-powered interviewee was Sir David Puttnam, Chair of the Bath Film Festival. There were two interviews that tied for the most exasperating. The first was with a local butcher who answered every question with a question and the second was about an ill thought out schemme for 'Fallen Women in Bath'. The oddest interview was with Kit the Talking Car. The audience enjoyed every minute of this interesting and lively talk.
Message from our President John Else - February 2010
Reflecting on the last two years, I must say it has been both a pleasure and a privilege to have been your President. Your Secretary and Committee have worked very hard and have been ably supported by several members in the smooth running of meetings and events. As ever, our ladies have continued to provide the tea and the efforts of all are greatly appreciated. 2010 brings change in the make up of the Committee as several members complete their term of office. Regrettably, Ken Harrison will not be able to assume the Presidency, but Ken and I wish our new President an enjoyable and successful period in office
Wednesday 20th January 2010. The subject of Crop Circles certainly provoked discussion and comment when Michael Powell visited the club to talk about them. Whilst not claiming to be an expert, his interest had unearthed some surprising facts. For example, crop circles could be traced back to the 17th century. The current interest seems to have started back in the eighties and continues up to the present day. Patterns have also become more complex as the years have passed with many of the latest examples defying any method of manufacture by modern man given the time span of their creation. Examples of crop circles can now be found world wide, but many can be found near prehistoric sites. Avebury seems to be a popular location for them to appear. They are not popular with farmers who sometimes attempt to 'cash in' on them, but this is poor compensation for the loss of their crops. Michael was thanked for provoking such lively interest which, inevitably, left many questions unanswered.
Reports on Visits and Presentations given to the Club 2009
Wednesday 16th December 2009. 'The Life of a Highwayman' was the intriguing title which led us to believe that we were to learn about Dick Turpin but instead the talk was about the career of Geoff Hobbs, one of our members, who was a Highway Engineer. Having been inspired by a Gloucestershire Engineering Society talk, Geoff started to work hard at school and did well enough to be accepted as an articled engineering pupil. After three years he achieved the eqivalent of an engineering degree in his Institute of Civil engineers exams. At first, he worked in Gloucestershire widening the A38 and, in particular on the Whitfield Diversion where experimental work was done on various road surfaces. Moving to Northamptonshire, Geoff worked on the Corby Bypass and began to specialise in bridge design and became the county's bridge engineer. In 1969 he moved to Staffordshire and joined the Midlands Road Construction Unit. He later became Deputy County Surveyor and finally County Surveyor. The talk was filled with problems that had to be overcome such as construction of a viaduct for the Bilston Bypass, in a coal mining area, and drilling into voids as they hit tunnels underground. Sadly the project was shelved when a million pounds had already been spent on it. His talk finished with a slide show that illustrated some of the points and provided more interesting anecdotes. Altogether we were treated to an informative insight into a demanding and very worthwhile career.
Wednesday 2nd December 2009. Our Christmas Miscellany. The Miscellany is traditionally an event that takes place on our first meeting in December. Its origins are uncertain but its purpose is to provide a Social Event which members and their guests can mix in a relaxed atmosphere, enjoy an old fashioned tea party and be entertained by some home grown talent. In the last few years we have used our contacts with local schools to show case the talents of some budding young musicians at this event. They have provided us with some really top class entertainment whilst giving them some valuable experience of performing in public. This year our music was provided by Jacob Byrne, a talented young pianist, who attends Sheldon School. An excellent afternoon tea was provided and served by the ladies of Kington St Michael Church. At 3.00pm sixty assembled members and guests tackled a wall quiz, devised by Phil Redeyoff. This kept everyone guessing until tea was announced. Grace was said by Gordon Jobbins and tea was served. Our President, John Else, welcomed the visitors and introduced the pianist, who had been playing in the background. Jacob then played several concert pieces, interspersed with a humerous interlude provided by John Russen and Bert Boswell and concluded by further contributions from Ken Saysell and Dennis Cole. The raffle, which was organised by Jack Wisker, contained some tempting prizes, a bottle of whisky was the first item to be claimed. A table quiz, again devised by Phil, was keenly contested and was won by the team which scored 29 out of 30. Four Christmas carols were tunefully sung, led by Jacob on the piano. The party was concluded by John Else thanking all those who had contributed and wishing everyone a Very Happy Christmas.
