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These Chapters not yet transcribed:-
Chapter 5 Through the Fifties
Chapter 6 The Swinging Sixties
Chapter 7 The Seventies
Chapter 8 The Eighties
Chapter 9 Into The Future

Annex A Presidents, Officers and Committee Members
Annex B List of Club Stewards
Annex C Details From the Deeds
Annex D The Story of Lady Members.

When writing about local history it is often difficult to know what to include, and what to leave out. If it is to stand as a reasonable record of events and people then it has to contain some detail. However, I've tried to make it readable by breaking it down into decades, and then into sections dealing with The Officers and Committee, The Stewards, Finance, Naughty Members, Sports, and finally Entertainment. Details not considered suitable for inclusion in the substance of a Chapter have been added as separate lists of "snippets."

I have found it to be a remarkable story of how ordinary working men (and later the women) of Wyke Regis, and the surrounding areas have founded, financed, maintained, and greatly improved such a durable institution as the Wyke Regis Working Mens Club. A succession of Presidents, Officers, and Committee Men have put in endless hours of toil for the benefit of their fellow members --- very often with little appreciation for their efforts. I hope this little booklet does several things. Firstly, that it adds to the written local history of Wyke Regis; secordly, that it provides some additional knowledge and pleasure to all those that use, or contribute to the running of the Club; and finally that it will help to enthuse and inspire some of the younger members when their turn comes to shoulder the responsibilities of office. In that way the future of the Wyke Working Mens Club should be as honourable as its long past.

June 1898 Building of new Liberal Club in Wyke Regis
May 1899 Liberal Club sold to Solicitors Bowen & Symes
March 1901 Official `founding day' on March 27th 1901
July 1901 Affiliated to The Friendly Society July 26th 1901
Dec 1901 Affilited to Club & Institute Union Dec. 6th 1901
Jan 1904 Land around Club purchased by Bowen & Symes
Apr 1911 Name change to Wyke Regis Working Mens Institute
July 1912 Trustees purchase Club premises for Members
June 1917 Adjacent building plots in Victoria Rd purchased
Circa1920's Large corrugated iron hut erected on plots
Aug 1932 First surviving records of Committee meetings
Circa 1936 First proposal to allow Lady members. Rejected
June 1942 Wyke bombed but Club undamaged.
Feb 1951 Ladies finally permitted to use main bar of Club.
March 1951 Club Golden Jubilee celebrated on 27th March
Jan 1956 Bid for No 5 Victoria Rd. for Steward. Bid failed.
Oct. 1955 New house built for Steward alongside Club
Jan 1960 Name change to Wyke Regis Working Mens Club
Oct 1974 Loan from Eldridge & Pope for big improvements
April 1983 Loan from Ushers for big improvements
Aug 1990 History of the Club is written.
Sep 1990 First football team formed.

Wyke Regis (roughly translated as meaning the farm of the King) was for many centuries a tiny fishing and farming village. However, that started to change in 1891, when a talented engineer called Robert Whitehead built a Torpedo Factory at Ferrybridge, where the quiet waters of the Fleet lagoon flow into Portland Harbour. Almost immediately Wyke Regis underwent a rapid expansion as Whitehead began to build rows of red brick terraced houses for his workers along Portland Road, Parkmead and High Street. For relaxation the ancient New Inn in Chamberlaine Road was converted into the Whitehead Social Institute, but towards the end of the 1890's demand was growing for another Club to be built in Wyke Regis.

The result was that in 1898, in a meadow called Drove Close, the foundations of a large new Liberal Club were laid down. As well as the Club, a new road was constructed, along with houses and a School. The road (Victoria Road) and the School were eventually named in honour of Queen Victoria's Jubilee Year.

The Deeds of the Club tell us that Drove Close, situated at the corner of Portland Road and Shrubbery Lane, was, like most land in Wyke, part of the estate of the Earl of Ilchester (a descendant of the Strangways family of Abbotsbury). Although the new Liberal Club was built in response to the political demands of some of the workers at the Torpedo Factory, it also attracted many of the indigenous locals, who scraped a living from the fishing and farming industries of Wyke Regis.

