News

Upcoming Talks

Thursday 23rd October - Mary Quant - her life career and designs - Ruth Lowe

Ruth has always been interested in fashion and made all her clothes as a teenager using Mary Quant designs for Butterick Patterns.  Why not take a nostalgic trip back in time with her to relive our youth, the music, clothes, boutiques etc.  You will see original Mary Quant clothes and memorabilia, plus hear about her life, designs and career which spanned over 50 years.

Thursday 6th November - Lions Led by Donkeys?  The Great War - how did we win it? - Dr Derek Clayton

Thursday 20th November - Artificial Intelligence - the future is now - John Hanby

Thursday 4th December - tba

Previous Talks

Thursday 25th September 

Ralph Vaughan Williams - Dr Tim Brain
Ralph Vaughan Williams (12 October 1872 – 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over sixty years. Strongly influenced by Tudor music and English folk song, his output marked a decisive break in British music from its German dominated style of the 19th century. 

Thursday 28th August

Medical Detection Dogs - Dr Susan Dunnett

Medical Detection Dogs is at the forefront of innovative research into dogs’ ability to detect the smell of human diseases and save lives.
The dog’s nose is the best bio-sensor we know of.  Our 2014 research indicated that our dogs were capable of detecting tiny traces (around one part per trillion – the equivalent of one teaspoon of sugar in two Olympic sized swimming pools) of the odour created by different diseases.The UK has one of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe – because of late diagnosis. At Medical Detection Dogs we believe our research will help early diagnosis improve in the future. 

Thursday 14th August 

Agricultural Conservation in Tanzania - Andrew Mayfield

Food security is a major problem for the people who live in dust bowl, central Tanzania, where most live  below the UN poverty index of $2 income per day.

Andrew’s presentation explores the food security challenges and then explains DCT’s innovative, low cost Conservation Agriculture approaches which have doubled average harvest yields. 

Thursday 31st July

Midland Red - Bigger than you ever imagined - Ashley Wakelin
The talk embraces the complex nature, growth and expansion of the UKs largest provincial bus and coach company.

Q&A after the talk will be two-way and Ashley will give some gifts to lucky members of the audience.......

Thursday 3rd July

How the BBC Proms get to your Screens - Mark Kershaw (G)

The talk explains the history of promenade concerts and then follows the organisation of the televising of the Proms, from the original booking of the orchestra through the preparations and rehearsals up to the point that the concert happens.

Mark was a member of BBC staff for over 30 years, rising through the ranks to be a Television Executive Producer and Director. Whilst a cameraman, notable programmes included Fawlty Towers and Morecambe and Wise Shows.  He directed a multitude of lifestyle programmes, but also specialised in live music productions.  He produced Gardeners World and the Chelsea Flower Show coverage.

From the early 2000s he became a broadcasting training consultant, training the next generation of directors but still directed TV programmes, amongst them BBC Promenade Concerts for 6 years, including directing an award-winning Prom featuring the Kings Singers in 2008.

Thursday 19th June

The 1963 Great Train Robbery - Steve Geale

It is over 60 years since an audacious attack on the Glasgow to London Royal Mail Train filled newspaper columns and radio/television bulletins. The criminals became notorious for their captures, court appearances, long sentences, escapes, foreign hideaways, releases etc. after fleeing with £2.6 million (approx £58m today).  Surprising implications made this event still noteworthy today!

Thursday 5th June

The SS Suevic and the night the RNLI saved 611 people - Galen Bartholomew

The SS Suevic ran aground in a storm off the Lizard Point in Cornwall in March 1907.  The RNLI rescued 456 people in appalling weather conditions.  This is still the largest number of people rescued by the RNLI in a single operation.  Another ship, the SS Jebba, ran aground off the South Devon coast the same night and the RNLI saved a further 155 lives. Not a single life was lost in either rescue.  In those days, lifeboats were open rowing boats and the crews were untrained local volunteers!

This illustrated talk describes how Galen Bartholomew pieced together an extraordinary story: how the Suevic ran aground; how she was salvaged and rebuilt; her service in two wars; and her final years as a whaling factory ship in the Antarctic, before being scuttled off the coast of Sweden to avoid capture by German warships.  As well as the number of people rescued, both the salvage and rebuilding of the Suevic set records in 1907.  A focus throughout is on the brave crews of the RNLI, which celebrated its bi-centenary in March 2024.

Thursday 22nd May 

Porton Down - Outbreaks, Epidemics and Preparedness - Prof. Nigel Silman

Nigel has worked in the infectious disease field for over 45 years, latterly at the UK Governments Porton Down facility. He will speak about the work that is done at Porton Down but mainly in the context of a general discussion of infectious diseases, transmission, surveillance and vaccination and why understanding the biology of these pathogens that attack is so important.

Thursday 24th April

Stalag Luft 111 and life as a prisoner of war - Alistair Price
This talk follows a visit by Alistair to the Camp near Sagan in Poland in March 2019 to commemorate the Great Escape in March 1944. It covers life in the camp and how the prisoners occupied themselves.  It starts with a video from the visit, showing the camp as it is now.

The presentation shows the layout of North Compound and the location of the 4 tunnels. It shows artifacts from 1942 found at the site. Also, the tunnel Harry in detail.

An overview of the Great Escape plan and the long march from end of January to beginning of May 1945.

It ends with a short video of the 75th Anniversary of the Great Escape followed by pictures of two iconic planes of WW2 – Lancaster & Mosquito.

Thursday 10th April

Electric Vehicles: The truth (and should I buy one?) - Richard Clifford
The future is electric.  But is the future here yet? Electric Vehicles (EVs) can be very contentious.  But what is the truth.

Richard has been the owner of an electric vehicle for the past eight years, so feels qualified to state the case, both for and against.

Hopefully the talk will lead to an entertaining and informative discussion about the current and future state of the automotive industry.

Thursday 2nd January

The Press Barons - Martin Gower

In this talk Martin will look at two Press Barons; one a creative publishing genius who at a young age launched and acquired some of Britain's most famous and well-read titles.  Another , who acquired and launched a number of regional and local titles and then diversified successfully into other consumer businesses.

Thursday 5th December

Radio & TV Hoaxes - Mike Aggleton
The talk covers three “hoaxes” - one on TV and the other two from Radio. One you may have seen live, one you have probably heard about but with the wrong facts. The “daddy” of them all from the 1920s you have probably never heard about.

Thursday 21st November

 Contemporary Policing Issues - Tim Brain
After a career in policing, in which he served in several forces and was Chief Constable of Gloucestershire from 2001-10, Dr Timothy Brain has since been a prominent lecturer, broadcaster and author on subjects ranging from policing, history, military history, and music. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS) in 2024. Dr Brain is chairman of the Friends of the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, Stroud Choral Society and Eversfield Preparatory School, Solihull, and a trustee of Nature in Art at Twigworth.

Thursday 7th November

An introduction to Canals - Tony Conder

Tony worked on the canals for 25 years as Curator of the National Collection. He moved to Gloucester in 1987 to open the Waterways Museum in the docks.

Now retired he researches and gives talks on waterways and Gloucestershire subjects. He is currently volunteering on the plans to celebrate the Bicentenary of the docks in 2027.  An introduction to canals looks at where they were invented and puts the British Canal system into context

Thursday 24th October 

Living on RAF Ascension Island - Richard Osler
I have been lucky to have had a very interesting life. I joined the RAF in 1963 and served until 1986. I have lived in Cyprus and also spent seven years living in Berlin, before the wall came down. My RAF career was in Electronic Intelligence, and I found employment in that line of work in Cheltenham once I left the RAF.  I have a Private Pilot’s Licence.

