Life on the Severn
On Wednesday 10 Apr 2024 Chris Witts gave Probus Club members an extraordinary account of his life while working on the Severn on a variety of vessels carrying cargoes mostly of grain, oil, coal, or petrol.
After a less than dazzling performance at school, Chris was directed by his father to go and get himself a job. Chris headed straight for Gloucester Dock, where Sainsbury’s is now located, and after persevering was invited to join a crew of 4 others as a deckhand on the Shell Steelmaker. His father was less than pleased when he found that Chris immediately earned substantially more than him, but it turned out that life on the Severn could be dangerous.
Typically tankers sailed from Gloucester Dock to Sharpness via the river and canal, then by sea to Swansea where they collected a 500 ton cargo of oil picked up a 500 ton cargo of fuel at Swansea and delivered it as far up the Severn as Worcester. A round trip could take several days depending on the weather and traffic at the locks. The Severn was notoriously difficult to navigate safely, and captains sometimes added to the dangers by taking short cuts both at sea and along the Severn to earn extra money.
Despite the perils Chris did not learn to swim until he joined the fire service in1993, after more than 30 years of working on the Severn.
Henry Hall
Falls Prevention and Management
On Thurs 21Mar 2024 Lindsey Johnson gave a polished presentation on , distilled from lengthy studies by the NHS Fundamentally, as we grow older, it is important to maintain muscle strength and balance ability, both of which decline naturally with age from 45 years by 1-3% per year. The best way to slow the rate of decline is to exercise and not to let fear of falling reduce activity, thereby exacerbating the rate of decline. A realistic aim is to achieve 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, ideally during 3 or more sessions, which brings other health benefits too.
Look around your home for obstructions, slippery surfaces, loose rugs and similar hazards and fix the problems. Curiously, one fall often leads to more in future. Therefore, learn whatever the lessons may be from the first event to prevent a repetition.
A healthy and varied diet will maintain bone strength, while protein will help with muscle repair. Alcohol does not count towards the goal of 6-8 cups of fluid per day.
Bifocal and varifocal spectacles present a falls risk when looking down on pavements and stairs – consider reverting to single lenses for outdoor walking.
Hearing is an important contributor to balance, as is well-fitting footwear including slippers.
People on 3- or more medications are statistically more vulnerable to falling over due to side effects like dizziness or drowsiness. Rushing to the toilet? Time to practise pelvic floor exercises before you have a fall!
After a fall you may be unable to get up due to injury. Therefore, prepare for a fall and practise getting up without assistance or props. If you find yourself stuck, use your pendant, mobile phone or smart speaker to get help. meanwhile moving your limbs in turn and staying hydrated if you can. And don’t panic.-
If you want to know more try this 315 page report https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg161/evidence/falls-full-guidance-190033741
or more concisely contact Lindsey via StrongandSteady@ghc.nhs.uk or tel:0300 421 6241
Driving Safely for Longer
On leap day, 29 Feb 2024, Nigel and Alexandra Lloyd-Jones presented “Driving Safely for Longer”. With a series of excellent slides they outlined the “Older Drivers Forum”, accredited by NHS, Rotary, etc. The forum is the leading national organisation for older drivers. Driving is vital for the independence of older people enabling them to sustain their mobility and encourage good mental health. Some 90 % of accidents involve human error. A significant proportion of fatalities are pedestrians or cyclists.
Driving at night is more hazardous but night-driving glasses are not recommended. A biannual eye test is important and mobility tests can be revealing, as reactions can be 22 times slower in old age. Of this audience only 4 had read the new Highway Code, where there is considerable emphasis on pedestrians, cyclists, and horse-riders all of whom now have priority over vehicle-drivers. Cyclists are allowed to ride 2 abreast, and cars overtaking must give them a wide birth, temporarily crossing a double white line if necessary. When passing a horse the overtaking speed should be under 10 mph.
Vehicle maintenance is as important as ever, notwithstanding the low annual mileage of some senior drivers. Tyre checks, demisting function, screen-wash and battery charge all contribute to a safe journey.
Poor journey planning can lead to distraction en route. Weather is also an important factor so journey planning, again, is important to avoid floods and similar hazards. Statistically, motorways, followed by A roads are the safer routes.
Pedestrian injury is now down by 60 per cent in 20mph zones. The most dangerous manoeuvre is turning right at a “T” junction, where most collisions arise. 20-25 % of fatalities involve motorcyclists.
A final comment was that most fatalities occur within 5 miles of home, so concentration during driving is key, as soon as the journey begins.
Mike Steed & Henry Hall
P.S. Elderly drivers can have experience on their side, giving them a strong sense of anticipation and defensive driving ability, at least until dementia symptoms start to develop, when judgement, concentration, and reaction time can deteriorate. Know your limitations and take pride in following the Highway Code!
Charlie Chaplin Pt 2
On Thursday 15th February Paul Murphy entertained us with his lecture, Charlie Chaplin Pt2 , reminding us of Charlie’s rise to relative fame from a gypsy encampment to a member of Fred Karno’s Comedy Troupe. This took him to the USA.
After a slow start he was engaged by Mack Sennett of Keystone Cops fame. For his second film, “Mabel’s Strange Predicament”, Charlie was not sure what to wear, so digging into some old props he came up with the famous look of bowler hat, baggy trousers, long shoes and stick etc. fairly typical of Billingsgate porters that he remembered. This was very successful and lead to 17 more films, and by the time he made “Tramp”, he had immense fame, becoming the highest paid star in the world. Later from his own studios he made the famous film, “Gold Rush” where he eats the sole of his shoe.
Even in the US depression he had success staying with a silent movie, “these troubled times”, and during the second world war produced the famous “The Great Dictator”, claiming that Hitler got the moustache from him.
He received a lifetime Oscar, a knighthood, and retired to Switzerland.
Mike Steed
Leslie Hatcher’s Lightning Aircraft Experiences
On Thurs 25 Jan 2024 a retired RAF pilot, Leslie Hatcher, addressed members about his experiences when flying Lightning aircraft in the 1960’s and 70’s. The BAC (now part of British Aerospace) Lightning was a single-seat fighter and interceptor, deployed to defend the skies over UK, Germany, Cyprus, and Singapore by intercepting intruding aircraft. The cockpit workload was intense. Pilots needed to respond correctly to engineering emergencies in flight all too often and, crucially, to manage the fuel consumption to ensure a safe return to base typically after 35-40 minutes of spirited flying in pursuit of targets.
When taking off, as soon as the aircraft was airborne and passing through 180 knots the undercarriage needed to be retracted before the maximum permitted airspeed for the undercarriage was reached – a few seconds too late and parts were in danger of being ripped off. Furthermore, the quickest way to reach the 40,000 feet needed to intercept most targets was to build up speed and then rotate the aircraft into a nearly vertical climb while still accelerating; but attempting this manoeuvre too soon could cause loss of control with disastrous consequences. It was surprising to learn that the unreliability of the aircraft was constantly in the mind of pilots like Les. Sadly, he told us that 27 pilots had lost their lives during the long life of the fleet. Many accidents were caused by airborne fires until modifications had been developed and maintenance lessons had been learned.
At the end of his talk, Les acknowledged that despite his criticisms the Lightning was the last all-British fighter and its outstanding performance made for spectacular displays. Its strongest feature was the radar through which heat-seeking missiles could be accurately aimed to destroy enemy aircraft.
Henry Hall
Basil Butler’s Experiences in Colombia
On Thursday 11 Jan 2024 Basil Butler, who is one of our most senior members and is also a past-president of the Club, shared some of his experiences during his long career, mostly connected with the oil industry.
On this occasion he covered the period from 1968 when he had been contentedly serving BP in Kuwait for 10 years. He was summoned to head office in London to a meeting over lunch during which he was offered a job in Colombia to form a management team to operate a newly acquired company named Sinclair Oil. Colombia is about the size of France, Germany and UK combined, with mountains in the west up to 18000 feet, with few roads or rail links, and masses of large estates. The capital, Bogotá, is at 7000 feet.
Basil explained that first he needed a visa for which he had to pass a VD check. On arrival in Bogotá he found himself an hotel, but English was not spoken so he made do with Spanish. He needed a further check for VD to qualify for an ID card and found himself a grotty house within the limit of his meagre housing allowance. His local general manager found him a better, but still grotty, house in a safer area until Basil negotiated an increased allowance and then found a better one.
Soon Basil encountered the company lawyer whom he described as a shady character, and an internal auditor who was downright corrupt; seemingly, every stone he lifted uncovered new problems of that sort. A case of scotch whiskey appeared mysteriously when bids for a transport contract were being appraised. Two weeks later the donor was murdered by his wife. When an anti-government rally booed a speaker, 150 of those present were shot!
As Operations Manager, Basil needed to fly between sites by a small Cessna aircraft. One of the field superintendents was described as an unusual character, sporting a gold earring. He proved to be particularly difficult to manage from afar.
Oil and gas would be transported by river- barges to refineries. Raw petrol was being lost en route. The mystery was solved when it was found that the train would be driven into a siding for the night, enabling locals to help themselves. Derailments were frequent due to poor maintenance of the tracks.
Basil recalled sharing the driving of an old Buick to a remote site on the snowline at 16000 feet, as indicated on the altimeter, a unique motoring feature in Basil’s experience. On the descent, after encountering snow and thunder, the snow-covered car looked incongruous against a the backdrop of palm trees in the sun.
The region was truly bandit country with drugs cartels and emerald smugglers ruling the roost. Many of the places Basil visited were out of bounds to most people, but now they are on the tourist rail Sinclair Oil was bought by a US company and the name is now lost in the mist of time.
Henry Hall
The Knights Templar
On Thursday 30 Nov 2023 Painswick Probus Club welcomed Gil McHattie who is an expert on The Knights Templar and the author of books on related subjects.
The Knights Templar, was formed in 1118 AD, and grew into a large organization of devout Christians during the medieval era. It’s mission was to protect European travellers visiting sites in the Holy Land, and perform other military operations. In their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, they were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades, and gained recognition by the Pope. A wealthy, powerful and mysterious order that has fascinated historians and the public for centuries, tales of the Knights Templar, their financial and banking acumen, their military prowess and their work on behalf of Christianity during the Crusades, still circulate throughout modern culture.
