Event Reports

8th January 2025

Chairman’s Welcome: Gareth Shelton welcomed 31 Members to today’s meeting, plus 2 guests – Brian and Margaret Batty.

Correspondence: A Christmas card to the Probus Club had been received from the Mayor of Driffield, Cllr. Georgina Lucas (& cats!).

Minutes of the last meeting (27th November): were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting.

Matters arising:
Christmas Party – a good number of Members had said how good it was! The Farmers’ Daughters had not taken a donation, but were happy for the Probus Club to make a donation on their behalf to Saint Catherine’s Hospice. (The Committee had agreed that a donation of £100 could be made. There was also an anonymous donation of £50 to be included.)
Penny (a singer with The Farmers’ Daughters had agreed to come along to the next Probus meeting when the cheque would be presented to the Saint Catherine’s Driffield Support Group (who would send a representative).
The ‘cut-off’ date of 1st January for renewal annual Club subscriptions was now in effect.
Mike Battams reminded Members that when paying for trips, etc, it would be appreciated if this could be cash, rather than cheques, due to an increase in the cost charged by Lloyds for deposits..

AOB:
Barbara Hall informed Members that Driffield-in-Bloom were to hold a Quiz Evening on 6th February, 7.30 for 8.00pm, at the Recreation Club. It is fine to ‘just turn up’ on the evening!
Lunch at The North Star – quite a few Members have booked; this meeting is the ‘cut-off’ date for booking.
The Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band concert taking place in Hull which Gerald Massey mentioned recently had received some interest, and he would be booking tickets (£14.50) later in the day.
David Holman reminded Members that he had asked previously if there was any interest in his arranging Day Trips to places of interest further afield & in addition to those currently organised; these trips would be organised for the Probus Club by a local coach company. He asked for a show of hands, and as there was interest, said he would send out a brief questionnaire for suggestions of places we could go (anywhere that is accessible by coach, with return the same day). He also asked for a couple of volunteers to help him.

The meeting was then handed over to Question master
Malcolm Craggs for one of his ‘famous quizzes’!

The next meeting would be on Wednesday 22nd January, when Chris Cade would tell the Club about ‘Arthur Walker’s Great War’, a story of a Wolds Wagoner.

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27th November 2024

Chairman’s welcome: Welcome to all attending today, plus our guests: Doreen Hare, Janet Clark’s daughter Lizzie and June, Mary Scaife’s assistant.

Correspondence: None.

Minutes from last meeting (13th November): accepted as an accurate record with no matters arising.

New Members: Joan Hill’s application had been accepted at the last meeting and today she was formally welcomed to the Club.

AOB:
Denise Dunnington had a number of entry forms for the ‘Driffield in Bloom’ Christmas Trail, and read out the list of prizes available (find each of 100 letters scattered amongst businesses to make a Christmas phrase).
Probus Christmas Tree: Tina Shelton, Marjorie & Mike Battams will be decorating the tree ready for the Driffield Christmas Tree Festival at All Saints Church from 29th Nov. until 5th Jan.
Christmas Party: a reminder of the final date for booking – 4th Dec.
Mike Battams, Probus Treasurer, had received a letter from Lloyds about changes to banking conditions; as from 1st Jan. 2025 there will be a monthly banking fee, plus charges will be levied on deposits for cash & cheques (50p/chq.). For this reason, MB asked that when paying for any events, membership fees, etc, could Members please pay in cash, as this incurs a smaller charge for deposits than do cheques. [This topic was discussed in length at the last Committee meeting, and it was decided that, for the time being, it would be best to stay with a business that the treasurer was happy to use, and was also convenient. ]
Robert Fuller Gallery trip + Afternoon Tea; Christmas Party: Members were reminded that this was the final date to book for either/both of these events.
Another ‘New Year’ lunch was to be booked with The North Star Inn at Flamborough for mid-January; once finalised, details would be sent out to Members.
Members were reminded of the notice which had been added to the meeting agenda: it was a Committee decision that “should a Member not have paid their Annual Subscription by 1st January, 2025, then their membership will be taken as having lapsed and their details removed from Club records.”

With all the business completed, GS handed the meeting over to Mary Scaife to present her talk ‘WOT SIT 4’.

• Mary began by setting her Victorian (sand) timer to start running (for an hour).
• Her father had been an auctioneer in Hull and she had been his assistant for many years, eventually taking over from him.
• She told us about china ornaments which used to be given out as prizes at fairs; hence they became known as ‘Fairings’! She had with her a set she had collected and told the Club, and showed us, the story of ‘Sarah & Joseph’, handing around the pieces for Members to look at.
• After this, Mary asked for 4 volunteers to help her show her other items – Peter Grant, Ray Jones, Gerald Massey and John Eldret were the ‘willing’ volunteers.
• There were 6 rounds altogether, and for each of these, Mary gave each volunteer an obscure item to ‘think about’ before asking each, in turn, what they thought their item was. Their ‘guesses’ proved to be quite inventive, some a bit outlandish(!), but all received lots of laughs; some were even correctly guessed, each one getting a round of applause from the audience.

The meeting closed, with Gerald Massey proposing a vote of thanks for Mary, adding ‘it had been a fantastic morning, where we had all learned a lot, and laughed a lot, as wel!” All those present agreed and gave a round of applause.