Thursday 26th September

Mount Kilimanjaro - Trek to the roof of Africa - David Morgan

David and Jackie Morgan spent 4 years, from 1966 to 1970, living and working in education near Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. They have continued their ongoing commitment to the Commonwealth country of Tanzania for many years.  In January 1968, they linked up with two colleagues to ascend the world's highest free-standing mountain, Kilimanjaro, 19,340ft (5,895m) in northern Tanzania. This historic venture is presented with the help of scanned colour slides 

Thursday 12th September

Neville Chamberlain and Family - Susan Humphrey
Susan’s talk is about her grandfather Neville Chamberlain, his remarkable family, and the ground-breaking work done by him and his father Joe on Birmingham City Council. We will hear about Neville’s preparation for the war he felt was inevitable, and his efforts to forestall it, setting up the Munich agreement.

Susan was brought up in Birmingham. She and her husband have always lived in the West Midlands, her career being teaching the violin and the piano.

Thursday 15th August 

The Trouble with Trivia - Entering Radio & TV Quizzes - Rob Hemming
This is the story of a thirty year odyssey in TV and Radio quizzes which was more agony than ecstasy but always fascinating to witness how quizzers all suffer the same horrors. It began as a rivalry with my wife, who had won 'Bob's Full House' in 1987 and encompasses The Weakest Link, Brain of Britain, 15-1, The Chase, Two Tribes plus five visits to the dreaded Mastermind black chair. It is astonishing just how much the human brain can hold....

Thursday 1st August

Easter at Christmas (Easter Island) - Paul Barnett
A journey of discovery! Come on a Pacific odyssey.  A place of mystery and myth...where giants walked. 

Starting on Blighty's shores Paul takes us on a journey to the far flung Rapa Nui ....better known as Easter Island after being stumbled upon by 18th century European explorers.....

 Bouncing via Chile's capital a 5 hour flight directly out to sea to touch down on NASA's tarmac and back in time...trees or no trees....walk or sledge....Moai or Birdmen ....learn about these questions and many many more.

Thursday 4th July

 The Great Escape (English Civil War) - Sandy Cale
Twenty Four years ago I qualified.as a Heart of England Green Badge Tour Guide for the City of Worcester. We give 90 minute guided  History Tours. We also give hour long PowerPoint presentations on various topics relating to Worcester History. I am 3 generations born and bred in Worcester, I have been singing all my life and taken part in many shows at Worcester's Swan Theatre. The English Civil War is a huge subject, it lasted 9 years. My talk is Worcester’s part in it and a little part of the greatest escape story ever written.

Thursday 20th June

The Development of the Human Voice - Susan Black

Throughout my career as a classical singer, I have been fascinated with all aspects of the human voice and its development.

As Opera is my first love, I became interested in how “opera” voices changed over the centuries and why.  It all had to start somewhere so that too became intriguing!

Thursday 6th June 

Queen Victoria - A Life in Portraits - Dr Gillian White (G)
Throughout her long life, Queen Victoria was painted by the leading artists of the day. From daughter to empress, by way of wife, mother and dog-owner, her ever-changing role on Britain’s stage was carefully captured and controlled for both public and private consumption. In this talk we’ll follow her story in a selection of these portraits – some familiar, some perhaps surprising – and see a winsome toddler develop into a symbol of the nation.

Dr. Gillian White began her career at the Warwickshire Museum and then worked for the National Trust as Curator / Collections Manager at Hardwick Hall, about which she then wrote her PhD at Warwick University. She now teaches art history part-time in the Continuing Education Department at Oxford University, as well as freelance lecturing and teaching.

Thursday 23rd May

Thursday 23rd May - Trilogy of Events Behind the Iron Curtain by David Thorp
The talk encompasses areas of service that for many years, due to security restrains the general public were never made aware of and will include The German Democratic Republic (GDR) by rail, the British Military Mission (BRIXMIS) and an altercation with Russian Officers.

Thursday 9th May

The Industrial Revolution - Part 1  - Nigel Thompson
The Industrial Revolution Part One. Focuses upon the 150 years from the mid 18th century when Britain led the world in moving from an Agrarian age to become the world's largest supplier of manufactured goods. It explores many of the new processes developed here which enabled this success to grow and prosper.

Thursday 25th April

Fakes, Forgers and Frauds - Graham Sutherland

This talk looks at some of the known and perhaps not so well known, fraudsters from history.  Yet in one case, people knew they were being being conned, and were happy to be so.
Graham is a retired police inspector and former Town Crier for Warwick. He gives numerous talks and writes fiction usually with a Victorian/Edwardian crime theme. He also writes non-fiction with a strong emphasis on Warwick, Leamington and is currently working on Murders and Misdemeanours in Warwickshire which is due in 2025.

Thursday 11th April

Fusty Cassocks and Church Mice - Church Restoration - John MacCartney   (G)

“Fusty Cassocks” has come out of the volunteer work John performed until last year for The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT). It majors on St. Lawrence Church in Evesham which is the CCT’s landmark church for the Western Region. It also addresses aspects of the former St. Mary’s aka Evesham Abbey. It was one of the very last to close in 1540 at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and in terms of importance, wealth and size was up there with the likes of Fountains Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey and Tintern Abbey. It was about the fifth largest and the third most wealthy. St. Lawrence Church played a very active role in the Abbey’s life.  

Thursday 29th March

 'All Political Careers End in Failure' - Philip Bowen

Very few of our Prime Ministers have ever decided gracefully to resign or retire. Enoch Powell's quotation is thus  generally true (though the ending may be a failure but not the premiership as a whole.) In this talk Philip will reflect upon that quotation in the light of several recent PMs and two prominent politicians who never made it to the top. A lively session is guaranteed.

Thursday 15th February

My Year as Mayor of Stratford - Maureen Beckett

Thursday 1st February

Most Secret: Defford Airfield and the Story of Airborne Radar - Tim Barney
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by military history and technology, and like any enthusiast, I’ve always wanted to share my passion with the people around me. Following a career in the IT industry, I now have the opportunity to pass on some of the amazing facts and stories I’ve come upon over the years. As you will discover when you book one of my talks, military history is definitely NOT just for military history fans!"

 "Most of us have heard of Bletchley Park – but from 1942 to the 1960’s, this quiet Worcestershire backwater was one of the most secret places in Britain, and carried out scientific work that was just as vital to the Allied war effort. Taking in an eighteenth century mansion and landscape park, a wartime airfield, and the early story of airborne radar development, this fascinating talk has something for everyone. The story concludes in the present day with a brief account of the National Trust property at Croome Park and the RAF Defford Museum, both of which are open to the public."

Thursday 18th January

Svalbard (Spitzbergen). History of these unique Arctic Islands - Ken Ingamells
For several years when this country still had a large trawler fleet, i would spent the winter months on the trawler fleet mothership in the Arctic forecasting the dangerous weather which would ice up the ships causing them to capsize.   Some winters the ship would going between north of Norway and Svalbard were there was often pack ice.   I  became very interested in Svalbard, a group of Islands owned by no country but, by international agreement, administrated by Norway.    A few years ago I toured Svalbard aboard a Russian Scientific boat and them a fascinating and unique group of sparsely populated isolated island fast changing due a warming climate.

Thursday 7th December

The Construction of HS2 - Richard Clifford

Richard is the Speakers Secretary of Kenilworth Probus.  He has a background in IT, working for blue-chip companies (e.g. Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Procter & Gamble) around the UK, Europe and Saudi Arabia.  He is now a property investor/developer, a part-time tour guide, and is semi-retired.

His interest in HS2 began during the first lockdown (Spring 2020), when he would see the work going on around his area whilst cycling along the Kenilworth Greenway (a disused railway route).

As he hadn't flown his drone for a while, he thought it would be the perfect opportunity to view the workings from above.  He then started posting the results on YouTube, and now has several hundred 'followers'.

Obviously, the latest Governmental announcements have severely curtailed the scope of the project, but there is still a lot of work going on between London and Birmingham - and plenty to talk about!

Thursday 23rd November

The year of the Three Kings, That Woman! Wallis Simpson (G)

“Too rich,  too thin  and  too  American;  a  bewitching,  vulgar,  Yankee  huntress, out  for what she could get  -  a gold-digger !”