Detailed extracts from the Deeds are included at Annex C, and they show that in 1898 the land was leased to William Rice, a builder of Weymouth, with a covenant that required Rice "within the space of six months to erect and completely finish fit for habitation, in a workmanlike and substantial manner........a building and premises to be used for a Liberal Club, at a cost of not less than three hundred and fifty pounds."

Rice also covenanted that, within two years, he would build two houses on the two plots of land adjacent to the new Club, and fronting onto Victoria Road. The extract shown opposite, was taken from the Indenture signed by Rice, and it clearly identifies the two plots of land that were involved. Fortunately for the Club's later development, these plots were never built upon. In May 1899 Mr Symes, of Bowen and Symes, the Weymouth Solicitors, purchased the new Liberal Club from Rice, the builder, at a cost of seven hundred pounds. Symes seems to have been a Trustee of the Club.

After decorating and fitting out, the Liberal Club was officially opened on the 27th of March 1901. It affiliated to the Friendly Society in July, and by December 1901 had also affiliated to the Club and Institute Union. The earliest known photograph of the Club was taken around 1905, and it includes much of Victoria Road and the School. The name Wyke Regis Liberal Club can clearly be seen on the windows, reflecting the predominant politics of the time. There were ornate iron railings atop the low surrounding wall, and the two plots of vacant building land between the Club and Number 5, Victoria Road, are also apparent. These vacant plots were eventually purchased by the Club.

By April 1911 the Liberal Club had changed its name to the Wyke Working Mens Institute. There is no clue as to why this should have happened, but by July of 1912 the Trustees of the Institute had purchased the land and club building. One of the Trustees was still the Solicitor, Mr Symes.

One of the earliest records available prior to the Committee minute books, (which do not start until 1932) is the balance sheet of the year 1912, shown opposite. By then its trustees were Messrs. Symes, Goodey and Watson, its Treasurer was H Shackleton, and the Secretary was Mr. A G England. The balance sheet tells us that the Institute was already providing its members with library facilities, and as long standing member Bert Gill recalled in 1978, in a prize winning essay that he wrote about the Club, "a real bath had been added, complete with carbolic soap, to offset the farmyard manure".

In 1917 Mr. Symes sold to the Trustees of the Club, for sixty pounds the two plots of vaxant building land along Victoria Road. He had acquired them in 1904 when the original builder, William Rice, had failed to build two houses on the plots within the stipulated two years period. The owner of the plots had claimed them back and then sold them on to Bowen and Symes.

The next evidence we have that the Club was to continuing to thrive are two old photographs, taken in the 1920's, of carefree outings to far away places like Dorchester, Yeovil and Bournemouth. Transportation was in a beautiful open topped charabancs - great as long as it didn't rain to hard! Even in 1990 it was still possible for some of the older Club members to identify most of the faces from so long ago. Many of the surnames are still common today in Wyke.

The photograph taken in Victoria Road with the Club in the background, clearly shows the old corrugated iron hut that housed the billiard tables. It was erected on the two vacant building plots that, by chance, were never built upon.

The intrepid Wykeites who founded the Club at the turn of the century, had adopted rules laid down by the Club and Institute Union, to which they became affiliated. These rules required that three respected Members were elected as Trustees, to monitor the financial management and solvency of the Club. The day to day running of Club affairs was carried out by a President and a Committee, who reported to the members every three months at Quarterly General Meetings.

In the 1930's the election of Officers was held every three months, and Committee meetings were held every week. Average attendance at the QGM's was some 30 members, out of a total of some 200. The earliest records that exist of the Committee Meetings date from August 1932, when the President was Mr Batt, with Mr Pilley as Secretary and the Committee comprised of Messrs. Wright, Millar, Shaw, Hudson, Bently, Eddy, Lanfear, Naylor, Hodges, Higgs, Dickenson and Dyke. Trustees were Messrs. Johnson, Pearce and Dawes.

