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Let`s start with a quick chat about our meetings :
We meet on the second Thursday of each month apart from January - so eleven months of the year. Our venue, for some time, has been the Charvil Village Hall, in Park Lane, Charvil, near Twyford in Berkshire, and the postcode is RG10 9TR.
Meetings start at 8.00 pm although the doors are open a bit earlier at 7.30 pm, and we finish up at 9.45 pm.
Our regular programme consists of 4 small auctions (of approximately a hundred lots), about half are cigarette cards, whilst the rest are typically books, postcards and other miscellaneous ephemera. By the way, we do not publish our auction catalogues in advance, they are only available to pick up at the door on the night of the meeting, which adds to the fun, and also the excitement.
At which point we need to say that we have about thirty members, but we are one of the most eclectic clubs, for within our group are enthusiasts for all manner of ephemera, including postcards, memorabilia from all manner of sport and popular culture, bookmarks, stickers, and, of course, cigarette and trade cards.
We also have illustrated talks on many various subjects, put together and presented by our members, and a small fair in August, with our Annual General Meeting (and Christmas party) closing the year in December.
Our 2025 meeting dates are :
- Thursday February 13th
- Thursday March 13th
- Thursday April 10th
- Thursday May 8th
- Thursday June 12th
- Thursday July 10th
- Thursday August 14th
- Thursday September 11th
- Thursday October 9th
- Thursday November 13th
- Thursday December 11th
Looking back at our story...
proves that it is much longer than you may believe. And it starts with :
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The Reading Branch of the Cameric Cigarette Card Club
... which began way back in October 1947. This was discovered in Volume 2, No.4 of the Cameric club magazine, "Notes and News", where, at the bottom of the very first page, it says :
READING BRANCH
We are pleased to announce the formation of a new Cameric Branch, this time at Reading, by Mr. C. W. J. Long.
After contacting about 12 members living in the neighbourhood a meeting was arranged. Unfortunately the holiday season was in full swing and only 3 attended, but it was decided to hold monthly meetings and it is hoped that all members interested will endeavour to make our new venture a success by being present at the next meeting.
Please write for full particulars to Branch Secretary :-
Mr. C. W. J. Long, 87 Salisbury Road, ReadingHere’s wishing our new Branch every success. Such enterprise deserves full support. Good luck to you. F.V. BLOWS.
In the next edition of the magazine, dated November 1947, the Branch is included as part of the "Branch News" section. Sadly for historians, this section begins by saying that “The latest news of Branch activities will, in future, be included in the Club`s Postal Auction inserts" and these are now very rare. If they had been included in the magazines we would have had a grand source to regale you from. However there is a short write up which did at least give the venue of their next meeting, and this reads :
Reading Branch
This new Branch extends a hearty welcome to collectors and members for miles around to join us at the Trade Union Club, Minister Street, Reading, on Thursday, 18th December, at 7 p.m. Please get in touch with Branch Secretary, Mr. C. W. Long, 87, Salisbury Road, Reading.
This Trade Union Club was not the original, which had opened in 1914 along the Oxford Road, it was instead the larger second premises, to which they had relocated in 1924, and at where they would remain until 1989.
Anyway, from then on, if there is a mention of the Reading Branch, it is simply a small monthly snippet giving the Secretary’s address and venue, as above. Until, in January 1948, (Vol.2, No.7) there is a piece which reads :
READING BRANCH
The third meeting of the Reading Branch was held on 13th November and four members attended. An interesting discussion was held on cards and a system of exchanging on catalogue value, irrespective of condition, was instituted, which works very satisfactorily. It is hoped that more members will attend on 17th December, at 7 p.m., at The Trade Union Club, Minister Street, Reading, Room 4 or 1a, whichever is available. Full particulars from the Branch Secretary Mr. C. W. J. LONG 87 Salisbury Road, Reading
And whilst the front page of Notes & News for February 1948 (Vol.2 NS No.8) simply urges readers to drop a line to the Branch Secretary for particulars of forthcoming meetings, and gives the meeting venue, later on in the same edition there is another report, which says :
Reading Branch
A full attendance on January 15th. Look out London – we are expanding! Six members and one visitor attended. The latter was handed a membership form and by now … ?
