SUMMER 1998 PART 2

Jerome Farrell, one of our members, has just completed a 300-mile sponsored charity walk for GAP-ISRCDE, an organisation helping people affected by AIDS in Gujarat, India. He sent out the following newsletter, which I quote.
"I returned from Spain on 26 June after walking from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela along the ancient Pilgrims' Way, or Camino de Santiago, over 23 days (including one rest day in Leon). There are many starting points for the Camino - Burgos fitted well with the amount of time I had available and was an obvious starting place for me as my great-grandfather, a judge, was born and died there. Before setting off I spent a morning in Burgos City Archives (yes, a bit of a busman's holiday!) and found the record of his birth, then visited the church where he was christened and saw the grave where he and my great-grandmother were buried in 1913 and 1942 respectively.
I covered approximately 475 km (300 miles) averaging about 13-14 miles a day. The route passes through varied countryside - the vast Castillian meseta or plateau with enormous fields of wheat stretching to the horizon and many miles between villages. Two mountains ranged with some spectacular scenery, the fertile "Bierzo" with orchards and vineyards, and the green hills and valleys of Galicia with a network of winding country lanes, small fields and an abundance of dairy cattle. The weather included some torrential rain and cold spells in the mountains (even a frost one morning), but was mostly dry, warm and sunny.
Although I did most of the walking alone, I met new people nearly every day and often kept re-meeting the same people later one. At this time of year most of the people walking the Camino are foreigners (Spaniards predominate in July and August), and I met a wide variety of people of all ages and nationalities. The pilgrim "refugios" or hostels, where you can stay free of charge (a donation of a pound or two is expected) if you are walking the Camino, also provides an opportunity to get to know a cosmopolitan mixture of people, this was brought home to me on my first night when involved in cooking an improvised communal dinner with two Italians, three Germans, two Belgians, two Swiss, two other British and three French people! On another occasion I found myself eating with six Brazilians and a Japanese girl - in a Chinese restaurant in a provincial Spanish town!
The impression I got was that people walk the Camino for all sorts of reasons. In some cases recent retirement, marriage, divorce, unemployment or career uncertainty, bereavement or serious illness seemed to have provided the impetus, other people just wanted some space to think or get away from the rat-race for a while, or in some cases see it as a sporting exercise, or a cheap holiday. Whilst some come from a traditional Christian background, many do not. Among the people I met were a German architect, a gay Brazilian concert pianist with leukaemia, a newly married Hungarian couple a young unemployed Scottish baker, a Spanish artist, an American Episcopalian priest and his two sons (8 and 12), a Swiss Buddhist woman who gave tarot and numerology readings, two Breton merchant seamen, two people in the film industry in London, a Dutch woman living with cancer, two Australian girls "doing" Europe (they got a bus after a few days), a retired Belgian couple, a 75 year-old Frenchman (7 children and 17 grandchildren) and four Basques.
I found it physically very hard going, especially in the first week- lots of blisters - but after a while you get into a rhythm of walking. I barely noticed the weight of my rucksack after a few days, and I greatly enjoyed the peace, the birdsong, the diverse scenery and the wonderful wild flowers. Along the way I saw storks, buzzards, vultures, lizards, frogs and a snake. As I can get by in Spanish it was interesting to talk to local people too. They were usually friendly and helpful, and in some cases extremely welcoming and generous. I had a long conversation with a Castilian shepherd miles from anywhere on the meseta - with his 360 sheep and two dogs - and on a number of occasions people walked out of their way to make sure I did not get lost. Occasionally drinks in bars (and in one village restaurant, whose owner had walked the Camino herself, the entire meal) turned out to be " on the house. On the one hot day I did get lost, an elderly Galician couple insisted I came into their shady garden to rest and cool off, and then plied me with iced beers which they said were " a present from the Saint" (i.e. St James).
Traditionally the Camino ends at Santiago Cathedral where you climb up to enter the "Portico of Glory", place your hands on the Romanesque Tree of Jesse sculpture (worn smooth over the centuries), visit the crypt to see the casket said to contain St James's remains, and climb the stairs behind the high altar to embrace the shoulders of a large statue of St James - the "abrazo para el Apostol", or hug from the Apostle which marks the completion of the pilgrimage. With your Pilgrim Passport (stamped every day along the Caiman) you can then obtain your "Compostela", a Latin document issued to pilgrims since the 15th century which entitles you to three free meals and also these days, free entry into Santiago's museums.
I spent three days in Santiago, (not doing very much walking!), which is a lovely small city, and my last evening there coincided with a fiesta, the "Noche de San Juan" or night before St John's Day - regarded in Spain as the shortest night of the year. Over a hundred bonfires were lit in the plazas of Santiago around midnight and there were loud volleys of fireworks, music, grilled sardines and barrels of wine. It was a good note on which to leave!
Oh, and the feet are fine now thank you everyone who has asked!"
Almost 100 sponsors have pledged approximately £2600 to date and I expect to transfer the final amount raised to India in the Autumn, and will let you know at Christmas time the exact figure and some more information about how the money will be used.

