Evesham Probus Club Meetings in 2026
PROBUS TALK 09.04.2026
On 8th April our member Grenville Burrows presented “In Search of the Dodo” an account of his visit to Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean to the east of Madagascar. The first thing he applauded was that they drive on the left, the road signs and markings are similar to those in Britain, although the speed limits are in kilometres. A large part of the economy relies on sugar cane with financial services increasing in importance. It is mountainous, there are goats everywhere and decorative art is prolific - on walls and houses. The biggest towns are in the centre strip of the island – the total population is 1¼ million. The people are multi-ethnic, integrated and tolerant. The largest group are Indians, followed by Africans and Chinese, with Europeans forming a tiny proportion. Mauritian Creole is the most widely spoken language, with English being used as the lingua franca. Other minority and ancestral languages include Hindi and Urdu. There are many Hindu temples as well as Christian churches.
The island is part of the Mascarene archipelago which comprises about 700-1500 islands and rocks created by volcanic eruption. The other principal islands are Rodrigues (Mauritian) and Réunion, a Département of France. The climate is oceanic, damp and tropical. A feature of the beaches is that the sea is calm as waves are broken up by the coral reefs surrounding the coast. The mountains are steep, like spikes. Originally there were no mammals, only birds.
The first Europeans to encounter the island were the Portuguese about 1507, although Arab sailors saw it c.975. The Dutch were the next, when the Dutch East Indies fleet was wrecked in a storm en route to India in 1598. Although they settled and stripped the island of valuable timber they did not settle permanently but they bequeathed the name Mauritius, which is derived from Prince Maurice’s province. In 1715 the French took over but lost it in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars to Britain who formally acquired it in 1814 as a colony under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Independence was achieved in 1968. In 1995 the island became a republic but still part of the Commonwealth
The French planted spices, imported slaves from Africa, indentured labour from India and skilled craftsmen from China. In 1835 slavery was abolished and Indians and Chinese became paid on a similar basis.
In 1985 the death of the founder of the nation, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, was mourned. Born in 1900 he was a physician, politician, statesman and a champion of human rights who served as Prime Minister and Governor-General. Many places on the island are named after him.
Grenville then took us on a tour of the island showing various churches, Hindu temples and shrines and modern shopping centres. Development of the island is restricted by the mountains. The capital, Port Louis, is on the north east coast and reached by a gap in the coral reef. It has a population of 140,000 served by a modern tram system. It has the first racecourse to be built in the southern hemisphere. The waterfront of Caudan was the former docklands and has been transformed into a shopping centre, craft market, entertainment venues and restaurants. In the north west is the town of Pamplemousse (grapefruit!) famous for its botanical gardens. The lush vegetation around the Grand Bassin (a flooded volcanic crater) is ideal for tea cultivation. We also saw a 33m. high statue of the Hindu god Shiva. The Black River Gorges National Park has been replanted with trees of the original species. There are seven waterfalls. Several bird species have been revived from near extinction and thrive here. At Chamerel there is a 300m waterfall, as well as the area called The Seven Coloured Earths which was the site of a volcanic eruption, the varying colours caused by traces of different minerals. The last place visited was the le Morne Brabant Peninsula World Heritage Site named after the Brabant, a Dutch East Indiaman which was wrecked here in 1785. The area is riddled with caves in which escaped slaves sought refuge. When slavery was abolished in1835 the police arrived to tell them they were free but, not understanding the message, many took fright, fearing recapture, and committed suicide by jumping off the mountain. This incident is still commemorated by the Creole community. There is also the spectacle of a waterfall under the sea which can be viewed by taking a helicopter ride. At this point Grenville ran out of time and so the search for the dodo had to be abandoned.
This was an excellent presentation which was perceptive in a way we have come to expect from Grenville. He gave us a comprehensive idea of what an interesting and varied place Mauritius is and which probably many of us knew little about.
Alan Smith
PROBUS TALK 02.04.2026
Our speaker on 2nd April was our Secretary, Christian Lang with a presentation entitled Warp Speed. The term will be familiar to Star Trek fans which means faster than the speed of light. A talk on space was apposite the day after the launch of the Artemis II space craft.
Christian explained Einstein’s famous formula E=mc² and the subsequent research of Lorentz. The speed of light in a vacuum is Warp 1. Star Trek had a speed chart showing 1-9, 10 being infinity.
Christian then quoted some top speeds on earth achieved by various animals and birds including man, also the world speed record for a land vehicle (767 mph achieved by Andy Green). The speed of sound is faster in water and solids and the higher the altitude the slower the speed. As a bit of light relief from wrestling with the concepts of theoretical physics we saw a clip from the famous film “Chariots of Fire” about the 1924 Olympics which Roger Bannister, the first person to run a mile in under four minutes, thought was one of the best films about sport ever made.
Any discussion about space reveals how limited is our knowledge, particularly about the size of our universe. Earth is a mere dot when in it. The distances quoted are so vast as to be inconceivable. Getting to Mars is also complicated by its variable orbit which means that you might get there but have difficulty in getting back. The planet Neptune is on the edge of our solar system but beyond is the triple star system Alpha Centauri, the nearest stars to Earth, then the Milky Way, a vast collection of planets whose name is derived from the way it looks from Earth. After that is intergalactic space and the Virgo superclusters of galaxies and local superclusters. With cosmic expansion what else exists is beyond observance but is thought to comprise two trillion galaxies.
The solar system dates from the Big Bang and is thought to be 13,800,000,000 years old. It started hot then cooled and expanded. All suns have a limited life span. The Kuiper Belt is in the outer solar system beyond planetary orbits and is home to dwarf planets and comets. The Oort Cloud of small bodies is the shell around our solar system. Voyager1 is the most distant human object, the first space craft to enter interstellar space. It takes eight hours for a message from Earth to reach it. In 2003 there was a debate about whether Voyager had suffered Termination Shock, the point where solar winds become subsonic. When the Voyagers were launched in 1977 a Golden Record of Sounds of Earth was placed in each as a time capsule. Who would find it, let alone know what it was and know how to play it is a moot point!
