Reports on past meetings

Our usual excellent lunch at the Links Hotel in West Runtonwas followed by a most interesting and well illustrated talk by club member Paul Rundle, for which he was thanked by our chairman and all present. Not all members had been able to attend but nonetheless there were 29 of us there, including some new… [Continue Reading]

We were given an entertaining and informative talk by Mr Chris Armstrong, who is a Trustee and Vice-Chair of the Norwich Historical Churches Trust. His subject was “Scholars, Saints and Sinners”, and the theme was “some of Norfolk’s most colourful clergy in the 19th century”. Chris, himself from a line of clergymen, said that in… [Continue Reading]

Our Secretary, Dave Vickery, stepped in at short notice to give a brief talk about a business trip to the USA in 1992, taking in meetings in Texas, California and Connecticut in the space of 4 days.

The award-winning author Phyllida Scrivens told the true story of a Jewish boy who escaped from Nazi Germany and went on to become the Sheriff of Norwich. His name was Joe Stirling, who sadly passed away in February. Phyllida has written a book about Joe called ‘Escaping Hitler’ (Pen and Sword Books, 2016). Joe started… [Continue Reading]

Stuart Fidler enjoyed a varied military career, starting in 1960 as a radio operator in the Royal Navy on the frigate HMS Rocket. After further postings on frigates and an aircraft carrier, he tired of ships and in 1965, after commando and parachute training, joined 148 Commando and served in Borneo. Four years later, Stuart… [Continue Reading]

Peter Lawrence introduced himself as a former Metropolitan Police officer working in Special Operations at Scotland Yard, looking after the Royal Family and the Embassies. Unusually, he was tasked with investigating underneath the streets of London! Peter explained that subterranean London comprised a network of rivers (for example, the Westbourne, Tyburn and Fleet), tunnels (including… [Continue Reading]

After a delicious Christmas lunch, Simon Partridge talked enthusiastically and entertainingly about Christmas. Simon’s passion for Christmas shone through as he recounted its origins and traditions. The Romans gave us Christmas on 25 December when the pagan festival known as Saturnalia evolved into the celebration of the birth of Jesus, following the Roman emperor Constantine’s… [Continue Reading]

The project was founded by our speaker, Steve Piotrowski, in 2005 as part of the response to the national decline in barn owl numbers (there were 12,000 pairs in 1932 but only 3,750 in 1982). He explained that the decrease was a result of a lack of feeding and nesting opportunities brought about by loss… [Continue Reading]

Sue and Guy Morton explained that bell ringing was an English tradition. At St Peter Mancroft in Norwich in 1731, the Bloody Peal (so-called because bell ringers had blood on their hands at the end) was rung by 8 people over 8 hours and 15 minutes. This was a record for 151 years! Sue and… [Continue Reading]

Gill Blanchard delivered an absorbing talk called “Behind The Scenes Working For ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’”. Gill works as a professional house, family and local historian. She has carried out research for the above-named popular BBC series, also appearing on two episodes (Jonnie Peacock and Mary Berry). The production team does some research… [Continue Reading]