But rather, was Wallis  Simpson in fact,  a benevolent woman,  caught up in a situation from which she could  not  extricate  herself and who, indeed,  on the eve of war,  saved us  from a feckless king ?  However,  as one of the most reviled women in history, Wallis, a twice divorced American with two living husbands, became a hate figure for ensnaring our King and destabilising the monarchy.   With his dashing good looks Edward V111 embodied the hopes and aspirations of most in 1936 - The Year of Three Kings ! ;  by renouncing the throne he convulsed the nation bringing dishonour and disgrace upon the Royal House of Windsor. 

Roy Smart   recounts  how  Queen Mary despaired that her son had been beguiled by an American Sorceress,  while Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin  thought  Mrs. Simpson  tolerable as “a respectable whore but not  as Queen Wally ! ”  But the King, whose obsession with Wallis had become total dependency, signed the Instrument  of  Abdication, making way for the third monarch of 1936.  Now, ‘Prince’ Edward fled the country to be with his ‘love’ and a lifetime of exiled futility, and Wallis would, thereafter, carry the burden of blame for this catastrophe;  and remain to this day, the enigmatic, compelling subject of  gossip and fascination worldwide. 

November 9th

Roger Gowland and Graham Robson “Double Acts”

“Roger and I have been involved in amateur theatre for well over 100 years added together. Mainly acting, ranging from serous drama to comedy.  Roger does a good bit of writing and I do set design and graphics and fluffy stuff like that.  Roger is Black Country-born; he has been in teaching all his life and is a retired Headmaster.

I spent time in Birmingham manufacturing then left it to forge an entirely new career in graphics and illustration.

When we first had the opportunity to do a presentation like this we had the inspiration that, because we were being a double act, we could research and perform material done by other double acts, and call it just that: “Double Acts”.

Thursday 26th October 

Edward Winslow, the Pilgrim Fathers and the Mayflower 1620 - Howard Robinson

Howard Robinson with a B.Sc degree was for nearly 40 years Head of Biology at two Public Schools. 

Now retired and living in Worcestershire not far from Droitwich (where Edward Winslow of the Pilgrim Fathers was born), he has developed an interest in all topics 'local', hence the title of his talk.

Edward Winslow was one of the leading lights of the Puritan driven group which was disenchanted with living in England in the early part of the 17th century ... know the feeling? After two false starts, they eventually sailed for the New World in the Mayflower and settled near Cape Cod just south of what is modern Boston. The colony had some difficult years but eventually thrived. It's an amazing true adventure story which has to be heard to be believed.

Thursday 12th October 

Stratford Swans - Cyril Bennis
A look at the town’s swans, from historical beginnings through to current environmental challenges, with a few surprising facts, practical tips, and adventures along the way.   Cyril's arrival in 1977 as one of the managers at the then Stratford upon Avon Hilton International hotel coincided with the almost complete disappearance of the town’s famous flock of swans.  His initial efforts in helping to create a swan reserve (opened in 1981) alongside the hotel led to his continuing involvement in looking after the health and welfare of our swans for the past forty years.

Thursday 28th September

Thursday 28th September - Farming Today and the Future in Warwickshire (NFU) - George Bostock

Based in Stoneleigh, the NFU’s mission is to champion British agriculture and horticulture, to campaign for a stable and sustainable future for British farmers and to secure the best possible deal for its members. We strive to protect and promote British farm life and give its members a voice now and in the future.

 The NFU has 55,000 farmer and grower members and over 300 branch offices.  George Bostock is the Assistant County Adviser for the NFU and will give us an overview about the state of farming in Warwickshire and a look at its future.

Thursday 14th September

 'A Thief and a Hero' - Brian Wilson

The extraordinary, true story of "Gentle Johnny" Ramensky: born in Glenboig, Scotland, the son of Lithuanian immigrant parents who went on to become a household name as the foremost safe blower in the country, Ramensky was a man of many parts, both a career criminal and a war hero, a master of escape (No fewer than five times from Peterhead Prison) who spent the greater part of his life in prison. A master burglar who was admired and looked upon with affection by the police who arrested him and sent him down.  His daring escapes from prison would further endear him to the public and eventually bring him to the attention of the British Army following the outbreak of World War II.  Hand-picked to join the Commandos and re-named Ramsay, he used his talent and bravery for King and country, parachuting behind enemy lines to crack the safes of key people in the German High Command; Rommel and Goering among them.

He may not have been a pillar of society, but his personal qualities earned him fame and respect. 

Thursday 17th August

Alveston on the Avon - Steve Currie

In July 1985 my wife Roz and I chose  to live in Alveston because of its village appeal and yet we knew almost nothing about the village.

After a short while, we discovered that we had bought a cottage that was previously owned Jacquetta Hawkes and J.B. Priestly.

About the same time I discovered a 1965 newspaper in the loft with an article entitled ‘Access to the Ferry will not be lost’.

These things intrigued me and when I retired I found the time to discover more about the history of the Alveston Ferry Boat and many fascinating historical facts about Alveston.

Thursday 3rd August

Shelsley Walsh - The village, the corn mill, and the hill climb - Max Hunt

"Shelsley Walsh: the Story of a Village". It will trace the history of Worcestershire's smallest parish from Saxon origins and centuries of obscurity through to its achievement of international fame in the 20th century as the home of the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb, the world's oldest motor racing venue, dating from 1905.  Max Hunt describes himself as "historian and petrolhead". His working life was in education, culminating in nine years as Chief Education Officer Of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council.  In retirement he indulges a range of interests as Secretary of the Housman Society, Secretary of the Railton Owners Club, member of the Midland Automobile Club at Shelsley Walsh, and custodian of his own small collection of classic cars.  Since 2006 he has been a member of the Shelsley Watermill Society -- a group of volunteers who first restored and now maintain Worcestershire's only working water-powered corn mill. 

Thursday 6th July 

'Bostin Birding in Belize' A talk about Ornithology - James Holden

Join local birder James Holden on a journey to Central America in search of the wonderful bird life of the only mainland English speaking country in the New World south of the USA.  In a talk liberally illustrated with his own photographs, James takes you from the Caribbean lowlands all the way to the Guatemalan border – from mangrove swamps to steaming tropical jungle.  The birds will surely amaze you from tiny hummingbirds to enormous frigate birds, from toucans to tanagers and from puffbirds to becards.  In Black Country dialect they are truly ‘Bostin’, but so too is the country, its people and its history none of which is overlooked.

Thursday 22nd June 

Edith Cavell 'Someday, somehow I'll do something useful' - Mike Bottomley

As a young woman Edith Cavell wrote " Some day, some how I am going to do something useful" Little could

she have known that as well as being a pioneer of modern nursing, through her Christian compassion and for doing

her patriotic duty she would pay the ultimate sacrifice. From the quiet Norfolk countryside, via poverty-stricken Victorian London to war torn Europe we are invited to follow this incredible journey with "Edith" helping to tell her remarkable story in her own words.

Thursday 8th June

The Hoarder Next Door - Steven Bruce - Members are invited to bring along something of value

Steven will recount some of his experiences as an Auctioneer and his time spent in the antiques trade. He has also asked that members bring some items from their own homes for them to be valued.  Having worked as a Fine Art Auctioneer & Valuer for several well-known auction houses throughout the UK, notably as founder and Managing Director of a well-known Midlands Fine Art Auctioneer, he went on to run his own busy Saleroom in Warwickshire. For 14 years he held monthly Fine Art, Antiques and Collective Sales of between 800 – 1,500 lots in addition to undertaking a full schedule of professional work selling approx. 18,000 lots per year. In 2008, he took a year off to become an antiques dealer so that he could understand the business behind the scenes.  Consequently, his talks include many anecdotes from his time as an auctioneer and valuer and in the Trade. He now acts as a Fine Art Auctioneer & Valuer, Agent & Consultant whilst also undertaking valuations for Probate and Insurance. He has raised many thousands of pounds at fundraising and Charity events.

Thursday 25th May 

Fun Facts About the Brain - Dr Katy Bellamy

Fun facts about the brain that you didn’t know you needed to know” looks at how a brain is not like a computer" and vice versa by exploring memory, a bit of visual processing and examines how the human brain can bend time and slow it down. In doing so it reveals some fun facts about your brain, that you really don’t need to know but they are fun anyway! And there’s a prize in this talk!