Christian then introduced some perspectives about human and non-human space travel. The method of propulsion is currently chemical rockets but could move to ion propulsion or solar sails (dependent on sunlight). Nuclear thermal propulsion has safety concerns. The comparison of weight, speed and fuel used by Apollo 10 and Voyager 1 and the pioneer Sputnik was enlightening. A human visit to Mars may be possible in 20 years’ time, although the distance and timing would be a critical problem so far as solving the effects on the human body is concerned. There are also environmental problems - gravity one-third of that on Earth, thin atmosphere and radiation.
Warp drive was a term coined in 1931. The concept of Alcubierre Drive was introduced in 1994 by the Mexican theoretical physicist, Miguel Alcubierre. Based on Einstein’s theoretical warp drive idea it envisaged changing the geometry of space by creating a wave ahead of the craft to expand it behind the craft. Another possibility is using anti-matter which explodes when more anti-matter is added. Although space has quantities of it, obtaining sufficient quantity is the problem, also storing it.
This was certainly a stimulating presentation and Christian is to be thanked for tackling such a vast and complex subject.
It was obvious from comments and questions from members that many have considerable knowledge of the subject although there were also sceptics about certain aspects.
Alan Smith
PROBUS TALK 26.03.2026
The speaker on 26th March was our member Len Boudier with a brief account of his life “From Hackney to Hampton”.
He was born in a large town house in Hackney, North London which housed an extended family including his parents and grandparents. His father was CEO of a metals factory in London which employed 200 people. This post was a reserved occupation during the war. His mother’s grandparents were Welsh farmers and were engaged in droving cattle to London to supply their dairy business there. The advent of railways put paid to droving. 1948 his father decided to move to Berrynarbor, Combe Martin near Ilfracombe in North Devon, take over a smallholding and open a café and B&B. The plan for the café did not go ahead as the plans showed the roof to be strong enough to support another floor if needed and the scheme did not get planning consent. However, he took up a position as a farmer’s “boy” at £3 a week to gain experience but needed a larger income before the rest of the family could move to Devon. He took on a coal business and Len helped out at weekends and in the school holidays. Len had a love of the beach and was friendly with the local fisherman and helped out by folding the nets. He took visitors for trips in his boat and Len looked after the small rowing boat and collected 2/6d an hour from visitors for the fisherman. He told customers to go one way against the tide and come back with the tide.
In 1962 he joined Lloyds Bank at Lynton and also had a spell at the South Molton branch where he dealt with farmers attending the big sheep fair. Len was in the chorus of a musical show where met his wife Marilyn 64 years ago. He attended a course at Lloyds Bank Training School at Hindhead in Surrey where the curriculum included sports. At the end of the course attendees had to perform a PT display in front of the Principal and his wife. Len considered the school very old-fashioned. He also mentioned that he and Marilyn stayed with his great aunt in Crantock, Newquay but in separate rooms.
Len married Marilyn in 1966 and bought their first house in Bideford in 1967. They had three children, two born in Bideford and the last being born in Winchester as by then he was working at the bank branch in Southampton. They had always had the same breed of dog – retrievers. In 1972 Len had a bad accident with an outboard motor boat which put him in hospital for six weeks.
He first hired a caravan in 1974 and had many caravan holidays at home and abroad, many in the south of France, starting in 1982. Len also mentioned that when his car broke down with a faulty fuel pump he obtained a replacement and successfully fitted it himself. He used to service his car to the standard required to pass the MOT, something he admitted he couldn’t do these days. In 1980 he moved back to Devon and became a magistrate. He started a builders’ merchant business in 1984 on the back of the coal business. In 2013 he moved to Evesham to be near their daughter. He had good memories of the town as they had stopped there on the way to the Lake District and when they moved there found they were made very welcome.
Len finished by reading a poem he wrote for his father when he was in hospital in 1974.
Alan Smith
PROBUS REPORT 18.03.2026
On 18th March, Christine and I gave a presentation on Cruising US-style about a trip we did in 2012. In the eight years or so I have been doing this job this was the first time I have done a report on my own talk. It is like marking my own homework!
Having boated around Britain for the best part of sixty years and been on many cruises on European waterways from Russia to Romania, I came across a map of the New York State Canal System on a second hand bookstall at a waterways festival we were attending. I knew nothing about this. I asked a friend who is a waterways expert and he told me you could hire boats there. I got a brochure but it was a classic example of Oscar Wilde’s famous aphorism that Britain and America are two countries divided by a common language. It talked of bareboat canal cruises, breakfasting with shipmates on the fantail, accessible dockage – in narrow Old English design canal boats. The last bit was right, as the boats were built in England and were a slightly wider version of the familiar narrowboat, although quite short which made them look dumpy. Boating in England is fairly free and easy - you can choose where you moor against the towpath - but this canal was built for 2000 ton barges towed by tugs and had no towpath and the banks were reinforced with rocks to counter erosion. It all sounded a bit too ‘organised’ for us.
I then discovered a cruise aboard a small ship carrying 96 passengers, the size of the smaller European river cruisers we were familiar with. It cruised the St. Lawrence River from Montreal to Quebec City and back, through the St. Lawrence Seaway to Lake Ontario through the New York State Canal to the River Hudson, finishing in New York. This trip formed the subject of my talk.
I started with a look at historic Montreal and the old port before we set off on our cruise aboard the Grande Caribe, an American ship. We saw the only bridge between Montreal and Quebec City at Trois Rivières where pilots were exchanged (on the move!). At Quebec there are two bridges: one road bridge and one carrying both the Canadian National Railways and a road. The latter has the longest cantilever span in the world. We continued down river until dawn where we turned into the fjord-like Saguenay River, the mouth of which is crossed by a vehicle ferry from the adjacent settlement of Tadoussac, Canada’s oldest, dating from the 16th century. It was founded by the explorer Jacques Cartier who went up the St. Lawrence River thinking it might be the North West Passage to China. When he encountered rapids above what is now Montreal he realised he was mistaken. These rapids are called Lachine (China).