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13th November 2024

Chairman’s Welcome: 36 Members attended the meeting; Gareth Shelton mentioned that Sarah Ryalls wanted the ‘used’ biscuit wrappers from the meeting to make Christmas decorations at the Dementia Club in Bridlington. Gerald Massey mentioned a topic from the recent Committee Meeting: retiring President, Malcolm Craggs, was offered an Honorary Life Member position; MC accepted saying he was very honoured to be offered this and was also very glad to accept this position in such a flourishing Club. [MC said he had joined in 2001 when it was an ‘all male Club’ meeting twice a month in Wold House in Nafferton, when it was a very different Club.] GM thanked MC for his letter, mentioning also the two other Honorary Life Members – Peter Hyde and Tony Harris, also saying that from next October the names of all Honorary Life Members will be included in the Year Book.

Sick Members: Tony Harris (continues to make an improvement & hopes to return to meetings at some point). Also Sue Hyde (present) had slipped on leaves outside Alfred Bean Hospital, fell and broke her arm (at the very top of the humerus). She thanked everyone for the card from the Club, as well as calls from Members, and especially the help given by Malcolm Craggs and John Bateman.

Correspondence:

• GM had received a card from Joan Hill, thanking the Club for her invite to the Formal Dinner where she was made to feel ‘very welcome’.
• This year’s Driffield Christmas Tree Festival takes place at All Saints Church from Friday 29th November to Sunday 5th January 2025. Marjorie Battams and Tina Shelton will undertake tree-decorating duties again (Mike Battams will transport the tree and set it up); any other offers of help are always welcome!
• Sarah Ryalls had information about a concert on Friday 29th November – please contact GM for further information.
• John Sharman had sent a letter apologising for his recent absences from meetings; his partner in Sheffield had recently had a fall, breaking her hip, and JS had been down frequently to help out. She was much improved.

Minutes from meeting of 23rd October: Denise Dunnington had mentioned the awards received by ‘Driffield in Bloom’ as well as the unveiling of a ceramic tile plaque showing routes and stations of the North Eastern Railway (this had been made by the same company who made the originals); it was attended by some of the Club Members.

New Members: Joan Hill (who had been to many events in the past with her husband – a past Member – as well as attending recent Christmas Parties as a ‘widow’) had applied to join the Probus Club - agreed by all Members present.

AOB: GM mentioned that several topics had been raised at the recent Committee meeting:-

• The Formal Dinner had gone very well and therefore it was intended to arrange again for next year – at Hotel 41, and on Thursday 16th October 2025, however, at the earlier time of 6.00pm for 6.30pm. Confirmation of this and further details will be made available in due course.
• Christmas Party – will take place on 11th December at the Cricket Club, 11 am to 2 pm; entertainment by The Farmers’ Daughters; Father Christmas will make an appearance; there will be a ‘Secret Santa’ again, so can everyone attending please bring along a gift to the value of £5.00 and suitable for both sexes, (Santa will not have time to sort the gifts before handing out!) Details will be sent out very shortly, please book as soon as you can.
• Microphone for visiting Speakers to use – (suggested by a Member who could not quite hear everything said during a presentation); if any Members can suggest something suitable, please speak to GS. [Mike Thornton said that he had something that may be useful.] [Malcolm Craggs mentioned that some years ago, the Club had a speaker which he has been storing; this may be of use if a microphone/headset could be obtained and connected.]
• Projector Stand – something similar to the older ‘A-shape’ double stands (no longer available to purchase) would be useful for larger projectors used by some Speakers; if any Member sees one, e.g. in a Charity/Second-hand shop, please inform GS (or if you are able to purchase one, you will be reimbursed).
• Washing-up – there are a small core of Members who usually volunteer; it would be good to have more volunteers!
• David Holman asked Club Members if they would be interested in Day Trips to venues further afield being organised? (These would be in addition to those already organised by GM.) DH has contacted Ashley Adams, who already do Day Trips; however, for a minimum of 20 people and a deposit, will organise bespoke trips for the Club. GS asked for a show of hands of those who may be interested, and with enough to satisfy the ‘minimum of 20’, DH said he would send out more information.
• Barbara Hall mentioned that The Driffield Silver Band were giving a ‘free of charge’ concert in The Methodist Church, 2 – 4 pm on Saturday 30th November.
• She also mentioned the Driffield in Bloom Christmas Trail, to find 100 letters scattered amongst the Christmas displays of local businesses; this takes place from Fri. 29th November to Fri. 20th December.

With the business meeting finished, GS handed over to Sam Walton to give his illustrated talk on
‘My Life in Farming’.