Dr Katy Bellamy has been a regular speaker at Avon Probus Club, She completed her MSc and Phd at The University of Edinburgh studying  cognitive neuroscience. She currently works as a professional public speaker talking on neuroscience topics, and as a private sleep consultant.

Thursday 11th May

 Hong Kong - Witness to History - Chris Forse

Local Speaker Chris Forse spoke about his very personal experience of so many years living and working in Hong Kong.  He is a former educator who spent 33.3 years in Hong Kong straddling the Handover of 1997. He was an occasional op-ed writer and contributor to radio panel discussions. He enjoys travel and self publishing, He was until February chairman of one of the largest U3As in the country. 

Thursday 27th April 

The First Duke of Devonshire and the Building of Chatsworth - Gillian White

A talk about the life and times of the first Duke of  Devonshire, his personal life, his political activity and the building of the great Chatsworth House.

Dr. Gillian White specialises in the history and visual arts of late medieval and sixteenth-century England. She began her career at the Warwickshire Museum and then worked for the National Trust as Curator / Collections Manager at Hardwick Hall, about which she then wrote her PhD at Warwick University. She now teaches art history part-time in the Continuing Education Department at Oxford University, as well as freelance lecturing and teaching.

Thursday 13th April
A Powerful Story (Power Generation) - David Swanson

The talk will provide a look back at how arguably electricity became our most critical utility, alongside water, and is now the bedrock of everything we do today.  The talk will look at how we, as a country and a population, might address the enormous challenges of continuing to secure sufficient electricity for the future as we rush headlong into decarbonising our economy.  Dave doesn’t attempt to offer a crystal ball but he will consider how we might ‘keep the lights on’ in the next 20 to 30 years as electric vehicles, domestic power generation and heat pumps become the norm.

Thursday 30th March

The History of Punch & Judy - Phil Colins
More pictures are available on the Photographs page

Thursday 16th February 

Lord Horatio Nelson - England's Greatest hero? - Max Keen

Well, was Nelson our greatest mariner? Make your own mind up as the facts, figures, battles, personalities and good old British derring-do are presented by Max dressed as a French admiral!

Thursday 2nd February

'What Lies Beneath the Surface' - Ginny Davis

In Ginny Davis’s novel “What Lies Beneath The Surface” two senior lawyers and a celebrated actress close to both of them are caught up in an enquiry into the unexplained death of a homeless man in the Regent’s Canal, London.  Lies lead to an irreconcilable conflict of loyalty as the police investigate how the death occurred.

In her talk Ginny gives background information to the lives of the characters in her novel who are drawn from her own experience as a former barrister, actor and wife of a former High Court judge.

What exactly is a High Court judge? When do they reside in lodgings? Why? What do they do in their spare time?  What is a QC?  Do barristers deal in truth or falsehood? Do actors? Where is the Regent’s Canal? How did the Blow Up bridge get its name? All of these questions and more will be answered. Short passages from the novel will also be read. The talk is both entertaining and informative.

Signed copies will be available to purchase on the day. £8.50

Thursday 19th January  

The Falklands War Part II - Ken Ingamells

Our guest speaker Ken Ingamells, gave us a talk on the taking of South Georgia in the Falklands conflict back in August 2022.

His second talk about the Falklands conflict covers the events leading to the invasion of the Falklands in April 1982 and the subsequent retaking back by Britain in what was the most long distant military operation and by British forces unaided by any other country, in bad winter conditions.

Ken was the weatherman for the military operation.

Thursday 5th January 2023

The Stainmore Line - The Highest Railway in England - John Douglas

The Stainmore railway line was opened in 1861 from Darlington to Tebay and to Penrith across the wildest part of the Pennines. For over 100 years it was important in the development of industry in the North of England as it carried iron ore from Cumberland to Tees-side and coke from Durham to the blast furnaces of Barrow and Workington. In the 20th century, up to its closure in 1962, the line also carried thousands of holiday makers from the North East to Blackpool and to Morecambe.

Thursday 8th December 

The Ecological and Climate Crisis

Ian Jelley is Director of Landscape Recovery at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. As a senior leader within the charity, Ian leads the department that works collaboratively with other people to make space for nature and enable people to take action for wildlife. With nearly 2 decades of experience working in the sector Ian supports the Trust’s ambitious plans for nature’s recovery across Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. In this talk Ian will highlight the global significance of the climate and ecological emergency and the implications of that for people and wildlife in Warwickshire. Ian will explore how human activity has exasperated the problem, but then go on to explain how individual actions and a local response can help bring our wildlife back and mitigate the impact of climate change, ultimately improving all of our lives.

Thursday 24th November 

The Monarch's Way - Howard Robinson (Ladies Welcome)
The talk covers the most amazing adventure that Prince Charles (Charles II) experienced following his disastrous defeat at the battle of Worcester in September 1651. You have to follow it to believe it ... with so many near misses ... before he eventually escaped to the Continent to spend the next 9 years in exile.

Thursday 10th November

 Tolstoy and 20th Century Russia - Philip Bowen

Leo Tolstoy is one of the most extraordinary men in history. Having fought in the Crimean War, written perhaps the greatest novel ever – ‘War and Peace’ – followed by another classic ‘Anna Karenina’, he abandoned the genre and became a pacifist. Born an aristocrat into one of the great noble families, he was ‘converted’ by the Sermon on the Mount and his later writings were all influenced by it. He retreated to his vast estate and dressed like a peasant trying to live simply. He proclaimed that property was theft and became a vegetarian. He inspired Ghandi. He fled from his wife at 82, dying at a railway station. Why didn’t the Tsars silence or exile him? Why were his books all printed by the Soviet Union? Why did he hate Shakespeare? One of his quotes could also describe Tolstoy:

“His life was gentle; and the elements So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, THIS WAS A MAN!” 

Thursday 27th October

Turn Left at The Pacific - John MacCartney

The title of this talk comes from the book John wrote in 2011 that describes a marathon Charity Drive he undertook between June and September 2009 when he drove across the United States and Canada – for charity. The event was to draw attention to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) in civilians – rather than in the military where it is popularly and mistakenly believed to be the only place where PTSD is experienced and suffered. The route for this trip was certainly circuitous and went from Florida to California – via Texas in the south with Montreal, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary and Vancouver on the northern extremities – with an awful lot of everything else in between!

The total journey was 18,000 miles long, was completed in a few days over three months and has made north American motoring history. No-one had previously driven that far in a car of any age, make or origin over that distance – for a charitable purpose.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable, is the car John used – a 1973 Triumph Stag, required a ground-up rebuild before the event could get underway! This was not a solo journey. While John and the Stag certainly drove the whole distance, they were joined at very regular intervals by over 1,000 other British and European sports cars from days of yore and those other participants collectively clocked more than 100,000 miles taking part.

The event has so far raised more than £160,000 and has been shared between PTSD patient support groups in Canada, the UK and the United States. Interesting as well is the fact that four years before the event, John suffered a stroke and was told he would never drive again.

Thursday 29th September

The History of St. Mary's Warwick 1123-1704 - Tim Clark

The talk is given as part of St. Mary's celebrations of the 900th anniversary of the foundation of the college in 1123. It looks at the people who made St. Mary's what it is today (1704 is when the last major building work was completed) and gives a glimpse of how distinctive St. Mary's is. There is much more to it than meets the eye!

 I am a volunteer guide at St. Mary's and also the ‘church historian’, which means that I am responsible for curating the church’s history, not that I know everything about it!

Thursday 15th September 

The Shakespeare Line - 160 years of Stratford upon Avon’s Railway - Fraser Pithie

With a keen interest in railways Fraser first became involved in campaigning in his twenties when British Rail tried a second attempt to close the railway between Birmingham and Stratford in 1984.  Fraser writes for the national railway media primarily The Railway Magazine, which has the highest circulation for monthly railway periodicals. He is the Secretary of the Shakespeare Line Promotion Group that was established in 1968 to fight the original proposal to close Stratford’s railway with Birmingham. More recently Fraser has led the formation of the Friends of the Shakespeare Line and recruited over 90 volunteers at all 21 railway stations along the railway route.

