Charity & Sport
The Charity Pub Walks, were memorable or they would be if anyone could remember much after consuming double figures of pints in a session. These usually covered 26 pubs in and around the City of London, this being at first the number of pubs serving idealogically sound beer. Thankfully, halves were permissible! It was as well that the floor of the Rose & Crown, the final staggering point, was covered in cheap lino in the early days since it always seemed to end up several inches deep in beer and other suitable liquids. But the response from landlords and their customers, not to mention members' sponsors, made sure that the hangovers and brain damage were well worthwhile
Morning Advertiser 19/1/76.

600 SPONSORS FOR HOSPITAL CRAWL
 Special Branch of the Society for the Preservation of beers from the Wood has presented £418.26 to Barts Hospital in the City. The money was raised during a charity pub crawl which attracted 600 sponsors. In was handed over to the Rahere Association an organisation which raises money for Barts Hospital, at a ceremony at the Blackfriar, Blackfriars Bridge.
South London Press 19 August 1975
Colin McCarthy, 40-year-old manager of the “Rose and Crown”, Colombo Street, Southwark, keeps himself fit and down to a trim 11 stone 4 lb. by swimming. So when he started to swim across the Thames on Friday he was somewhat taken aback to be hauled out by the river police, when three-quarters the way across, and told he was endangering shipping on the river.Mr McCarthy attempted the swim because, he says, two previous managers of the “Rose and Crown” have done it and he combined it with the annual sponsored pub crawl for charity by members of the Society for the Preservation of Beer from the Wood. Mr McCarthy was told by the river police that a tug pulling four barges was bearing down on him on collision course. So out he came and went off on the pub crawl, taking in 26 0f the 27 pubs on the route. At least he thinks there were 26, though his memory is a trifle hazy.
1976 Pub Crawl. Joe Ross celebrates finishing with Joan Hills whilst Kellogs prefers to celebrate with himself!
Autumn 1977. Chairman Blogg hands over a cheque for £800 in the Rose and Crown to a representative from the Guide Dogs For the Blind which was raised during and after the Branch’s 4th Charity Pub Crawl.
Tim Kettley's signed 1974 Pub Crawl sponsorship sheet with all 26 signatures
A photo from South London Press of Colin McCarthy, during his swim
We also involved ourselves in various sporting activities. Football. Remember how we took on 11 and the rest form the "Gun" in Nantwich, and only just lost? Cricket, where we actually surpassed our own expectations (see  item) Wadley's. Dwile Flonking; Who that played is sure if we won or lost the Branch's one and only game? The Branch also provided advanced mountaineering courses to those who were stupid enough to follow McHugh on his Isle of Wight short cut. The most prestigious of our many Trophies was our Dart’s Trophy named after the first winner Jim Fenton. Won mostly by Pies in the early years and later by Bill Wadley the rest of the membership went to great lengths to get their hands on it, Ray Prewer on one occasion abused his officer’s position by by holding the trophy competition on the Tuesday after a Bank holiday Branch trip (which he didn’t go on), needless to say few turned up and Ray won.There were also Darts, Doms, shove ha'penny and Crip evenings.These too were keenly contested to the extent that  Phil Bingham and Mike McHugh once managed to get into a heated argument over a game of shove ha'penny! The Branch also catered for basic flying lessons, as Spider Unwin can testify as he winged his way under the oppositions defences as he became the first human Exocet launched on the River Severn.
Nantwich May 1974, these stalwarts in their matching Branch livery took on the locals at the Rifleman, known affectingly as the Gun. Despite Steve’s lack of effort in the match, which he said was due to a gammy leg these valiant members just lost to the hordes from the Gun, who had more than 11 players against us. (Back row Kellogs, Oz and Brian (Jinx) Pearson, Middle row, Steve Treacy, Alec Cormack, Joe Ross, John O’Connor, Jim McKay and Pies Front Row Brian Carey and Ray Prewer.
May 1980, Venue the Wheatsheaf , for the Branch’s prestigious Fenton Darts trophy named after the first winner Jim Fenton. Here Bill the previous winner hands it over to a clearly proud (and pissed!) Spider Unwin. Kellogs and Mick McHugh (behind the trophy look on. Catweasle clearly had inmind to come 5th. Behind Bill a clearly upset finalist Jake threatens to poor a pint over Phil. Right JOC displayes the Fenton Trophy in his flat, even though he never won it. One suspects it was the year that Spider Unwin, his flatmate won it..................The lengths people go to
May 1980, Venue the Wheatsheaf. Jake congratulating Phil Bingham after being given a good thrashing
Southwold Whitsun 1978. Representing the Pier Avenue Hotel, the branch reached the final of the Tug of war only losing out when a drunken Ray Prewer forgot to swap ends. Here from left to right, Big Al, Bill, JOC, Oz, Tom, Brian and Jim try to hold the opposition and Ray is pulling for the opposition
Clearly bored with the Austin 7 Car owners display, near Burford, Steve, Jimmy, Joe and Pies pitch and putt.
Pictured is the scorecard for a typical branch game against the Rose and Crown. Well its not typical as Ron Kirkman or Phil Unwin didn’t score a fifty. In one memorable game Ron scored 85 out of a total of 110 for 5 sharing a 50 partnership with John O’Connor of which John scored 5. Ron and Phil were our main batsman scoring six 50s between them including a hundred for Phil. All pitched in with the bowling but Bill Wadley’s 5-14 in 3.2 overs, Brian Carey’s  6 for 23 and 5 for 21 and Phil Unwin’s 5-40  were the most impressive efforts. A special mention must be made to Roger (I  think I am a fast bowler) Jacobson who totalled up in the last match all the runs he had scored in the matches he had played in - 9. Wanting so much to get into double figures Steve Treacy called him for a single but he was run out. Jake likes to think it was intentional. The branch scorebook records we played 18 won 8, drew 4 and lost 6 not bad considering....
August 1982. Cricket Match against the Rose and Crown at Mottingham. Steve asleep behind Jake, Ronnie with hair, Ray seated and Chris, Jimmy, Kellogs and Flanagan standing.