Wednesday 18th November 2009. Mike Stone of the Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre, returned to the Club to talk about Chippenham when it was a market town. He not only spoke of the livestock tethered and subsequently sold in the street, but also the role of the Yelde Hall which, at one point, was used as the Market Hall. Following the closure of the livestock sales in Chippenham in 2004, the market bell, having been rung for the last time, was presented to the museum.
Wednesday 4th November 2009. Sam Williams the young adventurer, gave a very polished presentation on his recent adventure in rowing across the Atlantic single handed. As a result of his efforts he raised £2000 for the Help Africa charity.
Wednesday 21st October 2009. Charles Cook, the Export Control Manager of Airbus UK, gave a talk on the Airbus A400M, the largest and most manoeuvrable military freighter which is destined to be the global standard airlifter for the 21st century. The talk briefly covered the history of the Airbus Company from its establishment in 1970, the first delivery of a commercial A300 in 1974 to the present day with 5858 aircraft delivered to date and, so far firm sales of 9338 aircraft to 312 customers established. A new aircraft has been developed on average, every 3 years. The A400M project was launched in 2003 to produce a rapid, reliable aircraft, with air mobility and airdrop capacity, yet affordable. The aircraft has high power turboprop engines giving it a fast cruise speed and a maximium carrying weight of over 135 tonnes. Buyers like the approach of the company as delivery dates are fixed and their are penalties for lateness, there are guarantees and the price cannot be changed. The first delivery will be in 2013 and Germany has ordered 60, France 50, Spain 27, UK 25, Turkey 10 and smaller numbers to other countries. As a military aircraft the Airbus A400M has many advantages: a protected fuel system, a large rear door for loading, robust landing gear, air to air refuelling and counter measures against attack. This was an interesting talk and, though quite technical, we were all capable of appreciating the development of a remarkable versatile aircraft.
Wednesday 7th October 2009. Tony Toon our Speaker Secretary, kindly stepped in, as our speaker was unable to attend and presented a talk on the Scottish Soldiers of Fortune. While living in Scotland Tony became interested and researched the subject at the University of St Andrews. During the Middle Ages many Scots achieved high rank all over Europe. For instance, the guards of the French kings were all Scottish. In particular, we were told about two lives and careers. John Stuart was born around 1540 and educated in Paris. He entered the service of the Swedish King, was made Gentleman of the Bedchamber, the Swedish Envoy to Russia and eventually became a Baron. James Stuart, Lord of Avondale and Ochiltree,was an illegitimate son and was energetic, self-seeking and unscrupulous man. He became a Gentleman of the King's Chamber and was made Earl of Aran. He was killed as a result of a long-standing feud in 1595. At this time Sweden was the most powerful Scandinavian country and had strong links with Scotland.
Wednesday 16th September 2009. We were told about the history and scope of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and given a resume of Dudley Hewitt's career including 26 years as the Regional Director for the South West. The progression from Bronze to Silver to Gold involves longer expeditions in wilder country and less involvement by the leaders, who progressively step back to allow the participants to plan their own individual programme. There is no element of competition and a team is expected to give themselves an appropriate challenge for their ability and maturity. From small beginnings in 1956, 15000 participants now enter the scheme each year and 30000 are working for awards at any one time. Sixty six countries run a National Programme and the scheme operates in 100 countries. Apart from expeditions, 'Volunteering' engenders a feel good factor and raises self esteem, 'Skills' encourage participants to get involved in hobbies,'Physical recreation' encourages a participation in sport and at gold level, 'Residential' puts a young person in a new environment with people that they haven't met before. Mr Hewitt's talk was full of interesting anecdoted and we were ompressed by his enthusiastic approach and long service to such a worthwhile scheme.
Wednesday 2nd September 2009. Secret Underground Cities were the subject of the first of the new season's meetings of the Club. Mr N J McCamley spoke about the use of the caves under Corsham and Box Hill during and after the Second World War. The caves were created as a result of the stone mining for the buildings for the City of Bath and surrounding district. The talk illustrated, by slides, showed the extensive size of the caves and the variety of uses they were and continue to be used for. Many will know of the storage of ammunitions but fewer are aware that,among other uses, part of the caves were used as an aircraft factory during the war. At the eastern end of Box Tunnel a railawy siding leads into the caves to a railway station and sidings. It is hoped that Mr McCamley will return to explain the other uses for this valuable resource.
Probus Garden Party
On the 15th of July 2009 members and partners were invited to Rod and Mavis Allam's Home at Lanhill House for a garden party. This was the third attempt in as many years as previous invitations were prevented due to inclement weather. Everyone enjoyed the activities and excellent afternoon tea. Our grateful thanks to them both.