The Committee appointed a Secretary and a Treasurer, and formed sub-committees to administer various aspects of Club business. The sub-committees in 1932 were:

The whole Committee involved them selves in such things as the approval of new members, disciplining members, and the appointment of a full time Steward and Stewardess to run the bar and keep the premises clean. The committee also had the power to waive subscriptions, and in 1933 members W. Franpton, S. Hatcher and A. Moggeridge were excused payment. In the case of Mr Hatcher it was because he had reached retirement age, but there must have been hard times in Wyke Regis in the aftermath of the Great Depression, which afflicted the whole country in the early thirties.

Some well known Wyke names joined the Club during the thirties. In 1933 for example there were H T Sprackling, W Bowering, H Zolley, B Curtis, H Camp, T Bolt, F Sargent and W Sapsworth. The President at that time was Mr F Groves. A list of known Presidents, Officers, and Committee Members down the years has been included at Annex A. The Committee obviously had strong patriotic views, and adopted an authoritarian approach when it came to discipline. In 1934 Mr Percy Brinsley proposed, and Mr Frampton seconded, that the Club write to the CIU requesting a ruling on a Club Member who refused to stand when "God Save The King" was played during a Club entertainment evening.

The Committee also refused to let non-members use the Club baths, although members sons were allowed this privilege. Charge for a bath was 6 pennies. In 1936 the Secretary Mr Pilley died, and the Club was closed for the day, with funeral bearers being provided to carry the coffin. Mr J Watson took over as the new Secretary for a few months, but was quickly followed by Mr Lanfear. Some other joining members with well known surnames were Mr C. Bilke, W. McBride, H. Cook, G. Gummer D. Freeman, C. Rodgers, W. Mowlem, H. King (Junior) and J. Black.

From the earliest days the Club adopted a non-political stance, thus attempting to appeal to members of all political parties. However, that did not stop the Committee expressing their views on legislation that affected the prosperity of the Club. As early as 1932 the Secretary was authorised to write to the MP for South Dorset, Lord Cranborne, with reference to the increase in beer tax; a year later he was writing again concerning the Licensing Bill.

In 1937 he sent a letter to the Town Clerk saying that the Club would be decorated for Coronation Day, at a cost to Members of Three pounds two shillings and six pence. The Council were requested to say what they in tended to do as their contribution towards decorating the rest of Wyke Regis!

The Committee often let the Club rooms to outside organisations, regardless of their religious creed or political leanings. The Amalgamated Engineering Union were allowed use of a Club room for meetings, but they were charged the going rate of five shillings. In 1938 it cost the Wyke Education Committee four pounds per week for use of the top room for regular classes for forty scholars. The charge was disputed by the Headmaster, Mr Dominy, and eventually the Rector and one of the Governors, Mr Rose, intervened, but with little effect. The Committee refused to change their prices.

Some other Members of the Club before 1939 were A. Bowering, J. Hatcher, H. Scoulding, W. Perren, W. Baggs, A. Jacobs, P. Chant, M. Lush, A. Clark, M. Watts and J. Watts.

One of the major tasks facing the Committee was the continuing problem of selecting a suitable Steward and Stewardess to run the Club. In August 1932 the Steward, Mr Pate, made an unexpected and hasty departure, taking with him some ninety pounds belonging to the Club. Considering that his wages were only three pounds a week this was a considerable sum. Fortunately for the Club he left his Stewards Bond of ten pounds. He also left poor Mrs Pate, who eventually managed to settled her husband's debt. A list of Stewards down the years is included at Annex B.

Three candidates were interviewed for the vacant post of Steward, and Mr and Mrs Dunne were chosen. Their bond of twenty five pounds was paid into the Co-0p and they were paid any interest that accrued. The Steward had many duties as was evidenced by a notice posted in the bar in 1936, stating "Any member who requires a bath please give reasonable notice to the Steward, as the electric heater takes a considerable time to raise the water to bathing temperature."

Mr Dunne was continually being instructed by the Committee to keep his fierce dog under control, because members were frightened of it. By 1937 the relationship between Mr Dunne and the Committee had deteriorated, and he was given a weeks wages in lieu of a weeks notice. This was rescinded when he agreed to make better efforts to keep the Club tidy, and work under control of the Stock Committee. However, this did not last long and he was eventually sacked. Unusually, after an interview with the Committee, his wife was given full responsibility for running the Club, and was still in post at the start of the war, in the Autumn of 1939.