Although we had seen white whales (beluga) in the Saguenay River, Tadoussac is a whale watching centre and back in the main river we had a spectacular display of humpback whales breaching. We returned upstream to Quebec for a good look round the historic buildings, including the famous Chateau Frontenac Hotel on the Heights of Abraham where General Wolfe beat the French in 1759 and secured Canada for the British Empire. Heading back upstream we bypassed Montreal to enter the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The Seaway was a joint venture between Canada and a reluctant USA. As the river flows through Canada downstream of Montreal, the US feared trade would be siphoned off from its East Coast ports. It was opened in 1959 by the late Queen (Her Majesty Elizabeth II) as Canada’s Head of State, and President Eisenhower. Although ocean-going ships could reach Montreal, traffic for the Great Lakes had to go via the Welland Canal which could only accommodate smaller ships. The first portion of the Seaway is 100 miles long and has seven locks, five in Canada and two in America with a total rise of 223 ft. All have hydro-electric power stations. The whole Seaway traverses the Great Lakes to finish at Duluth on Lake Superior, 2300 miles from the sea, also Chicago on Lake Michigan.
Having passed through the two American locks late at night we moored overnight below the last lock which we entered the next day during a very misty dawn. Were now in the Thousand Islands region of the river. This was where the salad dressing of that name may have originated. In fact there about 1800 islands, the definition being that an island must support at least one tree and one shrub and be above water level at all times. I showed a selection of islands which range in size from miniscule to quite sizeable with roads and linked by bridges. The south bank of the river is in the USA, as are most of the islands. We visited Dark Island and had a conducted tour of Singer Castle, a mock-medieval building built by the President of the Singer Sewing Co. It now hosts wedding receptions and has guest accommodation. WhiIe we were there a Canadian destroyer passed - as a change from the usual merchant shipping. As we cast off from the private jetty to spend the night at Alexandra Bay, NY the river was quite rough. Opposite was Boldt Castle on Heart Island another mock-Gothic fantasy built by George Boldt, the President of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York for his wife. It is now a major tourist attraction. We then headed for Ogdensburg, NY for immigration formalities. On every corner of the town were information boards detailing what battles had taken place over continuing disputes with Canada over the border, particularly during the war of 1812.
Our next stop was Clayton, NY where you could hardly stand up in the wind. We took refuge in the Antique Boat Museum, a very impressive collection of pleasure craft, including some from England. After lunch, we were told there were 8ft waves on Lake Ontario and the skipper thought it would be too uncomfortable for us. Luckily it was a pleasant small town to explore. After we had gone to bed it was obvious we were on the lake as the motion was considerable. We woke up in Oswego, NY where we should have been the night before. I showed a catch of salmon being hauled up a slipway and some more military installations in the border area.
The New York State Canal is now principally a leisure waterway system having been built in 1918 as a barge canal. It comprises 524 miles of canal, river and lake linking Lakes Erie and Ontario with the Hudson River and with the St. Lawrence via Lake Champlain. It is the third iteration of the historic Erie Canal dating from 1825, the pioneer route for emigrants to open up the west. We took up the option of a trip off the canal and I showed the Canal Museum at Syracuse with its replica emigrant boats and a historic map of the town showing the original Erie Canal passing through the town centre just like the railroads did later. Another visit was to the prosperous town of Skaneateles, its large houses overlooking one of the Finger Lakes. A vineyard and wine tasting was most unexpected in this area. I showed some of the hire boats I mentioned earlier, dwarfed by the size of the locks, and at their base at Waterford where we dropped 169ft. down five locks to reach the Hudson.
The final stage of the trip started with Federal Lock on the Hudson situated at the tidal limit which was a reminder that all commercial waterways in America are maintained by the US Corps of Army Engineers as an asset vital to the nation’s economy. We took a small diversion up to the town of Kingston, NY where we moored outside the excellent Maritime Museum and also took a trip from the tram museum in one of their preserved vehicles. The end of this 1100 mile cruise took us into Manhattan at dawn and I showed just a few of the familiar sights.
I tried to include as much in my presentation as possible but just like this report there were many interesting things I had to leave out.
My thanks to Christine for manning the computer and helping me to compile the presentation.
Alan Smith
PROBUS TALK 05.03.2026
The speaker on 5th March was our member David Crook whose talk had the enigmatic title “The island on the edge of the world”. It turned out to be Hirta, the principal island of the St Kilda archipelago in the Outer Hebrides. David served in REME (Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers), Regular Army, based at Benbecula in the Hebrides in connection with the missile testing range on South Uist. As live missiles were fired, radar coverage was necessary to ensure no shipping was in the area.
The origin of the name St. Kilda is unknown, although there is a Norse word kelda meaning well and there is a well on the island. The Scottish writer Martin Martin visited the island in 1697 and wrote an account of his voyage. The island has the steepest cliffs in Europe, used by nesting birds, as are the surrounding stacs (vertical rocks). The island is composed of igneous rocks, i.e. of volcanic origin. The only settlement on the island is at Village Bay situated in the crater of a former volcano on the east side, away from the Atlantic gales,.
The islanders were cragsmen who scaled the cliffs to catch the gannets and fulmars for oil for their lamps. They also ate them, together with puffins. The stomach lining of gannets was used for shoes. Their eggs were also used and the feathers exported to the mainland. The method of snaring the birds and eggs was to abseil down the cliffs with a 12 ft. long pole, flexible at the end with a net attached. Fowling rods were used for puffins. As a result of this constant activity the men developed stronger ankles, wrists and fingers. The women were lowered in baskets. Fishing was deemed to be too dangerous (!) There were Soay sheep on the island, the population of which fluctuated between 200 and 500 on a 7/8 year cycle dependent on the amount of pasture available. They were introduced by the Vikings and had the advantage of shedding their wool naturally; cows were also kept. One local custom practised by the young men featured the Lover’s Seat which was an overhanging rock overlooking the sea. A highly dangerous manoeuvre involved balancing on the very edge. If successful, it proved their manliness to their intended partner.
All food was shared equally among the population which in modern times never exceeded 200 although smallpox, introduced by a visitor, reduced the numbers to 35 in 1724. Meat and eggs were stored in ‘cleits’, drystone structures with turf roofs. A parliament was held every day in the street, when the men decided what work was to be done that day. There were two types of houses, the beehive type, dug out of the soil, and thatched stone houses. Shoes were not normally worn. All clothes were handmade by the women, using a spinning wheel and basic loom.