The Order became known for its austere code of conduct (which included no pointy shoes and no kissing of their mothers), outlined in The Rule of the Templars. Members swore an oath of poverty, chastity and obedience. They weren’t allowed to drink, gamble or swear. Prayer was essential to their daily life.
As the Knights Templar developed it established new chapters throughout Western Europe. At the height of their influence, the Templars boasted a sizeable fleet of ships, owned Cyprus, and served as a primary bank and lending institution to European monarchs and nobles.
However, by the late 12th century, Muslim armies had retaken Jerusalem and turned the tide of the Crusades. European support for the military campaigns in the Holy Land declined.
The Knights Templar lost its last foothold in the Muslim world and established a base of operations in Paris. There, King Philip IV of France resolved to bring down the Order, perhaps because the Templars had denied the indebted ruler additional loans.
On Friday, the 13th (of October 1307) scores of French Templars were arrested, including the Order’s grand master Jacques de Molay. Many of the knights were brutally tortured until they confessed to false charges which included heresy, homosexuality, financial corruption, devil-worshipping, fraud, spitting on the cross and more. Dozens were burned at the stake in Paris for their confessions. De Molay was executed in 1314.
Under pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V reluctantly dissolved the Knights Templar in 1312. The group’s property and monetary assets were given to a rival order, the Knights Hospitallers. However, some believe that King Philip and King Edward II of England seized most of the Knights Templar’s wealth.
While most historians agree that the Knights Templar fully disbanded 700 years ago, there are some people who believe the order went underground and remains in existence in some form to this day.
Henry Hall
Paul Sparks’ Career in Hospitality Pt2
Twelve months ago Paul Sparks presented an outline of his career from apprentice chef to head of banqueting at Derry & Toms, Kensington, London.
On Thursday 16 Nov 2023 Paul returned with an account of life as an hotelier in the 1970’s starting with the acquisition of the “Malvern View” Hotel near Cleeve Hill. First Paul needed some money – £35,000 to be precise – to buy the premises and goodwill. Lloyds would lend him only £15,000, so Paul turned to a former banqueting client from Barclays who was willing to lend him the full amount. Just after Christmas 1972 the 10 bedroomed hotel re-opened under the new management with Paul running the kitchen and Mary running the front of house, along with 5 full-time staff and 12 part-timers. An early challenge was how to operate the several heating systems – the previous owner hadn’t a clue! The hotel had a good reputation, but needed smartening up, and Paul was all set to raise standards immediately by obtaining cut glass, silver cutlery etc but his accountant said “no – wait 6 months before trying anything radical”! In due course Paul and Mary raised their game, adding snails, venison, guinea fowl and quails to the range of “queer stuff”as these foods were called by locals, and re-introducing good old-fashioned practice of turning-down bedding and tidying up after guests. Paul showed wine lists offering double magnums of wine at £200 which at today’s prices would be £3000. The Cheltenham races provided a source of guests looking for discreet VIP service in a quiet setting after a successful day at the races; Paul was careful not to name names!
Paul’s father had offered him the tip to avoid alcohol at lunchtime, which Paul respected, and has passed on to others. Within 12 months Malvern View had been awarded an Egon Ronay Star – a hallmark of restaurant quality. After some 12 years Paul and Mary had had enough of 7 day/night weeks of hard work, so they sold up without difficulty. Sadly the new owners went bust after 2 years and their successors in turn also went bust after 18 months.
Paul and Mary moved to Postlip House, near Winchcombe – a grand house with a large garden and a collection of neglected outbuildings which they converted into holiday cottages. Some of their guests from the hotel followed them there and the business flourished.
Next and final stop was Painswick in 2000, concluding an impressive career.
Henry Hall
Edward Adrian Wilson- Antarctic Explorer
On Thursday 2 Nov 2023 David Elder gave a highly polished presentation on the life of Dr Edward Adrian Wilson. In the early years of the 20th century, Wilson was one of the major influences and personalities of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration and has also been recognised as one of the top ranking ornithologists and naturalists in the UK during this period. He was also one of the last great scientific expedition artists.
Henry Hall
October Mischief
When the expected speaker did not show on 5 Oct 2023, several Club members improvised by giving short unscripted talks about themselves and their pastimes. which proved to be informative and entertaining. We should do this more often!
Then our speaker planned for 19 Oct had to withdraw, with due notice, so members were informed that a quiz would be substituted. This meeting was not very well-supported, but those who attended enjoyed the quiz. Among other curious facts, members learned in which African country they could order a fantasy coffin. The winning team by one point comprised Mike Steed, Basil Butler and Ken Hemming.
Henry Hall
Little Boy’s dream, but a Big Boy’s wallet
On 21 Sep 2023 Dr David Reed arrived just in time to give his talk “A Little Boy’s dream, but a Big Boy’s Wallet” while breaking his journey from Swindon to Pickering, so we were especially pleased to greet him. First, David outlined his education which led to an MSc and a career as an audiological scientist. Ultimately he reaped the rewards of an NHS consultant while building a prosperous private audiology practice which employs his wife and daughter.
However, the main thrust of David’s talk was about his fascination with steam power from an early age and his construction of a scale model Burrell steam traction engine in his self-built and well-equipped workshop. Some of the parts were purchased while others he made from scratch, having bought a copy of the original design drawings. The project required an undisclosed amount of money and some 6000 hours of DIY workshop time. When he laid a concrete path from his house to his workshop he took the precaution of incorporating a model railway track within the cement, just in case he needed it for the future. Sure enough, in due course, he built a small battery powered model London Underground train for entertaining children.
Next he is looking forward to building a scale model of “King George V” which in 1927 was the prototype for Great Western Railway’s most powerful “King” class locomotives. David expects to commit 6000 workshop hours to this retirement project!
Henry Hall
Weaning Ourselves off Fossil Fuels
On Thursday 7 Sep 2023 the Club welcomed Geoff King to speak about “Weaning Ourselves off Fossil Fuels”. Geoff worked for 10 years on the development and deployment of renewable energy sources and energy conservation initiatives. For this talk he drew heavily on his own experiences to explain in layman’s terms just what are viable options for eventually becoming “net zero carbon emitters”.
Primary references were 2 white papers issued in 2019 and 2021 – “Achieving Net Zero by 2050,” and “Building Back Greener” respectively. It quickly became apparent that the subject was extremely complicated and the strategies lacked the credible details to convince Geoff that, despite legislation, the strategies would succeed.
Setting the scene, UK with its population of 0.7% the world’s population, emitted 5% of the world’s total emissions placing UK approximately in the middle of the range of national carbon emitters. While UK has halved its emissions by eliminating almost all coal as an energy source, this had been a consequence of the collapse of its heavy industry (e.g. ship-building and steel production), effectively exporting UK’s requirements for these products to other parts of the world still using coal. We had enjoyed the fruits of the industrial revolution – but now developing countries are saying, not unreasonably, “we want those benefits too”.
While total UK energy use has not changed much over the past 60 years, its sources have changed, dramatically in some cases. Oil consumption remains stubbornly high, particularly while providing 35% of present electrical energy requirements which are expected to increase rapidly to meet the transport and domestic heating demands of a growing population. All this and more underpins the urgent need to wean ourselves of fossil fuels.
Looking ahead, Geoff outlined potential options for renewable energy, while ruling out hydrogen which is not a naturally occurring energy source and would require vast amounts of “green” electricity for its production. He also explained the practical implications of carbon capture and storage which are currently the only known ways to clean up emissions from aircraft. In terms of land use, solar PV farms are some 10 times more efficient than wind turbines at capturing the available energy.
The bottom lines :
Energy will be more expensive in real terms, as we move away from cheap fossil fuels.
Government initiatives so far are necessary but insufficient and lacking in detail.
We all have to own the challenge and start implementing the solutions as best we can.
Henry Hall
Fraud Awareness & Advice
On Thur 13 Jul 2023 the Club was pleased to receive an enlightening presentation on fraud awareness and advice about how to avoid becoming a victim of fraud by Danielle Sharples, who is a Fraud Protect Officer in the Economic Crime Team of the Gloucestershire Constabulary.
Danielle started by illustrating the scale of the 52 types of fraud which amount to one third of all reported crime. In Gloucestershire alone £17,000,000 was lost due to fraud in 2022. One in three people have been approached with fraudulent intent, mostly via the internet and from sources abroad. Online shopping websites, auction houses, and social media markets are popular conduits for fraudsters. Just your name, birthday, and address can be used by fraudsters to commit a range of frauds and steal your money. Such information may simply be the first or last link in a chain of information gleaned from several or many sources to trap you at sometime in the future.
“Fraud enablers” are social engineering experts seeking to manipulate the natural inclination of humans to trust others and to respond helpfully to questions by phone, enabling the fraudster to gain your trust and then sell information they glean or worse. Perhaps additional pressure will be applied to get you to decide to do something without adequately thinking it thorough. Don’t be afraid to say “no” if you are uncertain about where the line of questioning may be taking you. If they are a genuine professional they won’t mind you taking the time to verify their identity by contacting the organisation they claim to represent. Don’t use any number they may offer you – find out the number yourself from another source, and don’t use the same phone for at least 15 min after the suspicious caller has finished. What makes a call suspicious – a too-good-to be-true offer, a request for personal details such as parts of a password or PIN, a threat that you will be in trouble if you don’t comply, etc? Just hang up!
Another category of fraud is the online approach. Fraudsters seek insecure devices, or send emails containing hidden malicious software, or set up fake websites. You can reduce your vulnerability to hackers by being careful about the personal information you post online. Use strong passwords e.g. three random words like FishBoatTulip and store them in your browser to avoid keying them in frequently – key strokes can be monitored remotely. Keep a separate, very strong, password for your email account, and keep your software up to date with the latest patches from your software providers.
There’s loads more to learn about fraud from this talk of course. Other categories of fraud include: Money Mules, Advance Fees, Cash Machines, Card-less Payments, Online banking, Couriers, Door-to-door knockers, Holidays, Identity, Investment, Push Payments, Romance and Dating Scam mail, Ticketing, etc. Therefore, grab any any opportunity you can to hear from Danielle or one of her colleagues directly. The talks are free. Finally, read the SW Regional Organised Crime Unit’s 55 page user-friendly guide to the “Big Scams” which Danielle and her colleagues distribute.
