Sunday 6th April

ROBERTA WILD:

I could have sworn I hadn't been asleep for more than five minutes when I was awakened by a knock on the door - and there was Harris with a tea-tray in his hands. I dived back into bed, just as well I wasn't sleeping raw, he might have had some breakages to pay for. "What's the time?" I asked, "Half-past six!" he grinned, then took a look at my face and said hastily, "No - half past eight - don't throw the tea at me." Then he poured his own, tossed me the uninteresting part of the 'Sunday Pictorial' and sat down with his feet on the window sill. I wondered if this taking tea off the maids and bringing it in to other fans was an old Con Custom that I'd missed out on until now and since Harris was ignoring me I was also wondering if I should be relieved or insulted.


Camera shoot: Sandra Hall, John Humphries, Terry Jeeves, Ina Shorrock, Archie Mercer. Eddie Jones, Bryan Welham,
Barry Hall, Ken McIntyre, Bob Richardson kneeling. Note Saint Fantony blazer pocket badges. (tj)

SID BIRCHBY:

After breakfast with my patient room-mate, Jack Wilson, I join a camera shoot in the square. This is Sunday, the official business day, starting with an OMPA meeting at which a tape is played from Vince and Co. Me? I feel frivolous. At lunch-time, some of us go to a cafe where Ron Bennett knows the waitress, one of those places where, each table has a battery of condiments and sauces on a check cloth. Barry Hall exchanges glances with me. Silently we begin to play surrealist noughts-and-crosses with the sauce bottles. Whenever anyone else begins to guess the rules, we switch to salt-shakers.

Engrossed in such far-out pursuits, we return to the George almost with regret. In a smoke-filled lounge a warming-up session is in progress. Most people are already there, and the rest, like us, are arriving as lunch finishes or as the bar closes. Norman and Archie are murmuring a commentary on the scene for the States. Mr. Wansborough sends a message to Dick Eney, complete with a background of lowing cattle, given free by the audience. There is a raffle for some paintings.

BARRY HALL:

An OMPA meeting was held on the Sunday morning, which Bryan and I missed as Bob Richardson had invited us up to his room together with Ina Shorrock, Eric Bentcliffe, Sandy Hall and Eddie Jones. We looked through some photographs showing Dale R. Smith in his natural surroundings and discussed Bob's ARMS AND ARMOUR venture. It was in Bob's room that I came to know Eric Bentcliffe, and I personally consider him a damn nice chap. Same as everybody else was.

ROBERTA WILD:

Later Sunday morning we held the traditional OMPA meeting and listened to a tape from Vince Clarke anent waking up British Fandom which was the subject of discussion later in the day. The meeting concerned the state of British Fandom....

THE BIRTH OF THE BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION ASSOCIATION

* link

BARRY HALL:

In the afternoon everybody gathered in the lounge pending the arrival of Dave Newman who had the difficult task of starting a discussion on the forming of an SF Society. At first, the atmosphere was very sleepy, but within five minutes I saw a most dramatic change come over all fen present. In under 24 hours I saw fandom change from the light-hearted mood of the room parties to the deadly serious manner of the discussion.

Dave Newman did an absolutely grand job of getting it running smoothly, for he had been relying on a tape from Vince Clarke and Walt Willis to set it going. The results of the discussion far surpassed anything hoped for, and at the end of the afternoon a vote was taken of all those in favour of setting up an SF society. This was practically unanimous, there being only two dissentions - that of Brian Burgess and NGW, both of whom were asleep.


John Roles, unknown, Barry Hall, Archie Mercer, Bryan Welham, Norman Shorrock, Ella Parker, Bobbie Wild,
Cyril Evans, John Humphries, Terry Jeeves, Eric Bentcliffe, Ken McIntyre (avc)

In the evening a few of the basic problems were thrashed out, the chief one being a name. Finally, it was given the brave title of THE BRITISH SCIENCE-FICTION ASSOCIATION.

Everything that had been said during the complete proceedings had been taken down on tape, ably managed by Eric Jones, which was to be sent to Vince. This tape finally ran to 2 hours 40 minutes and I have a feeling that it's going to make fannish history.

SID BIRCHBY:

The open discussion which now begins, and which ends in the formation of the BSFA, is the outcome of Vince's OMPA appeal for Something To Be Done about the Incredible Shrinking Fen. In other words, there aren't enough of us in Britain. With only a break for dinner, this meeting lasts until 10.30 pm. The recruiting problem is in everyone's mind, and Vince has clearly said what many have been thinking. Suddenly the spirit of the con has changed. You know the way a cat plays with a mouse, batting it this way and that? Just when it looks like escaping the cat pounces, and you know that all the time it has meant to, even when it is playing hardest. Well, for 'cat' read 'British Fans' and for 'mouse' read 'Fandom'.

For a moment we see that fandom is slipping away, and with a unity of action and lack of heroics that is rare in fan politics, we do something about it. The feeling of the meeting is extraordinary. This is the third national fan society I've seen, and the most likely to succeed where the SFA and the BFS have failed.