Our Centre Spread features, as it is summer, USN sailors in their very horny crisp summer whites

Aarhus "Ragnarok".........1998

On a Thursday evening in June six members of TLB (Phillip, Neville, Bob.F, David W., Martin and Tony.W) left the Red Stiletto' in Battersea bound for Denmark. The trip was organised by Phil Batchelor and Steve White of 69 club and we were supposed to have travelled by Luxury coach. Unfortunately all that could be obtained was a 16-seater mini-bus! .
The drive to Dover was uneventful and we left at approximately 3 a.m. on Le Shuttle, arriving in Calais and then proceeding via Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany to Denmark. The only time we were checked was at the Danish frontier and an extremely handsome Danish policeman looked into the bus and then waved us on. The journey was very lengthy and arduous and our bums certainly suffered from the long periods of continually sitting down (only 21 hours!). 'The Duchess' who was one of the party took around seven Valium tablets and didn't remember much of the journey!
We eventually arrived at the Stadium in Aarhus where the main events were being held and were welcomed by the club. Phillip and I met our host, a very friendly guy named Bent who unfortunately didn't speak much English. He drove us to his apartment, and after showering and freshening up we returned to the club where we met John Grimshaw who had arrived earlier on in the day.
The next day we all met up at Aarhus railway station and had a guided tour of the city. I had been to Aarhus on a previously occasion but didn't remember much about it. In the evening we returned to the Stadium for the main event which was a dinner followed by a cabaret and a disco. Before this we were treated to a splendid cocktail courtesy of East Mercia MSC. There was also considerable cruising, both in the makeshift dark rooms downstairs and in the grounds of the Stadium. The Duchess was resplendent in two furs, which roused considerable amusement and interest by the Danes!
The following day we were served an excellent brunch and after various speeches and thanks during which we invited Men's club to be our official guests at the Blue Weekend next year we commenced the journey home. This did not seem quite as arduous as the outward journey as we had several stops for food and refreshment. We encountered a tremendous thunderstorm whilst driving through Germany and then the minibus ran out of diesel about five miles or so from Calais. Just then we were descended upon by two busloads of Gendarmes who wanted to know what we were doing there and what had happened. Only one seemed to speak English and he was a rather hunky moustachioed guy! They checked all our passports but returned them soon with courtesy. You will remember this was the time of the World Cup so I suppose they were on the lookout for possible troublemakers. After getting a tow off the motorway the minibus started and with a dash managed to get to Calais in time to catch the Shuttle to Dover.
Most people were dropped off at Clapham but I was fortunately taken almost to by doorstep as Phil and Steve also live in Northolt.
Thanks very much Phil, Steve and Jurgen (the drivers), although the journey was extremely uncomfortable and not what we had been expecting, we would have been devastated had we not been able to go at all. Also tremendous thanks to our hosts in Aarhus, we hope to return there for the event next year and perhaps spend a bit more time exploring the delights of Denmark.