• He has spent many years in the farming industry and now writes articles for The Wolds Weekly.
• His family were living in Northumberland when he was born. He passed his 11+ exam making him eligible for Hexham Grammar School, however, his mother got a job as a housekeeper in York, the family moved, and Sam went to school at Hull Grammar School.
• When he left school, he got a job on a farm in Malton, but left after a year.
• He got another farming job, and joined the ‘Young Farmers’ aged 15 yrs, in Roos. Whilst here, he learned they did ‘scholarship tours’ abroad, one being based in Rhodesia. He applied, and with another local lad, went for an interview in London, which was successful; so aged 21 yrs, set sail for Rhodesia. Sam showed many interesting photos of the different things he experienced, and the many sights he saw.
• When he returned to England, Sam got job with a farm in Aldborough, keeping pigs, which was the start of his interest in them.
• He also moved to Lincolnshire for work.
• At one point he was asked to start a magazine about pigs, and so became the Editor of ‘Pig World’, which sold for many years before being taken over by ‘Farmers’ Weekly’.
• He showed many photos of the other countries he had visited in connection with farming: Thailand (where they do a lot of hydroponics); Cambodia; Australia.

Malcom Craggs thanked Sam for a very interesting talk, also mentioning that he, too, had been to Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia), and that all the people he encountered ‘seemed to be afraid of Mugabe!’. MC asked Members to show their appreciation with a round of applause.

In closing the meeting for the day, GS mentioned that the ladies from Saint Catherine’s Hospice Driffield Support Group had seemed ‘very pleased’ with the sales of their Christmas cards.

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23rd October 2024

The Chairman welcomed 33 Members and 3 guests, plus our speaker Michelle Beadle and her husband, Alan.

Correspondence:
A ‘Thank You’ had been received from Pam Woodcock for inviting her to The Formal Dinner.
There was a Facebook ‘Thank You’ posted by The Mayor, Georgina Lucas.
St. Catherine’s Hospice are holding a Festive Coffee Morning at Highfield House on 3rd December at £10 each – please contact Gerald Massey if you are interested, ASAP.
An email was received from Sarah Ryalls stating that Christine Craven (ERYC and a recent speaker) had been able to sort out a problem they had had. [GM mentioned that Christine Craven had also been able to help a number of other Members.]
An email had been received from Driffield Croquet Club who are looking to start Wheelchair Croquet sessions; please contact GM who will forward your interest on to DCC.
Denise Dunnington mentioned that ‘Driffield in Bloom’ had received two awards. She also mentioned that there was to be an ‘Unveiling Ceremony’ of the large tiled map of the North East Rail region, to take place on Tuesday 29th October at 2–3pm on Driffield Station.

Minutes of the last meeting, 25th September: had been sent out to Members; all agreed they were accurate record.

New Members: there were two new Members applying to join– Shirley Jones and Janet Clark. Both were welcomed to Driffield Probus Club.

AOB: GS thanked Denise Massey for preparing the Driffield Probus Club ‘Year Book’ for 2024/25.
[Birthday cards to Christine Wilson, Malcolm Winn, David Bannister.]

The meeting was then handed over to Michelle Beadle to present her illustrated talk on
‘The Life of Amy Johnson’ the Hull-born aviator.

• She began by saying she thought Amy Johnson one of the most courageous women of the early 20th century.
• In 1903 the Wright Bros. made history with the first powered flight; Amy Johnson was born in this same year – 1st July 1903. Her family lived at 154 St. Georges Road, Hull, and were associated with the fishing industry. She was the oldest of four girls: Amy, Irene, Polly, Betty.
• She mostly attended small private schools; however, in 1915 she went to Boulevard Municipal Secondary School, where she stayed until 19 years of age, only really working hard on the subjects she liked.
• She managed to pass the entrance exam for Sheffield University where she finally managed to gain a BA in Economics, in 1925. (She took part in many debates, liked dancing and other extra-curricular activities, originally failing her 1st year, but was allowed to continue.)
• Just before going to university, she began a relationship with a Swiss businessman, Hans Arregger, in 1921. This relationship lasted for many years and Amy hoped they would marry, but sadly, in 1928, it broke down, and Hans married another woman. Amy wrote 286 letters to Hans during this time; they were bought, in 1985, by the Hull Local Studies Library at an auction in the city.
• After university, Amy returned to Hull, took a secretarial course and got a job as a typist. During this time she had her first flight, in 1926, with sister Mollie, which they both enjoyed.
• In early 1927 she left Hull again, to go to London, where she got another job as a typist, this time with a firm of Solicitors, where there was the prospect of training and promotion.
• In 1928, after some time on a waiting list, she had her first flying lesson at the London Aeroplane Club. After just 16 hours flying time she made her first solo flight; she gained her flying license in 1929.
• She left her job at the Solicitors, going to work as a mechanic at the de Havilland aerodrome. Within two years, not only had she had become a qualified pilot, she was also the first woman in Britain to qualify as a ground engineer.
• On 5th May 1930 she took off from Croydon Airport to make an historic solo flight to Australia, in a Gypsy Moth plane she had named ‘Jason’ (a trademark of the Johnson family fish business).
• She had wanted to break the record set by Bert Hinkler (his flight took just under 15½ days). She landed in Darwin on 24th May, having completed the 11,000 mile journey, but had experienced a few problems along the way and failed to break Hinkler’s record. However, she was the first woman to finish the solo journey from London to Australia, resulting in a lot of press coverage, and receiving congratulatory telegrams from around the World, including from King George V & Queen Mary, and also from the British Prime Minister, Ramsey MacDonald.
• On her return to England she received Gold Medals from the Society of Engineers and the Royal Aero Club, and was also presented with a CBE. She made a publicity tour, as part of a deal with The Daily Mail, which also included her plane, ‘Jason’, was gifted to the nation, for the Science Museum.
• She received a civic reception in Hull Guildhall, part of a 3 day ‘Welcome Home’ Festival in the city; during a rally for young people, Amy proposed a special trophy be awarded to a Hull child to recognise an act of outstanding bravery. This would be paid for by golden sovereigns given to her by schoolchildren in Sydney, and would be called ‘The Amy Johnson Gold Cup for Courage’.
• She continued to make record-breaking flights, including London-Moscow (with co-pilot Jack Humphries) in 1931, then Moscow-Tokyo (she was the first woman to make this flight).
• She married Scottish aviator Jim Mollison in 1932, and in December of that year, broke his record for a solo flight from London-South Africa. Together they attempted a non-stop flight from London to New York via Canada, in 1933; however, with 50 miles to go, their plane ran out of fuel and crashed, with the couple receiving minor injuries. During a ticker-tape welcome in New York, Amy was presented to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, along with Amelia Earhart. Amy and Amelia become friends, and when in the US, Amy always stayed with Amelia. It was just a few short years later that Amelia Earhart disappeared, along with her co-pilot, whilst on a flight to circumnavigate the World.
• Amy and her husband made other record-breaking flights, but sadly, their marriage ended in divorce.
• For a few years, Amy found it hard to get a ‘permanent job’ as a pilot, but in May 1940, she joined the women’s section of the Air Transport Auxiliary, flying machines/men to wherever they were needed.
• On 4-5th January 1941 she was making a routine flight from Prestwick to RAF Kidlington. Due to poor weather, she had stayed with her sister in Blackpool overnight. The following day, flying from Blackpool to RAF Kidlington, when she went off course – due to the poor weather conditions, and possibly a faulty compass. She found herself flying over the Thames estuary, and running extremely low on fuel, she bailed out into the river; she was heard crying out for help, but a rescue attempt failed.
• She was officially presumed dead in 1943, her body never having been recovered.
• A (small) memorial statue was erected to honour her, in July 1974, whilst, in September 2016, a life-size bronze statue of Amy was unveiled by Maureen Lipman, near St. Georges Street where Amy had been born.
• In 1958, Amy’s father donated a large number of items to a collection housed in Sewerby Hall commemorating her life and achievements.

