- Last amended - Sunday, 17 March 2024
Chiltern branch no longer exists.
Records tell us their Annual General Meeting in May of 1980 was presided over by the Chairman Mr. James M. Young, and in July 1980 an article appeared in the Cartophilic Notes and News concerning their branch fair and auction in Aylesbury on Sunday May 18. This includes reference to the fact that Clifford Duge and Fred Piper came up from London, John Walton and Len Matthews from Hampshire, and several of the West Country Branch also attended as guests. In fact, even John Knowles came down from Timperley. The auction started at 11am, it comprised a hundred lots and only six were not sold.
The meeting brought lots of enquiries from local collectors about joining the club and the society. It was also announced that this would be the last meeting attended by Terry Davies, who had been secretary, as he was moving down to Hampshire.
According to my gleanings, Mr P. F. Meyer of Marlow was the secretary at one time, but whether before or after Mr Davies I have no idea.
We have been sent a clipping of meeting notes from April 13, 1982. This does not give a location, but mentions lots of new faces among the familiar regulars and guests from Hampshire, and says another good attendance was recorded. They seemed to have dealers at the meeting, who were asked to close for the actual club business. In addition members having bought interesting items since the last meeting were invited to bring them along for others to look at; the highlight of this meeting seems to have been a good collection of Fry’s Advertising postcards. They also ran Branch auctions, and they must have maintained a reference library, as they remark the February auction had been most successful, and a small profit had been made which was to be spent on a World Index Part Four for the Branch Library. The profit had mostly been garnered from an assemblage of “type” cards, which were all sold, and sold well, with much spirited bidding. On a sad note, one of the founders James Young was relocating and moving to Kent, so he would no longer be able to attend the meetings he had fought so hard to start, or be involved with publishing the monthly club newsletter, though he promised to finish the one in hand.
In September 1982`s “Cartophilic Notes and News”, Vol.10-112, the Branch Information pages tell us that the Branch Secretary was Mr. T. Bradbury, and that meetings were being held at “The Bell”, Great Milton, near Thame, Oxon, at 8.00 p.m. on Tuesdays. The dates given were 12th of October and 14th of December 1982
Now in February 1983`s “Cartophilic Notes and News”, Vol.11-116, the Branch Notes section starts with a quite lengthy report, by Mr. Bradbury, which reads :
Sixteen members braved the weather conditions to attend the December branch meeting. They were rewarded with a good supply of cards, plus an atmosphere found at this time of year, only in a village pub, roaring log fire in hearth, Christmas tree, and all the seasonal decorations.
Treasurer Basil Hall reported a profit of £44.14 was made on the last branch auction. Branch funds now totalled £129. Ted Cheshire proposed another auction be arranged – this agreed. And will take place at the April meeting, Ron Romans kindly providing the first lots.
The branch Newsletter, which James Young prepared before his departure to Kent, had been printed and issued to members. However, requests for a new editor fell on stony ground! From Mr. A. Watkins of New Zealand, the branch had received a large quantity of trade cards. Most members had not seen any of the series before, and they provided interesting viewing. These will be included in our next branch auction. Members expressed their thanks to Mr. Watkins for his generosity.
Visiting secretary Mike Tubb, gave members details of the Reading & District Inter-Club Annual Competition. It is hoped we will provide more entrants this year.
With our branch meetings being featured on local Radio Oxford recently, and the homely conditions “The Bell” provides, we look towards 1983 with some confidence of better things to come, after a period of uncertainty.
In April 1983`s “Cartophilic Notes and News” Vol.11-118, we find out in the Meeting Dates section that :
Meetings to be held at “The Bell”, Great Milton, near Thame, Oxon, at 8.00 p.m. Tuesdays –
8th February, 12th April, 14th June, 9th August, 11th October (AGM), 6th December
Mr. Bradbury stayed on as Secretary for a while, and is still listed as so in November/December 1984, but in March/April 1985`s “Cartophilic Notes and News” Vol.13-130 the Branch Secretary has become Mr. R. Taylor. At this time Branch meetings took place on the second Monday of the month, at 7.30pm - apart from September when meetings moved to the first Monday, and December, when they held an Annual Christmas Dinner, not a meeting.
We do have a reference to these meetings being based at the Holford Centre, off School Lane, Stanton St John, near Oxford. This site was the village school up until the mid 1980s, and only renamed the Holford Centre once that closed.