So, use and enjoy the benefits of the internet with care, be wary of unexpected communications, and stay safe.
Henry Hall
The Royal Progress of 1535
On Wed 7 Jun 2023 Alan Pilbeam visited Painswick Probus Cliub again, this time to decsribe the Royal Progress when Henry VIII, Ann Bolyn and Thomas Cromwell plus an entorage of some 500 set out both to see and to be seen in Gloustershire, Wiltshire. Hampshire. Previously such tours were near London and took a couple of weeks, but the tour of 1535 was much longer lasting from to . Alan drew from the biographies, diaries and letters of the 3 key players.
A retired school teacher, Alan’s delivery was faultless and without reference to notes. He started by outlining the character of the 3 key players, the broad itnerary, and then described some of the many stop-overs in the castles and fine properties
It seemed that the primary purpose of the 1535 tour was to check on the monasteries’ finances with a view to raising funds through extra taxes for the ongoing war with France. Furthermore Henry , as Defender of th eFaith wanted to impose the Church of England faith. The itinerary also provide ample opportunities for some of Henry’s favourite pastimes – hunting deer on large estates and jousting. As a result of the progress, many of the smaller monasteries were either suppressed (closed, sold and the assets returned to the Crown) or merged , releasing assets for the Crown. Prinknish and Painswick Lodge were mentioned.
By 1539 all the monasteries were closed, and the majority destroyed.
Henry Hall
On Wednesday 24th May we were entertained by Mike Houghton, a Probus Member, on his “life and times”. Mike’s younger life was in and around Northleach. He then had an interesting spell in the Army, when at one time he was firing artillery on Salisbury Plain, whilst observing illicit whiskey disappearing. After that he went to Canada and while financial auditing in Brazil, he was one of the first UK nationals to have a credit card. His time in Brazil lead him to setting up his first IT company. This lead to many opportunities in the IT communications world, such as installing all of the TV monitors on the Cheltenham racecourse. Systems such as Epinet developed by Mike’s team would be well known by those in the business. Mike’s career background was well summarized by Basil Butler in his vote of thanks in saying Mike was foremost a business man, or maybe an entrepreneur or an IT specialist. The conclusion was that he was all three.
Mike Steed
The Brain
On 10 May 2023 Probus members and their ladies gathered at the Painswick Centre for a talk given by Professor Colin Terrell entitled “The Brain”. Professor Terrell, a well-known psychologist, has practised in Harley Street, Oxford and Cheltenham, and gave a very entertaining and amusing history of the brain, how it works and how to keep it working!
Astonishingly, up until 1850, it was thought that brain function came from the heart! An unfortunate gentleman called Phineas Gage in 1848, whilst working on the railroads in the USA an explosion caused an iron rod to enter through his neck and out through the top of his head. He survived, but his personality altered and it was then realised that the brain was affected and was in fact inside his skull! This was then picked up by Sigmund Freud.
In 1900, a frenchman, Alfred Binet devised a way of testing the IQ of children and later the Stanford-Binet Test was used in the United States to choose military officers (there being no aristocracy in America!) and later to decide which immigrants could stay in the US! In 1927, the Supreme Court decreed that women with a low IQ should be sterilised, and by 1950, some 60,000 women were sterilised. In the 1950’s IQ tests were introduced in the United Kingdom in the form of the 11-Plus.
The human brain relies on a healthy heart to function. The brain represents 2% of our body weight, yet needs 20% of our oxygen intake and 1 litre of blood per minute to keep the heart healthy and thus feed the brain. Diet is an essential part of maintaining a healthy heart and shockingly 55% of food consumed in the UK is UPF – ultra-processed food. The Japanese, who eat mostly fresh foods stay fitter and healthier into old age. Other important factors for a healthy life expectancy are sleep, physical exercise, brain exercise, socialising and volunteering. Professor Terrell emphasised that pro-social exercise such as walking in groups is very important. He illustrated his talk with some very amusing cartoons and personal anecdotes and whilst the subject of his talk may have sounded a bit daunting, it in fact proved to be highly entertaining as well as informative.
The talk was followed by wine and a buffet lunch.
Jerry Dunnett
Ian Breckels’ Assignment in Egypt
On Wednesday 26 Apr 2023 Club member and past president Ian Breckels spoke to members about a short period during his 35 year career with Shell, spent mostly abroad.
Ian joined Shell’s research division initially but soon moved to upstream operations as a wellsite petroleum engineer. Ian’s talk focussed on a particular assignment in Egypt in 1981-83 when he was deployed as part of a small team whose task was to explore for oil and gas in a remote desert location which was part of a concession area recently acquired by the company. The potential for hydrocarbon reserves had been identified by a geophysical survey team. Ian was accompanied by his wife, Dianna.
Based in Cairo, Ian and Dianna quickly learned that to get on with the locals it was important to keep smiling, whatever the challenge. These came in many forms. When driving, there were 2 rules: the biggest vehicle wins, and the driver with the most to lose gives way. Most traffic lights were best ignored, and the car’s horn was vital for self-protection.
Site hazards in the Western Desert included relics of WWII ordnance such as landmines. Communications relied on 2-way radio. Drinking water was trucked from Cairo. Local water-well drillers were employed to supply industrial water for the drilling rig. An airstrip, essentially comprising firm sand, was prepared at each drilling location to enable rig crew changes and some material supplies. Exploratory drilling successfully confirmed an oil reservoir which was rapidly brought into production.
Soon after Ian’s arrival in Egypt, President Sadat was assassinated. Reliable news was patchy apart from the BBC World Service, plus Dianna’s access to information while working in the British Embassy in Cairo, both of which proved invaluable.
The main lessons of his time there – keep healthy, keep a sense of humour and be prepared for the unexpected!
Ian Breckels/Henry Hall
Charlie Chaplin Pt 1
On Wednesday 12 Apr 2023 Probus Club attendees were treated to a compelling account of the early part of Charlie Chaplin’s career, which was anything but a cause for laughter. The account was delivered by Paul Murphy who had found not only a wealth of information on the internet but also more than enough material to justify dividing the talk into 2 parts. Part 1 covered the period of Chaplin’s childhood and his efforts to achieve his emerging dream of performing on stage and making people laugh.
Born in 1889 on a gypsy site near Birmingham Charlie left no official trace of his existence in UK’s archives – no birth, marriage death certificates. His father, Charles, was a music hall entertainer, but also was a drunkard and abuser, who left the family when Charlie was 2 years old. Charlie’s mother, Hannah, was also an entertainer and she managed to support Charlie and his elder brother Sydney while her singing voice permitted but this was fading as the years passed. When her singing voice completely failed on stage, the event manager, fearing a riot, led the 4-year old Charlie onto the stage. His singing performance was amazing; the audience ceased throwing fruit and started to throw him money. Hannah had to resort to the workhouse where mothers were separated from their children and Charlie’s life was grim. Occasionally Hannah would get paid work and could leave the workhouse and get her boys to school – where they found the conditions even worse. Next, Hannah was declared insane and spent periods in an asylum; Charlie and Sydney were sent to their father who had remarried. His new wife hated the responsibility for his children and was also a drunkard so Charlie’s life by now was sorrowful indeed.
Charlie was always on the lookout for jobs in entertainment. Responding to an advertisement to join a clog-dancing troupe, he was taken on with no dancing experience. Meanwhile, Sydney Chaplin had joined Fred Karno‘s prestigious comedy company in 1906 and, by 1908, he was one of their key performers. In February, he managed to secure a two-week trial for his younger brother. This led to acting opportunities and international travel. By the age of 24 Charlie was famous, with prospects of a career in entertainment established at last.
We look forward to hearing more about Chaplin in Part 2 as his career broadened into film.
Henry Hall
Quiz 1
On Wednesday 29 Mar 2023 the Club met to learn about Belarus but unfortunately with 24 hour’s notice the speaker had to withdraw due to illness. Efforts to find a replacement failed so series of questions of quiz was hastily grabbed from the internet. Ad hoc teams of 4 competed for an undisclosed prize. The winning team comprised Mike Steed (Immediate Past President, still), Michael Campbell, Michael Cartledge, and Ian Eastwood. Liquid prizes which allegedly were “good for you” were awarded at the subsequent meeting.
Henry Hall
Jerusalem – Whose is it?
On Wednesday 8 Mar 2023 David Lees spoke to Probus Club members about Jerusalem and more specifically, why and how it has been the focus of competing empires for over 3000 years, since Abraham, David and Solomon are believed to have walked this planet. David has been an enthusiastic theologian almost all his life and yet, somehow, he managed to constrain his talk to the one hour available while providing a overview of Jerusalem’s chequered history.
The city has been captured and recaptured at least 44 times by various empires from every direction. It has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, and attacked 62 times. It has been rebuilt endlessly. It has given the world the monotheistic Abrahamic religions – Christianity, Islam and Judaism – all of which claim to worship the same god.
The list of attacking countries over the years includes: Arabia, Egypt, France, Britain, Rome, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and Jordan. Seemingly, peoples from all points of the compass had interests in securing Jerusalem’s future, and influencing religion throughout the world
Now both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital. Whatever the present status, it seems that the best hope for a Jerusalem with a peaceful future lies in bringing harmony to all parties and granting it recognition as an international city. We are quite a long way from such utopia.
Painswick Probus Club welcomes all local retired business and professional gentlemen, providing an opportunity to mingle with like-minded people and hear a talk by a guest speaker approximately twice per month on Wednesday mornings. See full details on the internet.
Henry Hall
Painswick’s Mills and their Demise
On 15 Feb 2023 the Club heard from Ian Mackintosh about the history of Painswick’s many pioneering mills and the causes of their demise in the face of competition from larger and more powerful mills in the Stroud Valleys. The mechanization of the woollen cloth industry provides a heady example of the extent and pace of nineteenth-century industrial change. Every step of the woollen cloth manufacturing process, except shearing the sheep and sorting the wool into different grades, was mechanized between 1790 and 1890. Fundamentally, owners resisted change, and with a few exceptions delayed investment in new machinery until it was too late to retain the lead in innovation and development. Interestingly, local mills at one time supplied China with all its woollen cloth. Fleeces from merino sheep reared in Spain were of the finest quality, but fleeces from merino sheep experimentally reared in the lush pastures of the Cotswolds proved to be inferior.