Neville

FUKC Conference - at Gradbach Mill

The 1998 FUKC Conference was hosted by East Mercia MSC and held at Gradbach Mill which is a Youth Hostel situated in the Staffordshire Peak District. It is situated in a very pleasant valley, the nearest town being Leek and apart from the odd visiting hiker, the only thing you have for company is sheep!
We (Phillip, Neville & Bob F) arrived in the early afternoon and after booking in and meeting various friends old and new we were served an excellent afternoon tea. Eventually Tony W, Bob N-T and Michael Williams arrived completing the TLB contingent. Then we were served very filling vegetable soup accompanied by bread, which went down well. The next item on the event was the first of three cocktail parties, which was hosted by East Mercia MSC, the cocktail being extremely strong to say the least! At approximately 20.00 the hostel staff served the buffet and this was extremely ample and satisfying. In the evening we drank, far too much and also chatted and generally socialized.
The next day after breakfast, those who were not attending the conference were taken by bus to Alton Towers where by all reports, one and all had a good time.
The conference proceeded well under the chairmanship of Steve White (FUKC Co-ordinator) with Tony O'Sullivan (East Mercia's President, Benn Lohse (ECMC Secretary), Yannik Dumont from "Project X" magazine and the very hunky Jesper Kappel who became Mr. Aarhus at the recent contest, in attendance.
After an amicable and not too lengthy a meeting, the main points of which were that the "Mr. ECMC Contest" should in future be restricted to those contestants who have been ECMC members for at least a year. This it was hoped would take some of the commercialisation away and restore it to what it was originally set up for. Sixty-Nine Club will host the conference next year, which will be held in London at the same time as their annual St. George event. This would take place from 23-25th April 1999 and would be entitled "St. George & The Founders" with the invited guests being members of the surviving founder clubs of the ECMC.
Before the Gala Dinner a cocktail party was hosted by Verulam MSC during which the Imperial family (from Midland Link) presented "The Duchess" with an "Antique" Russian style clock complete with flowers and birds! Then the main event took place; the Gala Dinner, this was a really marvelous affair and the waiting at table was undertaken by mainly members of East Mercia MSC. There were various honours bestowed on deserving members after the dinner: Alan (Maude) Morrison was created a Dame for outstanding work in running the various Dragonfest shows over the years. Brian Slater a former President was given the title of "Sir" Brian for his exceptional efforts for the club over the years. After the dinner we were treated to yet another Cocktail party, this time hosted by Midland Link followed by a fireworks display which commemorated the 16th Anniversary of East Mercia MSC. The last event of the evening was the infamous "Dragonfest" cabaret that as usual was really up to professional standards. It opened with a number by "The Andrews Sisters" and was followed by numerous splendid turns, the highlight of which was I think Alan Morrison's impersonation of Nana Mouskouri! Finally the party continued although by 2 a.m. I'd had enough and went to bed.
Surprisingly enough there were quite a few early risers on the Sunday morning and tea/coffee and cereals were served. The final event was a really good brunch and also the raffle, there were some wonderful prizes on offer, including a television set, but unfortunately no members of TLB won.
Thank you very much for such a marvelous and interesting event East Mercia, we are really looking forward to the Dragonfest in December, which promises to be rather special. The date is scheduled for Dec 11th-13th so make a note in your diaries and I can guarantee this will be something not to be missed! .

A Sailor Without His Bell-Bottoms.......What Ever Next?????

ADDRESS BY VADM R.G. TAYLOR AO RAN
CHIEF OF NAVY
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW NAVAL UNIFORMS

SCOTLAND Yard has ordered a detective to end his part-time job as a male stripper. The officer who had a specially adapted uniform with a blue and white chequered G-string was officially meant to be working only at charity events but began to earn money from his performances.
The officer's exploits came to light when Scotland Yard began earlier this year to reform the arrangements allowing officers to work. Serving police officers can operate a business or trade outside working hours if there is no conflict of interest the service is not brought into disrepute and a senior officer gives permission.
According to colleagues, senior officers were aghast when a meeting was told about the officer's exploits. Three years ago, another officer was sacked for trying to set himself up as a stripper. He said he was suffering from stress at the time and have problems with his sexual image!

From "The Times" dated 20.5.98 via Tony Powers

(In this scene from a play PEISTHETAERUS has left his home, looking for a better city to live in. He has in mind a clear limit to the amount of aggro he can put up with in the new city. Here he is trying to explain the worst things he could put up with)

HOOPOE: What kind of thing? Give me an example.

PEISTHETAERUS; Well, a chap comes up to you and he's quite purple in the face with fury, and he's got this very good-looking young son, and he says: "What's all this I hear about you and my boy? This is a fine way to go on, I must say, You meet him, coming from the gymnasium, clean and gleaming after his bath, and you don't make love to him, you don't even tickle his balls. And you call yourself a friend of mine!"