Apart from the Balance Sheet for 1912, no others seem to have survived from the period before the second world war. However, a few interesting facts can be derived from the old minute books. At the QGM of October 1932, a vote of members was taken and it was decided that a new piano could not be purchased because of the weak state of the Club's finances. Despite this, at Christmas 1932, tickets to the value of one shilling were given to members, a pianist was engaged at a cost of ten shillings, and biscuits and cheese were laid on free of charge.

The next year it was proposed that a wireless set and a bagatelle table be purchased, but again the motions were not carried. However, over the years small amounts of money were steadily spent on improvements. Thirty five pounds was spent on repairing three billiard tables, guttering was placed around the inside of the billiard room, (the corrugated iron hut must have leaked badly!) and a gas fire was installed at a cost of four pounds eight shillings and six pence. Eventually a new piano was purchased for thirty guineas ---but only by instalments, plus the old piano in part exchange.

In 1936 a Special Meeting was held in the billiards room to agree major alterations to the premises. A tender of four hundred and twenty four pounds by J Roles of Wyke Regis was accepted, and a loan of seven hundred pounds was negotiated with Lloyds Bank, using the premises as security. Unfortunately the standard of workmanship proved to be very poor, and the Committee refused to pay the bills until the work was completed to an acceptable standard. By April 1939 the Club could afford to pay one hundred pounds off of the loan from Lloyds.

The records also show that the Club usually responded to requests for charitable contributions. A Hospital Fund existed, and ten shillings was granted to Mrs Swaffield for the Hospital Linen Guild, and ten shill ings was given to the 1933 Mayor's Christmas Fund. There was a Box in the Club for members to contribute to the National Childrens Home and Orphanage, and to the Scouts; and the proceeds of raffles were sometimes sent to the Weymouth and District Hospital.

The Committee were also generous in loaning out items of furniture and games. In 1933 the Skittles Table was loaned to the Horticultural Society, and also to the Chickerell Garden Society. It was an annual occurrence for the Club chairs to be loaned to the School for their sports day, and to the Church for their Garden Party. In the autumn of 1938 the Committee agreed to invest in a telephone.

No collection of people would be complete without those few individuals that refuse to abide by the rules - and the Wyke Working Mens Club was no exception. In 1932 Mr Boyt was banned for misbehaviour, apparently over a game of cards. New warning notices were put up banning the card games of Nap, Brag, Banker, and Rummy. A year later Mr Moxham was also banned for bad behaviour, and was not allowed back until he apologised to the Committee. In 1936 Mr Fraim received similar treatment.

For the ordinary Club Member, a very important aspect of club life was the ability to use the sporting facilities. Three billiard tables seem to have been available from the very early days, as were the facilities for darts. In 1931 the Club skittles team, led by captain Charles Frampton, won the Groves League Rosebowl, and the presentation ceremony was held at the WWM Club.

It was in that same year of 1931 that Club member and well known Wykeite Mr Sid Cheeseman began his marathon stint as the General Secretary and Treasurer of the Groves Skittles League, only retiring from the post in 1969. Mr Cheeseman recalled in 1990 that the presentation of the Rosebowl took place in the corrugated iron hut that served as the billiards room. In the photograph of the presentation ceremony are Mr Groves, Club President from 1933 until 1941, (and landlord of the Mermaid Inn for many years), the young Sid Cheeseman (born 1905, and with his sister Elsie still taking a keen interest in Wyke in 1990) Mr Clayton, Director of Groves Brewery, Mr Carter of Groves Brewery, and the skittles team captain, Charles Frampton.

Quoits was also a popular game at that time, and in 1932 Mr Bentley represented the Club at a match at Dorchester, for which he was paid expenses of two shillings and sixpence. In 1933 the Club won the Groves Quoits League.

The minutes of 1932 also record that the Club were the holders of the Scarisbrick Cup for billiards. As holders, the Club issued a challenge to the North Portland Working Mens Club. The outcome is not recorded.