The fauna of the island consisted of a wren and a mouse both larger than the mainland species. There were also cats and dogs. There are traces of neolithic (Bronze Age) settlements. It is thought that the Norse population might have been between 200 and 500. In the mid-19th century the population began to decline but there was some immigration from the mainland. The development of tourism also had an unsettling effect on the islanders who had virtually no communication with the outside world despite being only forty miles from the nearest of the westernmost of the Western Isles. Being considered as exhibits in a zoo must have been hard to take. As there were no trees on the island there was a limited amount of trade to obtain the rods to catch the birds and eggs and to provide small boats. When steamships were introduced in the 19th century it facilitated trade. Crews of visiting fishing vessels were also very good to the islanders. It is hard to conceive that within the UK there were people who had no knowledge of current affairs or modern lifestyle. This did pose the philosophical question of whether they suffered as a result. They were self-sufficient and conducted their affairs on a democratic basis with equal shares for all.
In WW1 a signal post was erected by the Navy and provided some employment but on 15th May 1918 U-boat U90 appeared off the coast and destroyed it. A 4” gun was then installed but never fired in anger. A naval detachment kept in regular contact with the island bringing supplies but when this stopped total isolation set in again. When the population was reduced to 36 by migration, the islanders decided to request evacuation and this took place in August 1930 by HMS Harebell. Many men were given employment in the Forestry Commission - a new experience for them, having come from a treeless island.
The island is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The village has been partly restored but there are now several modern buildings occupied by civilian employees of the defence organisation Qinetic who man the radio station associated with the missile firing range. It is served by a helicopter which transports staff to the island as they change every month.
The last native St. Kildan died in 2016 thereby bringing to a close the long history of the hardy people who endured life on “the island on the edge of the world”. At question time one potential new member revealed he had visited the island. David’s most informative talk was yet another example of the varied experience and interests of Probus members.
Alan Smith
PROBUS TALK 26.02.2026
Oue speaker on 26th February was Phil Griffiths from Walsall Probus with a talk on the history of English coinage. He started with an apology that he had not brought any free samples.
Coinage originated in Greek settlements in the eastern Mediterranean. Merchants travelling in the area used barter which was dependent on trust. A medium of exchange was devised in Mysia where electrum (an alloy of gold and silver) was found. A bar of this metal was divided in half which left a pattern on the end. Under King Croesus of Lydia (561-546 BC) this developed into coinage and under King Lysimachus of Thrace (323-281 BC) the head of Alexander the Great was used.
In England and Wales Celtic tribes from Turkey settled from 150 BC. Following the Roman conquest of Gaul by 50 BC attention turned to Britain which was invaded in AD 43 and completed by Hadrian (117-138 AD). He introduced the silver Denarius. This was followed by the Sestertius which was produced showing Britannia, the Roman name for Britain. This coin bought a loaf of bread or a litre of wine. The Celtic coinage was then banned. With Germanic tribes threatening Rome, the Roman legions left Britain in 410 and the population was left to the mercy of more invaders, illiterate Angles and Saxons into England, the Irish into Wales and the Scots from Northern Ireland into West Scotland.
The only coins available were the Gold Thrysmas (shilling) used by the Anglo-Saxons. Around 775 the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were formed, Mercia being the principal under King Offa, and the use of Runic script on coins eventually died out. Offa introduced the silver penny, the denier (derived from denarius) which was cut into halves and quarters, the forerunner of the halfpenny and farthing. 240 denier weighed one pound, hence 240 pence to the pound in pre-decimal currency. After King Alfred took London from the Danes a mint was established in the Tower of London producing coins bearing the name Londinia. Mints were set up all over the country and the name of the moneyer in charge of the mint was shown on the coins so that faulty coins could be traced. The mints were located so that nobody was more than a day’s journey from them. This enabled the most efficient tax system in Europe to be implemented.
The fact that England was so well organised and deemed to be wealthy caused envious eyes to be cast on it. William the Conqueror from Normandy had a claim to the English throne and as everyone knows he successfully invaded the country after beating King Harold in battle near Hastings. Under his rule as William I (1066 - 1087) the same size coins were produced , known as othgrims. Under Henry 1 (1100 - 1135) the coinage was not trusted. In 1124 an Assize was held and the moneyers were put on trial. Those found guilty of producing lightweight coins had their right hand and testicles cut off. A system of quality control was then instituted.
In 1279 the groat (four pence) was introduced under Edward 1 (1272 - 1307) and the noble (1/3 of £1) under Henry VI (1422 - 1430). Under Henry VII (1485 -1509) the festoon was produced, the first shilling, which also introduced a fine portrait of the king. Under Henry VIII (1509 - 1547) the silver content was reduced and replaced by copper which caused the value of the coin to drop by half to sixpence. It also led to the king’s portrait losing the silver on his nose, leading to the nickname coppernob. The official debasement of the coin was the result of Henry’s lavish expenditure. Under Edward VI (1547-1553) the crown (5/-) was introduced and was the first coin on which Latin was replaced by English. The clipping of coins was practised to provide silver for melting down until milling was introduced to combat this. Milling had to be done by screw press rather hand-hammering and slowed down the production process. Although started in the 1560s it took a century to become standard.
Charles I (1625 -1649) had financial problems in waging war against the Parliamentarians (the Civil War) and requested that his supporters surrender their silver plate to be melted down to be used for coinage. After Charles I was executed Cromwell formed the Commonwealth (1649 - 1660) which issued a double crown gold coin.
When the monarchy was restored and Charles II became King (1660 -1685) copper coins were introduced with the portrait of Britannia on the halfpenny of 1672. One oddity which first appeared in 1663 was the guinea, worth 21/-. It contained one quarter gold because it was found that with the increase in the value of gold the crown was more than its face value. The value of the guinea varied over time but production ceased in1814 and it was subsequently demonetised. It was however still used to price more valuable goods at a value of 12/- until decimalisation in 1971. Some prizes for winners of horse races are still quoted in guineas.
William III and Mary (1689 -1702) introduced the half crown. In the reign of George III (1760 -1820) Boulton & Watt introduced a steam-driven printing press in 1788 which greatly sped up production, eight presses being installed at their mint at Soho in Birmingham. Other coins were issued such as the ‘cartwheel’ penny of 1797 weighing 2oz. and the half-crown of 1817 which did not contain the full value of silver. Under Queen Victoria (1837 -1901) the first florin (two shillings) appeared in 1849. At 1/10th of a pound, it was the precursor of decimal currency. In 1893 a gold sovereign was issued. For George V’s silver jubilee in 1935 an art deco design was used on the commemorative crown coin.