David Holman thanked Michelle for a very interesting talk, saying “there had been so much research undertaken, and that her passion for this subject was very obvious.” Club Members showed their appreciation with a round of applause.

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25 September 2024

Chairman’s welcome: The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting. He thanked those who had stood in while himself, Gerald and Tina had been away in Ireland. He told the members that when it’s time to vote at the upcoming AGM they could get some new officials - as nobody is indispensable!

Sick members: Tony Harris. [GM had spoken to Tony yesterday and he had told him that his trip to Lord’s had been a wonderful experience. He had travelled on Hull trains and they were magic. He had booked a hotel near Lord’s but that was not so wonderful as there had been a water leak in the room. At 2 o’clock in the morning the Night Porter had said “would you like to move?” The Hotel Manager said that the leak was nothing to do with him!]

Correspondence: GM had received the following correspondence:
A letter of thanks from Louise Sanderson, who gave us a talk on ‘The History of the Violin’ last month. She complimented us on being the best audience she had ever had as everyone joined in and took part.
A letter from Liz Smith saying that she had seen notification of a Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons tribute band giving a concert at the Hull Truck Theatre on Saturday 10 January 2025 and she wondered if any Probus members would be interested in attending the event.

Minutes of the last meeting: Minutes from the previous meeting were accepted as an accurate record.

Matters arising:
GM said how much they had enjoyed the trip to Ireland - good company, good weather and wonderful Guinness – every night! They were sorry they weren’t here for Mike’s talk.
Mike Battams said, that following Mike’s really interesting talk at the last meeting, he and Marjorie had visited the church at Garton.

AOB:
GM clarified that the next meeting on 9 October was the AGM but something had been organised for the members before the official business began. Mike Battams said that the annual subscription of £12 will be due at the next meeting.

GM then handed over to the ‘Tickton Tarts’ who would be taking us back to our childhood
with their talk entitled ‘A Taste of Nostalgia’.

Yvonne and Julie thanked us for having them back. They had a wonderful display of packaging for food and household products going back to the 1930s and 1940s and hoped their talk would bring back many childhood memories. They had also brought along some ‘tasters’ for us to enjoy. Yvonne then gave us some interesting facts relating to the items she held up.