Thursday 1st September 

'What did you do in the war dad?' - Alistair Price

Alistair wrote a book about his father during lockdown, which is entitled “Kenneth George Price DFC & Bar a tribute to his remarkable life and his part in the Great Escape from Stalag Luft 111 in 1944. 

The talk will cover his father's early years in Coventry and then joining the RAF as a navigator in 1938. He was posted to bomber command in 1941 and did 58 missions . Life expectancy for bomber crew was 5 missions, so his father was very lucky. He was shot down over Holland on 27th July 1943  he was picked up by the resistance, but betrayed to the Gestapo who thought he was a spy.  Eventually he ended up in Stalag Luft 111 and took part in the Great Escape in March 1944 – he was number 182 to come out of Harry the tunnel. Fortunately he didn’t get out – 76 did, 50 were shot, 23 made it back to camp and three got back to the UK. 

He survived the rest of the War as a POW and was repatriated to England in June 1945. 

He joined the Civil Aviation Authority and was retired early in 1978 due to ill health following his time as a POW. He died at the age of 60 in April 1980. 

Thursday 18th August 

The Falklands War 1982 Part 1 - Ken Ingamells

Ken was a weather forecaster in the Met Office for forty years where he worked mostly with support for the Military.   As such he held very high security clearances  resulting in him being the forecaster for the conflict with Argentina over the Falklands in 1982.   This gave him many details of the conflict,  some have not even been released to this present time.   He subsequently did two tours of duty as the Principal Met. Officer for the S Atlantic, based in the Falklands and visited S Georgia on occasions.

Thursday 4th August 

Queen Katherine Parr The Life, Love and Times of the Last Wife of Henry VIII  - Mike Bottomley

An integrated live presentation of the extraordinary life of Katherine Parr the sixth wife of Henry VIII. Using music, readings and video to recreate the atmosphere and intrigues of the Tudor Court we tell the largely unknown story of this incredible Queen and her journey from obscurity to the heart of English history and on to her final resting place at Sudeley Castle.  Stepmother to two Queens, “Bloody Mary” and Elisabeth I, Queen, Queen Regent, Wife and Lover, Katherine’s life story resonates through the ages and is a must for all who are fascinated by our country’s dramatic history.

Thursday 21st July
'Something you may not know about me'  - Committee members giving short talks about themselves

Thursday 7th July

Shazam - the History of the Regal Cinema (Evesham) - Rob Hemming

This is a funny and affectionate look at the social importance and history of the old small-town picture palaces from the art-deco era to modern times focussing on the REGAL CINEMA in Evesham which is the archetypal small-town flicks. 

Thursday 23rd June 

English, who's English? - history of the English language - David Howe
The talk seeks to explain how we come to have the language we have, and why it  causes so much heated debate about what is correct and what is incorrect. 

Thursday 9th June 

 'We can't let you broadcast that' - David Clark

From the 1930's through to the turn of the century Auntie Beeb has felt it her duty to protect us from all manner of sins by banning not just songs, but instrumentals too! This is a lighthearted look at some of the decisions made to protect us from unspeakable harm. 

Thursday 26th May 

 Royal Visits - Alan Benjamin
Alan served 33 years boy and man in the police service. Early years (from September, 1965) were at Redditch in the Worcestershire Constabulary which amalgamated into West Mercia Constabulary. He transferred to Warwickshire Constabulary in 1973 and served all but 16 months in the Stratford on Avon Sub Division, stationed at Stratford on Avon, Alcester and Henley in Arden. He retired from Constabulary Duties in October, 1998.

During his time performing Constabulary Duties he had occasion to be on duty for many visits by royalty and other VIP's.

Thursday 28 April 

A Minor Cog in a Major Wheel' - life at Bletchley Park - Betty Webb MBE

Betty Webb, born in 1923 worked as a code breaker at Bletchley Park during World War II at the age of 18.  Starting in 1941 she joined the British Auxiliary Territorial Service.  She said, of joining the top-secret mission at Bletchley, "I wanted to do something more for the war effort than bake sausage rolls." 

Webb grew up with a German au pair before becoming an exchange student in Germany in 1937.  Upon arrival at Bletchley she was tasked with cataloguing encrypted German radio messages intercepted by the British, contributing to the breaking of the German cipher Enigma. During her time at Bletchley she also worked on intercepted Japanese messages. After the war ended in Europe, Webb travelled to Washington D.C. to assist the Americans with the war in the Pacific.

Betty Webb was made a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2015.  In 2021, Webb's work at Bletchley Park was recognized by the government of France with the award of the Légion d’Honneur.

Thursday 14 April 

 Henry VIII and the Field of Gold - Dr Gillian White
In June 1520 the king of France and the king of England met in a field outside Calais to celebrate peace. The celebrations that accompanied this meeting were so magnificent and luxurious that they have become known as The Field of Cloth of Gold. For Henry VIII and François I it was a chance to compete for honour and glory and no expense was to be spared in the competition to be top dog. This talk explored the reason for their meeting, the extravagant celebrations themselves, and the aftermath of this magnificent yet futile event.

Thursday 31 March 

The Seven Ages of Sleep - Dr Katy Bellamy
“The Seven Ages of Sleep” looks at how sleep changes as we age. It follows on from the first sleep talk,  but don’t worry if you missed that as this talk does cover some of the same ground. But it aims to explain what is happening in the brain to explain changes in sleep, and also some of the common sleep problems that can crop up at each stage. Leaflets on ‘ Tips for healthy sleep’ will be available at the end of the talk.

Thursday 17th February

 Project Rubicon and Stratford Sports Club update - Bess Evans
This is expected to cost just under £15million plus VAT and will see the Swans Nest Lane venue transformed into a building which will allow a variety of sports to continue in the area for the foreseeable future.  Bess also told us about the recent achievements of the various sports sections – snooker, squash, hockey, tennis cricket and boxing.  Also included was a  short presentation on Sporting Memories and some of the sitting exercise classes that members can join.

Thursday 3rd February  The Battle of Worcester - Howard Robinson
The Battle of Worcester in 1651 was the final battle of the so-called English Civil War.  Charles II having inveigled a force of largely Scottish troops to march down through England to fight on his behalf in order to reclaim the crown. He was opposed and soundly beaten at Worcester by a Parliamentary Army led by Oliver Cromwell, who incidentally didn't come to power as Lord Protector for another two years after this battle. The first half of the talk is on Oliver Cromwell: his origins; the many myths about him; and his rise to power through the ranks of the army during the Civil War. Incidentally he didn't fully become the leader in charge of the army until after Charles I was executed in 1649. Most surprising, perhaps, is the fact that, even after fighting against the Royalists for five years, Oliver Cromwell was a proclaimed monarchist, would you believe it? Not that Howard is biased in any way, but Oliver Cromwell is his 9 x great grandfather!

Thursday 20th January 

Triumph Motorcycles - Ray Sturdy
The History of Triumph from 1885 to today.

Thursday 6th January 

From The Guildhall to Beyond - David Clark
The true story of eight Worcester female convicts  deported via the first fleet to Australia, and what became of them- David Clark  

Thursday 9th December

The Merry Monarchs  - Mary Bodfish
If all those Williams, Henrys and Edwards were a medieval mystery to you, this whistle-stop journey introduced you to the personalities, follies and foibles of our monarchs from William the Conqueror to Richard III.

Thursday 25th November

'Wish you were here' how holidays have evolved  - Graham Sutherland

Wish You were here looks at the growth of holidaying from the age of pilgrimages, to organised tours by Thomas Cook, early camping and caravanning to foreign travel and how they have changed over the years. Includes some of the activities undertaken and enjoyed(??) by holiday makers.

Thursday 11th November

The Gunpowder Plot   - Philip Bowen

'The Gunpowder Plot A Midlands Rising' looked at the origins and causes of the Plot, its Midlands roots, how it almost became the biggest terrorist atrocity in our history and its impact on our history, especially its damage to Catholicism. 