There had always been a close affiliation with the Whitehead Torpedo Factory, whose workers had formed a Sports and Athletic Club. The minutes record numerous occasions when the Sports and Athletic Club or the Bowling Section hired the WWM Club for their annual dinner. As early as 1932 they had a team using the Club's billiard tables for their Groves Billiard League matches, at a cost of one guinea a year. In 1933 came the first proposal that one of the "sacred" billiard tables should be used for snooker, to be played by the half hour, at four pennies a game. In 1934 the first pin table machine was allowed in the Club, and a prize was awarded each week for the highest score. Cards were also very popular -- and the cause of continual arguments over the years.

It is interesting to record that a bridge tournament was held at the Club in 1936.

In 1938 Mr Shaw and Mr Hemshaw, who were prominent Committee men, presented the Club with a gift of Silver Cups, and the Shaw darts competition was instituted.

As with sport, entertainment was an important aspect of Club life. In 1932 a pianist was engaged for major holiday occasions such as Christmas and Bank Holidays, and sometimes a band would be hired for Saturday nights. A full blown Concert (or Smoking Party, as it was frequently called) was held each year in the Springtime; and in 1933 a "Miss Rosalyn" was engaged to entertain the Members.

By 1937 the Committee had agreed to music being arranged each week, at a maximum cost of two pounds a month. In the same year an Orchestra was engaged for Christmas morning.

There was also a constant stream of visitors from other Clubs and organisations, such as the Working Mens Club at Dulwich (1933); the Green Howards (1934); and the RE's from the Bridging Camp (1937); Picture Shows were just beginning to become available and in 1934 W.D & H. O. Wills put on the first Talkie Picture Show in the Club. Perhaps the first shot in the long running campaign to have Lady Members admitted, was fired in July 1936, when Mr Archibald proposed, and Mr Godden seconded, that wives and lady friends should be admitted to Club premises. It was not until the summer of 1939 that a notice was posted inviting members who were with their wives, to use the top room of the Club. Prior to that the Stewardess had allowed members wives to use her private sitting-room.

By the middle of 1939 the country was moving inexorably towards the Second World War. The conflict was to have a great impact on the lives and outlook of many of the Members of the Wyke Regis Working Mens Club.

By the summer of 1939 preparations for war were beginning to impact upon the everyday lives of Club Members. In July the Committee decided that men called up for military training could be excused their subscriptions whilst they were away. In September a notice was posted in the Club declaring that "owing to the present situation it has been decided to close the Thrift Club for this year".

Some Members continued to work at Whiteheads in "reserve occupations" - turning out vital components as part of the war effort. However, collecting boxes were placed in the Club, and those still at home donated money for "fags and tobacco" to members serving in HM Forces.

Running of the Club still presented its daily problems. Mr F Groves carried on as President, Mr Henshaw was elected Treasurer, and Jack Lanfear decided to resign as Secretary. In October 1939, a Special Meeting was called to consider the resignation of the Stewardess, Mrs Dunne. The Club advertised the post, and in November 1939 Mr and Mrs Barr were selected from seventeen applicants.

Some well known Wyke names joining the Club at that time were L. Sansom, T. Bolt, and A. Summers.

The year of 1940 opened with some very severe weather, and attendance at the AGM was restricted to twenty Members. The Club continued to support the war effort, with fourteen shillings being collected for "fags and baccy," and the top room being allocated for a tea party for refugee school children from London.

The absence of so many Members away in the armed forces was reflected in the profits, for they were noted as being very low. By June 1940, with the "battle of Britain" visibly going on in the skies overhead, the threat of air raids was being taken seriously. All the windows were curtained with black-out material, and in the event of an air raid, Members were instructed to retreat to the main bar, staying in the Club at their own risk. The Steward was given authority to close the bar, if he felt it necessary.

General Meetings were reduced from quarterly to half yearly, and in August 1940 the HYAGM ruled that Service Men would be allowed use of the Club for the duration of the War. New Members continued to be enrolled, including Ernie Rudall, (still serving on the Committee in 1990) A. Hoare, C. Stone, W. Stickland, F. Lush, F. Hibell, G. Ablett, C. Bye, F. Hibbens, T. Berry, A. Balston, and H. Gill. Not all applicants were accepted as new members. Mr R Miller of Chickerell Road was refused, because he was held to be responsible for breaking a Club window.