Ian promoted the Stroudwater Textile Trust. If you want to know more, visit Nailsworth’s Dunkirk Mill Museum, and the nearby Gigg Mill Weaving Shed which re-open to visitors for the Summer season on 23 Apr 2023. See the Stroudwater Textile Trust’s website for details.
Henry Hall
Six Stages of Separation & Cold War Spies
On 1 Feb 2023 John Peters explained the principle of the 6 Stages (or Degrees) of Separation which is a theory stating that because we are all connected by chains of acquaintances, all people (or things or places) in the world are within 6 connections of each other. John provided interesting examples of the connections, which he had discovered through his research, between relatives, friends and in turn their associates ending with famous, or indeed infamous, people. John’s first example stemmed from his grandfather George’s papers which revealed how he met his future wife. Deciding to earn some money before marrying her, George joined the Royal Navy. John’s research extended to to the point where a young Horatio Nelson became the sixth connection with George’s antecedents.
In another example, John demonstrated that he is only one stage of separation from one of the Soviet spies of the 1930s to 1960s – Melita Norwood who was a highly unlikely spy, but a very good one. For decades, she passed on secrets from the London based British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association, a company that hid its true role of developing atomic weaponry. Therefore the Probus audience was now only 2 stages away from a notorious spy!
Henry Hall
Peter Jenkins’ Exciting Expedition to Namibia
The pristine, rugged Skeleton Coast of Namibia was the setting for a family expedition in 2015. Janet and Peter Jenkins and their daughter, son-in-law and five granddaughters undertook this adventure in the Namib Desert. Conservancy Safaris provided a geologist, anthropologist and a Himba Rhino Ranger as guides.
Provisioning had to be rigorous so that the trip was self-sufficient for twelve people for two weeks. Petrol, drinking water, medical supplies, food, and camping gear were loaded into the 3 land rovers.
Many wild animals were encountered including elephant, lions and the rare black rhinos. In the 1980’s poaching was rife but now it is better controlled. One night an elephant and her baby walked close to the five tents and the guides’ guard dogs barked. The elephants reared up and trumpeted, but then strolled on.
The rocks and minerals of Namibia are remarkable in their diversity. Successive basalt lava flows cover Damaraland and these match perfectly in thickness and mineralogy those in Brazil. A demonstration of continental drift?
The Jenkins met the Himba tribes-people. The women are bare-breasted and cover their bodies with butter fat and red iron oxide. Their hair is in long ringlets and jewellery is plentiful. These semi-nomadic people move around Kaokoland looking for sparse grazing for their cattle, sheep and goats. The granddaughters helped the Himba to raise water for the animals from a hole three metres down for there had been a drought for 3 years.
The Namibian government wanted to build an hydro-electric dam on the River Kunene. This would have drowned the settlements, grazing lands and ancestral grave sites of the Himba. Three Himba elders came into the camp asking for Caroline, a lawyer, to help them to get reparation for the destruction of their lives. She redrafted the contract and eventually the project stalled and another site was found downstream for the dam.
Wild camping, conservancy, animals in abundance, geology and local tribes – what an experience!
Janet Jenkins
The Building of Gloucester Cathedral
On Wed 4 Jan 2023 Painswick Probus Club received an excellent presentation by Peter Petrie about the construction of medieval cathedrals including ample references to Gloucester Cathedral and Painswick’s St Mary’s church. Peter was a volunteer guide at Gloucester Cathedral for 16 years; the training he received, the knowledge he gained during that period, and his ongoing research enabled him to provide an authoritative and wide-ranging talk.
A project would start with the acquisition of land, typically equivalent to 3 football pitches, generally donated by wealthy patrons eager to ease their path through purgatory to, hopefully, heaven.
The appointed master mason was the key man, not only practising his own craft and supervising other masons, but also designing the structure and appearance of the building, sourcing and transporting materials, and coordinating the work of labourers and other tradesmen. Because the project could take 80 or more years to complete, master masons passed on their skills to their children. Fundamentally, even in medieval times, mathematics played a vital part in the design, emulating natural patterns and using mathematical formulae (sacred geometry) to define the curvatures of window and roof parts.
Initially, a scale model, typically 20’ x 10’, would be produced to communicate the design to sponsors and to workers, who were mostly illiterate. Detailed designs for decorative features were scratched into freshly laid plaster in a tracing house; when no longer required a fresh layer of plaster was laid for the next group of designs.
The tools of the stonemason included a plumb-line to achieve verticality, a “3-4-5” triangular set-square to achieve perpendicularity, and a rod, typically approximately 18 feet long, which would serve to define linear distances between walls, columns etc.
Medieval lime mortar has passed the test of time. Unlike modern mortar, its slow drying property added to its long-term flexibility, but this also slowed the rate of building progress.
Today Gloucester Cathedral employs 6 stonemasons and one carpenter to maintain the fabric of the building.
Henry Hall
Paul Sparks Pt 1
On 19 Nov 2022 Club member Paul Sparks entertained us with a summary of his career from apprentice chef to hotelier. Unsurprisingly, it was a most colourful story and there was too much ground to cover in one session.
Paul gained experience in all aspects of catering during his apprenticeship with Swallow Hotels and this led to him being offered at the age of 23 the post of Catering Controller at Derry and Toms, Kensington. The vast restaurant occupied the entire fifth floor, some 1.5 acres, busy during the day with lunches and teas and in the evenings it became a banqueting suite.
The banqueting suite was the second largest in Britain and he soon expanded this side of the business, catering several nights each week for dinners and dinner dances for up to 1,000 guests from a wide range of companies and organisations.
The sixth floor was home to the world famous Roof Garden with mature trees and flower beds tended by 4 gardeners, a stream with ducks and flamingos, and a restaurant supervised by Mary. The restaurant was busy by day and in the evenings as a reception venue for banquets.
Undoubtedly, Paul’s natural charm and complete trustworthiness were qualities which his superiors recognised and valued. Orders were detailed with military precision to ensure that the customer received all that was expected, often with no expense spared.
Paul’s top tips for success – always serve food on hot plates, and strike up a good relationship with the pigswill contractor who may then return any silver cutlery which has been rejected by pigs.
We look forward to hearing from Paul another time when he will tell us about acquiring his own hotel in 1970, a fitting climax to his career.
Henry Hall
The Gunpowder Plot
On Wednesday 2 Nov 2022, just in time for Guy Fawkes night, Dr Tim Brain addressed the Club on the Gunpowder Plot. After a career in policing, Tim knows a thing or two about criminal conspiracy and terrorist activities. With this knowledge, his enthusiasm for historical research, he delivered a superb summary of the inspiration for the plot, how it was planned, and why, mercifully, it failed.
Tim explained the chain of events which started with The Reformation and ultimately resulted in a 10% core of the population who chose not to convert from Catholic to Church of England and accept a new version of the bible. Thus the seeds of discontent were sown.
RobertCatesby (1573–1605) was the leader behind the plot. Tim highlighted the significance of Catesby’s residence at Lambeth, which offered a view of Parliament across the river Thames which may have inspired his audacious plan. Catesby recruited a team of 5 plotters initially;
their main aim was to blow up the Houses of Lords at the State Opening of Parliament, killing King James, the monarch’s nearest relatives, influential members of the Privy Council, the senior judges of the English legal system, most of the Protestant aristocracy, the bishops of the Church of England, and all members of the House of Lords and Parliament, in one fell swoop. Furthermore all records of laws and other important documents would be destroyed. Another important objective was the kidnapping of the King’s daughter, Elizabeth. Once the King and his Parliament were dead, the plotters intended to install Elizabeth on the English throne as a titular Queen and re-establish Catholicism in England.
Tim described how the number of conspirators necessarily increased and some of the many practical obstacles that were overcome – such as finance, and acquiring 36 barrels of government surplus gunpowder without raising eyebrows. Guy Fawkes, an Army engineer with experience of blowing up castles, was recruited to lay the charges and light the fuze.
An anonymous conspirator was concerned about the fate of a friend who would normally attend the State Opening and sent him a letter urging him not to attend. Ultimately the letter was shown to the King, who ordered a search of the building for anything suspicious. The explosives were discovered and Fawkes who was guarding them, was arrested, tortured, interrogated and, along with many of his associates, executed. Catesby was killed while resting arrest.
Henry Hall
Medical Dogs
On Wed 21 Sep 2022 Baiju McCubbins gave an excellent presentation on the work of the charity Medical Detection Dogs (MDD), covering the 2 arms of the MDD’s research programme – bio-detection and medical alert. Bio-detection training targets a specific disease using samples taken from people and learning to detect which, if any, samples are positive, while medical alert training requires a dog to be partnered with an individual patient. The common aim is to prove that a dog can be trained to detect traces reliably odours associated with specific diseases using the potential capability of the 350 million receptors in a dog’s nose. As yet it is not known exactly what it is the dogs can smell because they cannot tell us what markers they are sensing.
Nevertheless, dogs are already helping people with diabetes to recognise when they should take their medication, or seek help.
The most exciting prospect is that trained dogs and artificial intelligence could save the NHS a fortune in the long term through early detection of symptoms of serious disease. Baiju stressed that the dogs love their work, and are never kept in kennels. Dogs have been trained, using samples of sweat, urine, and breath taken from people with cancers, malaria, covid 19 and neurological conditions, and rewarding successful detection with a treat such as a favourite food or petting.
It costs £29,000 to train a dog, and 20% do not make the grade. The charity employs a dedicated staff of 35 including part-timers, and 700 volunteers. Painswick Probus Club was pleased to make a donation to the charity, as were a number of attendees who were highly impressed by the work and achievements to date.
