History of Ex-Servicemen’s Organisations in Newent
The Comrades Club and Newent Branch of the Royal British Legion
After the First World War there was a great feeling of wanting to commemorate the fallen and also to provide comradeship for those who had returned from the hostilities. A Comrades Club was formed in 1919 and The War Memorial in St Mary’s Churchyard was unveiled in 1920.
The aim of the Comrades Club was to provide a place for the veterans to meet and which they could associate with. Initially they met in the Parish Rooms opposite the end of Watery Lane (now Good News). The subscriptions were 8 shillings a year, and Harry Hopkins was a founder member. The Club moved to an upper room in the Red Lion for a time. Jumble sales, fetes, concerts and dances were held and within a few months sufficient funds were raised to buy an old building in Broad Street, opposite the junction with Culver Street. It was originally a shop and a candle factory, then later a bakers and corn merchants. It was bought off Mr Wicklen. This was opened as the United Services Club in November 1920 and the inside walls were covered with brick paper. The name soon changed to the Comrades Club and the members were encouraged to buy a brick at 6d each to help pay for the property. Country fairs were held at Newent Court to help to raise funds, a notable feature being Noel Selwyn and his model aeroplanes. A Building Fund was started and fund raising events, such as whist drives, were held. A Country Fair in 1921 raised £240.
In November 1921 a Cinderella Dance was held in the Cinema Hall (now Perpetua Press) in Culver Street. Mr Rathbone was the MC and about 80 people attended. The music was provided by Thurston’s Band. The fair in July 1923 was preceded by a procession from Gloucester Street to the Court, stopping at St Mary’s Church where Bugler Davies played the Last Post by the War memorial.
In 1923 the Comrades Club took possession of a German Machine Gun that the Parish Council had been given, I wonder what happened to it. They also approached the Parish Council to move the German field gun from the Market Square to the Sessions House (The Court House). Mr Brittain was President in 1923. In November 1924 an Armistice Day Dinner was held at the Comrades Club for 70 ex-servicemen and their friends. Also present were Canon W H Connor (rector), Rev Gethyn Jones, Col Battine and Dr Johnstone.
In August 1924 the Club organised a trip to London where blind member Mr Davies placed a wreath at the Cenotaph on behalf of the club. Mr Davies had been blinded whilst fighting in Iraq during the war.
Meanwhile a darts team and a skittles team were formed. In February 1923 the skittles team was made up of C Lewis, R Beachus, J Phelps, R Higginbottom, W Usher, E Phelps and J Scarr. In 1925 the new club building was used as the centre for daffodil collection in the spring, organised by the Vice-President Mr W H E Mockford. This was later organised by the British Legion. In 1929 over 20,000 bunches of daffodils were distributed to 40 London Institutions. This was the custom of gathering wild daffodils and sending them by train to London hospitals, a tradition that continued on and off until the 1950s. In the 1950s it was taken over by Toc H.
A Flower Show was held at the club in August 1925 and attracted about 120 entries. The Champions Prize was won by Mr C Meek.
With the opening of the new building the club was able to form a football team and a minstrel band, which included Mr Arthur Cook, and the club became the centre for all ex-servicemen.
The British Legion was formed on 15th May 1921 with the object of caring for those who had suffered as a result of war service. The first Poppy Appeal took place in November 1921. In 1927 a branch of the British Legion was formed in Newent made up mostly of members of the Comrades Club. They held their first Annual General Meeting on the 16th January 1928 in the Comrades Club, chaired by Lt Col R St C Battine DSO. Anyone who had served seven days in any of the armed services was eligible to join.
The Comrades Club continued to thrive during the depression of the 1920s with dances, whist drives and even a pantomime in aid of the District Nursing Fund. A library was started with a reading room, a billiard room and a recreation room, and a Roll of Honour was erected with the names of those who were killed in the 1st World War. In February 1927 a whist drive was organised by the Comrades Club at the Cinema in aid of St Dunstans, the blind servicemen’s charity. In 1930 the club was opened up to non-service personnel and Wintles Brewery of Ross-on-Wye loaned the Club £50 to open their first licensed bar.