The silver content of silver coins was reduced to 50% between 1920 and 1947. In 1948 the coinage became token using cupro-nickel and in 1992 copper-plated steel.
Royal Mint moved out of the cramped premises in the Tower of London and production ceased there in 1971 except for commemorative coins and medals. Operations transferred to Llantrisant in South Wales. New coins were minted for decimal currency - ½p, 1p, 2p, 5p and 10p. Changes since include 20p 50p and two pound coins and the end of the ½p. The 1997 two pound coin is inscribed with the words “Standing on the shoulders of giants”, the words of Sir Isaac Newton, who was the Warden of the Royal Mint, a sinecure which he nevertheless took seriously.
The new shape pound coins appeared in 2017 designed by Matthew Dent and 15 year old David Pearce. The 50p coin has appeared in several different designs as have many other coins. Since the accession of Charles III new designs have appeared and many others will be designed. However, Phil’s prediction is that the future is electronic and some countries are already on the verge of abandoning coinage and banknotes. No traders will be able to quote ‘cash only’ which should please HM Customs and Revenue!
Alan Smith
PROBUS MEETING 19.02.2026
The AGM was held on 19th February and John Gibbs was elected as President for 2026/2027, with James Love as Vice-President. The Quaich was awarded to Jim Cox, a Life Member and ex-President for his continuous help at meetings over many years, not to mention his joke-telling.
To fill the gap between the bar opening and lunch Chris Donough asked Nigel Jenkins why he joined Probus, which opened the way for Chris to ask several others the same question and particularly the more recent members who may not be so well-known to more long-standing members. This raised the point that has been mentioned previously that we tend to sit at the same tables each week and not circulate. It is essential we make new members welcome. Both the outgoing and incoming Presidents said we had a great club, both for its sociability, relaxed atmosphere and the variety of talks each week for which Richard Johnson, Speakers Secretary was thanked. The proof of this is the number of members attending each week which has reached record levels.
The morning finished with an excellent buffet provided by Suzie who looks after us so well all year.
Alan Smith
PROBUS TALK 12.02.2026
On 12th February our member Mike Fitzgerald treated us to a presentation about his climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in 1991 at the age of 55; together with some superb photos of the wildlife on the African plains at the foot of this free-standing mountain, the highest in the world. At 19,341 ft. it’s the highest mountain in Africa and is situated on the Equator in Tanzania, although the ascent starts in Kenya. It is classified as a dormant volcano although the last eruption was many thousands of years ago.
The first European to see the mountain was the German Johannes Rebman in 1848. His discovery was dismissed as fantasy by the Royal Geographical Society as a snow-covered mountain on the Equator was not thought to be possible. The first recorded climb was in 1889 by another German Hans Meyer, accompanied by the famous Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller and a guide from the local Chagga tribe, Yohane. The party was supported by local tribal leaders, porters and a cook. A memorial to Meyer was erected in Kilimanjaro National Park. There is a second memorial to Yohane which records his date of birth as 1871 and death in 1996, aged 125! The mountain was named Uhuru (Freedom) to celebrate independence. The conditions were worse in 1889 as the ice on the summit has since reduced by around 80%. This area has attracted many famous authors such as Hemingway, Karen Blixen (Out of Africa), Elspeth Huxley and the American Negley Farson.
This was Mike’s first visit to Africa. He had experience of mountaineering in Scotland, the Peruvian Andes while filming for the BBC and where he found he was not susceptible to altitude sickness, and a climbing course in Austria. One of his fellow travellers was Robin Page, a farmer and conservationist, who presented the TV series One Man and His Dog, about sheepdog trials, by Mike’s description a larger-than-life character. He met him on the Scottish island of Tiree while filming an edition of Country File. It was here that Robin mentioned he would like to go back to Kilimanjaro to see whether the glaciers were melting. Mike said he’d like to join him.
Mike’s journey to Kilimanjaro started in Nairobi. After a journey of 165 miles along dirt roads in a clapped-out Land Cruiser, the party crossed the border into Tanzania at Loitokitak, where they stayed at an Outward Bound School, where the risks and hazards of the climb were explained and that 200-300 people have died in the attempt. It is essential to drink four litres of water a day, eat plenty of carbohydrates and go slowly. The key phrase in high altitudes is ‘climb high, sleep low’ which means ascend 1000 ft. then return for the night. This is a rest and recovery process but doesn’t work above 17,000ft. where altitude acclimatisation starts. If in doubt, go down. It takes ten people to take six people up the mountain. Mike’s party was guided by two former poachers who found tourism a more profitable occupation. The start was in equatorial rain forest, where Mike was impressed by the constant noise of wildlife and the profusion of butterflies, and progresses through four further major climate zones to the summit. Sleeping was mostly in tents or caves. The night before the final climb was spent in a freezing hut with solar panels for light but not heat.
However, it was a short night as, not long after midnight, they set off for the final ascent (a vertical difference of 700ft.) which had to be done at night while the scree was frozen. Mike hyperventilated (a good thing) – the noise was described as a cross between a dying duck and a rutting rhino. He had a raging thirst because the water was frozen and the chocolate he’d taken was inedible. When day broke the task was to climb a steep slope covered in boulders and loose scree up 3,500 ft. in a horizontal distance of 3,000 yards. Five of the party reached the summit which took seven hours. Down the scree back to the hut took two hours, and then down 12,000 vertical ft. Then down another 12,000 ft. when it was noted that during the night the summit had been covered by snow. Mike’s last photo of the mountain was an aerial shot taken of the caldera of the volcano when on a flight from South Africa, a few years later.
To finish Mike showed some shots which he and his wife had taken on nine previous safari trips, of the wildlife which abounds on the plains in two National Parks. Although we are familiar with them from numerous nature programmes, it must be thrilling to experience the animals close to. One of the places shown was the largest intact caldera, the famous Ngorongoro crater.
Finally, he showed a video of the oldest person to conquer Kilimanjaro, an American lady who was 89, also a clip of a safari trip he is due to go on later this year in Botswana – let’s hope he gives another presentation!
This was a superb show for which we thank Mike. It was a stunning feat to achieve this arduous climb.