(From The Birds of Aristophanes, 414 BC

Early in 1798 the Admiralty heard disturbing reports that the French were preparing large numbers of ships at Toulon, Genoa and other Mediterranean ports for a major military offensive. Fearing the French might break out into the Atlantic to attack Portugal or Ireland, or be about to assault the kingdom of Naples and the two Sicilies they ordered Admiral John Jervis, Earl of St Vincent to send a squadron into the Mediterranean where Britain had no naval presence, to try and find out the enemy's intentions. To this end they recommended that Rear Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson should command it.
Nelson had hardly arrived off the southern French coast with his three 74-gun ships and five frigates when a violent storm dis-masted his flagship Vanguard and separated the frigates from the rest of the squadron. Failing to re-establish contact the frigates returned to Gibraltar and after making temporary repairs off Sardinia the depleted squadron returned to position off Toulon. Two days later (7 June) they were joined by 10 more 74-gun ships and the 50-gun Leander as St Vincent had decided to up-grade Nelson's command to a full fighting unit; this was timely as it was now learned that he main French force had sailed on 19 May, the day before Nelson's first arrival and his newly assembled fleet was able to set off immediately in pursuit down the coast of Italy.
As Naples the British Ambassador, Sir William Hamilton told Nelson that the French had gone to attack Malta and beyond the Straits of Messia he learned they had taken Malta, garrisoned it and left. Nelson now deduced that Egypt was their most likely destination and made full speed for Alexandria, but when he arrived there on 28 June he found no sign of the French and doubled back to Syracuse, Sicily, where he made proper repairs to Vanguard and his fleet also took on fresh supplies. Sailing from Crete on 23 July Nelson learned that he had overtaken the French fleet on its way to Alexandria and, lacking frigates for reconnaissance, failed to intercept them between there and Syracuse.
A French army commanded by General Napoleon Bonaparte had disembarked at Alexandria on July 1, occupied Cairo and on July 21 defeated the Mameduke Governors of Egypt at the Battle of the Pyramids.
Napoleon, the rising military star of the French Republic, had persuaded his government to back his daring scheme of occupying Egypt and use it as a base from which to attack British power in India. The first phase had been achieved with spectacular success but Nelson's approaching fleet would ruin it completely.
The Nelson Touch
As soon as Nelson's fleet had assembled he began holding regular meetings with his Captains to discuss tactics with them so that everyone knew and understood his intentions and would work together and have the confidence to take initiatives in battle; his primary aim was always to annihilate the enemy. Thus prepared the Admiral had no need in battle to send detailed instructions to the fleet in the knowledge that everyone would do whatever was necessary to achieve victory.

Aboukir Bay
The French Admiral, Brueys, had refused to take his fleet into Alexandria harbour with the transport vessels as the entrance was narrow and could be easily blockaded. Against Napoleon's advice he had taken his ships 15 miles to the east and anchored them in a tight defensive line in the shallow waters of Aboukir Bay. The bay was defended by a fort at its western end and its entrance was protected by a series of natural obstructions, a cluster of rocky inlets, the larger Bequieres Island (upon which batteries were placed) and a large shoal (submerged sand bank) which extended in a line eastward of the fort. The French line of 13 warships was anchored behind Bequieres Island and the shoal and then curved slightly south eastward towards the landward shore so that it presented a formidable collective broadside seaward to an approaching enemy. Four frigates were anchored behind the line where, it was believed, no enemy would ever penetrate.

The Battle
Nelson's fleet arrived off Alexandria at noon on August 1 and then sailed eastward along the coast in search of Bruey's fleet. Its distant masts were sighted at 14.30 and at 15.00 Nelson signalled "Prepare for battle and for anchoring by the stern."; each ship was to select an opponent, anchor alongside and fire broadsides until it either sank or surrendered. At 17.00 he signalled "I mean to attack the enemy's van (the head of the line) and centre." And at 17.30 "Form line of battle as convenient." At which his ships fell into a single file as they approached the entrance to the bay. At 17.40 "Close action." was signalled.
The French were unprepared; only their seaward guns were ready. Their decks had not been properly cleared for action and hundreds of men had been sent ashore to dig wells and guard them from Bedouin raids; they had expected the British would fire a few broadsides at long range and then withdraw to prepare for battle the next day. The French believed it impossible that the enemy would dare sail into the shallow waters behind their line. They were mistaken!
As the head of the British line rounded the eastern end of the Bequieres Shoal at 18.00 Captain Foley of Goliath seeing that the French were anchored by the bow so that they could swing in a full circle around their anchors, realised that there must be room for a ship to pass ahead of the first ship in the French line and attack from the landward side. He seized the initiative; as he turned round the head of the French line he sank, with a broadside, the frigate La Serieuse which tried to intercept him and began the action by anchoring and opening fire on the second in the French line at 18.15. As the rest of the fleet arrived, one by one, the first few followed Foley while others stayed on the seaward side to achieve a classic doubling manoeuvre, firing on the enemy from both sides simultaneously. At the moment when Nelson's Vanguard engaged La Spartiate, third in the French line, from the seaward side the sun set and darkness fell quickly. At the same time the wind dropped and Culloden, last in the British line, drifted aground on the Bequieres Shoal and was prevented from joining the action. Some of the British ships now arriving broke through the French line to increase the devastation. Captain Derby of Bellerophon" found himself ranged against Admiral Bruey's flagship, the 100-gun L'Orient which was seventh in line and, despite the fact that it was twice his size and had twice his weight of broadside, fought it for an hour. When Bellerophon, with two masts down and 200 crew dead drifted out of the line it was immediately replaced by others including the 50-gun Leander which anchored at an angle astern of L'Orient where it was out of range of the flagships' guns but could rake both the flagships (and the 74-gun Franklin which lay beyond it) with its own broadsides. After two hours four of the leading French ships had surrendered and Nelson's opponent La Spartiate was all but finished; Nelson had just decided that it was time to demolish the centre and rear of the French line when a fragment of a broadside from La Spartiate laid his forehead open with a stunning blow. Concussed and temporarily blinded by blood Nelson had to be taken below for treatment. The wound, though messy, was slight but because of the concussion he was kept below resting.
Aboard L'Orient Brueys had both his legs shot away and then, with tourniquets applied to both stumps, had himself placed on a chair on the Quarterdeck from which he continued to issue orders until he was killed, cut in half by a single shot. At 21.00 fire was reported to have broken out among equipment which had not been cleared away on L'Orient, and it soon burned out of control.