Wednesday 1st July 2009. Lesley Fox gave the club members a glimpse of the 30s and 40s Swing Time music. The talk was enlivened by the stories behind the titles of the pieces and the profiles of the musicians. The period included such as Bing Crosby, jazz musicians as Humphrey Littleton and big band shows such as 'Showboat', Carousel' and 'On the Town'. The musicians of the period were hardworking and devoted. We listened to nine pieces that typified the best of the period and these included:'Begin the Beguine'(Cole Porter),'Woodchopper's Ball'(Woody Herman),'Moonlight Serenade'(Glen Miller), 'The'A'Train'(Duke Ellington),and 'April in Paris'(Count Basie). Altogether a most interesting and imformative talk by a man with a passion for this music.
Wednesday 17th June 2009. The intriguing title was 'Just a little Something' and we were treated to an exquisite collection of miniature musical instruments. Tony Scammells took up the hobby when he retired and taking no tuition, he developed all the skills by trial and error. The models are made to 1/12th scale, the international dolls house scale and he makes everything apart from castors, strings and hinges. He even weights the models in proportion using bits of lead. Most of the models he brought were historical pianos such as Mahler's Grand Forte piano, an Austrian Giraffe piano from circa 1812 and a Broadwood Square piano. However, he also showed us a harmonium, harps, guitars, violins, violas, a cello and a double bass. These are not working models but they are made to look like the real thing. Tony prefers to take measurements from the original, but there are books that give exact dimensions and as a last resort he can work from a photograph using photoshop. Tony spends about 8 to 10 hours a week on his hobby so it takes him around two months to make a miniature piano. He has kept meticulous records of the many many models that he has made. We greatly enjoyed seeing such craftmanship and felt sure that the models give much pleasure to those who own them.
Club Visit to Ironbridge on 20th June 2009
A coach load of members and guests travelled north to the Ironbridge Gorge area. Light refreshments were served and greatly appreciated on the outward journey. The first stop was at the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron which exhibits magnificent cast iron statues, fountains and furniture made by the famous Darby family. After reboarding the coach the tour continued to the famous Iron Bridge and Tollhouse. In the afternoon a most interesting and enjoyable time was spent at the Blists Hill Victorian Village. We were free to meet the Victorians and explore their various shops and workshops including blacksmiths, candlemaking as well as some of their homes. It was fascinating to see the school children parading through the street, two by two, to the school. Some of the group enjoyed the Fried Fish Dealer's products of fish and chips. On this occasion we were blessed with good weather and the rain set in as we rejoined the coach for the return journey. It is any area where one could spend much more time to view all the places of interest. Full credit and thanks must be given to Alison and Chris Shackell for organising such a superb day out.
Wednesday 3rd June 2009. We were treated to a most fascinating and amusing talk by Pauline Beach about some of the 170 language students from 27 countries that she and her husband, Peter, entertained, befriended and advised over 20 years. The account was filled with anecdotes and we were introduced to Didier, who looked and sounded like a girl, and is now a Count in the Chablis region of Burgundy and to Adriana from Brazil who flew into Heathrow 4 hours late and, having missed the language school coach transfer,was lost at the airport with £4000 in her handbag. The eldest student was 64 and,as a Papal Nuncio, had come to improve his English so that he could help the Pope to write letters. The youngest, Pietra from Poland was 17 and 3/4 on a scholarship. He achieved an A grade on the very difficult advanced language examination. Rules of the house were kept to a minimum but included: don't lose your door key, no loud music after 11pm, no help with homework after 11.30pm and only English to be spoken downstairs. Pauline marvelled that the students, often from wealthy backgrounds(some lived in castles and palaces), had liked their three bedroom semi in Bath, but we felt that it was the people in that house that made their stay so special.
Wednesday 6th May 2009. Robert Beckley, Deputy Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset, gave us a fascinating and wide ranging insight into his views on policing today. Talking about Swine'Flu',he told us that plans had been in place for many years to cope with a pandemic and compared the likely affects with the 'Big Freeze' of 1963. Then life continued much as normal, now with our dependence on electricity and computers, he predicted that there would be utter chaos. He criticised the irresponsibilty and lack of educated balance of some of the press. In Avon and Somerset twenty police officers are assigned to coping with press issues. The economic climate has decreased the amount burglary, drug and drink related crime. Town centres have been much quieter. However fraud, forgery and shop lifting have increased. Robert believes in Restorative Justice, whereby a criminal has to confront his victims and make amends, and thinks that Magistrates Courts should use this kind of sanction. When asked about the G20 riots, he felt that riot control has improved and, unlike the Poll Tax riots of the 80's the riot was contained avoiding crime such as looting elsewhere. On police car chases, he says that blue lights and sirens are used too often. Police helicopters have made a big contribution in catching car thieves. The club thoroughly enjoyed his talk and Robert was keen to answer questions and allowed us to influence the subject matter.