• Burdall’s Gravy Salt: She remembered helping her mother to make the gravy using a tin of Burdall’s when she was a child.
• OMO Washing Powder: We heard a saucy story that a 90 year old lady had told Yvonne - if a housewife put a packet of OMO in her kitchen window it meant “Old Man Out”!
• Corned Beef Pie: The pie has its roots in the North East of England. The bottom is plain shortcrust, the top is cheese pastry but, of course, corned beef is the main ingredient. We were shown a very amusing American film of how to make a corned beef pie.
• Fray Bentos: The name Fray Bentos comes from the town in Uruguay where the factory was located and ‘corned’ is from the beef curing process using rock salt known as ‘corns’.
• Heinz Baked Beans: We watched an advertising film which demonstrated how to make Heinz Scotch Beans, which is the same as a Scotch egg, except it has baked beans inside.
• Tate & Lyle Syrup: Mr Tate and Mr Lyle were both sugar refiners – Tate specialising in sugar and Lyle specialising in syrup and although the two companies merged in 1921 the two men never met. The logo on the syrup tin shows a dead lion surrounded by a swarm of bees with the biblical words ‘out of the strong came forth sweetness’.
• Homepride Flour: ‘Homepride’ were the first firm to produce sieved flour, before that flour used to be quite lumpy. We watched a very funny film of a Homepride advert where cartoon characters were performing to the tune of ‘I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside’.
• Horlicks: Yvonne’s childhood memory was in the shape of a glass jar and a dumbell-shaped wooden utensil which her mother used to mix the Horlicks powder and milk.
• Stork Margarine: We were told you could eat cakes made with Stork margarine if you had an allergy to dairy products because it does not contain milk. The margarine is made with palm oil and became popular during the war when butter was rationed.
• Bird’s Custard Powder: A man called Alfred Bird formulated and cooked the recipe in his chemist shop in Birmingham in 1837 because his wife was allergic to eggs.
• Pineapple Slices: We watched film footage of an advert about Del Monte pineapples. The famous television advertising slogan was ‘The Man from Del Monte, he say “yes”’.

Yvonne concluded the presentation with some quiz questions and told us yet more interesting facts on the following products: Shipham’s Beef Paste, Tunnocks Teacakes, Spam, Heinz Baked Beans, Angel Delight, HP Sauce, Camp Coffee, Colman’s Mustard and Hovis.

Gerald thanked the ‘Tickton Tarts’ for such an interesting talk and for taking us back in time – probably a lot longer ago than we would like to admit! The members showed their appreciation with a round of applause.

The next Probus meeting will the
Annual General Meeting, to take place on
Wednesday 9 October
( PLEASE NOTE: Annual Subs will be due at this meeting.)

Chairman’s welcome: David Woolley explained that he would be standing in for the Chairman as Gareth, Tina, Gerald and Denise were all away enjoying a short holiday in Ireland. There were 27 members attending today’s meeting.

Correspondence: None received.

Minutes of the last meeting: accepted as an accurate record.

Matters arising: Mike Battams said that today was officially the closing date for members to hand in their booking forms and money if they wished to attend the Afternoon Tea at Clickham Grange on Wednesday 18th September and the Formal Dinner on the evening of Thursday 17th October. However, Tina has said she will extend the date for applications to attend the Formal Dinner to Sunday 15th September.

AOB: There was nothing to discuss today.

The Chairman then handed over to Mike Thornton who said his talk today was a result of his interest in local history, taking photos and carrying out some research into what he had discovered. Highlighted are just some of the buildings and items of interest mentioned in Mike’s illustrated presentation.

The Rudston Monolith, at 26 feet high, is the tallest standing stone in Britain dating from the late Neolithic or early bronze age. The mystery is how did it get there as it is from rock found on the North York Moors. Is it a glacial erratic? Was it dragged there? When Sir William Strickland carried out excavations he found buried skulls - so did the stone have ritualistic meaning?

Boynton Hall, the Strickland family home, was originally built to resemble the letter ‘H’ but that shape has since been filled in and altered over the years. Sir William Strickland is credited with introducing the turkey to England from America, resulting in the Stricklands becoming rich merchants and landowners and the turkey emblem being adopted into their family crest.

St Andrew’s Church, Boynton. The Stricklands have carried out repairs to the church over the centuries and their family emblem can be seen in the east window (alongside the date 1768). The wooden lectern, also in the shape of a turkey, dates from the 1930s.

Burton Agnes Hall is an Elizabethan house originally the home of the Griffiths family and then the Boyntons. Its present owner is Simon Cunliffe-Lister. The main feature of the interior is the long gallery on the top floor, which currently houses an important modern art collection. When the Boynton family were in residence the Hall was famous for holding wild parties. One celebrity who attended as a guest was the ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. The Hall now holds a jazz festival and numerous other events throughout the year.

Adjacent to Burton Agnes Hall is the original Norman Manor House built in the 12th century. It has been repaired numerous times but still retains many of its original features including a well-preserved undercroft with its vaulted ceiling. Behind this building can be found a rare example of a wooden treadmill which was used to bring up buckets of water from the well beneath.

The Sledmere Cross was erected in 1896-8 as a replica of the Eleanor Crosses built by King Edward I in the late 13th century in memory of his wife. The cross was later modified by Sir Mark Sykes who added engraved brasses to turn it into a War Memorial.
The Wagoner’s Memorial is dedicated to the 1,127 farm labourers and tenant farmers from the Sledmere Estate who, with little or no military training, served in the First World War as drivers of horse-drawn wagons carrying necessary supplies up to the front.

The Sykes family repaired many of the churches on their estate with the work carried out on the Norman church at Garton-on-the-Wolds being particularly spectacular. The interior has been lavishly decorated with colourful paintings of saints and biblical scenes.

Mike concluded his talk with some items of trivia to look out for including: King Edward VIII post boxes in Bridlington; the Minstrels’ Pillar and carving of a rabbit inside St Mary’s church in Beverley; the Frith Stool, numerous carvings of the ‘green man’ and restored treadmill in Beverley Minster; and fibreglass sculptures of a shepherd and his flock at the Dotterel roundabout.