Thursday 28th October

The World of Precious Metals - Brian Ely

Brian’s background in precious metals began when he was eighteen, answering an advert in The Daily Telegraph for a sales correspondent for Johnson Matthey based in Hatton Garden. That began a forty two year experience  in both the Industrial and Jewellery application of precious metals.   

His talk gave an insight into an understanding in the everyday use of precious metals.  He brought along several examples of everyday applications to pass around and also will relate some  interesting  anecdotes of his experiences in this field.

Thursday 30th September 

Electric Cars  Steve Currie

A fascinating talk about Steve's experience at Zytec Automotive and the design, development, and production of the Smart ForTwo electric vehicle.

Thursday 16th September

The Unknown Soldier - Buried in Westminster Abbey   Ron Gallivan

Buried in Westminster Abbey – Who was he and how did he get there? This is the story of how he was selected and his journey from the Battlefields of France to Boulogne and across the Channel to London.   Learn about the characters intertwined with his journey and learn why there were so many ‘unidentified’ soldiers in graves on the Western Front 

Thursday 2nd September 

 'Brigadier Generals - mere oilers of the works?'  Trevor Harvey

Many people who are not historians of the Great War, when asked of their impression of the British generals who commanded the British Expeditionary Force, either bring to their minds Stephen Fry's portrayal of General Sir Anthony Melchett VC KCB DSO of Blackadder fame, or alternatively they may remember Alan Clark's reference to lions being led by donkeys in his book 'The Donkeys' published in 1961. The purpose of this presentation is to challenge this perception. The talk concentrates on generals at the level of the commanders of infantry brigades and tries to answer the question 'what did brigadier-generals really do during the Great War?'. Amongst other things, five different brigadier-generals are identified from a sample of 116 whose brigades played some part in the Battle of Arras of April/May 1917. The ways they performed their roles are compared and conclusions drawn about whether they are best considered to be closer to either a pride of lions or to a herd of donkeys.

Thursday 19th August

Stratford Food Bank
We were delighted to welcome Lavinia derrick and Patty Page, trustees of Stratford upon Avon Foodbank to talk to us about what they do.  They gave us a fascinating insight into the history and operation of the organisation.  It was started in 2013 by a group of people at Holy Trinity Church who recognised a need in the community.  Shorty afterwards the Foodbank joined the Trussel Trust which provides help and guidance to the network of foodbanks in this country.  Lavinia explained that their long-term vision is the elimination of the need for people to require emergency food and the shorter-term vision is to provide an ever improving food parcel delivery service whilst working to find ways of helping people with issues that require the need for such food.

In 2013 the Foodbank fed 1,000 mouths but in just seven years the demand for services has grown fourfold with 4,500 people being fed in 2020, half of which were children.  People are referred to the Foodbank by external agencies such as Citizens Advice, social workers or health visitors.  They are issued with a voucher and the Foodbank will provide them with three days food as well as practical support.

Later this year the Foodbank will be moving to the new Fred Winter Centre in Guild Street which will be multi-agency dealing with mental health, substance abuse, homelessness, joblessness and debt.

Thursday 5th August  

“The NHS – is it REALLY our Jewel in the Crown” The NHS is revered by a majority of the population as being one of the country’s most esteemed assets. But how fit for purpose is it in the future and what are the options, looking ahead, for delivering “best in class” services? 

Thursday July 22nd 

Thursday July 5th

'To Sleep Perchance to Dream' Katie Bellamy (Z)

 Thursday June 24th

The Decline and Fall of The British Aristocracy & Stately Homes - Philip Bowen
In 1870 the British Aristocracy dominated the country - its hold on national and local government and the land was almost unprecedented in our history.  But even then cracks were appearing and within 50 years its power had been destroyed. The collapse in land prices, the rise of democracy, remorseless taxation,  the Great War, even guilt - all played their part but it was a sad, long drawn out affair. Destruction of houses did not peak until the mid 1950s when one a week was being pulled down but survivors became even more successful than ever. 

Thursday June 10th 

Mr Morris and his Motors - John Douglas 

William Morris, born in Worcester in 1877 and later to become Lord Nuffield, was one of the top British businessmen of the twentieth century and millions of motor vehicles carried his name from 1901 to 1987. He died in 1963 having donated more than £30 million (£1 billion in today’s money) mainly to  educational and medical institutions.

Thursday 13th May

 Apollo - A Moon Odyssey - Andrew Lound

Andrew gave us a most informative and interesting talk titled ‘Apollo - A Moon Odyssey’.  He started the presentation by reminding us of President John F Kennedy’s challenge in May 1961 stating that before the decade was out that America would land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth.  Andrew described each Apollo mission, its challenges, problems, successes and disasters.  He listed each Apollo mission and how every one tested new tasks that would be required to ultimately land on the moon. The talk via Zoom was brought alive using photographs, videos and sound and it was obvious that Andrew is an expert in the field of space science having advised many television and film productions 

Thursday 29th March 

Annual General Meeting

Martin Grubb took over as President from Richard West, John Douglas became Vice President.

Thursday April 15th  

'The Many Behind The Few' - David Skillen     Heros and Heroines of The Battle of Britain

Churchill’s famous quote about “The Few” seems to sum up the Battle of Britain. Yet without thousands of almost unknown people the system that defeated the Luftwaffe in the Summer of 1940 would not have existed.

David takes us through some of their remarkable achievements, from the “Tizzy Angle” to Miss Shillings Orifice! achievements that helped “The Few” prevail against enormous odds.

Thursday February 18th

The meeting commenced with an Extraordinary General Meeting to agree to a resolution to postpone the Annual General Meeting until late April.  This is to enable the club to plan better for 2021-22 and was passed unanimously.

Following this our speaker Alison Harris talked to us about her career as a newspaper reporter and editor.  She started with the history of newspapers which began in 1702 with the Daily Courant which was the first regular daily.  In 1970 the first free weekly newspapers appeared and in 1984 the first free daily.

Alison started as a journalist aged 22 with the Redditch Advertiser on £5,000 a year, she read books by Harold Evans and used the Daily Mirror and the Times as examples on how to write better copy.  She told us of the time when she corrected a spelling mistake in the copy in the type setting room in Redditch and immediately the National Graphical Association union called out their member and she had to make a public apology before they would return.  In the early 1980’s Alison was appointed editor of the Solihull Times, one of the first female editors of a newspaper. Currently she edits Probus magazine and runs the Probus Online website.

The meeting concluded with two new members being inducted, these were Roy Steele and Martin Gower, the latter also having a newspaper background.

Thursday December  3rd

Leyland - Doomed from the start? - John Macartney 

At our recent Zoom meeting John Macartney gave us a fascinating talk about ‘Leyland – From the Start to the Wilderness Years’.  As one of Donald Stokes’ personal assistants John has a good insight into the organisation and it’s history.

British Leyland Motor Company (BLMC) was formed in 1968 by the merger of British Motor Holdings (BMH) and Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC) led by Sir George Harriman CEO of BMH, Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Anthony Wedgewood Benn Minister of Technology.  Leyland only wanted the Jaguar, MG and maybe Riley brands but they were told they could not cherry pick and had to take all BMH.  The company employed 130,000 workers making it larger than the British army and for every one worker there were seven employed at component suppliers, so if BMH went down 1,000,000 employees would be out of work.  The merger included car, bus and truck manufacturers as well as armoured cars, and earth moving vehicles.

After the merger, as the product range was seriously out of date, the priority was to design and produce an entirely new range of mass-produced vehicles within five years.  They must set new benchmarks and standards and be outstanding value for money.  The first of the new cars was the Morris Marina in 1971 which became one of Britain’s best-selling cars with 807,000 made.  But by 1973 the company was haemorrhaging money due to having so many brands that had separate distribution networks and competed with each other.  In addition, the company was plagued by industrial action instigated by militant shop stewards.  These internal issues combined with the 1973 oil crisis, the three day week, high inflation and ineffectual management meant that BL became unmanageable and financially crippled which went bankrupt in 1975. 