Henry Hall
The Life & Wit of Dorothy Parker
On Wed 15 Jun Mike Aggleton, who maintains voluntarily a wonderful list of speakers who live around Gloucestershire and Worcestershire for the benefit of Probus clubs, shared with us the results of his research into the life and wit of Dorothy Parker. Dorothy, born prematurely in 1893 in New Jersey, referred to event as “The last time I arrived early for anything”. Mike then enjoyed himself recounting many of the quick-fire quips and short poems for which Dorothy became famous during her career as a critic of theatre, performers, authors, and almost everyone, gaining the reputation as “the mistress of the verbal hand-grenade”. Her 2 most likeable words in the english language were “cheque enclosed”. By 1937 she was earning (or being paid) $5200 per week at Vanity Fair magazine. Sadly by 1950, after re-marrying the husband she had divorced in 1947, she took to alcohol. Even then, she could not resist the claim:
I’m not a writer with a drinking problem.
I I’m a drinker with a writing problem.
Renowned for her caustic wit until near her he end in 1967, she suggested her own epitaph: ”Excuse my dust”.
Henry Hall
Who do we Lock Up and Why?
On Wednesday 1st June John Podmore, who lives in Painswick, gave a well attended lecture with the intriguing title “Who do we lock up and why?”. John had been Governor of Brixton and Belmarsh prisons, the latter being the prison with the highest level of security in the country. On retiring from the Prison Service John became a professor at the University of Durham. He is author of a book entitled “Out of Sight out of Mind: Why Britain’s prisons are failing”. John was very much of the view that criminals and terrorists, who are a danger to society, should be locked up, and photographs of individuals in this category were shown. However, in his view, many individuals were being locked up unnecessarily, at great cost to the taxpayer, including persons on remand, who may later be proven to be innocent. It is particularly true that many women who are locked up are rarely a danger to society. A number of questions afterwards ensured a lively debate.
Mike Steed
West Country Defences in WWII
Bill King opened his talk on 18 May 2022 by describing the legacies of WWI and stressing that, unlike other countries in Europe, the UK was totally mobilised. Lessons learned from both WWI and the Spanish civil war informed plans to use local defence volunteers to form a Home Guard. Other important lessons included the need to evacuate children from cities and to build Anderson shelters in gardens. General Ironside drew up “defence lines”, some following natural barriers such as rivers, to enable local governments to coordinate defences and to disrupt the enemy’s progress. An example of this extraordinary effort was a massive anti-tank ditch which linked water obstacles from Highbridge in Somerset to Gloucester, creating an outer defence for Bristol. Under the auspices of MI5 small auxiliary units of 7-10 men were trained to disappear below ground and mount clandestine patrols, setting booby traps and mines, in the event that the enemy mounted a successful invasion. The Home Guard ultimately comprised some 3.5 million people aged between 17 and 70 years.
Fortunately, the enemy did not achieve naval and air superiority in readiness for the intended invasion and occupation of the UK.
Henry Hall
Our Heritage of Song
On Wed 4 May 2022 we were entertained by Robin Burton, a retired IT security consultant who is now our local and enthusiastic expert on “Our Heritage of Song – the Unopened Treasure Chest”.
Robin outlined the evolution of English culture from the Cheddar cavemen in 7100BC, arguing that folk song and dance are at the heart of the English identity. People sang on the way to and from work, while at work, and afterwards at the pub. Ultimately these activities turned from participation to performance before audiences. Songs were handed between generations without being written or recorded, resulting in corruption of the original. Robin raised a laugh when quoting the classic tale of a Great War front line commander who sent the message back from the trenches “Send reinforcements, going to advance” which, after being passed along the chain of command, reached HQ as “Send three and fourpence, going to a dance”. A mondegreen is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning. Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes words that sound similar and make some kind of sense. Some songs migrated between countries and continents, returning to their place of origin in a modified form.
Examples of people who collected songs in the Victorian era included musicologist Cecil Sharp , who was a key figure in the first English folk revival, and certainly was one of the most prolific in terms of the number of songs he noted down. He discovered some lost English songs in America and among gypsy folk.
Robin is now immersed in the Single Gloucester Project through which some 1400 songs and dance tunes have been rescued. As we know, in Painswick the tradition of wassailing has been revived. Wassailing originated as a door to door activity in the form of a short play, or song or dance to promote good luck.
Henry Hall
Mary Queen of Scots
On Wed 6 April 22 we were treated to another a repeat visit by Dr Gillian White who excelled herself with her intriguing interpretation of the historical evidence surrounding the life of Mary Queen of Scots and identifying the gaps which have sometimes been filled by imaginative researchers.
Mary became the Queen of Scotland 6 days after her birth and was crowned 9 months later. When Henry VIII invaded Scotland 5 years later, with the aim of extending his kingdom, Mary’s mother opposed the union and took her daughter to safety in France. At the age of 15 Mary was married in Notre Dame to the heir to the French throne, Francis, the Dauphine of France. Then followed 2 years of tragic deaths: first, Henry II (Mary’s effective father), then her mother, and finally her French husband. Gillian described this as the pivotal point in Mary’s life.
Should Mary remain in France or return to Scotland where the religious and political climate was tense? Whom should she marry with a view to bearing a successor? Should she lay claim to her friend and first cousin once removed Queens Elizabeth’s throne? The rest is, as they say, history.
Henry
Scotland & Russia
On 24 Mar 2022 Probus Club extended an invitation to wives and partners of members to hear Masha Lees share the results of her research into her family ties with Russia. The degree of influence and migration between Scotland and Russia is surprising; Masha cited many examples of successful military figures, architects, engineers and other well educated professionals who over the centuries helped to develop the region. Interestingly, Masha highlighted the presence of St Andrews Anglican Church built in 1885 within a stone’s throw of the Kremlin, which remains in use today because of its superb acoustics and is the only Anglican church in Moscow.
Scottish warriors were renowned for their bravery and skills-at-arms, several becoming successful generals who were rewarded with gifts of land in the late 15th century. Reportedly, there are some 400 modern Russian surnames from Abercroby to Wood. A modern tartan for the Lermontov family celebrates the poet Mikhail Lermontov, born in 1841, a descendant of George Lermont (a ‘Scottish knight’ of Fife who emigrated to Russia in 1613 to serve as a military instructor to Tsar Mikhail Romanov. Mikail Letmontov standing as a poet in Russia was almost akin the that of Robert Burns.
Another general named Jacob Daniel Bruce (1670 –1735) who was a close associate of Peter the Great, and a Russian statesman, military leader, and scientist of Scottish descent. Jacob Moscow in 1669, the son of William Bruce, a Scottish Protestant Jacobite who had left his homeland in 1647 to pursue a military career in Russian service. Jacob went on to found the first publishing house, and amassed a collection of 1500 scientific books.
Inevitably the questions turned to the present dire situation in Ukraine, which Masha best summed up as “complicated”.
Henry
Casting Stones at Napier’s Bones
The title of the talk given by Malcolm Watkins on Wed 2 Mar 2022 was somewhat narrower than the scope of this interesting presentation which spanned the history of numeracy and calculating from ancient times. In Roman times of course Roman numerals were in use in Britain and the abacus was already well established for calculations. Abacuses often took the form of a portable mat marked with lines and Roman numerals which could be spread out on a shop-counter between traders and used to calculate a bill.
Not until the 16th Century did mathematicians such as John Napier start to transform calculation by devising the concept of logarithms which enabled large and complicated multiplication and division operations to be achieved by simple addition and subtraction, speeding up the process and reducing the scope for human error. The advent of printing led to the publication of the method and the familiar logarithm tables. Napier then developed another method for reducing difficult calculations to simple addition and subtraction processes. The method required a set of inscribed square section index rods which with practice could be used by relatively innumerate people. A set of 10 Napier’s rods, or Napier’s bones when made from ivory, allowed for most calculations to be made.
Malcolm continued by describing how other mathematicians were inspired by Napier’s work, notably Henry Briggs, Edmund Gunter, and Walter Schickard. Ultimately calculating machine designs appeared, but with limited efficiency and capacity. Perhaps the highlight of Malcolm’s talk was Blaise Pascal’s machine, known as the Pascaline, which he designed to relieve his father of tedious calculations.
Henry Hall
The Stained Glass Windows of Fairford Church
Tim Mowat joined us on 16 Feb 2022 to speak about the fabulous stained glass windows of Fairford church. Without doubt one of the best ‘wool churches’ in England, St Mary’s, Fairford is a testament to the wealth of the medieval wool trade in the Cotswolds region.
Successful wool merchants lavished money on their parish churches, and if we can judge by the results at Fairford, the local merchants were very wealthy indeed. St Mary’s is a superb example of Perpendicular style, and possesses what is probably the most complete set of medieval stained glass in Britain.
Other churches have superb glass, but at Fairford the complete original glass is still in place, as it was set there over 500 years ago. Only one small section of the west window had to be replaced in 1864. And what superb glass it is!
Anon
Charles Dickens: His Story and His Message
On Wednesday 2 Feb 2022 Dr Keith Hooper addressed the Club. Born in 1963, Keith did not become interested in poetry or Victorian literature until he was in his thirties. Picking up David Copperfield from his father’s bookshelf, he fell in love with the works of Charles Dickens, and the nineteenth century classics. Despite having no formal qualification in English, other than an ‘O’ level from school, he was accepted as a PhD student at the University of Exeter. Awarded a doctorate in 2009, he was commissioned by an Oxford publisher to write a biography of Charles Dickens which was the basis of his talk.
Charles Dickens was a great storyteller, possessing the unique ability to document the realities of life for both his contemporaries and future generations. A journalist, commentator, historian, and the social conscience of a nation, Dickens’ influence and reach extended far beyond that normally associated with a novelist. He used his books to to inform politicians on poverty in London, drawing on his father’s experience in a debtor’s prison. Dickens grew to be one of Queen Victoria’s favourite authors, and became well-connected in high society. He met with 3 prime ministers and several US presidents.
By the way, Charles Dickens was not the source of the expression ‘What the dickens….’ which was in use before both Dickens’ and Shakespeare’s times!
Henry Hall
Busting Brain Myths
On Wed 19 Jan 2022 Dr Katy Bellamy busted several brain myths, while passing on many other interesting facts about the human brain and dementia syndrome during a lively, seemingly unscripted and highly entertaining talk.
Starting with the most popular myth: we use only 10% of our brain’s capacity most of the time. In fact, we use 100% of our brains at all times, as can be seen when a magnetic resonance imaging scan is performed. Furthermore, both the left and right hemispheres of the brain are connected together by bundles of nerve fibres, creating an information highway. Although the two sides function differently, they complement each other. We don’t use only one side of our brain at a time.