Alan Smith
PROBUS TALK 05.02.2026
On 5th February one of our regular speakers. Howard Robinson, gave us a talk on “Titanic - the wreck today”. The site of the wreck was discovered by means of a submersible in 1985, in two sections at a depth of 37,000 ft. off the coast of Newfoundland.
He started with a detailed description of the liner which was the largest ship in the world when it was built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast between 1909 and 1912. It was constructed in the graving dock next to the Olympic, a sister ship of the White Star Line, Liverpool, completed a year earlier. It contained three million rivets, many hammered in when red hot by two men. The design team of four included the naval architect Thomas Andrews and the chief draughtsman Alexander Carlisle who was responsible for the interiors. Although it had four funnels only three were functional, the fourth being provided for aesthetic reasons. The ship was driven by reciprocating engines powered by 25 double ended boilers and four single ended, also a steam turbine. They were manually fed by 176 stokers, working four hours on and eight hours off. The coal was supplied by trimmers whose duties also involved trimming the bunkers so that the stability of the vessel was not affected. 100 tons was burnt daily. The output was 46000 hp. The three propellers drove the ship at 23/24 knots. The wireless room had the latest Marconi technology, operated by the firm’s staff.
The sequence of events leading to the disaster has been portrayed in many films and documentaries with, inevitably, varying degrees of accuracy. Although the presence of icebergs in the area was known beforehand, the captain chose to maintain virtually full speed, relying on lookouts. The first advice by the crow’s nest of an iceberg being sighted was not answered by the captain and when the iceberg was sighted at close range the captain ordered “hard to port” which caused steel plates to buckle below the waterline on the starboard side and allow ingress of water. Five bulkheads were breached which sealed the ship’s fate as it was only designed to withstand the breaching of three. Had the ship hit the iceberg head on it would have caused major structural damage but the ship might have been saved. The difficulty of giving an accurate estimation of how far away the iceberg was was affected by the phenomenon of temperature inversion which gave a false horizon. The sea was calm and so there was no surf breaking against the iceberg. Other factors were the presence on board of J. Bruce Ismay, the chairman of White Star Line, who was anxious that the ship would beat the Olympic’s time for the passage to New York the previous year. Because the ship was ‘unsinkable’ there was an air of complacency on board and. although there would be 2½ hours before the vessel sank, much time was wasted in evacuating the passengers, caused by lack of communication and ignorance. (The subsequent inquiry found the crew to be inadequately trained.)* Although the number of lifeboats met the maritime regulations then in force they were not sufficient to accommodate everybody on board as their purpose was to ferry passengers to a rescue ship in an emergency. Their capacity was limited to 1178 people. Anybody who jumped overboard and was not picked up would die of hypothermia in twenty minutes. Of the 2224 people on board 710 (32%) survived. This included 62% of 1st class passengers, 42% of second class passengers and 26% of third class passengers. There were two enquiries, one in the UK and one in the USA and led to the tightening of maritime safety regulations, particularly the provision of lifeboats to accommodate all those on board.
Howard showed many photos of the interior of the ship, many taken by Francis Browne a Irish Jesuit priest from Cork who was travelling from Southampton to Cobh (then Queenstown). This invaluable record was only discovered in 1960 and showed the sumptuous fittings in the first class, the slightly less luxurious second class but even the third class was quite presentable. The menus likewise reflected the class distinctions but considering the spartan fare and accommodation (dormitories in steerage) offered to emigrants to America in the 19th Century this must have been considered the height of luxury.
Many artefacts have been recovered from the wreckage, some sold for astronomical sums and others exhibited but this looting was stopped in 2001 by international legislation for the protection of wrecks.
Finishing on a lighter note, Howard recounted that Captain Mark Smith of the Titanic came from Hanley (part of Stoke on Trent) and the local paper, the Sentinel, allegedly published an item that said a local man had been killed in a boating accident. This raised a laugh but sounded like an ‘urban myth’.
However well we think we know the Titanic story I’m sure we all learnt something new from Howard’s talk which was much appreciated by members.
*Note: The timeline following completion is astonishing by today’s rigorous testing and crew training and familiarisation procedures:-
31.03.1912 Completion of fitting out
02.04.1912 Sea trials and signing off as seaworthy by Board of Trade surveyor. Left Belfast for Southampton
03.04.1912 Arrived Southampton around midnight
10.04.1912 Departed on maiden voyage to Cherbourg, Cobh (Ireland) and New York as scheduled, having embarked rest of crew and passengers
Alan Smith
PROBUS TALK 29.01.2026
Our speaker on 29th January was Colin Davis who stepped in at short notice as the advertised speaker, David Terry, had sadly died. His subject was The Secret History of Words, where they come from and the hidden baggage they carry. “Words, words, words” was a quotation from Hamlet.
Francis Bacon was the recognised father of etymology. The question “Who do you think you are?” is ancestral, where a person lived and their occupation. Some examples quoted are Hooker, a butcher; Fuller, someone involved in cloth production; Turner; a craftsman using a lathe; Pope, someone who appeared in a mystery play and might have played the Pope. Some names were derived from a person – Birdseye Foods from the American inventor of frozen foods, Clarence Birdseye. Gerrymandering is derived from the American Eldridge Gerry who manipulated boundaries to favour his party in the election and the result was the area so created was likened to the shape of a salamander. The word boycott commemorates the name of a strict land agent in Ireland who provoked a non-violent policy of non-cooperation by the workers. The cardigan was named after the first person to wear it, the Earl of Cardigan. Bloomers were named after the American advocate of the garment, Amelia Bloomer. The inveterate gambler, the Earl of Sandwich, did not want his pastime to be interrupted so he sent for meat between slices of bread which became known as the popular snack, the sandwich.
The names of places in the USA derive from the origin of the immigrants who settled there, in the east largely English, in the west Spanish, also French, etc. Denim derives from Nîmes in France but the name jeans comes from Genoa, Italy.
Strangers are those who are not like us. Welsh means foreign or someone who fails to repay a debt, i.e. who welshes on a promise. The Greeks called other nations barbaros or barbarians, because they did not speak Greek and were not like them. Dumb comes from the German word Dumm, meaning stupid. Uncouth used to mean someone who was not known. Words reflect people. In English, goodbye is final whereas au revoir and auf wiedersehen mean another meeting is left open. Syphilis was known in England as the French pox but in France as the English disease. To absent oneself without permission is known as French leave. Egregious is a word whose meaning has changed from remarkably good (standing out from the crowd) to seriously bad.