The Chairman thanked Mike for such an interesting talk and slide show and the members showed their appreciation with a round of applause.

Chairman’s welcome: The Chairman welcomed 30 Members, 2 guests (Gill Vindt & Shirley Jones) and our speaker Louise Sanderson. saying “she was here at Christmas making us all sing; I’m sure she’ll be informing us of lots of interesting things today.”

Sick Members: James Anderson (currently in hospital), Tony Harris (excited to be going down to Lord’s CC), Ron Thompson (hoping he will be able to join us for the Afternoon Tea in September).

Correspondence
Gerald Massey has received emails from two members offering their resignation – Gary Fulcher, regretfully resigning due to health issues and Sue Dixon, sadly resigning whose college course now clashes with meetings, but also due to health reasons.
GM had sent an invitation to Jacky Bowes (former High Sheriff of East Riding) to attend the Formal Evening Dinner as speaker, however, due to health reasons she has had to decline.
After our last meeting, GM received an email from Member Liz Smith who thanked him and others involved in organising the Morris Dancers and the ‘Chish & Fips’ lunch afterwards; she also commented on the very friendly atmosphere she found at Probus meetings.
Elaine Eldret sent an email expressing thanks from Makara Morris Dancers for inviting them to perform and also for the kind donation of £50 which will go towards their Club funds.

Matters arising from minutes of last meeting:
Silver Band concerts – GM had initially booked three tables, which filled quickly, with enough extra interest to book a third; finally booked a fourth, and now had just one spare place.
Burnby Hall Gardens ‘Illuminate’ – there had been no interest in this event, therefore GM will not follow up.
Formal Dinner; booking forms are starting to come in; please remember the final date for booking is our meeting on 11th September. NOTE: GS & TS will not be at the next meeting (on the U3A trip to Ireland) but completed forms will be collected on their behalf. (TS asks that if there are any problems, please email her before Sunday 8 Sept.)

AOB:
Information/booking forms have now gone out for the Afternoon Tea at Clickham Grange (Big Carol’s) on 18th September.
Re the Information GM had received about the Orchestra Live! Concert – originally GM had received no interest in this, however, he has now received an information flyer and there has been some interest shown by certain Members. Please contact him if you feel you would like information.
GM is booking tickets to see a Buddy Holly tribute concert at Hull Truck Theatre on Wednesday 30th October – please contact him asap if you are interested.
GS told Members about the Kynren performance he had recently seen with TS and Mike & Marjorie Battams; “it is a spectacular show and is certainly well worth seeing if you get the opportunity”.

The business meeting concluded, and GS than handed the meeting over to Louise Sanderson
for her illustrated talk on ‘The History of the Violin’, which would include musical excerpts.

Louise began by saying she had retired 5 years previously, and decided she would give small musical concerts in the local community, with any proceeds/donations going to two charities which she supported – SEAT (Swanland Education Africa Trust) and Waterworks; these were both smaller charities she had come across and both run entirely by volunteers.
She informed us that her violin had been made in 1756 by Richard Duke, an English stringed instrument maker. She said that violin design had not changed very much in the time between her violin being made and present times. The chin guard on violins was a modern addition.
All notes played on violins were determined by a combination of thickness, length and tension of all the strings. The bow also had an influence upon the notes.
Guaneri and Stradivari were the two most famous makers of stringed instruments, and their violins are now VERY expensive, e.g. in excess of £16m for a Guaneri, and £14.7m for a Stradivarius.
The biggest change to modern violins has been the introduction of the electric violin; these have a very minimalistic design with no soundbox, so they are not very loud and need an amp to give volume to music played. (Here Louise gave a demo of the sound without an amp, them with the violin connected to an amp – there was a marked difference.)

Ray Jones gave the vote of thanks, saying it was a very interesting and entertaining talk accompanied by some lovely music. He presented her with a cheque for £50 for her to donate to her charities.

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 11th September when Mike Thornton will give a talk to the Club.

Please remember the closing date of 11th September for:
bookings for the Afternoon Tea on Weds 18th September
and the Probus Formal Evening Dinner on Thurs 17th October

Chairman’s welcome: GS welcomed 35 members plus 1 guest (Shirley Jones) to the meeting, saying that “it’s good to see everyone chatting so nicely; I thought I might let you all carry on”

Matters arising from minutes of last meeting:
Re the letter from Charlotte Greensmith/Orchestra Live/East Riding Council about a concert at Bridlington Spa on 6th September – GM has had no interest in this from Club Members so will not be following it up.
Driffield Silver Band ‘Last Night of the Proms’ Concert on Friday 6th September at Driffield School – GM has been able to fill 3 tables and has a few spaces on the 4th; please contact him if interested.
Sue Hyde and her daughter held an Afternoon Tea to raise funds for Breast Cancer; Sue informed Members that the event raised £334 and thanked all who had supported it, saying that Members had bought many raffle tickets.[GS asked Sue to “thank her daughter for doing this; it’s never easy to organise and collecting money afterwards can be very hard”.]
There was a reminder that Marjorie Battams had asked Members to bring along any old newspapers to donate to the Hedgehog Rescue charity (there had been a good number brought along to this meeting).
A correction to an item from the talk on Alfred Buchanan Beecham (meeting of 24th July): the plaque, at Paragon Station in Hull, commemorating those lost in First World War was made by prisoners in Hull Prison, and not prisoners of war!