So-called brain exercises such as crosswords and sudoku puzzles do not serve to prevent onset of brain diseases, but practice can improve your skill at solving those puzzles.
However, there is much we can do to prevent brain diseases which lead to dementia syndrome. For example:,
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Spend some time each day reading, writing, or both – be curious.
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Learn a completely new skill which requires concentration.
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Maintain physical activity – at least 150 minutes per week – but don’t fall over!
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Get 7-9 hours of sleep per 24 hours (including cat-knapping – but not after 3p.m.).
Henry Hall
Berkeley Vale Railway Heritage Project
On Wednesday 5 Jan 2022 Howard Parker, Chair of Berkeley Vale Railway Heritage Trust, addressed members. The group is striving to salvage the remnants of the railway at Sharpness. A single-track branch line is still in use, connecting Sharpness with Berkeley Road station and enabling low-grade nuclear waste and other freight to be moved to and from the site at 15mph.
Much of the supporting infrastructure including station buildings and platforms has been destroyed. Therefore, unlike the 216 other heritage railways in England, this project started in 2015 from an exceptionally low point. Nevertheless, much of the disused sidings yard has been reclaimed from 50 years of neglect and the Trust is expecting to be granted a 25 year lease by the landowner, Network Rail. This will hopefully pave the way for future national lottery support.
The group has recruited 100 active volunteers and 388 members – numbers which will surely increase when the lease is granted and limited railway operations can begin. Two diesel locomotives have already been restored, and will be supplemented by 3 steam locomotives which will be restored in due course. Ultimately, the group envisages a unique arrangement for a heritage railway where steam trains will mingle with freight trains from the national network.
Henry Hall
Zimbabwe and Steam
On Wed 17 Nov 2021 the Club held its sixth meeting since resuming the fortnightly programme of speakers. Again a substitute speaker had to be found and this time we were lucky to welcome back Peter Berry for another in his portfolio of talks based on his travels in his quest for perfectly composed railway photographs. In addition to describing a trip to Zimbabwe in 1994, covering the wildlife and the people he met, Peter explained how some of his best images of steam trains in action were captured. He and his fellow 79 enthusiasts hired a train complete with sleeping and dining facilities. Between them they composed the itinerary of ideal locations from which to observe and photograph the train in spectacular settings and under the best natural lighting conditions. The carriages were original products of the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, while the locomotives they selected were built in Manchester and Glasgow. If necessary, the train which was running on the single track would be backed up to repeat the unique photo opportunity until everyone was satisfied!
Henry Hall
History of Punch & Judy
“An archetypical and controversial British figure with his origins in the charismatic 16th century Italian puppet Pulcinella, Mr Punch has been performing in the UK for over 350 years.”
On 3 Nov 2021 we were entertained by a speaker who was engaged at short notice – Phil Collins – who assumed the mantle of Professor Collywobbles to explain the history of Punch & Judy and provide a sample of the show he delivers to young and old people alike.
The talk started with an explanation of the origins of the puppet show with string puppets. Now, of course, hand puppets are used for the characters of Punch & Joan, later to become Punch & Judy, along with the crocodile, policeman and others along the way. The stage takes the form of a miniature beach hut, in keeping with the traditional seaside Victorian entertainment image.
While giving us an amusing history lesson to provide some context, Phil engaged with his audience, rewarding successful participation with sweets. President Mike Steed was persuaded to act as his “bottler” whose role was to drum up interest before a show. Normally the bottler would also collect donations in a bottle, to prevent donors from helping themselves to change.
Phil explained some tools of the trade such as the slapstick and swazzle.
Charles Dickens saw the violent comedy of Punch and Judy as essentially harmless, but many throughout its existence have criticised the performance for glorifying domestic violence.
To conclude, Phil gave us an abbreviated show – but to learn more you will have to go to one of his shows or engage him for a party! Suffice to say, he received abundant applause for his performance.
For a comprehensive history of Punch & Judy see:
Henry Hall
Sword-swallowing and its Side Effects
On 20 Oct 21 we had a late change to our programme when the planned speaker had to cancel a few days beforehand. Luckily, Brian Witcombe who is a retired consultant radiologist and lives locally, was able to speak about his study of sword-swallowing and its side effects. Brian illustrated his talk with diagrams and x-ray images which showed the path of the blade, proving convincingly that there was no trickery involved – just an amazing degree of muscular control, years of practice, and perhaps a good dose of either courage or stupidity!
Helpfully, the study was reported in the British Medical Journal in 2006. The abstract is reproduced below:
Objective To evaluate information on the practice and associated ill effects of sword swallowing.
Design Letters sent to sword swallowers requesting information on technique and complications.
Setting Membership lists of the Sword Swallowers’ Association International.
Participants 110 sword swallowers from 16 countries.
Results We had information from 46 sword swallowers. Major complications are more likely when the swallower is distracted or swallows multiple or unusual swords or when previous injury is present. Perforations mainly involve the oesophagus and usually have a good prognosis. Sore throats are common, particularly while the skill is being learnt or when performances are too frequent. Major gastrointestinal bleeding sometimes occurs, and occasional chest pains tend to be treated without medical advice. S word swallowers without healthcare coverage expose themselves to financial as well as physical risk.
Conclusions Sword swallowers run a higher risk of injury when they are distracted or adding embellishments to their performance, but injured performers have a better prognosis than patients who suffer iatrogenic perforation.
The study was awarded the Ig-Nobel Medical Prize in 2007. A parody of the Nobel Prizes, the Ig Nobel Prizes are awarded each year in mid-September, around the time the recipients of the genuine Nobel Prizes are announced, for 10 achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think”.
Undoubtedly, Brian made us laugh and think!
Henry Hall
AGM 2021
The first AGM since covid-19 interrupted the annual cycle was held on 6 Oct 21. Mike Steed was elected to continue in post and hopefully to enjoy a “normal” presidential year. Paul Sparks left the committee after some 14 years service as the Club’s expert catering events manager.
Dunkirk’s Little Ships
On 29 Sep 2021 Painswick Probus Club welcomed maritime historian Paul Barnett who put in perspective the heroic achievements of the “Little Ships” and their crews which were pressed into service for Operation Dynamo during a hastily planned evacuation. The British Expeditionary Force was in dire need of rescue from the beaches of Dunkirk. It was estimated that some 45,000 personnel could be saved during a 2 day period.
Some 861 Belgian, British, and Dutch vessels with a shallow draft were requisitioned, sometimes with the knowledge and permission of the owner, and sometimes without. The smallest vessel was just 14’ 7” long. Most were manned by the RN and experienced volunteers, but some ships were sailed by fishermen or owners. Larger ships and RN vessels stood offshore to receive “passengers” from smaller craft which would return to the shore for more. All the while the Luftwaffe was bombing the area, while the RAF was defending the airspace by intercepting as many bombers as they could.
Captain William Tennant Tennant was appointed Senior Naval Officer ashore at Dunkirk, Tennant’s task was to organize the men and get them onto the ships waiting to take them. Tennant stayed right up until the last ships left, patrolling the beaches of Dunkirk with a megaphone searching for British troops.
The evacuation lasted 9 days from 26 May 1940, during which 338,226 men including 139,997 Belgium, Dutch, French, Polish forces . The French continued to defend Dunkirk which was annihilated, while the evacuation proceeded, and the German tanks did not advance further across the low lying and flooded land to finish their attack. Some 200 British ships were lost in the rescue, along with some 60,000 men who were either captured or killed.
The rescue operation turned a military disaster into a story of heroism which served to raise the morale of the British, and the “Dunkirk spirit” lives on.
Henry Hall
A Tale of 2 Islands
The title suggested to some that the talk might be about New Zealand or perhaps South Georgia and the Falklands but on 15 Sep 2021 we were treated to an excellent talk given by Squadron Leader Arun Desai RAF (Ret’d) who focussed on his experiences during the Falklands Conflict in 1982. Arun started by describing the 2 islands – Ascension Island and the Falklands – and particularly the associated problems with reaching ans sustaining them from the UK. As an experienced navigator Arun was a Hercules crew member whose primary task during the conflict was to guide the pilot towards RN ships in need of the airborne resupply of equipment which was dropped by parachute into the sea and picked up by helicopters from the ship. It was always a tense moment when the aircraft approached the ship in complete radio silence, and often in the poor weather conditions expected in the South Atlantic, while hoping that his aircraft would be recognised as a “friendly”. Arun showed images of a ship in the distance – a mere speck on the screen, and located far away from the task force.
Until Port Stanley had been recaptured flights from Ascension needed to rendezvous with airborne tankers to refuel. Even these Victor tankers needed to be refuelled. For the famous Vulcan attack the aircraft was refuelled seven times en-route to Port Stanley. The calculations were made manually, using a calculator bought for £5.95!
Henry Hall
Artificial Intelligence
After the prolonged interval, on 1 Sep 2021 the Club resumed its programme of talks with an excellent presentation by John Handby on the future impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society. John is well qualified to speak after a career spent promoting technological change in both the public and private sectors.
As computing power continues to accelerate we already see some of the potential for AI to open up a whole new world of possibilities, where the computer thinks and learns for itself. We are witnessing a transformative change in the way information is used (for good and ill) within an increasingly global community. Manipulation of vast accumulations of metadata tell Amazon, Google, and Facebook more about you than you know yourself! We have entered the world of surveillance capitalism where our activities in the virtual world are ruthlessly monetized. Health care trials show that AI can outperform humans when interpreting test results. We already have factories and farms run by robotics. AI will revolutionise how we tackle cyber-crime, but that crime will also become more sophisticated.
There will be losers – those who fail to adapt in time, including governments who fail to control AI development on their electorate’s behalf. The clear danger is that we create a super-rich elite (possibly using AI to augment their brains and wealth) absorbing and exploiting the benefits of this revolution, whilst the rest of society becomes a technologically irrelevant underclass. Still worse, we are building machines which are beyond our intellectual means to control – once an algorithm starts learning for itself we no longer understand how it reaches decisions.
Tackling these issues in a way that gives our progeny a future is up there with climate change and bio-engineering. AI offers all kind of advantages and benefits but we need urgently to put checks and balances in place to ensure its controlled development before it is too late.