Members kept in touch with the war news by listening to a new HMV radio in the main club room, and daily newspapers were obtained from Mr Curtis at the Portland Road Post Office. In January 1941 Mr and Mrs Barr resigned as Stewards, and F Groves retired as President. Mr and Mrs Loram were selected as the new Steward and Stewardess, and Mr Ernie Batt, a draughtsman at Whiteheads, became the new President.

Some of the new Members during 1941 were Sam Dunn, D. Freeman, T. Hellier, R. Parker, T. Clark, H. Frampton, Len Frampton, and Fred Wyatt.

Buckets of sand and water were kept in each room of the Club, in the event of fire from air raids, and the Club also opted to carry out their own "air raid watches" rather than rely on the ARP wardens of Victoria Road.

Very little formal entertainment was possible, but the ladies did manage to organise some Saturday night dances, which were attended by the soldiers from the surrounding army camps - particularly Barrow Camp. The Club also ran games competitions during April 1941, in support of the Weymouth War Weapons Week.

A few Members still managed to cause trouble, Mr F. Hinton and Mr Sam Irwin causing a disturbance in the Club on a Saturday night. Even the Secretary, Mr Henshaw, was asked to use more discretion when reprimanding members, and Mr Paddy Beck was suspended for accusing the Committee of running raffles for their own benefit.

In May 1941 the Loram's tendered their resignation. From twenty one applicants, the Committee finally selected Mr and Mrs Tosney as the new Steward and Stewardess.

During the Autumn of 1941 a small upstairs room was made available for the Ladies, but it must have been frequented by women who did not meet the approval of the Committee. In April 1942 a notice was posted, saying that "The names of all ladies in the Ladies Room on Saturday night will be taken, and any one whose husband or brother is not a member will be asked to leave the premises, and not to return again".

In June 1942 the Committee decided to meet only once a month rather than the normal two weeks.

It was on the night of the 28th of June 1942, that the horrors of war came to Wyke Regis. Three or four enemy planes dropped several bombs in the vicinity of the Working Mens Club, which fortunately did not sustain any damage. However, one bomb fell just to the north of the Club in the allotments of Glebe Close; two fell one hundred yards away in Shrubbery Lane; and it was subsequently discovered that an un-exploded bomb had fallen in Chapel (or Collins) Lane. Local ground defences were in action, firing against the raiders, throughout the night.

Several Club members were on ARP duties in the locality that night, including Sam Dunn, and Chris Osborne. Despite the passage of almost fifty years, they could still remember some of the events of that awful occasion! Chris Osborne humorously recalled that he was walking past the Co-op in Portland Road, opposite the Club, when the first bomb fell close by. He fell to the ground, and as he lay there he felt a blow in the back. He thought that his end was nye - but it turned out that a poster had been shaken from the Co-op wall, and had landed on top of him!

Sam Dunn was on duty in the First Aid and Rescue Post at Foords Corner when the bombs fell. He was part of a small team led by another Club member, Ted Starkly of Gallwey Road. They raced round to Shrubbery Lane, and were the first on the scene. Many of the closely packed cottages had been destroyed, and the ancient Ship Inn, renowned in the past as a smugglers haunt, was completely devastated. The landlord John Bilke, and his wife Kate, had been in bed when the bomb hit the house and although the rescuers managed to extract Mr Bilke from what remained of the rafters, and he eventually recovered from his wounds, poor Mrs Bilke could not be found for several hours. She was eventually located at daybreak, in a garden some fifty yards away, where she had died from her wounds.

The money from the till of the Ship Inn was also found the next day, scattered around Glebe Close. Sam Dunn vividly recalls seeing Sam Irwin, a Club Member and part of the rescue tam, coated in a ghostly white dust that had emanated from the damaged buildings. The results of the bombing were also graphically described in the extract below, taken from a book called "Brigade in Action" which was written by members of the local Red Cross, :

"On the 28th June Weymouth was again attacked by the enemy from the air. As a result of this raid one of the oldest parts of Wyke Regis suffered. The Ship Inn, Shrubbery Lane, and reputed to be two or three hundred years old, was demolished, and the wife of the landlord was among the five people killed that night. One resident, Mr R Dewland, told a reporter that he arrived on the scene shortly after the bombs fell, only to hear that his mother had been killed and his father taken to Hospital, seriously injured."Although one could hardly see what was happening in the darkness" he said "many heroic deeds must have been performed. After day-break I heard that Mrs Jolliffe was missing, and standing near the ruins of her house I thought I heard a voice. I called one of the rescue party, and he called to her. We heard her voice faintly saying that she was under the stairs. They had to dig through ten feet of rubble to get to her, and she was bought out injured, after being buried for six hours. She was taken away by ambulance, but died soon after admission to Hospital."