Thursday November 5th 

 ‘Getting up the Devil’s Nose’ – A railway journey in the Andes of Ecuador - John Douglas

About twenty-eight members were entertained via Zoom by Probus member John Douglas who shared fabulous photographs of his trip to South America.  He had travelled to South America many times during his working life and in September 2006 he made his last visit to Ecuador as a holiday to see the Galapagos Islands and to ride on what remained of the railway system.  The main line (280 miles long) from Guayaquil on the coast to the capital Quito at an altitude of 9,350 feet, took 36 years to build (from 1872 to 1908).  The most difficult part of the line is the double switchback ascent of the Nariz del Diablo (the Devil’s Nose) which climbs 1500 feet in about six miles.  His pictures included trains being regularly derailed by the poor state of the track and all the tourist passengers sitting on top of the carriages, a practice that was stopped in 2008.  We also saw pictures of the Equator monument in Quito where you can stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other foot in the southern hemisphere.  A fascinating diversion from lockdown.

Thursday 8th October

 'Masters and Brothers of The Lord Leycester Hospital' - Dr Heidi Meyer

Avon Probus is continuing with it’s monthly Zoom speaker meetings, that look to continue at least until next spring.  On Thursday we had a very informative talk from Dr Heidi Meyer, Master of the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.  She is the thirty third Master of the hospital and the first female to hold this position in 450 years. 

The hospital was founded in 1571 by the Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley for twelve poor men to live in.  He was concerned about the poor and prioritised helping wounded and maimed soldiers.  Since it’s founding approximately 400 brothers and 33 masters have lived at the hospital, with Dr Meyer assisted by her colleagues Marion and Georgia telling us stories about a selection of them.

By 1958 the building was in an extremely poor state so Rear Admiral Stuart Pears was appointed as master to oversee the refurbishment which lasted until 1966 and cost £67,000.  It was opened by HM the Queen Mother and gave the brethren self-contained apartments for the first time.

Today there are six brethren living at the hospital, who show visitors around six days a week 10:00 – 16:00.

Thursday 10th September

  "Richard Nixon -crook and statesman?" - Philip Bowen

Richard Nixon is surely the most notorious of all past US Presidents. No one else has occupied the White House with such a complex character. Where did the paranoia and insecurity come from? Even as he was about to win one of the greatest landslides in US history he was obsessed with destroying his enemies. When we were much much younger many of us can remember being enthralled by those tapes, the Saturday Night Massacre, the John Dean testimony, the long drawn out fall of a President. But equally fascinating was his unprecedented visit to China, the start of detente but he also placed nuclear forces on DEFCON 111 in the Arab-Israeli war. His story is Shakespearean - a tragedy for him and his country, a villain but sometimes a great statesman. 

Thursday 27th August 

"Two Thousand five Hundred years of Northamptonshire Iron" - A fascinating talk given on Zoom by John Douglas.

More than 500 million tons of iron ore had been extracted from Northamptonshire up to 1980 when the iron and steel works at Corby closed. The small iron age workings were developed by the Romans, continuing through the Middle ages until suspended by Queen Elizabeth I. The main development started in 1852 with output going to blast furnaces in the county or others throughout the country.

Thursday 12th March

Annual General Meeting

Thursday 5th March

Not many of us know much about Albania, but we now know a little more thanks to our speaker John Butterworth who gave us a talk on the country and it’s dictator Enver Hoxha.

Hoxha was Albania’s communist dictator and ruled from 1944 until his death in 1985.  He hated the west and closed all the country’s borders for forty-one years to cut it off from the rest of the world with no one allowed in or out.  He banned all religious worship and had all the churches destroyed, he then proclaimed his country to be the world’s first atheist state.  Strangely enough Hoxha did like the film star Norman Wisdom and only his films were allowed to be shown.  

Berti Dosti joined the communist party in1978 and became a communication expert monitoring the airwaves in case of an attack on Albania by the west.  During his work Dosti came across Christian broadcasts and started to listen to these, leaving his country unguarded for fifteen minutes a week, something he could have been shot for.  After Hoxha died aged 76 Dosti helped to rebuild Christianity in the country.  There also followed a period of instability in the country with shortages of food and fuel, with people even stealing railway sleepers for firewood.  Communism fell in 1991 and in 1999 five hundred thousand refugees fled from Kosovo to Albania.

The country is now a member of NATO, UNESCO and wants to join the European Union, it is also a big tourist destination.

Thursday 20th February

The Victorian Village School by Anne Langley who is an enthusiastic local historian and volunteer at the County Record Office. Her talk was based on the logbooks of a village school that give a lively account of life in a Victorian school.

Thursday 6th February

Life of a Caricaturist by Douglas Eyre

Douglas Eyre gave us a very entertaining talk on his life as a caricaturist which started with his drawing at school in Virginia Water aged five.  After leaving school, his first job was as an engineer at a company making turned parts for aircraft, but when they found he could draw they said that one day he could become an engineering designer.  During WW2 Douglas received his calling up papers which described him as an engineer, and he ended up in the army.  But the army recognised that he could draw and that is what he did for most of his army career.  In the 1950’s he worked for BOAC using silk screen printing to produce labels.  Following this he started his own business drawing caricatures at golf events.  At an event at the National Exhibition Centre Panasonic were exhibiting their new print board.  Douglas could draw a caricature of a visitor to the stand on the board and immediately print it off and give it to them.  This generated a lot of interest and Panasonic were so please they gave Douglas the board.

A golfing event at Gleneagles for Princess Anne’s charity featured Sean Connery, Jackie Stewart, Jack Nicklaus and The Duke of York.   Douglas had a discussion with Princess Anne where she told him that caricaturists were always rude about her teeth, so she displayed any caricatures of herself in the toilet.    The talk ended with Douglas showing us several drawing he had made over the years.

Thursday 23rd January

A brief history of popular dance music 1900-1960

Nigel Thompson returned to the club after a seven week break to present a talk on ‘A brief history of popular dance music 1900 – 1960’.  He explained that the music was brought to the deep south cotton plantations in America from Africa with a beat that you could dance to.  He explained that the back beat is fundamental to dance music.  American music dominated the first sixty years of the twentieth century and the birth of swing in 1935 was performed by black musicians danced to by white audiences.  The British had their own take on this with bands led by Ted Heath and Jack Hylton.  Nigel showed video clips of all the popular musicians of the time, including Big Bill Broonsy and Michael Robert Johnson.  Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup wrote songs that Elvis Presley had hits with although he never got the recognition.  Then came Lonnie Donegan, the master of skiffle.

Down in the south the Ku Klux Klan was making life difficult for black musicians, so they moved north to Chicago.  We were played music from Howling Wolf then Bill Haley and The Comets with Rock around the Clock.    Following that we had music from Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, the first swing band leader to have a racially integrated orchestra, and who introduced Peggy Lee at the age of 22.  We saw video clips of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and Glenn Miller playing ‘In the Mood’.  At the time music was led by the musicians rather than the singer but this all changed following World war Two.  A thoroughly entertaining talk.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Thursday 19th December

Christmas Lunch at Stratford Golf Club - pictures are on the Photographs page

Thursday 21st November   

Avon Probus talk on NFU Mutual Insurance Society

Last Thursday we were given a most interesting talk by Beth Pritchard from NFU Mutual on how the organisation supports local communities.  She gave us some background information about the rural insurance company, which was founded in 1910 by seven farmers from Stratford upon Avon. Alongside its headquarters in Stratford, NFU Mutual has service centres in Belfast, Bristol, York, Cardiff and Glasgow, and over three hundred branch offices across the UK.

NFU Mutual’s community support programme has four main areas of activity:

1.  Looking after its members

An example of this is working with local agencies to prevent rural crime.  NFU Mutual’s claims statistics and expertise are shared to support operations and shape rural policing strategy. The company has committed more than £1.2 million pounds to help tackle rural crime since 2010.