Wednesday 15th April 2009. Clive Rathband presented an illustrated talk about his visit to Antartica. His slides included pictures of Argentina showing the wide range of social standards there, from considerable wealth to beggars in the streets of Buenos Aires. He paused there long enough to visit a tango demonstration in a night club. This city was the birthplace of the tango. He then moved on to Tierra del Fuego to board a boat for the two hour crossing to Antartica. The crossing was challenging with stormy seas. The ship was a modified Russian research vessel with very basic amenities, but was small enough to get close in-shore to observe the wildlife. On some occasions groups of passengers were able to go ashore, using what appeared to be a very robust rubber dingy! Views of penguins and seals and some remarkable pictures resulted. Early sightings of 'land' turned out to be iceburgs or small islands. It was only in the latter part of the trip that passengers went ashore to the mainland. Considering the traditionally imagined inhospitable nature of the South Pole, it was surprisingly abundant with wildlife, from seals, both kinds of penguins, southern petrels, albatrosses and other birds. There was a sighting of a whale. But,perhaps the most surprising was the splendid scenery. There were many sculptural designs and shapes on many of the icebergs, formed by regular wave action and then the iceberg turning to reveal the pattern. Asked if there was any sign of global warming there,Clive thought not. He commented that, at the thickest point, the ice mass is 15000 feet thick. Clive managed to find time to answer a few questions before the end of the afternoon and everyone enjoyed his talk.
Wednesday 1st April 2009. Visiting speaker, David Sweet, gave us a full account of aircraft development between 1914 and 1918 and the dangers that confronted the pilots. It was as recently as 1909 that the first aircraft had flown one kilometre and in 1912 the Royal Flying Corps was formed for reconnaissance work. In 1914 Britain sent only 37 planes to France (Germany had 200). The early pilots had no parachutes in order to encourage them to get the planes home at all costs. Early combat involved sticks,rocks,ropes, revolvers, rifles and eventually wing mounted guns. Germany had superior planes and by 1916 the British death toll had risen to 700 and a life expectancy in the air was just 17 hours. Anthony Fokker had offers of his designs refused by Britain and France and so took them to Germany. His interupter gun gave Germany a huge advantage and the allied aircraft became 'Fokker Fodder'. The tide turned when America entered the war in 1917, the allies developed newer faster aircraft and began to win aerial dogfights. Problems encountered by pilots included: the exreme cold and lack of oxygen at altitudes, diarrhoea from breathing castor oil vapour, anti aircraft fire, engine failure and bad weather. In total the RFC lost 5364 in combat and 8000 in training. This was a most interesting talk and it generated plenty of questions.
Wednesday 18th March 2009. Club member, John Greenwood, transported us to the world of gangsters, killers and suspense during his talk on 'Film Noir', the Dark Films of the 40's. The name was coined by film critics of the 50's to describe a genre of films from 1942 to 1953. A number of Jewish film producers and actors had fled Nazi Germany and found the atmosphere of Hollywood suited them well. They were amongst the talented directors who made films as 'Detour' and 'Gun Crazy' on a tight budget. After the Second World War men returned to find that jobs were scarce and life in America was not so good. These films suited the mood of the time. John told us that 'Film Noir' heroes had a murky past, women were powerful and men got pushed around. There was a feeling of helplessness and cruelty of fate in these movies. Actors such as Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas played characters that were tough and rough. We were treated to extracts from 'The Killers'(1946) and 'The Small Back Room'(1949) to illustrate the talk and to give us a fascinating insight into the subject.
