A Year in the Life of Our Club - 2014/15

Members of the Basingstoke Deane Rotary Club  have enjoyed a variety of speakers throughout the year. Topics have ranged from local interests such as the Whitchurch Silk Mill and  active charities in the area,  to international subjects such as the economic development of China. We try to include local speakers and one of the highlights was when we welcomed Whitchurch resident Roy Dykes to tell us about his experiences during World War II when serving on the Arctic  Convoys. At the end of the war, Roy was a Lieutenant Commander before returning to Civvy Street. However,  disappointed at the lack of recognition in this country of the many who lost their lives during the convoys, Roy along with other former naval personnel, campaigned for an Arctic Medal to be introduced and this was finally awarded by the introduction of the Arctic Star Medal in 2013.

The theme of interesting speakers continued with hearing about some of the various lives of aircrew in Bomber Command.  Ken Ballantyne has researched their stories and written about them in a light but serious style so that the difficulties faced by those young men are not forgotten. One of his stories referred to a rear gunner who decided to jump from his stricken plane rather than be  burnt alive but who, on landing found himself still alive and uninjured and was able to walk away. A rare story but a true one.

Local interests included a talk by Professor Michael Fulford on “Silchester”.  As one of the leading experts on  Silchester and its excavations,  members were able to appreciate the importance of this site and its role in Roman Britain.

Andy Robertshaw is a military historian who specialises in the Army and was advisor to Steven Spielberg during the making of the film “Warhorse”. Andy has had a fascinating career, both as a teacher and also curator of army museums and his expert knowledge was used during the making of the film, including Andy also playing  several  parts as a soldier. His knowledge and enthusiasm kept members fascinated and intrigued.

Another author was Alan Gallop who has been researching the history of the U Boats used during the 2nd World War.  Alan traced the history and development of the U Boats and described life on board and how the U Boats were eventually defeated by the Navy. Again, a fascinating insight into recent history.

In  June, members of the Club  visited friends in the Belgian Rotary Club of Braine L’Alleud  to watch the recreation of the Battle of Waterloo along with their Belgian friends and fellow French Rotarians. As it will be the 200th anniversary of the Battle and an historic period in European history, this year’s commemorations promised to be spectacular with and members were not disappointed.  To learn more about the history of Belgium, we were privileged to have a speaker from Belgium, Steven Vanrenterghem, who gave a fascinating talk about its history and its role in the development of Europe over the centuries.  Several weeks later, Julian Humphreys revisited us to tell us about the Battle itself and some of the characters and personalities involved. Julian is the Secretary of the Battlefields Trust and read History at Cambridge. He is a regular broadcaster and author and his talk was enthralling and gave us an expert insight into the Battle and the background.

The trip itself was fascinating as members crowded into the site of the battle along with 60.000 others who were also intrigued by the Battle and its history. Over 6000 were dressed in the uniforms of the various armies and came from all over the world to take part in its re-enactment  We even met a “French soldier” who came from Coventry but was working in Brussels as a jeweller but enjoyed going back 200 years in time, even as a French soldier!
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Club members also enjoyed a variety of other evenings embracing a visit to the local Lavender Fields, informal social evenings and speakers from a variety of charities.  The Rotary Year ended at the end of June and Paul Temple has taken over as Club President from Rod Clarke.  Members meet most Tuesday evenings at the Test Valley Golf Club.

(submitted by Colin Hall on behalf of the Rotary Club)