2. Championing rural communities

A key part of NFU Mutual’s activities is helping to make farming safer, as agriculture is still one of the UK’s most hazardous industries.  In 2014 NFU Mutual set up the Farm Safety Foundation charity to deliver safety training to agricultural students.

3. Helping protect the environment

Working in collaboration with supply chain partners, NFU Mutual is working to reduce its impact on the environment through measures such as diverting waste from landfill, reducing claims waste, and improving energy efficiency at its buildings.

4. Valuing its people

NFU Mutual has an extensive employee volunteering programme where staff members can take one working day per year to volunteer for their community. In 2018 NFU Mutual employees volunteered 2,415 hours of their work time to make a difference to local community projects.

Thursday 7th November   

 35 Years Man and Boy - Tales of a police Constable - by Alan Benjamin

Thursday 10th October

We were given a very entertaining and humorous talk by Mike Watkins on conspiracy theories.  He explained what they are, their history, some bizarre ones and the most well-known.  A conspiracy is a version of events that differs from the official account given, and a theory is an idea used to account for a situation or justify a course of action.  We enjoy them because we are naturally suspicious of the authorities and governments. 

Mike gave us examples of historical conspiracy theories such as the murder of the princes in the tower in 1483, the flying saucer at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and the shooting of President Kennedy in November 1963.  The more famous bizarre theories are sightings all over the world of Elvis Presley despite him dying in 1977 and the album covers of the Beatles Sargent Pepper and Abbey Road that have numerous clues that Paul McCartney is dead.  

Recent well known conspiracy theories include the death of Princess Dianna in 1997, the 911 attack on the World Trade Centre where fifty percent of American believe this was a conspiracy, and the American moon landings.  

Thursday 19th September

Professor David Thoms gave us a very interesting talk about the legend of Robin Hood.  He described how the legend had changed over time.  The first rhymes about Robin appear in 1377, ‘The Vision of Piers Plowman by William Langland.  The name outlaw means that these men were not protected by the law and that Forest Law had been introduced by William the Conqueror in 1066 to ensure that the crown owned all the animals of the forest and nobody but the king could hunt them.  David talked about Fulk Fitzwarin who was an outlaw in the late twelfth and mid thirteenth centuries, he had an aristocratic background, was active in the forests of Shropshire and opposed King John’s abuse of power.  The legend of Robin has changed over time and Nick Rennison notes in his book that the fundamental reason why Robin Hood continues to be part of our culture is that his legend has always been open to reinterpretation.  Robin stood for fairness and was a social bandit, robbing the rich to help the poor, his main targets being bishops, abbots and the sheriff.  The twentieth century saw him brought to the screen in Hollywood played in films by Douglas Fairbanks in 1922 and Errol Flynn in 1938.  Kevin Costner and Russel Crowe also played him in later films.  Robin is supposed to have died by poisoning and his grave is reputed to be at Kirklees Priory. 

Thursday 22nd August  

National Memorial Arboretum by Margaret Bullock

We were given a fascinating talk about The National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas by Margaret Bullock.  She explained that the site has 150 acres of parkland, 30,000 trees and 360 memorials.  Symbols are used to stimulate visitors memories and imagination and these consist of poppies, statues, memorials, trees, paviours and benches.  The inspiration for the site came to David Childs in 1988 from Arlington Cemetery in the United States, as Great Britain had nothing similar.  In 1994 John Major launched a national appeal with 40% of the funding coming from The National Lottery.  The memorial was officially opened in May 2001.The most well-known memorial is the Armed Forces Memorial.  This is an imposing piece of architecture designed by Liam O’Connor, built of Portland stone, it bears the names of more than 16,000 servicemen and women who have been killed since the end of the Second World War.  The design of the memorial allows the sun to shine through a gap in the wall on the central wreath sculpture on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Margaret described many more memorials including the Polar Bear memorial, the Basra War Memorial, the Bomb Disposal Unit Memorial, the Shot At Dawn Memorial and the Guinea Pig Memorial for those who were badly disfigured.  

Thursday 8th August    

Compton Verney Art Gallery and Park by Emily Medcraft 

We were given a very interesting and passionate talk by Emily Medcraft on Compton Verney.  She explained that it is a gallery, a park and venue, and also runs three exhibitions each year.  Compton Verney has 120 acres of capability Brown landscape and hosts marriages, parties and events. 

In the thirteenth century the Verney family started to acquire land and the estate became known as Compton Verney.  The family remained there until the 1920’s.  During the second world war the estate was requisitioned by the Pioneer Corps who were developing camouflage, but whilst there they blew up a bridge and used the sphinxes on the bridge as target practice.  The army moved out in 1951.  In 1984 the house was put up for sale and even the fixtures and fittings including baths and fireplaces were sold off at auction.  Christopher Buxton bought the house wishing to build an opera house, but nothing came of it.  By the 1990’s the house was in serious decay and was put on the at risk register. 

Luckily in 1993 Sir Peter Moores, of the Littlewoods Pools family bought the house.  He had a great passion for the arts and funded the restoration of the house and the new extension for the café and shop with £64 million.  The house was opened to the public in 2004.  

Currently the summer exhibition is “A Tea Journey” about the history of tea from the mountains to the table, and the autumn exhibition is The Magnum Manifesto, a photographer’s collective founded by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, David Seymour and George Rodger in May 1947.

Thursday 25th July    

The Amish People by Ron Gallivan

By 2008 over 227,000 Amish lived in Canada and the USA; enough to become a recognised world ethnic group. In this presentation we look at their European religious roots; their Religious Practices and Services; Family Life (including Birth, Marriage (with their quite unusual ‘courting process’) and finally death.

Thursday 11th July 

 "Rail and Road Run - East Germany"  by David Thorpe

Apart from a lot of posturing and hot air, very little in the way of ‘military action’ took place during the many years of the Cold War in Europe. David's talk was in two parts. The first gave a potted history of the ‘BERLINER’, a British Military Train that, almost every day during the period 1945 to 1989, traveled from W Germany to the British Zone of West Berlin – why? The second part was his story about an altercation with Russian Officers who, on his return to West Germany from West Berlin, after a short period of operational duty, initially refused to allow him to re-enter West Germany

Thursday 27th June    

The Organisation of Time by Peter Petrie

Why does our tax year begin on April 6th, why does Easter float from March to April, how do we measure time in our Space Age etc?"  Modern societies organise time using clocks, watches, diaries and calendars. Peter explored our very complex calendar which has elements in it from Ancient Egypt, Babylon, Ancient Rome, Caesar's Rome, and Christianity from its earliest period until relatively recently.

Thursday 13th June 

   The Joy of False memory by Dr Kate Bellamy

A fascinating talk that got us thinking about memory in a very different way. It explored how researchers discovered that memory recall is reconstructive, but with each reconstruction False Memory can slip in. This phenomenon helped researchers understand how memory works and has significance for areas such as eye witness testimony.

Thursday 9th May

Our guest Speaker was Ron Gallivan whose talk was on "Las Vegas [Sin City] Nevada".

 It was a potted history, culture and flavour of Nevada with a helicopter ride down the Grand Canyon and visits to up-state Nevada.  Finally ending with the origins and a tour of the self-styled "Entertainment Capital of the World"- Las Vegas City combined with the excitement of "The Strip".

An interesting talk that everybody enjoyed.

Wednesday 1st May

Probus members headed by train to the BBC studios in the Mailbox in Birmingham.  Photos and videos of the event are on the 'Photographs' page of the website.

Upcoming Meetings

Thursday 2nd May - Spring Visit to Harvington Hall

Thursday 9th May - The Industrial Revolution - Part 1 - Nigel Thompson

The Industrial Revolution Pt 1. focuses upon the 150 years from the mid 18th century when Britain led the world in moving from an Agrarian age to become the world's largest supplier of manufactured goods. It explores many of the new processes developed here which enabled this success to grow and prosper.

Thursday 23rd May  - Rail & Road Through the German Democratic Republic  - David Thorp

Thursday 6th June - Queen Victoria - a Life in Portraits  (G) - Dr Gillian White