Part two will be in our Winter ATTENTION!

Blues Summer Inaugural

This year's summer inaugural was held at the new gay pub in Victoria "The Stag" which is managed by Steve, ex landlord of the King's Arms in Poland Street and was attended by 18 members and reserves.
After initially meeting at the OTHER King's Arms we proceeded to the upstairs room at The Stag. The management at Central Station had approached Phil advising that we now had to vacate the Pullman Lounge and return to the cellar bar. Unfortunately we were restricted in our hours viz. 20.00-22.00 because it was used later by "Bulk". This had been accepted on a temporary basis until something better turns up.
After the meeting we proceeded downstairs where a splendid buffet awaited us served with his usual dexterity by Sean whom we have come to know as a friend and a wonderful caterer. After the eating we had to formally "greet" two new members who had been unable to make it to the AGM as they were either in the Southern Hemisphere or Asia; you can run but you cannot hide! A very warm welcome to Shie and David, we look forward to a long and happy union with the London Blues.
This was a splendid event and I can only say to those who missed it that they really missed something rather special.

Obituary....Mark Sanderssonn

(1962 - 1998)

Mark Sanderssonn was a regular attendee at the London Blues in the late 1980's, when the club used to meet at the Laurel Tree in Camden Town. He lived in East London and had a number of clerical jobs in local government, none of which used his creativity or talents to the full (he had a gift for words, and wrote plays and poetry in his spare time). He had lived with AIDS, which he was very up front about, for at least 5 years before his death on 28 June this year, at the age of 35. During the last year or two he was well enough to take up a new career as a stand-up comic, studying on a course which he greatly enjoyed. He had just started to give performances this year, and had also been accepted to do a humanities degree course at London University for this autumn. He was an excellent mimic and storyteller, with a keen and ironic sense of humour, and although he was very nervous about performing in public he recently had the satisfaction of knowing that he really could do it and make people laugh.
At a birthday low-point some years ago he decided to give himself an unusual present to cheer himself up - two extra letters to his surname! Contrary to what some people assumed, he had no Scandinavian connections, it was just that, as an adopted child, he did not feel particularly attached to his name, and liked the idea of having it in a less conventional form.
About 70 people attended Mark's funeral. He had asked to be buried in an overgrown part of a Victorian London cemetery, and a suitably atmospheric spot was found at Manor Park. Several poems that Mark had written were read out. Although he died so young, during his life he was a loyal, sensitive and good friend to a great many people, who will miss him greatly.