Examples of the origin of words included drunk, which has Germanic roots, whereas sober has Latin roots. Heresy now has the general meaning of someone who rejects common opinion or established religious beliefs and is derived from the Greek word for choice. The word fornicate derives from the Latin word for arch, fornes. Roman brothels were hidden from sight underground in cellars reached through arches.
Latin for left and right is sinister and dextra. By derivation left-handed people are gauche or awkward whereas right-handed people are dextrous. St Matthew’s parable stated that at the day of judgment people would be divided as the shepherd separates the sheep and the goats. Much ‘wokery’ is unconscious - white is good, black is negative..
The origin of English words is derived from numerous other languages and we adopt foreign words into our language whereas the French try to keep foreign words out or at least Gallicise them.
To conclude, Colin posed four words taken from the TV programme Call my Bluff with suggested several alternative meanings and asked everybody to guess the right one. Nobody got them all but James Love got three and as that was the best answer he won a packet of Smarties.
The last item of Colin’s presentation was that questions should be asked before he absquatulated. (Look it up! – I did).
This was a fascinating talk enjoyed by 40 members – a Club record.
Alan Smith
PROBUS TALK 22.01.2026
Our speaker on 22nd January was Rob Brown with a selection of toys from his collection to demonstrate ‘Toys of our Youth’. He may have underestimated our age profile as, in my case and that of many other members, they were more the toys of our grandchildren, but they were still very familiar!
The type of toys changed considerably by the 1960s, becoming futuristic and featuring spaceships and space travel. The more general spread of television made toys representing the characters very popular. A large number of the characters and their spacecraft were on display, made by a variety of manufacturers. The models represented characters from the following shows.
Rob concentrated on the British television producer Gerry Anderson who produced many well-known programmes over a long period. In 1964 ‘Stingray’ appeared, with British actors playing American characters, which helped to boost sales in America. One of the most popular series was ‘Thunderbirds, International Rescue’, introduced in the mid-1960s, which had a connection to Bond films. Parker the chauffeur and Lady Penelope featured, the latter having a cigarette holder and a collection of different outfits. Her car, a pink Rolls Royce, sported the registration FAB 1. [Nigel revealed he had a model of this vehicle in his garage.]
‘Action Man (GI Joe)’ also appeared in the 1960s. ‘Captain Scarlet’ in 1967 included the first black character. It also featured the Angel Interceptor aircraft flown by one of the four white angels. ‘Joe 90’ appeared in 1968, but was not so popular. In 1969 ‘The Secret Service’ was based on a Stanley Unwin puppet with live action but episodes were limited as it was deemed to be unsellable in America. It was followed by ‘UFO’ in 1970.
The last series by Anderson, ‘The Terrahawks’, was produced in 1983 and used Latex faces controlled electronically, known as Supermacronation. Kate Kestrel was the singer.
In 1991there was a rerun of ‘Thunderbirds’ which included Tracy Island. On Blue Peter, how to make a model of it was demonstrated as manufacturers could not keep pace with the demands for it. The last TV show was ‘Space Precinct’ which was produced in 1994 but was not a success in America. In 2005 a new version of ‘Captain Scarlet’ was made using Supermacronation.
Gerry Anderson was assisted by his wife Sylvia but they went through an acrimonious divorce in 1981 He died in 2012.
This was an unusual presentation which brought back many memories and our thanks go to Rob for bringing all these exhibits with their original boxes, which were good selling points, as well as accessories and records of songs on the shows.
Alan Smith
Probus Talk 15.01.2026
Title: Mohandas Gandhi Part 2 Presenter: Galen Bartholemew
This was the second part of the presentation covering Gandi’s life from 1915 to his assassination in 1948. Galen started with a brief reprise of Gandi’s earlier life.
In 1915 Gandhi was relatively unknown in India and spent time getting to know the country and its people by traveling by train and tram across the country.
It was at this time that Gandi adopted a simple form of Indian dress rather than more western apparel. He was influenced by his mentor the political leader and social reformer Professor Gokhale, who was termed the “Diamond of India”.
1916 saw problems in Bihar province India’s poorest state, due to the market for natural indigo being severely affected by new synthetic versions.
In December 1916 the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League agreed to work together to ensure that both Hindu and Muslim religions could co-exist.
Unrest in the Punjab in 1919 culminated in the Amritsar Massacre in which many Indians were killed. The British used the event as a lesson to the natives. Gandhi could not support this British action, placing Indians against fellow Indians and he subsequently joined the Congress Party. In 1922 Gandi was placed on trial for sedition being sentenced to 6 years in prison for exciting disaffection towards the British government.
Gandi’s health was declining following appendicitis and the stress of overwork and high blood pressure. In 1924 he used this quieter period for reflection; maintaining one day each week as totally silent. At this time the three Lawyers - Jinnah, Patel, Nehru come to the fore in India’s march towards independence. Jinnah became the founder of Pakistan and Nehru India’s first Prime Minister. Gandi’s influence was vital and at this time he was most instrumental in furthering a peaceful transition to independence.
1930 saw the 24-day Salt March a non-violent civil disobedience to colonial rule. Salt was very important the tax representing a significant part of the Raj’s revenue. Over 60,000 Indians were jailed and the British did not make any concessions. The disobedience spread to millions across India. Gandi was jailed only being released in 1931
India represented 50% of Britain’s cotton exports and the changing market in India towards locally designed and produced clothing resulted in many mills in Lancashire closing. A result for which Gandi apologised directly to those involved on a subsequent visit to England.
The split between Hindu and Muslim citizens was growing following failure to meet agreement at round table conferences in London. Gandi was involved in the negotiations with the British Viceroy for India and also had discussions with the King and Prime Minister.
The independence of India and any potential religious partition was being influenced in many quarters. A close friend of Gandi, Rev. C F Andrew was influential being highly regarded by the population and in contact with senior UK politicians and the King.
Still no agreement could be reached and the British government arrested members of the Congress party including Gandi, subsequently releasing him from prison when he caught malaria fearing he might die in custody.