AOB:
Booking forms with menus for the Formal Evening Dinner have been sent out; please complete your forms and return with your payment to Gareth or Tina Shelton by the meeting on Wednesday 11th September, at the latest. If it proves to be a success it could be repeated, perhaps annually or every other year.
GM had received information from Burnby Gardens in Pocklington about ‘Illuminate’ an evening spectacular whereby the gardens are illuminated with stunning lighting displays, from 29th November to 21st December, from 5pm – 9pm; prices are £18/adult. Contact GM if interested.
29 Members were going to Stuarts Restaurant for lunch after the meeting.

There was some concern that John & Elaine Eldret were late, as they were providing the post-meeting entertainment; GS went outside to the carpark to check. Some minutes later he reappeared through the door to the adjoining room, opening up the partition wall, revealing John & Elaine in the company of The Makara Morris Dancers, of which they were members.

The Probus Club were treated to about 45 minutes entertaining Morris dancing,
and some interesting facts about Morris dancing in general:-

Makara Morris Dancers are a ‘Border Morris Team’.
There is a record from Goldsmiths College, in London, that in 1448 a group of Morris dancers were paid 17 shillings to provide entertainment.
There are brief, colloquial histories of Morris Dancing existing, but no accurate records.
In 2017 there were 27 Morris Dancing teams performing in Hull, as The City of Culture.
It is still very popular today – 11,000 participants, but tends to be performed mostly by older teams – it is not too popular amongst youngsters.
The green ‘face decoration’ worn by the dancers is in honour of ‘The Green Man’ and all things Nature, and was decided upon by the lady who started the group.
A member of the group asked for volunteers to ‘have a go’ and Gill Helliwell, Sue Hudson, Gareth Shelton, Gerald Massey, Tina Shelton and Brenda Houldsworth all got up to join in with the audience participation.
As a final note, the Club were informed that on the last Saturday of the month, there would be several dancing groups performing in Driffield, and the Makara Morris Dancers would be amongst them.

David Holman gave the vote of thanks, and the Probus Members all gave a very rousing round of applause.

The Chairman welcomed 32 members and the guest speaker to the meeting.

Sick members: Tony Harris, Ron Thompson – both are improving.

Correspondence:
GM had formal letter to Mayor of Driffield Georgina Lucas, inviting her to the Probus Club Formal Evening Dinner, and had received a letter of acceptance in reply.
GM read out a letter from Charlotte Greensmith (Orchestra Live plus ERY Council) re a concert on 26th Sept. at Bridlington Spa; GM will send out more details and ask for a show of interest.
GM will shortly send out details about a forthcoming event from Saint Catherine’s Hospice.
Driffield Silver Band will be holding a ‘Last Night of the Proms’ Concert in September; once GM has more details he will forward these to members and ask for interest.

Minutes of the last meeting (10 July) were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting., with no matters arising.

AOB:
Sue Hyde, with her daughter, are holding an afternoon tea as a fund-raising event for Breast Cancer on Sat. 10 August; anyone would be welcome to attend, and any donations for raffle prizes would be gratefully accepted, with tickets at £1.00/strip of 5 (members can see Sue after the meeting if interested in purchasing any!)
Marjorie Battams mentioned a lady, in Nafferton, who looks after & rehomes injured hedgehogs, making a plea for members to bring along any old newspapers to meetings, which she will collect and pass on.

The Chairman then introduced Sheila Cadman, handing the meeting over to her for the presentation of her talk on
‘Alfred Buchanan Cheetham – Hull Fisherman Extraordinaire!’

Sheila started by telling the Club members that she became interested in this gentleman after chatting to a young woman on a checkout at a supermarket – he was her great-uncle. She managed to find a few books & other information, discovering that ABC was born in Liverpool in 1872; some years later his family moved to Hull when he was very young.

At 13 yrs old he went to work on fishing boats. Years later, he found out about Shackleton’s forthcoming voyage to Antarctica, applied to go (along with 8,000 other hopefuls), was successful, so found himself aboard The Endurance.

The ship got stuck in the ice, with no possibility of releasing it, despite numerous attempts. It eventually was crushed and sunk under the ice (November 21, 1915) after the crew managed to get as much as possible off of it.

The crew had to haul everything over the ice in 3 lifeboat ‘sledges’, finally reaching Elephant Island where they were stranded for 22 months. During this time Shackleton , with some of the crew, attempted to sail 800 miles to South Georgia in one lifeboat, leaving the other upturned, to accommodate the crewmen left behind – of which ABC was one.

August 30, 1916 saw those left behind on Elephant Island, rescued by The Yelcho. On the return journey, as they neared land Shackleton radioed ashore for the populace to assemble at the harbour to greet the men who had been rescued – 3 September.

Albert Buchanan Cheetham’s story ended quite sadly: he returned home to discover that one of his sons, aged 16 yrs, had been killed in one of the convoys during the First World War. He, himself, was finally killed in another of the convoys of the First World War.