Wednesday 4th March 2009. The intriguing title, 'From Brat to Tate and Lyle' summarises the career of Peter Clarke, one of our members with over thirty-six years in the RAF. Having left school in the late 1940's, and after a brief spell as a trainee lab assistant, Peter joined up in 1951 as one of Lord Trenchard's 'Halton Brats'. This three year apprenticeship was carried out at what was effectively a military boarding school, with all the restrictions that that implies, with pay of only 7s 6d a week. After Graduation in 1954, Peter did Improver Training for two years and his pay rocketed to 5 guineas a week and at aged 20, he finally had the freedom to go to bed at whatever time he liked. Unusually in the forces Peter volunteered whenever an interesting opening arose and had postings in Aden as a Corporal, in Mazira in Southern Arabia as Deputy Station Commander and NAAFI Manager, with 78 Fighter Bomber Squadron as Corporal Technician and in Singapore as Senior Technician. Eventually as a specialist with Britannia Aircraft, Peter travelled all over the States, Canada and the Far East before being posted to Bahrain as Chief Technician. Two final promotions brought him to Flight Sergeant and then Warrant Officer and the entitlement to a badge that looks like the one on a Tate and Lyle tin! Altogether we were treated to a whirlwind romp through a most interesting career.
Wednesday 18th February 2009. Claire Skinner,Principal Archivist of the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, outlined the reasons why the Trowbridge Record Office had become unsuitable and gave us a virtual tour of the £11 million purpose built Centre at Chippenham. This was opened by Princess Anne in May 2008. The archives held there include those for: archeology, building records, conservation, local studies and museums. As well as having near perfect storage conditions for documents, the Centre has seperate labs for working on paper items and for objects such as ceramics. School children and their teachers can benefit by visiting the Education Room and meeting the Education Officer. For the public, a visit to the Search Room gives access to the contents of the Local Studies Library, a larger source of Wiltshire History than the British Museum. For those who wish to research local or family history, this is a treasure house and documents such as Tithe Maps, Jail Records, Quarter Sessions Records and Poor Relief Records provide a wealth of interest. The oldest document dates from 1151. The Centre is even storing copies of present day items,such as minutes of meetings, because these will be the history of the future. This is a fascinating subject and the Club hopes to arrange a visit to the Centre soon.
Message from our President John Else - February 2009
It has been a pleasure to preside over the activities of the past year, mainly due to the wholehearted support and enthusiasm of the Committee. Ken Harrison has given me strong backing in the role of Vice President, as well as maintaining records of and contact with members. Once again our officials have kept us provided with a high standard of social activities and regular speakers. However, we also depend on and appreciate the willing input from members in arranging the PA system and tea facilities at regular meetings, not to mention the assistance at the social functions. In addition we also welcome and appreciate the continued support of our ladies in providing the tea at our afternoon meetings. There promises to be little change in the Committee for the coming year, so I trust that the programme offered will prove as good and varied as before.
Wednesday 4th February 2009. Following the AGM, Phil Redeyoff, one of our members, gave a presentation on his experiences of the history of the Print Unions. He had a family history of union membership but was critical of the power wielded by the unions. He took us through the power struggles that took place between competing unions and the amalgamations that took place to produce a 'big three' of unions known as 'Chapels'. He explained that these were closed shops - you had to be a member. In those days there were constant battles between management and unions, many of which resulted in strike action or working to rule. Even as late as 1990, it would have been impossible to predict that these unions would lose their significant power. However, the papers were taken over by business people who confronted the unions and the 'spanish practices' disappeared, mainly due to the introduction of new technology. The NUJ union adapted best to the new situation. This was a most informative talk with plenty of interesting examples to illustrate his experiences.
Wednesday 21st January 2009. Young entrepreneurs from Abbeyfield School visited the Club to talk about how they had taken part in a Government initiative designed to encourage business enterprise and acumen. During the previous year several projects were developed, involving students of all age groups, which included running a cake stall, with the profits going to Children In Need, to a Lunchtime Enterprise Club. They also held a Dragon's Den session to determine which student should receive funding for their particular project. Students are now engaged in more projects for 2009. However, students from last year's highly successful pilot scheme have been invited to talk to various schools, adult conferences and symposiums as they did today. The Probus members were most impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm shown by the young visitors.
A Welsh Experience for Probus
On Wednesday 9th July 32 intrepid travellers assembled in Morrisons Car Park in pouring rain and boarded a coach for Wales. As we approached our first destination the Welsh laid on an impressive demonstration of roadworks which appeared to have been in progress for several months, and still have many months, even years to reach completion.
We arrived at St Fagans, home of the Welsh National History Museum a bit behind schedule, put up our umbrellas, and made a dash for the coffee shop. Under cover there were some excellent displays of agricultural implements and equipment. Another hall displayed traditional costumes, all with interesting explanations of how and when they were made and worn, and yet another hall contained a fascinating collection of Bardic chairs, each with their own history. The rain continued to fall relentlessly. Much of the attraction of St Fagans consists of the collection of shops, cottages,farm houses and other buildings that have been brought together from all over Wales and lovingly reconstructed at this location.