HIGH WYCOMBE

The prosperous market town of High Wycombe is best known through the products of its manufacturing industries, principally furniture, air compressors and postage stamps. But did you know that both the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and the Royal Tournament have their origins here, the connection with the former now recognised with the erection of a plaque to mark the site of the founder’s former home, now occupied by a shopping precinct.
This man was Major General John Gasparde Le Marchant, born in 1766 into an old Guernsey family, whose father had also pursued a military career. During his distinguished service and particularly on the field of battle, Le Marchant came to the conclusion that the failures of his younger officers were due mainly to the lack of adequate training facilities rather than incompetence and he gradually formulated a plan to remedy this state of affairs.
This opportunity to get the project moving forward came in 1797 during a time when his regiment were quartered in Windsor, when he acquired a house in High Wycombe and set about finding suitable temporary accommodation for his Staff Training College. This he found at the Antelope Inn in the High Street, and with a General Jarry installed as his second in command and a class of 26 young officers under instruction, this enterprise opened on 4th May 1799. The general was well qualified to deliver tactical lectures, having previously been Head of the Ecole Militaire in Berlin for many years.
Le Marchant submitted his plan for a national establishment to the Duke of York that same year (1799), which resulted in the granting of the Royal Assent in 1801 and Parliament voting a sum of £30,000 for a Royal Military College consisting of two departments, a Senior at High Wycombe, and a Junior at Great Marlow, the latter opening immediately in a private house, which still exists to this day, more familiarly known as Remnantz, in West Street.
The cadets at Marlow were aged between 13 and 17, and by 1803 numbers had swollen to over 400 which led to the acquisition of the nearby Royal residence of Marlow Place to house the overflow, and led to George III himself spending time at the academy during this period.
It is not recorded whether the king was subjected to the same strict regime as his fellow cadets, whose day commenced with a drum call at 5am followed by parade and inspection at 6am, after which came prayers and time for study until breakfast at 9am. In addition to further periods of study during the day, fencing, riding, swimming and the sabre were practised before dinner, and military exercises took up 3 hours before supper.
Despite the discipline imposed upon them, the behaviour of a small minority of cadets drew local criticism when graffiti appeared on college buildings. But the event, which caused the most unwelcome publicity, occurred in 1804 when nine cadets were publicly expelled as ringleaders of a failed mutiny that had been intended to achieve the removal of an unpopular commander. Both departments remained on their respective sites for well over a decade, then, early in 1813 the senior department moved from High Wycombe to Farnham shortly before the junior department relocated from Marlow to Blackwater. Farnham grew to become the Staff College, Camberley, whilst Blackwater became the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Sadly, Le Marchant never lived to see his dreams realised, having perished at the battle of Salamanca on July 22nd 1812, during the defeat of the French by Wellington's army.
Upon becoming vacant, the 18th century Remnantz property was purchased by Thomas Owen Wethered, who in 1788 had founded his brewery close by, and members of the family continued to live there until quite recent times. Following the take over by Whitbreads, the brewery was closed and is now almost completely redeveloped for housing.
There is an obscure connection between Le Marchant and the founder of the Royal Tournament, as after his death his house became the High Wycombe Library until it was demolished. The man who designed the Wycombe Free Library that replaced it was a local architect and auctioneer, Jack Raffety, who was the man who started the Royal Tournament. Another link exists through his grandfather, a John Raffety, born in 1784, who was later recorded as keeping the Antelope or Catherine Wheel in the High Street. You may remember that it was the Antelope that was the first home of the Schools of Instruction for Officers started by Le Marchant in 1799.
Returning to Jack Raffety, it appears that as a result of falling off a swing in his childhood, he suffered severe disablement and was thereafter dependent on riding horseback as his regular means of transport. Notwithstanding his mobility problems, Jack became a very active member of the community and under his control, the cattle auctioning side of the firm of Raffety and Son founded by his father grew from strength to strength. Wanting to expand this side of the business beyond the confines of the surrounding hills, Jack hit upon an ambitious plan that would involve his competing directly with the famous Smithfield Market, by leasing the Agricultural Hall in Islington. Naturally word of his audacious scheme soon spread amongst the London traders and they put a stop to it.
Now lumbered with a big empty space, Jack set about finding alternative events to stage suited to his skills, such as cattle shows and other public displays, then in 1882 he organised a Grand Military Tournament, for the purpose of raising funds for the soldiers' widows who resided at the Royal Cambridge Asylum. Unfortunately Jack actually lost money on this venture, but he persevered and within a few years this annual event grew so popular that inevitably larger premises were required, hence the move to Earl's Court, and as they say, the rest is history!

Adding a spot of colour is a pic of an off duty relaxing Fireman.....just waiting for the call!!!

We have completely redone the Club Events for the remainder of 1998 to include all the UK Clubs. The full table will be incorporated within our ECMC page as soon as possible.

And Finally......we have AND FINALLY..........with a pic entitled "I can see you are glad to see me...." from the Royale Studio

ATTENTION! index page