In 1933 Jack Field ran the Town Football Team and the Comrades Club was used for the changing rooms for home matches. The Parish Magazine reported in September 1948 that No. 8 Group of the British Legion held a parade in Newent under the direction of Major H T Moore MC, JP. It says that the muster was considerably smaller than previous occasions.
In 1949 The Comrades Club won the Citizen “Silver Dart Trophy” when they defeated a team from Minchinhampton in a CountyDarts competition. The trophy was presented to the captain Mr G H Hyett by the Gloucester Carnival Queen. They were obviously good at darts as they won the Newent and District Darts league in 1950 by winning all 22 games they played. The Newent league was started in 1944 with the aim of raising money for the Memorial Building Fund.
During the second World War it was felt that something else was needed as a tangible memorial to those who had died besides the names being inscribed on the war memorial. A meeting was held on September 4th 1943 in the Market House, chaired by Dr Johnstone and after some discussion it was decided to erect a Memorial Hall on the site of the Town’s cattle market. An entertainments committee was formed in order to raise money and in December 1944 a Christmas Fair was held in the W I rooms (now Barclays Bank). The Cattle Market was purchased in 1944, but it was not until October 1952 that sufficient funds had been raised to embark on the construction of the building. In 1944 the Newent Darts league raised £40 for the building fund and the following year they raised £60-16s. In 1945 a dance was held at The Holts, where 120 people attended and £80 was raised. Dr Johnstone lived at the Holts and in 1949 an annual fete was held in the grounds which raised over £100.
The Committee went to see an ex-army Wooden Hut and agreed to buy it. The hut was dismantled and rebuilt on a 4ft 6ins wall by W Wildsmith & Son, builders, and was finally opened on April 3rd 1954 by Dr Johnstone, and is still in use today. In his concluding speech Dr Johnstone reminded everyone that the hall had been erected in memory of those men of Newent who had sacrificed their lives for freedom and justice and that they would always be indebted to those for whom the hall was dedicated.
An oak dance floor was installed and the Amateur Dramatic Society installed up to date lighting equipment for the stage. An Inaugural Dance took place after the opening ceremony which nearly 300 people attended. A memorial plaque was unveiled on the 1955 Armistice Day. Several plaques marking the fund raising efforts during World War II are now displayed in the hall.
At last the Town had a large public hall where events could take place. The over 60s Club was one of the first to make use of the new facility. At their Christmas Party in 1957 over 200 people attended.
In 1958 the Newent Home Food Production Club held its 15th annual Flower Show in the Memorial Hall, admission one shilling. This was followed by a Grand Holiday Dance until 1-00am.
In 1967 the Comrades Club was refurbished at a cost of £9000 and re-opened as the Circle Club on January 1st 1968. The club remained open all through the refurbishment work despite having a leaking roof for a time. An Official re-opening took place shortly afterwards and a new emblem was designed. It was registered as a Friendly Society and provided pastimes such as shove-halfpenny, snooker, billiards, table skittles, darts, crib, and television. In the early 1960s the subscription was 2 shillings and 6d and a membership card was issued to each member. After the refurbishment it was raised to 5 shillings a year. The principal officers of the club in 1967 were :- President = Fred Clissold, Chairman = Ray Knowles, Secretary = Bill Jones, Treasurer = Jack Williams, and Steward = John Yates. There were 560 members in 1967.
The British Legion was granted the status “Royal” in 1971 and is now extended to anyone whether or not they have been in the armed forces or not.
In the late 1970s the British Legion Housing Association acquired the old houses on the north side of Gloucester Street and built some new sheltered accommodation called Ross Willis Court. The development was officially opened on 15th June 1979 by Princess Anne.
In 1992 a proposal was put forward to redevelop the Town centre and build a new Memorial Hall but this was rejected by the Committee. Mr Jack Jones was Chairman and had served on the committee for 20 years. In 2000 a scheme to renovate the Hall was commenced with a “Buy a Brick” campaign and over £10,000 was raised. In 2002 the Hall was damaged in a storm and had to have extensive repairs to the roof.
The Hall is now in use almost every day and is a cornerstone of Newent life.
Acknowledgement:
Dood Pearce
Newent History Society
March 2015