At this point it became obvious that the party was truly intrepid. With water turning the paths into small rivers, we set off in small groups to explore the buildings. We saw bread being baked at the small bakery, we saw hardware and general stores selling things like Virol that many of us remembered from our childhood. Having achieved a flavour of what St Fagans had to offer in terms of culture we then turned our attention to what the restaurant had to offer and now fortified for the next stage of the Welsh Experience.
We reboarded our coach and made a short journey to Cardiff Castle. The rain continued to fall but by this time we were hardly noticing it. We made our way through the castle gates to meet our excellent guide, whom we later discovered was related to Jack Evans, one of our members on the tour. The tour lasted for some forty five minutes as we passed from one fabulous location to another. At each stopping point we were treated to a wonderful explanation of the intricate detail of the castle and its history. Some of us visited the Regimental Museum of the Welsh Regiment and an excellent video presentation of the origins of the castle. We returned to Chippenham safely and on time and after a day very well organised by Alison and Chris Shackell.
The above photo shows the drawing of Cardiff Castle which Jack Evans produced to present to our excellent guide and nephew of his wife Olwen,as a 'Thank you' for a fascinating tour.
Visit to Bletchley Park
The National Codes Centre at Bletchley was the destination of the Club's recent outing during May with partners and friends. The centre provided a fascinating insight into the now declassified details of the development of code breaking equipment.
A demonstration of the Bombe machine, a major step in the mechanisation of code breaking in World War Two, was extraordinary, as was the rebuilt version of the Colossus, the world's first electronic digital computer. In addition to these, there were many examples of telecommunications equipment along with tableaux and items of current use in World War Two. Particularly appreciated was an excellent museum devoted to Sir Winston Churchill.The day was ably arranged by Chris Shackell and his wife Alison, who organised refreshments and resources on the coach. Their efforts were roundly applauded.
Mama Mia Theatre Trip
On Tuesday, 22nd January 2008 a party of 38 members and guests boarded a coach to the Bristol Hippodrome to see the smash hit musical 'Mamma Mia'. It proved to be a wonderful evening of nostalgia - the theatre was full to capacity, and the cast enthralled us with a good story line and an incredibly slick performance. For the final ten minutes the entire audience were on their feet, singing and swaying to the wonderful music of 'Abba', and the evening ended all too soon.We all agreed it was a memorable show that will be talked about for some time to come.
Our Annual Dinner 2008
On January 9th, our members and their ladies once again enjoyed the Annual Dinner at Chippenham Golf Club which we almost filled to capacity. An excellent meal was followed by some equally excellent entertainment from our multi-talented members
Our Christmas Miscellany 2007
This year's Christmas Miscellany went, quite literally, with a swing. Earlier in the year our scouts spotted an outstanding performer when visiting Abbeyfield School and suggested that we might persuade this fifteen-year-old boy to play for us. There is a piano on the stage, which is " reasonable" but not to concert standard, so we were relieved when his mother said she would bring his own keyboard along.
We were amazed when they arrived and started to unload! The whole stage quickly filled with speakers, amplifiers, stands, microphones, cables, plugs, control boxes, junction boxes and of course, a magnificent keyboard. Between them they had the whole lot connected and working in only a few minutes. Mothers today have to be versatile!
With pleasant background music from the keyboard, proceedings got under way with a Wall Quiz organized by Phil Redeyoff, which kept everyone occupied. President, Gerry Elms welcomed members and guests. Gordon Jobbins said Grace and a wonderful tea was provided by the ladies of Kington St. Michael church.
The president then introduced the young pianist, William Blake, who enthralled us with a varied performance ranging from jazz to classical. Unfortunately Dennis Cole, who was to have entertained us with a monologue, was taken ill and had to cancel at the last minute. John Else stepped in and related the tale of a lovesick greengrocer. Following another piano session, Tony Toon related the story of the shepherds and the angel -- but not as we know it!
The raffle, organised by Jack Wisker, was well supported and when Phil revealed the answers to the Wall Quiz there were some very good scores with winners achieving 68 out of 70. The afternoon concluded with carols supported by William on the piano. Gerry then thanked all those who had contributed in any way to the success of the afternoon and sent us all home with his good wishes for the festive season.