Henry Hall
Covid-19 caused Probus Club operations for the period 1 April 2020 to 1Sep 2021 to be suspended.
The Wonder of Bees
Richard Rickitt who is co-editor of “Bee Craft” and managing director A to Bee (Team Events) delivered fascinating insight to the versatility of bees on 4 Mar 2020. He explained how bees fly, and how the learning from this has helped in the re-styling of aeroplanes. In addition bees eyes have 6500 lenses, operating individually, seeing both UV and polarised light. They see shapes, like humans shopping in a supermarket, and plan their trip by time and vibration, or through detecting pheromones. Worker bees have incisors with glands that produce royal jelly for feeding larvae and the queen bee. They also have about three million hairs on their bodies, each with a small electric charge for attracting pollen.
There are 24 species of bumble bee, 225 of solitary bees, but essentially just 1 of the honey bee. Apparently British bees get up early to forage, but Italian bees get up at mid-day, and generally speaking a worker bee can travel 25- 30,000 miles a year.
The oldest record of honey collection is from wall drawings in Valencia 18,000 years ago. Egyptians were avid honey consumers and were familiar with propolis which is an anti-microbial bee glue used for sealing hives. Honey is in fact self-preserving and has been found in 4000 year old tombs in Egypt.
The construction of honeycombs is geometrically very specific, and the queen at the centre of the hive is really an egg laying machine. The rate of growth of a larvae to a bee in 7 days is equivalent to the growth of a human baby to an African elephant.
Interestingly the communication between bees is the only non-human language we understand. A swarm of bees is entirely safe to handle, as the bees then, like birds, have their minds on other things.
Mike Steed
On the 5th of February John Macartney, a former Jaguar employee and car enthusiast, returned to Probus to present the life of William Morris, Viscount Nuffield. Most of us will have heard of the Morris Motor Company and also of the Nuffield charities but have we connected the two? William Morris was one of the 20th century’s great industrialists and philanthropists.
Born in Worcester and raised in Oxford he started a bicycle repair business at the age of 15. Expanding into motorcycles and then into selling motor cars from his Morris Garages showroom he built his first car in 1913 on a site bought from the Oxford Military College which later grew into the Morris Cowley works. The war saw the demand for cars fall but the company survived by building ‘mine sinkers’ – devices for holding ship mines below the surface.
By the end of the war he was a millionaire. Morris Motors expanded with the acquisition of other companies such as Wolseley and Riley and MG (Morris Garages) was formed in 1929, building sports cars based on components from the saloon cars. Ultimately Morris Motors merged with Austin and the British Motor Corporation was formed.
Morris was a great engineer and industrialist but he is probably as well known today for his charities and philanthropy. He was always a firm believer that workers gave their best if they were secure and healthy and his interest in promoting health care was probably prompted by the death of his two older sisters before the age of 25 and the chronic health issues of his father. The Morris Motor Company had employee benefits which would have been the envy of many modern companies – free health, eye and dental care (this is before the NHS), a pension scheme with widow benefits and so on.
Becoming Viscount Nuffield in 1934 he founded various charities under the Nuffield Organisation – the Nuffield Trust with the aim of improving health care and the Nuffield Foundation to advance education and social welfare. The Nuffield Trust hospitals are often credited as being the model for the NHS.
In later life, after the BMC merger, and the death of his wife and without any heirs, he spent much of his time travelling the world visiting medical research and treatment facilities and it is estimated that he personally donated around £800M at current values to such organisations.
John Wylde
The Galapagos Islands
Arthur Ball, a keen birdwatcher and member of Cheltenham Bird Club, came to Painswick Probus recently to share his experiences visiting the Galapagos Islands. Having signed up for the trip Arthur thought he better learn a bit more about the Galapagos. He knew they were somewhere in the Pacific and teemed with wildlife but that was about it.
In fact they are a province of Equador, about 600 miles out into the Pacific and noted for their endemic species which were studied by Charles Darwin and are considered to be responsible for his theory of evolution. They are located above a fault line and are volcanic in origin, a number are still forming and have active volcanoes. There are 18 main islands and numerous smaller islands and rocks spread over a sizeable area and the whole archipelago is moving slowly towards the South American land mass.
So Arthur and birdwatcher friend set off to Equador landing in the capital Quito before flying out the next day to the islands in a smaller plane. What Arthur hadn’t realised is that Quito is some 9000ft. above see level making any physical exertion very tiring. They landed on Santa Cruz island which has the most significant human population, and from there they joined a small number of others for their guided cruise.
The islands have no land predators and so animals have no fear of humans which allowed Arthur to get some wonderful photos of both birds and land animals which he shared with his audience. Too many tales and photos to repeat here but what was notable was the way the same species had developed differently on islands with different terrain and vegetation. The giant turtles on younger islands where the ground was barren and vegetation was higher up had developed long necks compared to their counterparts on more verdant islands where they could feed from the ground. The Darwin Research Centre on Santa Cruz has 14 types of finch all descended from the same parent but with different characteristics as a result of their island environment.
A very interesting talk, well illustrated and enthusiastically presented by Arthur.
John Wylde
Perestroika : Success or Failure?
Masha Lees returned to Painswick Probus to talk about her view of how Russia had changed from the time of Perestroika until the present, having previously talked about her time living in the Soviet Union and then Russia. Not being a Russian and working for a foreign bank Masha was free to move around in a way denied to many Russians and to form friendships which enabled her to study how the country was changing.
Perestroika (restructuring) started in the 1980’s as a movement within the Communist party and is generally associated with the then leader Mikhail Gorbachev and his policy of glasnost (openness). It is often thought to be the cause of the dissolution of the Soviet Union however the intention was not to end the command economy but to make it work more efficiently by introducing elements of a free market economy. Unfortunately implementation of Perestroika created shortages and political, social and economic tensions which were a large factor in the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Masha took her audience through the period preceding Perestroika until the present day, identifying the key moments and characters involved, both the good and the not so good; the rise of the oligarchs and how they took control of the country’s industry (and most of Knightsbridge); and the rise of Vladimir Putin.
So what was Masha’s conclusion? Success in that many Russians are now more affluent, freer to travel and less isolated, but failure in terms of receding democracy, control by the FSB and criminal organisations, lack of recent cultural development and the poverty of large numbers of Russians. Although Masha may not be optimistic for our future relationship with Russia she encouraged her audience not to be deterred from visiting. The sites are extraordinary and the people are helpful, warm and friendly.
John Wylde
Music, Friendship and the Cotswold Hills : a Life of Gustav Holst
On Wednesday 13th November the Painswick Probus talk was given by Angela Applegate, a volunteer at the Holst Birthplace Museum in Cheltenham. Despite his ultimate fame Holst was a shy and private man and the title of the talk about Holst’s life indicates the things he valued most.
He was born in 1874, full name Gustavus Theodore von Holst, at 4 Pittville Terrace (now Clarence Road) in Cheltenham, to Adolph Holst, a music teacher, and Clara Lidiard the daughter of a Cirencester solicitor. His paternal family were of Swedish and Baltic descent and contained several professional musicians. His great-grandfather Matthias was a music teacher at the Russian court in St. Petersburg and it was he who move to England in 1802. His son Gustav, a composer, appropriated the aristocratic prefix “von” in the hope of furthering his career.
Holst was the elder of two brothers and was only 8 when his mother Clara died. Not a strong child, he was short-sighted and suffered from asthma and neuritis in his right hand. As a child he played the piano and the violin and later, at his fathers suggestion, the trombone hoping it would strengthen his chest. At the age of only 17 he was appointed as organist and choirmaster at Wick Rissington which included the post of conductor of the Bourton-on-the-Water choral society. It was here he got his taste for conducting. He always loved walking in the Cotswolds and he would often walk from his home in Cheltenham to Wick Rissington, although this may also have been to save money.
At 18 he wrote an operetta entitled ‘Lansdown Castle’ which was well received and ignited his desire to compose. A year later he left to study at the Royal College of Music and he would play in orchestras and seaside summer bands to support himself while studying. At the age of 21 he met fellow student Ralph Vaughan Williams, another Gloucestershire lad, and they became lifelong friends.
He was married in 1901 to Isobel and they set up home in London where he was teaching music. Their only child Imogen was also a accomplished composer, conductor and teacher and for many years was musical assistant to Benjamin Britten.
Composing was not paying the bills and a career as a concert pianist was out of the question because of his weak right hand, so he supported his family by teaching in schools and colleges which he continued until his death. He was a good teacher and enjoyed it and was noted for revolutionising the teaching of girls particularly at St.Pauls School in Hammersmith. In appreciation the school built him a soundproof room for his composing.
Rejected for Army service he began to write the Planets during WW1. The work was inspired by his lifelong interest in astrology. It was also at this time that he dropped the ‘von’ from his name as it sounded too Germanic. Finally at the end of the War he was given a post with the YMCA in Greece and it was while he was away that the first public performance of the Planets was performed.
Now he was famous and in demand but he was never really comfortable with his fame. He continued to teach and compose until his death from a heart attack at the age of 59. Apart from the Planets he is probably best known for the music entitled ‘Cranham’ for the carol ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ and inspired by his childhood visits to his mother’s village. He was in fact a prolific composer, much of his work was quite progressive and influenced many other well known composers but is seldom performed.
Angela concluded her excellent talk with a description of the Holst Birthplace Museum in Cheltenham and the ‘Gustav Holst Way’ a signed 35 mile footpath from Cranham through Cheltenham to Wick Rissington created in 2011 to celebrate Holst’s connection with the area and his love of rambling.
John Wylde
Life in the East End, A Story of a Fancy Box Cutter
The fancy box cutter refers to Martin Collisson’s grandfather, Henry Charles Collisson who was born in the East End in 1860, worked as a busker, then a trawlerman and finally for 56 years as a Fancy Box Cutter. Martin was only 6 when Henry died in 1949 so he was unable to learn much about his grandfather directly but since he has researched his life and that of others in his East End family and he used this as a theme for his description of East End life through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
Although Henry was a box cutter for 56 years it was his life outside work that Martin discovered to be more eventful and often tragic. Married three times – the first two were sisters, he sired 23 children – 16 within wedlock and was a part time bigamist – you were not allowed to marry your ex wife’s sister at the time. His first wife killed herself, his second killed her two daughters and was committed to Broadmoor where she died of an epileptic fit and his third lost three of her seven children in infancy. But this was the late Victorian period and these circumstances were not unusual in such areas, there was intense poverty, sanitation was poor and malnutrition was common. Fortunately Martin’s talk was not all doom and gloom and he presented a host of interesting facts and descriptions of East End life: through thee centuries. Such as :
Where is the East End and who is a Cockney.