The vote of thanks was given by member Ron Stark, stating that is was a fascinating talk which explained the bravery of the men and the hardships which they had to endure. He also mentioned that it was “amazing what you can find out when waiting at a supermarket check-out!”

[As a footnote, it was mentioned that the Paragon Station, in Hull, has a brass plaque (made by prisoners of war) commemorating all those locals lost in the First World War – it shows the name of Albert Buchanan Cheetham below that of his son who had also lost his life.]

A cheque was presented to Sheila Cadman, who told the Club that she will donate it to Wansford Church.

As there was time before the meeting finished, Gareth Shelton told the Club about the U3A trip to The Yorkshire Sculpture Park that he & Tina has just been on; he said that it had been a very interesting trip.

Gerald Massey spoke briefly to Members about how his interest in birds led to him becoming a judge at competitions, both home and abroad. He had given the Club a talk about one of his trips to Ontario, with today’s story relating to a trip to Australia to judge Zebra finches.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting, with a special mention to Tony Harris and Peter Hyde.

Correspondence:
GM said Mike Cass (Pocklington Gliding Club) had contacted him and was confident that the Gliding Evening would go ahead, but would phone if there were problems.
GM had received a letter from Flamborough Lifeboat thanking Probus for the generous donation, which was a result of a ‘visit’ by the lifeboat (out training) during the Yorkshire Belle trip; the money would be used solely for the lifeboats & the station. GM stated that, as the Club had made a ‘small!’ profit from this trip, the Committee had decided to make a donation to Flamborough Lifeboat.
GM had received an email from Phil Robson of The Wolds Railway, thanking the Club for the interest shown by Members on the recent visit, the generosity in the form of sales and donations from individual Members, and also the donation of £100, made by the Club.

Minutes of last meeting (26 June): accepted with no matters arising.

AOB:
Formal Evening Dinner – Cost will be £20/person; it will take place on Thursday 17th October at 7.00pm for 7.30pm at Hotel 41. The menu will be in an information letter and menu choices will be needed beforehand, together with full payment; the dress code is smart dress – black tie/evening suits are optional. Tina Shelton stated that this was a ‘trial event’ to see how well it is received by Members; there will be 8 per table and a seating plan will be produced. There will be an After-dinner Speaker. The Rev. Robert Amos had to decline due to a prior engagement. Other suggestions were the previous High Sheriff of East Riding – Jackie Bowes, and also the present High Sheriff – Chris Henson.

With the Club increasing in numbers (currently 58 Members) keeping a track of numbers attending meetings is getting more difficult, so from August there will be an Attendance Register introduced: when paying the meeting fee at the Treasurer’s table, tick against your name on the sheet, thereby recording the number present at any meeting, to highlight anyone who hasn’t attended for a while and may need help (through our Wellbeing Policy), and also, in the very rare event of a fire, will act as a register to ensure everyone is out of the building.

Janet Thornton (Wellbeing Co-ordinator) spoke to remind everyone that “there is back-up if problems arise”; she hadn’t been at a meeting for a while and thought she should remind all ‘who she is’; so far she had not had a call from anyone in need, but this offer is always available for anyone in the Club to use.

Gerald Massey had several topics for discussion:-
From the list of prospective venues to visit in year 2024-2025, Members were asked to vote for their favourite 3 (there was a 90% ‘turnout’ for those contacted); the results were as follows:
North York Moors Railway
Laurel Vines vineyard at Aike
RAF Fylingdales (it must be noted that there is no possibility of this trip going ahead in the immediate future, due to global insecurities and unrest).
Robert Fuller Gallery (if free, Robert Fuller will chat to the group)
National Railway Museum
Burton Constable
Reserves:
Tour of Hull Old Town
Go-karting
Yorkshire Museum of Farming
There will be no Gliding or Archery next year as they didn’t get enough votes; a suggestion to go on the list for next year is Cannon Hall Farm, nr. Barnsley.

The proposed order of trips from October is:
October - Formal Evening Dinner
December - Robert Fuller Gallery (Free of Charge)
February - National Railway Museum (Free of Charge)
April - North York Moors Railway
June - Burton Constable Hall (for our group, this venue has a separate room we can use for a meal.)
August - Laurel Vines Vineyard
More detailed information will be available later.

GM said that since the illustrated information letters with attached booking forms have been in use, bookings have been more popular and generally go well. However, there have been instances where a booking has been ‘by word of mouth’ or has come in late. As the Club numbers have grown, and to make administration easier, GM asks that cut-off dates for booking a trip must be observed.

GM then showed some photos of The Wolds Railway Trip, stating that the staff were very helpful, and also some photos of The Yorkshire Belle Trip.
GM asked that if any Members had suggestions for the subject of future meetings, as well as possible speakers, and also venues for future trips, please contact him at any time.
GM advised Members about one meeting for the next Probus year - Deirdre Crane’s daughter is a Police Dog Handler, and has agreed to give a talk and bring her dog along, as well as a couple of her work colleagues who will give a demo outside on the cricket ground (weather and operational commitments allowing).
(There was a suggestion for a trip on the River Don; GM will check this out!)

The Chairman asked for a vote of thanks for GM for all his work in organising speakers, trips, etc.