had a meeting with him. The decision was to contact people he knew well in Hornchurch and in February the first meeting of the interim Club and the formation Club took place with just a few of them. We met the Chairman of the District Information Committee and Arthur Lamb, the Secretary of Romford Rotary, which was a very early Club with whom Arthur had been for 25 years. Harry Stroud was with Ilford Rotary, and he was wrapped up in Rotary.
The first meeting proper of the Hornchurch Rotary Club was all about the history of Rotary, and we were asked to see if we knew anybody who, we felt, would make a Rotarian and bring him along to meetings to hear all about it. This went on week after week. We had a Rotary speaker each week, so that we were able to talk about every aspect of the news and the service, and the starting of other Clubs. I wasn’t surprised that I had not heard of Rotary because they wanted no publicity at all. Their light was hidden under a bushel and it was all done very quietly, an approach which seems silly these days. Because of Royal Veterinary College rules in 1936, I wasn’t allowed to advertise in Upminster as a vet, except for a one inch square advertisement in the local paper. So I put another advertisement in for my sister who had kennels and had the same address as mine.
This secrecy was ridiculous in those days, but, anyway, the Club gradually grew and, a month later, a farmer who was a client of mine, Stan Gunary, joined and he turned out to be a real character in the Club. Our number grew until we were all anxious to get on with something. There was so much that needed to be done after the war, but Stroud, who was the Ilford Films Manager, would not agree, as, in his view, we were not ready yet.
When he did eventually agree, he said that we could have our interim meeting in September 1945 and the London District Governor, John Mackie, agreed to come. It was to be held in the British Restaurant in Upminster. At that time we were 25 members. I think it would be interesting to let you know what sort of representation of business and professional men we had at that early time when we formed our interim committee.
The Early Rotarians of the Hornchurch Club
Our first President was Rev. Alan Courthope of St Andrew’s Church in Hornchurch. We always called him “Canon” in the Club. He was with us for a number of years. He was a lovely man who had been a missionary abroad and he had been across Australia on a bicycle. We met in the old
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