The various immigrants that have arrived over the years and their influence on the culture and trade.
The many famous and infamous residents.
The summer trips to the hop fields of Kent.
The Pearly Kings and Queens and their history.
The markets, the theatres, the pubs, the docks and so much more.
But fortunately not one mention of the TV programme!
John Wylde
Quaint and Quirky Gloucestershire
Previously Angela Panrucker has talked to Probus about the history of pub signs. This is a passion she shares with her husband Terry and they travel the length and breadth of the country researching and photographing these signs. Never without a camera they often come across other interesting items in their travels which most of us may never notice. For the talk on 2 Oct 2019 talk Angela had assembled a collection of photographs of the quaint and quirky things she had found in Gloucestershire, maybe not always quaint but definitely quirky.
Far too many examples to discuss here but a few of the categories were: statues and stone carvings, wells and well dressings, Green Man carvings, maypoles, village signs (Painswick and Upton St Leonards got mention) stocks, whipping posts and lock-ups, pillar boxes and posting houses, milestones, graves and tombs, finger posts and more.
Of particular note locally were the thatched posting house at Severn Springs which most of the audience thought was a bus stop. In fact it was a building where the post was left and collected. Also the lock-up in Bisley. Lock-ups were small buildings where the drunk and disorderly could cool off overnight and Bisley is notable for having a twin cell version, presumably for the two parties in a ‘domestic’. Hexagonal post boxes were only manufactured between 1866 and 1879 and around 80 were produced. Cheltenham has 8 and Gloucestershire has 10, more than any other county and one fine example stands outside Gloucester Cathedral. The church at Littledean has a clock face with Roman numerals but 11 o’clock has the symbol IX not XI. The story goes that the clockmaker’s wife told him to be home from the pub by 11 o’clock but XI never came!
The message from Angela is – take your camera and keep your eyes open.
John Wylde
Pen and Polisher
Painswick Probus members were intrigued to discover the subject of this talk by Diana Whitaker. It turned out that it was in two parts – first the ‘pen’, her life as a journalist and then the ‘polisher’, her job as a cleaner and help to a very unusual client.
Leaving university in the early 60’s the opportunities for women were limited. Teaching was popular but did not appeal, the theatre was her goal but by chance she ended up in journalism. For many years she worked on several publications around the south west including Cotswold Life and the Stroud News & Journal. Her speciality was articles on the various towns and villages around the area including interviews with the famous and the not so famous. The pay was poor but the people made the job enjoyable and Di was constantly amazed how many had an interesting story to tell. The best interviews were often after chance meetings and the people to avoid were usually those who volunteered themselves. She entertained her audience with anecdotes about the people and places of the region and how the things had progressed over her career.
The second part of the story, the Polisher, starts when Di gave up work to look after her children. She was looking for some work more compatible with family life when a friend told her of a neighbour looking for a cleaner and general help. A knock on the door was answered by a lady with a very aristocratic bearing called Pamela Jackson. They hit it off and Di started work. She found Pamela to be a very likeable and interesting woman but was curious to know exactly who she was. This curiosity was heightened when Di came across photos by Cecil Beaton and first edition books by the Mitfords. It turned out that Pamela was the least well known of the six notorious Mitford sisters; Unity, Jessica, Diana, Nancy, Deborah and Pamela. Although she had not been in the limelight like most of her sisters Di found her to have led a fascinating life which she could recall in great detail. Pamela and Di became close and Di was introduced to others in the family. This was when her journalistic background took over and she started to write a book about Pamela’s life. The book was entitled “The Other Mitford: Pamela’s Story” and Di entertained Probus with various extracts from it. Sadly Pamela died shortly Quaint and Quirky Gloucestershirebefore it was published but the family, particularly Deborah (Duchess of Devonshire) and Max Mosley (son of Diana), were very supportive in providing material for the book.
Altogether a very interesting and entertaining talk.
John Wylde
Of Sons And Skies
Painswick Probus started their new season with a talk by Robert Arley titled “Of Sons And Skies”.
This was based on his book of the same title which looks at the contribution of the allied air-forces to the defeat of the Nazis. A retired professional communicator, and initially not being especially interested in WW2 or aviation history, the idea for the book came as a result of interviewing people when working as a TV producer, particularly air-force ground crew, about their wartime experiences.
Robert’s talk took his audience chronologically through the war years presenting some of the lesser known facts about the contribution of the allied airmen, both pilots and ground crew. Only a few years before the outbreak of the war men were still flying around in bi-planes but Hitler was mobilising German industry in preparation for his assault. Through the war technological developments on both sides were impressive as were the sheer number of aircraft produced and lost but this only emphasised the awful risks that the aircrews were taking.
A thought provoking talk 80 years after the outbreak of WW2.
John Wylde
A Taste of Africa
On the 10th of July David Lemon returned from Princetown to regale us with some of the more amusing aspects of life in central Africa.
His knack for seeing the funny and at times absurd side of what otherwise seemed to be quite a poor quality of life was hilarious – for example, 24 hour shops which opened between only 9am-6pm, roads more pot-holed than not, one pothole enough for a chap to have a bath in, and a road sign that threatened potholes for the next 9600 kilometres!
Personal transport was not neglected with slides of 6 people on a moped, horse-drawn vehicles so loaded that the driver could not possibly see where he was going, a slide of a cow being moved on top of an estate car and another on a motor bike. A goat riding pillion, about 100 house bricks laid as in a wall covering a bicycle with a hole for the pusher to steer, the ingenuity in all walks of life were astounding. Coffins were for sale outside an Accident & Emergency department.
Despite the abject poverty and very much a make do and mend culture, there were smiles galore from young and old, quite inspiring under their multiple problems of hunger, shortages, dictators and extreme climate.
David had a warning about charitable giving to Africa – be very careful who receives your donations as there are many very rich men in Africa who syphon off charities’ income, the needy and deserving rarely seeing any of the money. Try to choose very specific projects with clear aims and goals and you could be safe, but unfortunately not always.
Somerset Moore
The Evolution of Battlefield Intelligence & Situational Awareness
On the 12th June 2019 Dr. Tom Shannon returned to Painswick Probus, this time to talk about developments in battlefield intelligence.
In war it is vital to know as much as possible about your enemy’s capabilities; Tom’s talk was about the progression of military reconnaissance over the years. The telescope in the 1600’s and, later, binoculars were a vast improvement on the naked eye. Tethered balloons were used above the trenches in WW1 but they were easy prey for artillery. Aerial reconnaissance using aircraft and cameras became possible during WW1 and by WW II was capable of overwhelming interpretation staff with millions of photographs. Time was of the essence when processing and interpreting film.
Today we have satellites, edge-of-space spy planes, and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) all equipped with high powered cameras, that can transmit immediately images and 3D maps of terrain, by day and night. The challenge for today’s commander is the analysis of the mass of data and the need to make timely decisions based on that data.
Henry Hall
The Hugely Huggable History of the Teddy Bear
The talk on 15 May 2019 was a history of the teddy bear by the excellent speaker Dr. Gillian White. She really got down to the bear necessities and the touching history of this unique toy.
For all time toys have gone in and out of fashion, but the teddy bear has seen over a century of love and affection from generations of children [and adults].
Stuffed cloth bears were developed by the Steiff family in Ulm, Germany and Morris Mitchcom in the USA, simultaneously but independently in 1902.
To this day the designs have little varied and of course some have become part of literature’s legacy; Paddington Bear , Whinnie the Pooh and Teddy Bears picnics spring to mind, and whenever bears are mentioned there is always an appreciative mmm….. as if to witness the affe8ction that most people have for teddy bears .
The name Teddy came from Teddy Roosevelt the American president, for once refusing to shoot a bear.
Rare teddy bears have been sold for staggering sums, but they will always remain as friends and dependable toys for generations to come. I rather missed out as I did not have a teddy when I was a child.
Somerset Moore
British Waterways Heritage Working Boats Project
On 1 May 2019 Vince Williams returned to address the Club on the formation, funding, training, and skills of the British Waterways Heritage Working Boats Project, a volunteer group which restores, maintains and operates a fleet of 4 historic canal vessels.
The narrow-boats are taken to events throughout the Midlands for display to the general public to provide an insight in to life on a working narrow-boat. They are also used as an education resource at events during the year, giving an opportunity for school children to step aboard a working narrow-boat. At all of the events volunteers are on hand to show people over the boats, explain the history of working narrow-boats and the people that worked and lived on the canals.
Henry Hall
Birds, Tigers and the Taj
Arriving in Delhi in the late evening, Arthur was amazed by how busy the place was, even at midnight. Despite thinking he was prepared for the sights of India he was still shocked by the contrast between the streets outside and the luxury of their hotel.
A trip to the local wetlands yielded many photographs of beautiful coloured birds which were totally new to the birdwatchers.
Next it was up to the Himalayan foothills and this presented an opportunity to visit the Corbett national park, a wildlife sanctuary set up in 1935 by a hunter turned conservationist. While riding on elephants the group came within yards of a tiger but would have totally missed it if not for the warning growls of the elephants.
The Taj Mahal presented Arthur with some beautiful photos, looking pink in the morning sunrise it transformed to a dazzling white as the sun rose.
A stay in a hunting lodge and a visit to the Ranthambore tiger reserve were next on the itinerary and this produced the highlight of the trip. Again riding on the backs of elephants the group set off in different directions in the hope of seeing tigers. Whether it was luck or having the most experienced tracker, Arthur’s group came across a beautiful tiger and her two cubs and his photos, taken within yards of the animals, really conveyed the beauty and the power of the beasts.
All too soon it was back home but a memorable visit to just a small part of a fascinating country during which 284 different types of birds were spotted of which 206 were totally new to the group.
John Wylde
Reports about earlier events may be seen in the Archive