Abbeyfield School Presentations 2007
Our President, Gerry Elms, made presentations to students at Abbeyfield School at their awards ceremony on July 25th:
Probus Millennium Cup for exceptional service to the school was awarded to Oliver Boaler and at the presentation ceremony it was received on his behalf by his friend Josh Staniforth who was the winner last year. In the photo taken after the presentation I am handing the trophy to Oliver's sister Hannah Boaler who was this year the recipient of the Alan Roberts Cup, which she is also holding.
Probus Award for Sporting Excellence was awarded to two year 7 students who were judged to be of equal merit – Charlie Austin & Jake Brewer. Charlie and Jake excelled in Football, Rugby, Cross Country, Cricket and other sports both in school and in local clubs.
From Rob Catt, one of our members, who came across the following article about George Westinghouse who has a strong association with Chippenham. It was from The Journal of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers dated July 1894.
The First Air Brake
The air brake was a creature of George Westinghouse's youth; he had invented it before he was twenty-one years of age, and nearly a quarter of a century has passed since he saw his invention applied with success to a railway train. It has gone upon record as one of the great achievements. The air brake was suggested to him on the inspiration of the moment, but that is not infrequently the beginning of great inventions.
The suggestion of the divisibility of electric current came to Edison one summer Sunday afternoon, as he stood with Professor Barker, of the University of Pennsylvania, watching a majestic piece of mechanism in operation at the Wallace works in Ansonia. The hint of the telephone was received in an instant, almost, by Bell; and the suggestion of the quadruplex telegraph came to Edison, as he watched a fish swimming in a quiet pool. Westinghouse had the first suggestion of the air brake while in a railway accident.
The train he was travelling in, was brought to a standstill and they told him that a collision had occurred. It seemed to him that it should be possible to invent some mechanical appliance which would give an engineer command of a train such as he did not possess in the use of the throttle and the reversing lever. He turned this idea over in his mind, and being skilful with his hands and having the capacity of an inventor, he constructed in a while the first model of the air brake.
It happened that not long afterwards he was in Chicago and he met an inventor who thought that to him had come the inspiration of the perfect brake, and had such faith in his inspiration that he had worked it out, and had secured patents for his design.
Westinghouse said: "I,too, have a scheme for a railway brake which will enable the engineer of the train to apply the brake from the engine to the last car, and will bring a train to a standstill in far less time than the hand brake now in use can do".
"Ah, but" the older inventor said, "You cannot make a brake that will do these things without infringing upon my patents."
"I can and I will," replied young Westinghouse, and within a year he had done his work, and found himself a famous man.
Previous Club Visits
Royal Naval Dockyards at Portsmouth
Club members and partners took a day trip in July 2007 to look around the Naval Dockyards at Portsmouth as their last outing before the summer break. A leisurely stroll around the yard included a visit to HMS Victory,the Warrior and the preservation of the Mary Rose. The day was blessed with good weather,which was just as well as there were so many additional interesting exhibitions dealing with naval life through the ages on offer. The trip was organised by Chris and Alison Shackell and was thoroughly appreciated by everyone.
Probus on the Canal
On the 23rd of May 2007 a party of fifteen members and thirteen guests boarded a narrow boat on the canal at Brassknocker Wharf and set off for Avoncliff. The weather was warm and sunny. The canal and its surroundings provided a tranquil setting for a relaxing afternoon. All this changed as we came around the bend onto the Avoncliff viaduct. There was a lot of splashing and cries of alarm as three occupants of a canoe ended up in the canal just ahead of us. It was soon obvious that one of the ladies was in difficulties and in need of rescue.The lady was a non- swimmer and it was with some difficulty that our crew managed to haul her on board. The rescue completed, we finished the short distance to our destination, moored up and restored the rather bedraggled lady to her companions. Our party then proceeded to the Mad Hatter Tea Gardens where we sat in glorious sunshine and were presented with cream teas on a scale that had the majority of us struggling to clear our plates. The return journey was comparatively uneventful with ducks and moorhens doing what ducks and moorhens do. We arrived back at Brassknocker Wharf at about 6'oclock having had a gloriously lazy afternoon, and in the rather close confines of the narrow boat we had got to know one another better and make new friendships.
Bodleian Library,Oxford 2006
The photograph is of the group visiting Oxford in early November, when 21 members and guests assembled in the entrance to Exeter College and walked to the world famous Bodleian Library for an extensive organised tour. A most interesting and enjoyable afternoon was had by all.