A family of four, named Stone, had left their house to seek refuge in a surface Air Raid Shelter. This was buried in the ruins of surrounding property, three of the occupants being injured. In one house a man of 73 was killed. In another two daughters of Mr Frampton were trapped beneath the ruins, but they were rescued and not badly hurt. A bomb demolished two houses but no one was hurt. Mrs Talbot the occupier of one was away from the district, while the other, Mr Anderson, was fire watching and his wife had gone to a shelter."

Wyke escaped further bombing - but Shrubbery Lane was almost totally destroyed. There must have been plenty to talk about in the Working Mens Club the next day!

Returning to more mundane matters involving Club members, there was renewed pressure on the Committee to allow snooker on two out of the three billiard tables; Mr Gibbs became the Treasurer with a salary of twelve pounds a year; the Steward's wages were increased to four pounds a week; and all darts scores of one hundred and eighty were awarded a free pint. The popularity of snooker over billiards continued to increase, and the Committee did eventually agreed that snooker could be played on any of the three billiard tables.

M. Scoulding and Harold Scoulding became members, and twelve members were excused subscriptions on reaching retirement age.

In January 1944 American troops, gathering for the assault on the beaches of Normandy, were admitted to the premises as Service members. By the middle of 1944 there seemed to be a small relaxation in the frugal conditions. The Club started accepting new members, with thirteen joining in June, thirty in October, and another sixteen in November. Many of these were past members, re-joining on returning to Wyke. The Club finances also seemed to have improved, for seventy pounds was expended on providing new toilets downstairs for the Steward.

In November 1944 the Steward resigned, and by January 1945 Mr and Mrs Pedder had accepted the position. The spate of new members continued, amongst them being Sid Cheeseman and Ted McBride.

At the AGM in February 1945, attended by some sixty members, Ernie Batt resigned as President, and Mr Henshaw stood down as Secretary. Mr Hogg was elected as the new President, Mr W Millar took over as Secretary and Committee meetings returned to two per month. Mr Fred Hibbens (a excellent billiards player, and future Vice-President) was paid three pennies per cue for tipping, and five shillings per week for cleaning and ironing the three tables.

The end of the war in Europe was formally signalled with VE Day (Victory Europe), and then came VJ (Victory over Japan) Day. The Club laid on celebration for its members, each person being issued with three shillings worth of free drinks. Ahead lay a difficult period of re-construction for the Wyke Working Mens Club. As in the past, the people of Wyke were not deterred by the task, and the Club began to make plans for the future.

September 1945 saw the resignation of the Steward and his wife, Mr and Mrs Pedder. There were forty nine applicants for the job, and four were called for an interview. Mr and Mrs Barrett were finally chosen.

To keep up with the increases in the cost of living, the Secretary's honorarium was raised to forty two pounds per year, plus ten pounds for expenses, whilst the Treasurer received twelve pounds plus three pounds expenses.

At the AGM in January 1946 there were some eighty Members present. Mr Milson took the Chair, but some months later Mr Dyke was elected President. During the following year the Committee took the opportunity to catch up on some of the aspects of Club life that had been allowed to lapse during the war years. The list of Life Members was revised: it was also agreed that Hansard (the proceedings in Parliament) should be taken for twelve months; and the question of women members was raised again -- and rejected again by the Members. (see Annex D for the Story of Lady Members)

For the first time it was suggested that a door-keeper should be hired for busy periods; and someone must have been pinching the papers because a notice was posted stating that any member found taking away periodicals would be expelled; Smiths Crisps were also in short supply, because a warning "notice of sale" had to be posted by the Steward twenty four hours before they were due to be put on sale. In 1947 fluorescent lighting was becoming readily available, and was installed in the Club for the first time.

