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The
Victoria
Shadow
Association |
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Twenty
of our members gathered at the Sarisbury (and District) Community
Centre on Sunday, 25th February, for a buffet luncheon to be followed
later by a talk about the 'Palmerston Follies'.
Sarisbury Community Centre has been our regular venue for many years.
It is able to provide us with a room for a Committee Meeting, prior to
the main event, a large Hall and Kitchen as well as opening its Bar
for us. Sarisbury is just a little way up the River Hamble from
Warsash, where most of our boats were built at the Stone Pier Yard. |
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Our
former Chairman, Ted Moss, and his wife, Kitty, are pictured here with
the present Joint Chairman (Shadow Motor-cruisers), Dave Probert, and
Sue Doyle, who keeps her Victoria 30, 'Que Sera' in Ashlett Creek.
Ted and
Kitty live down in the West Country and had travelled a considerable
distance to get here and we were pleased to see them.
Anne
Grubb, our East Coast Regional Organiser, and John Cade, our
Treasurer, both travelled down from well north of London and I believe
it was Anne's first visit to one of our Sarisbury Socials. |
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The
Buffet Luncheon is provided by our Members themselves, but it does
take a considerable amount of effort and planning to get it all right
on the day. This year, Dawn Smith took on the task of organising the
meal and ensuring that nothing was forgotten. It was a splendid spread
with more than enough for everyone, so, a big thank you to Dawn and to
the other ladies who helped her on the day!
Roy
Dawkins, our South Coast Regional Organiser, was the man in charge of
whole event and we were soon being ushered into the Bar area, a more
intimate space, for our talk on the Palmerston Follies. |
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We had
been very fortunate, indeed, to secure the services of the eminent
naval historian and vexillologist, Cdr. Bruce Nicolls O.B.E., who is
pictured with our Chairman (Yachting) on the right.
Bruce
Nicolls gave an excellent talk illustrated with projected colour
transparencies. He spoke about the fortifications of Portsmouth and
the last threat from the French with their new port of Cherbourg in
the 19th Century.
He
covered all aspects of the forts from their situation and construction
right up to their modern-day uses. It was interesting to note that
none of them was ever used in anger but, that as a deterrent, they may
have served their purpose very well.
The talk
was very well received and there were a good number of questions. A
vote of thanks was proposed by Jon Spencer. |
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"... In 1860, after a
Royal Commission recommendation, Parliament hurriedly passed Acts to
construct or modernise over 70 forts and fortresses for the defence of
naval harbours. This decision was prompted by the launch of "La Gloire"
by the French navy, the first fully iron-clad warship. This was seen
as a serious threat to national security as the British navy was
considered to be out of date. The theory was the forts would protect
the naval dockyards while the navy modernised its fleet. The new Acts
were supported whole-heartedly by Lord Palmerston. ..."
www.theneedlesbattery.org.uk |
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