During the August recess when we do not hold our regular meetings, visits were arranged to Highgrove, Prince Charles estate and the recently acquired National Trust estate of Tyntesfield, just south of Bristol. Members and partners enjoyed the well-arranged visits.
Highgrove 2006
At Highgrove, our guide provided a wealth of information and led the party through the gardens, which have been fascinatingly designed and developed over the last 25 years the Prince has been at Highgrove. At the end of the tour, we were offered tea and biscuits in the Orchard Room and directed to the estate shop. It was a very interesting visit and well recommended to those who have yet to visit Highgrove. Unfortunately, for security reasons, we could not take cameras with us and therefore do not have any photographs of the visit.
Tyntesfield 2006
Some 54 members and partners went by coach to Tyntesfield. As can be seen on their website the estate was a virtual time warp. Much has yet to be done and it was fascinating to visit the property whilst many of the untouched parts of the estate are still there. The Gibbs family did not spare any expense to have the best of everything placed in the property. As an example, Minton tiles were used in two gazebos in the Rose Garden. The wood carving in the house is of the highest quality. As can be seen they did not throw very much away and put many items to other good use. An example of this is the use of an old circular stone stairway as decorative paving, also in the Rose Garden.
The National Trust with its volunteers is doing a remarkable job to bring the estate up to the standard of their other properties. Once again as at Highgrove, the enthusiasm of their guides, both on the tour of the gardens and the house must be commended.
Photographs taken at Tyntesfield.
Visit to the National Monuments Record Centre, Swindon
A visit was arranged for our members and partners to the Centre in June 2006. This is a part of English Heritage and is situated in part of the old railway works adjacent to the Outlet Village, Museum of Steam and the National Trust Head Office.
It brings together a range of unique archive and information resources, including 12 million photographs, plans, drawings and reports. Many of the records have been created by such institutions as the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record, the former National Buildings Record and the National Library of Air Photography. Much of the information can be viewed free of charge.
Our visit included a fascinating exercise in assessing the date when a selection of photographs were taken. We were given a tour of the site and an explanation of how many of the priceless records are carefully stored in some very sophisticated facilities. Some of the original stairways have been carefully restored and the old factory buildings put to very good use.
From Cliff Jones as told to Rob Catt
D-Day 6th June Revisited
Probus member Cliff Jones, a resident in Frogwell, Chippenham, took part in D-Day landing on that fateful day – well, he almost landed.
Cliff was part of a gunnery troop. A troop consisted of eight heavy duty guns, wagons to pull them, a couple of radar sets also with wagons, with smaller trucks used for a mobile headquarters and a range finder. Cliff started out as a driver but was quickly promoted to vehicle mechanic. His memories of the build up to the big day are still quite vivid.
After much practice of getting on and off the boats, which were like much smaller versions of roll-on roll-off ferries, he really thought that the invasion had started. His team were embarked and set sail across the channel along with many other boats. Half way across they turned back and made a mock invasion of the south coast. Cliff landed at Studland Bay. But the exercise was to prove invaluable.
After about three weeks confined to camp, he and his mates took to the seas again and dropped anchor somewhere off the east coast where they waited for five days. But then the order came to move. The small armada sailed around the coast into the channel and they made for their rendezvous off the Normandy coast.
His first sight of the French shore was of hundreds and hundreds of ships. He refers to it as a seaborne Piccadilly Circus. There were landing craft everywhere and sections of the Mulberry Harbour were being towed into place. The beach was covered with a pall of black smoke. It was a sight that he’ll never forget.
Finally the order came to land on Gold Beach on King Sector Red. The landing craft trundled up to the beach, the doors opened and the ramp was lowered. Everyone was waiting for the order to go. But it didn’t come! After a short wait, the ramp was lifted and the doors closed and the craft moved back out to sea!
Cliff says that he found out later that a tank had shed one of its tracks and was blocking the only mine cleared route inland. A day later, the blockage had been removed and the craft, with Cliff and his mates, made a safe landing.
The guns were soon brought into action even though the gunners couldn’t see what they were shooting at. They were given map co-ordinates of their targets which were some eleven miles away. Cliff says that the noise was incredible.
So Cliff didn’t quite land on D-Day but on D-Day plus 1, and that’s a fact the he says that he regrets in a way. He spent a lot of time in mainland Europe in those days. He made some friends in that French village, especially some young children of about eight or nine years. He has since made contact with them and now plans to visit them this year.