J. Harris, John Fields, C. Bilke, and A. Rogers became members. With the opening months of 1948 came a flurry of activity. A Special Meeting was held to consider some proposed changes to the rule book, and Mr King proposed, Mr Harris seconded, that the Club should adopt a rule allowing the Committee (rather than Members at General Meetings) to make Life Members. This was carried. Then Mr Hair proposed, and Mr Cockerell seconded, that the Club should adopt a new rule that would allow a strictly limited type of Lady Membership. This was carried and during 1948 over one hundred ladies joined the Club.

Some new male Members were H. Tizard, T. Tizard, A. Warne, E. Ruffell, E. Churchouse, P Lush and L. Rose.

It was during 1948 that the practise seems to have started of sending an ounce of "Baccy" each week to any member that was in Hospital. "Baccy" was a popular present, for it was given, along with a pipe, to Mr F. Jefferies, on his leaving for South Africa. He was lauded as one of the original Trustee of the Club, when it was founded, way back on the 27th of March 1901.

In order to reduce the heavy workload of the Steward, a cleaner was engaged for the first time, doing 20 hours a week at a wage of two pounds. Not a lot is recorded about the Stewards activities in the late forties, and so it can be presumed that he and his wife kept the members happy. In 1948, in line with new Government rates of pay, the Steward's wages were raised to six pounds a week, and the Stewardess received one pound ten shillings. It is notable from the records that the ordinary working men that served on the Committee where always willing to pay the going rate for the job of Steward - and they were always ready to vote a bonus for extra duties, or good performance.

After the enforced neglect of the Club premises during the war years, it became necessary to carry out some essential repairs and improvement. Minor additions and alterations were made to the top room, and during 1947 Canon Pratt, of All Saints Church, was approached regarding the possible purchase by the Club of land at the adjacent Parson's Close allotments. It seems the request was refused.

Some interesting bar prices on the 30th November 1947 were: whisky and gin - one shilling and four pence; rum and brandy - one shilling and six pence; sherry - one shilling and six pence; port - one shilling and ninepence; brandy - two shillings; ginger wine - nine pence; half bottles of Guinness, Bass, Worthington - one shilling and a penny.

Ted McBride was warned for playing billiards whilst not putting money in the Billiards Box. (In 1990 Ted recalled that at the time of the "offence" he was an Apprentice at Whiteheads, earning very low wages.) Chris Osborne and R Mathews got into trouble in 1948 for breaking a pane of glass. They had to pay for its repair, and they were warned that next time there would be more severe punishment.

Life slowly returned to normal on the sports front, with sections being formed for skittles, billiards and snooker, darts, shovehalfpenny and cards, and table tennis. A Club annual sports outing to Torquay was organise in July 1946, at a cost of eleven shillings each. Even during the Forties the Club must have had a successful skittles team, for In June 1947 the presentation of the Groves Skittles Trophy took place at the Club.

Competitive sports continued to be a major interest for Members, and in March 1948 games were played against Weymouth Training College, and Wallisdown Conservative Club; later in the year there were games against the Stewards from the Steam Ship St Julian.

The Wyke Working Mens Club took an early initiative in forming the Clubs Darts League, because in 1947 they wrote to all the Clubs in Weymouth, Dorchester, Portland and Wyke, proposing the formation of darts and skittles clubs leagues.

In June 1948 it is also recorded that the Committee unanimously supported the Secretary in accepting a one armed snooker player; and in 1949 someone on the Committee proposed that the Club purchase a set of freak billiard balls. In December 1949 Committee member J Coles was congratulated by the President for a magnificent 142 break in a billiards match.

It was some years after the war ended before Club entertainment reached its pre-war levels of activity. However, by 1948 there were visits from other many other Clubs, including the Winton Working Mens Club, the Bournemouth Trade Union Club, and Bridport Old Comrades Club. When HMS Vanguard came to Portland the CPO and PO's Messes were invited to the Club. The darts team went to Langton Heron for its outing, whilst the skittles team went on a long trip to Bristol.

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