ROBERTA WILD:

Dave Newman was voted in as Chairman, two members of the Cheltenham group as librarians, Ted Tubb as editor of the OO, Archie Mercer as Treasurer, and Eric Bentcliffe and Terry Jeeves as joint secretaries. At the annual membership fee debate Tubb surprised some of us by being against having the youngsters in at a reduced fee, If we don't encourage them who is going to take over when we are old and tired? Next came the discussion for the venue for the annual meetings and a seaside resort was voted for.

SID BIRCHBY:

We stay talking in the lounge till 2 am, when Bobbie Wild and Ella Parker invite Jack Wilson, Ivor Mayne, and me to a room party. Somehow, after settling in with sandwiches and coffee, we find Brian Burgess in a corner, reading the Bible aloud. We feed him the sandwiches, to stop him. He hides the crusts in Ella's bed, where she finds them, with a merry laugh, at 6 am, and he begins anew. In desperation, we turn off the light. So he quotes from memory. We light up again, and give him some s-f to read. That quietens him. He goes to sleep. At 5 am Phil Rogers taps on the door, says hello and falls to the floor asleep, the weakling. This signals the invasion of everyone left awake in the hotel...final count 24 in a room for two. Uproar, flash photos from Peter West, Bennett handing out beer and swapping stamps with Norman.


Jack Wilson, Dave Cohen, Bob Richardson, Jill Adams, Ken McIntyre, Terry Jeeves

As daylight shows through the curtains, we turn off the gas fire and lights, and the mob goes off on a mission of vengeance with Barry Hall, whose room-mate, Bryan Welham, has locked him out. Most then turn in, leaving only eight of us to take coffee, brewed by the kindness of Bill, in a Devil's Kitchen eerie in the flat dawn light.

ROBERTA WILD:

That evening we once again clustered into groups. Towards five in the morning, Barry decided he wanted to go bed. So we all decided to take him. He was sharing a room with Bryan Welham, but for some reason or other when Jill sang out that we wanted to put Barry to bed Bryan wouldn't unlock the door. We all pretended to go away, but Bryan refused to be fooled. Five minutes later, when we were momentarily off our guard, the door was suddenly opened, Barry was yanked in, and the door locked again before we had a chance to get a foothold. Those boys have makings of true fans.

Monday 7th April

BARRY HALL:

For me, the morning of the Monday was just as enjoyable as the rest of the weekend - in places more so. This was because I had now got to know nearly all the fen and could talk to them without searching for words and feeling embarrassed over the long pauses in conversation. Bryan and I didn't rise till eleven, and on coming downstairs we found that a great many fen had already left, but those who were still around had gathered in the Commercial room where Jazz was being played on Archie Mercer's temperamental record-player.


Rear: Ina Shorrock, Terry Jeeves, Eric Bentcliffe. Front: Bob Richardson, Eddie Jones, John Humphries (ns)

My last jumbled fannish memories of Kettering include Sid Birchby expertly placing a glass of bheer on the lid of Archie's machine in an effort to get some response out of it; Norman Shorrock taking cine shots of Pete West blowing bubbles past some cardboard spaceships; Eddie Jones passing a box around for people to put in any rubbish they could find so that it could be sent to Ken Slater as a memo of Kettering; and, finally, Norman Shorrock buying us a last drink just before we left.

After a few touching farewells to Gillian Adams, Ron Bennett, Terry Jeeves, Norman and Ina Shorrock, John Roles and many more I can't remember, we left the George Hotel - perhaps for the last time.

As the train pulled out of Kettering, we left a wonderful experience behind us, but took some wonderful memories home with us.


Rear: Cyril Evans (?), Norman Shorrock, Ivor Mayne, Ella Parker, Stan Nuttall, John Owen
Middle: Norman Weedall, Bobbie Wild, Archie Mercer, Ina Shorrock, Jean Valis, Jill Adams, Dave Newman,
Eddie Jones, Peter West. Front: John Roles, Eric Bentcliffe (jc)

ROBERTA WILD:

Monday of course, was farewell day and Ella, Jill, Ina and Norman, self, Jean and Peter piled onto the train, calling out to Archie on the platform and asking him to send on the various things we had left at the hotel. I hadn't made a really outrageous remark for the whole of the con so at the very last moment I bawled one to Archie, then turned round and found a parson staring at me in horror... Thank Ghod I'd had the sense to ask for Tuesday morning off from the office.

SID BIRCHBY:

So the good times pass. Monday is all departures. We check out of our rooms and get the use of the Commercial Room, where Archie and I take turns as disc-jockeys in a non-stop jazz session. As a last group effort we make up a souvenir box for Ken Slater, absent through illness. Among other items it contains a sheaf of hotel bills, the receipts torn off, endorsed 'Please Pay At Once'. I hope he feels better for it, but I doubt it!

**********

< PREVIOUS HOME FIRST