The Muslim league considered partition in north India but did not appreciate the dire consequences. Other suggestions were made to bring independence, several
offers of Dominion status for India were offered but rejected.
Gandhi spoke to the people, masses attending his rallies and kissing his feet.
1946 saw serious rioting in Calcutta between Muslims and Hindus, Gandi attempted to quell the uprisings touring around many villages with his message of peaceful protest, but the rioting had sowed the seeds of eventual religious partition.
India achieved Independence on 15th August 1947; the date being brought forward by Viceroy Mountbatten due to rioting.
Gandhi was assassinated on 30th January 1948 by a Hindu nationalist who objected to Gandhi’s non-violence stance and his promotion of Hindu-Muslim unity
A pivotal moment in Indian history.
Galen was thanked for his two presentations covering a very detailed subject with clarity and answering the many questions from members.
Bob Turner
PROBUS TALK 08.01.2026
Our speaker on 8th January was Galen Bartholomew who made a welcome return visit and had an audience of 39 which equalled the Club’s record. His subject was Mohandas K. Gandhi who was internationally famous but perhaps the details of his life were less well-known. Always known as Mahatma (the enlightened one), a title he hated, Churchill called him a seditious Middle Temple lawyer.
Born in 1869 he died in 1948. His life was divided between India, London and South Africa. His philosophy started with his experiments with truth in order to obtain Moksha, the state of bliss or enlightenment in Hinduism. His goals were to find a spiritual inner truth, regardless of religion. The caste system in India had four categories, below which were the Untouchables. Gandhi believed all men were brothers and to demonstrate this he lived for a time with the Untouchables. He was supporter of Indian independence but preached the doctrine of Satyagraha, non-violent resistance, using civil disobedience, non-cooperation, strikes and boycotts to achieve change. He was a practical idealist who undertook nursing. In pursuance of his ideals he practised vegetarianism. His philosophy was that truth is the substance of morality.
Galen then outlined the history of British involvement in India. It started in 1600 when Elizabeth I granted a charter to the East India Co. to trade there. The company grew into a massive undertaking, making agreements with various princely states and running its own army, completely outside the control of the British government. This all came to an end after the Indian Mutiny, 1857-9, which led to 2392 British deaths and that of at least 100,000 Indians. In 1858 the Congress Party of India was founded, India’s first political party, which initiated the movement for independence which was taken up by Gandhi and Nehru. It happened in 1947 when the country was partitioned which will be covered in Part 2 of the talk next week. At this time there were 600-700 states within India ruled by princes which were not part of British India, many of which had alliances with Britain.
Gandhi was a very shy youth. He was a great walker and fluent in several Indian languages. He supported authority and as a husband he made the decisions at home. His father ran a princely state and the family home was host to people of many religions. Although he was a vegetarian he adopted meat-eating for a year because he noticed all the English were much taller than Indians! His elder brother undertook legal work and Mohandas decided to move to London to train as a barrister, resolving to abstain from wine, women and meat, although he took elocution, violin and dancing lessons and, in contrast to later life, he adopted formal Western dress. He spent three years at Inner Temple, 1888-1891(not Middle Temple as stated by Churchill). He became Secretary of the Vegetarian Society but was too shy to read his reports. He visited the Paris Exposition in 1889. He was called to the Bar in 1891 and practised in the High Court until 1893 when he obtained a one year contract in South Africa, after failing to succeed with his legal practice in India because he was unable to cross-examine witnesses. He stayed in South Africa until 1914 and made friends with Raychandbai, a Jain philosopher who, with Ruskin and Carlyle, made him realise his vocation in life. It was “the forging” of Gandhi. His time in South Africa changed his life and when he returned to India permanently, it changed that country as well.
Gandhi’s experience of racial prejudice in South Africa and his way of dealing with it changed the world in terms of civil rights and freedom. While travelling to Pretoria he travelled first class on the train which was restricted to white people. He was thrown off together with his luggage, an incident which was featured in Richard Attenborough’s award-winning film ‘Gandhi’ of 1982. Part of the journey was by coach when he was beaten up by whites when he refused to sit on the floor. On another occasion he was accepted in a hotel only if he ate in his room. Indians in the country were resented by whites as they were well off. They were mostly Tamils and were indentured and subject to a charge. In 1896 a Natal Indian Congress was formed to improve the Indians’ lot but adhering to the principles of non-violence and human dignity. Gandhi setup a legal business and took up the case of a beaten up indentured labourer.
Returning to India he travelled widely and concluded that British rule was largely beneficial to India. Back in South Africa he published a pamphlet about Indian conditions and was nearly lynched. He founded a weekly newspaper which lasted until the 1960s. In 1897 Indians had to be registered. In 1899 the Boer war started and Gandhi formed an Indian ambulance corps of 1100 men. Back in India he formed a legal practice in Bombay. On returning to South Africa with his family, he met the Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain who was visiting to promote conciliation after the Boer War, but he was not receptive to Gandhi’s efforts to improve Indian conditions nor to make it easier for Indians to move from Natal to Transvaal. Despite this, in1906 Gandhi again organised an ambulance corps, this time to serve in the Zulu rebellion
In 1910 Gandhi formed an ashram, a spiritual retreat with communal living comprising about 100 acres, and all the family had to work, taking turns to do all the tasks, including cleaning the latrines. The registration of Indians required the taking of fingerprints and carrying identity cards and, at a meeting in a theatre, it was agreed to ignore the law and hold a non-violent protest. Smuts promised to repeal the legislation but in fact implemented it. Gandhi obtained a cauldron and burnt about 2000 certificates which made good PR. He was imprisoned for two months (he spent 10% of his life in prison.) In 1906 the situation became tense and Gandhi met Smuts again about repealing the legislation, but he didn’t. In addition another law was introduced that all marriages had to be according to Christian rites. In Johannesburg many Indians were whipped and some were shot. 50,000 went on strike and thousands were imprisoned. The Viceroy of India complained to the South African government about the situation and Smuts agreed to repeal the legislation. Gandhi then left for India prompting Smuts to say in 1914 “a saint has left our shores, I hope never to return”.
Gandhi then adopted Indian dress permanently. His four sons all suffered imprisonment for a time but supported his cause, as did his long-suffering wife.
Galen will continue with Part 2 of his talk on 15th January.
Alan Smith