An enjoyable programme of exchanging was carried out and it was arranged to book rooms for twelve months ahead. Dates of next meetings in room 1 or 4 : Thursday Feb. 19th and Thursday March 11th at 7.15 p.m. C.W.J. LONG
I next pick their story up courtesy of the L.C.C.C. "Cigarette Card News" for November/December 1954 (Vol.20 No.237) in which there is an advertisement box for the Cameric Cigarette Card Club and it states "Branches in Lancashire (Manchester), Yorkshire (Leeds), Bournemouth and Reading. And apart from adding Branches this advert remains until 1959, which is the last edition I have.
Now when the Cameric Cigarette Card Club merged with the Cartophilic Society, in 1964, Reading was not listed amongst the Branches which the Cartophilic members could now attend, and I do not know why. I presume it had closed, but if anyone has any post 1954 copies of Cameric Notes and News, and they see either more information, or a notice of closure, please do let me know..
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The Reading & Berkshire District Branch of the Cartophilic Society
That means that the first mention I have of a Reading Branch of the Cartophilic Society comes from the "Cartophilic Notes & News" magazine for May/June 1974. However, in the transcription of the President`s Report, which was originally delivered at the Annual General Meeting, as a round up of events which have happened during the year since the last one took place, we have this note :
The old Reading Branch has been reformed under the name of the Reading and Berkshire District Branch [and are] holding meetings at the residence of the Secretary, Mr T. J. Blay, 57 Queensway, Caversham Park Village, Reading, Berkshire. As interest and membership grows, it is hoped to hold meetings in a suitable hall.
I do not yet know whether that "old" Reading Branch is the Cameric one, of twenty years earlier, which I doubt - or an interim Cartophilic one that I have not yet discovered.
Anyway, this new Reading Branch has been also added to the list of Cartophilic Branches, and dates for the remainder of 1974 were included, namely :
All meetings on Wednesday; 19th June, 4th September, 2nd October (A.G.M.), 6th November, 4th December. All meetings at 7.45 p.m. at the address of the Secretary, who should be contacted beforehand if attendance is intended.
The A.G.M. being in October definitely supports the theory that there was a Reading Branch of the Cartophilic Society which was started in October 1973. And that is backed amidst some sad news which appears in the edition for Nov/Dec 1974 (Vol.5 No.60) :
Web Master`s Note : This gap between 1973 and 1997 is because I am waiting to get the index finished and then I can start from scratch gathering details from all my magazines with the index on hand. But I found the above bits whilst hunting for card data!
We know that by September 1997 we were moved to the Rugby Club at Sonning instead of an undisclosed location in Loddon, Twyford, but we still also met at Charvil Village Hall in Twyford.
There is a full report of the Club Christmas Party in the Card Times Magazine for February 2000. This reads :
The enthusiastic and immensely organised Reading and District Card Club combined its Christmas party at Charvil Village Hall with its AGM. The Reading club has just over 100 members and manages a monthly attendance of 30-plus. The club also meets twice a month - at Charvil and also at Woodley Airfield Centre. The Reading Christmas festivities included a musical `cabaret` spot by Gerry Wray and a buffet prepared by Margaret Hussey , wife of chairman Ken Hussey, and her band of helpers.
The club also organised a publicity stall at Maidenhead`s `Leisure Alive` Fair on January 8th, part of its ongoing publicity campaign for the hobby. And the eagerly awaited Annual Reading Jamboree is to be held at the Rivermead Centre on Sunday July 2.
At this time Brian Eighteen was the Secretary.
By the way the Woodley Airfield Centre was converted to The Museum of Berkshire Aviation, and this could explain why that venue was lost.
We also used to hold a huge Annual Fair at Rivermead Leisure Centre, but sadly that was cancelled to comply with covid restrictions in June 2020, and they never returned. What happened was that Rivermead decided to undergo major building works before their re-opening to the general public, and these are still not quite finished, however, whilst they have greatly enhanced the leisure facilities and enlarged the car park, they have demolished the hall we used to use.