1942 Inter-Allied Conferences organised by Rotary Club of Buxton

1942 INTER-ALLIED FRIENDSHIP CONFERENCES

This verbatim excerpt from Rotary Club of Buxton’s 1972 Golden Jubilee booklet describes a Buxton event organised by the Club at the height of World War II. The booklet’s foreword by Arthur J Hill, Jubilee President of the Rotary Club of Buxton, recognises “authoritative contributions” by the Rt Hon Lord Molson of the High Peak and by Mr John Law, and stalwart editorial effort by Donald W Woodhead, a Past-President of the Club.

“THREE three-day Inter-Allied Friendship Conferences were organised, R.V. Crowther chairman, in May (Whitsun), July and September of 1942, in co-operation with cultural societies concerned with the U.S.S.R., the U.S.A. and China following consultation with the respective embassies. The whole of the Club assisted and the practical support of the Mayor and Corporation of Buxton was secured. The exercise was a study in public of the life and work of the Allies, the war-time parts they were playing in the struggle for freedom and the contribution they could make to post-war reconstruction. In the background the war was poised: enemy forces were reaching the ultimate limits of their advances in the Pacific and at Alamein and Stalingrad.

Halls were booked, speakers invited and members of Inner Wheel and wives of Rotarians canvassed the busy town for accommodation for delegates; five action sub-committees were formed and their chairmen together with a few key non-Rotarians, constituted the executive committee. To cover expenses a charge of 5s{1}. was made for a delegate's badge, which gave admittance to all sessions, including a civic reception and a farewell concert. Before and during each conference there was an exhibition of arts and crafts. Free complimentary tickets were issued to the general public for each session and collections were taken. About 100 delegates were registered through each of the London societies and rooms found for them with difficulty; 200 local delegates also registered.

For the period of each conference the appropriate national flag was flown at the Town Hall, beginning with the hammer and sickle. One committee member's son, then a small boy, remembers a journey from Liverpool in the back of a cold dark car, where he was shrouded for extra warmth in a huge Stars & Stripes; also learning the tune (let alone the words) of the Chinese National(ist) Anthem.

The Sunday afternoon mass meetings were each chaired by Alderman Francis Hall, mayor and had distinguished platforms:
U.S.S.R. - Joseph Macleod (BBC)  D.N. Pritt KC MP  Sir P. Chalmers-Mitchell CBE FRS
U.S.A. - Colonel B.B. McMahon  R.A. Johnson  Lucie Bemrose  Alicia Street
China - Lord Marley, Hsaio Ch'ien{2}, Percy Barstow MP, Dr John Lewis

Two of the collections each raised over £200 for an X-ray unit for the Red Army and for Lady Cripps' Aid to China Fund. Speakers at other meetings were Beatrice King and Dr Joan McMichael (USSR), Prof J A Newell and Fred W Gray (U.S.A.) and Prof G Catlin (now Sir George, husband of Vera Brittain, who were both on the Gestapo 'wanted list’).

Many telegrams of goodwill were received and that the same heart-warming atmosphere was present throughout is very clear in the six issues of the Buxton Herald on the proceedings. The morale of the Allied cause was well served. The programmes underlined the sombre background with the printed instructions: ‘Bring rationed breakfast foods, gas mask and identity card.’ Chairman Vic had only a few weeks' rest before leaving Civvy Street for the RAF”.

Notes: {1} 5s. = £0.25; {2} Hsaio Ch'ien was possibly a BBC War Correspondent (click link below)
http://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/taxonomy/term/24)