Croydon Camera Club History: 1890-2000
Preface Introduction The Club Foundation 1809 Soiree 1899 Movies Member Prestige Council Meetings 1903 Founding President Mees Years 1904-12 The Great War Between The Wars Recorded Years Riots! Police! 1931 Edridge Road, 1932 1932 Nudes Ladies and Exhibitions Club Room eviction The Studio: 1933 Cine! Ladies! 1934 Highs and Lows, 1936 A/V, Stag Party, 1937 Freemasonry 1938 Baird Television 1938 War! 1940: Bombed ! Annual Report 1940-41 Making Do 1941 War Ends 1942-5 A War Retrospective Ladies? 1946 Ladies Admitted 1947-8 35mm Slides arrive Struggling 1949 SLF Out! 1949-50 Troubled 1950 Outings 1951 Winter Season 1951 Celebrations Mees Visits Croydon 1955 1956 Nonexistence 1957 1958-1959 1960 More Success 1961 The Darkroom 1961 Frivolity 1962 All Change 1963 1965-1967 Exhibitions 1967 Photeurop 1968 Photeurop 1969 Years 1970-1972 Terra Nova Years 1973 Years 1974-1975 19 Selsdon Road Years 1977-1979 Changes 1980 Friends Meeting House Close the Club 1983 Progress? 1984 Turnaround? 1985 Years 1987-1988 Slow Revival 1989 About Club Outings The Helpers Postscript
In a further return to normality the resumption of outings was proposed, but it was decided to forgo them for two years due to the shortage of petrol and the difficulties and dangers of taking photographs under the present Restriction Orders. The Annual Exhibition was cancelled.
So meetings were resumed as from 28th February on a Wednesday and the remainder of the sessions continued to the end of May when the Summer Programme commenced. Members had talks by Archie Handford, a cine session, a lantern lecture on "The Training of Falcons and Hawks for Hunting", Infra Red Photography and a talk by the President on Ilford's new enlarging paper "Multigrade".
I. D. Wratten, grandson of founder member S. H. Wratten was elected to membership on 13th March. Having decided to resume a formal programme, the Club had to reconsider its tenure of The Studio where the six months notice of termination expired on 29th March. "Spacky" stated he would not accept the club offer of 10/-d per week and required 16/-d to be paid monthly. The President stated he had been to see eight rooms locally but none was suitable and it was agreed to accept the terms offered but appoint a sub-committee to look for alternative accommodation.
It is recorded on 1st May "An unusual evening with members bringing cameras for a portrait evening with a young lady model. About 150 exposures were made and the value of the cameras brought in must have been about £250". A single entry at a Council meeting on 8th May admits to membership Mr Edwin Appleton, today an Honorary Member of the Club and also President of Sutton CC, and as current Vice President of the RPS, looks destined to become the second member in Club history to become President of the Royal Photographic Society.
A request from Durbin and McBride in North End, Croydon, to supply a lanternist to give a lecture at Kenley Aerodrome was accepted at a fee of 1 gn to be split between the Club and the lanternist R. A. W. Y. Stevenson.
The Summer session of conversational meetings continued every Wednesday with mounting anxiety as the evacuation of Dunkirk and fall of Northern France to the Germans increased the risk of air raids with the ""Battle of Britain" raging through the summer. Inevitably the war came home with The Studio being damaged by a bomb exploding nearby in September 1940. It was therefore impossible to continue meetings. The black out and the Blitz also prevented meeting being arranged elsewhere and the Council decided to suspend activities for a while. It was not until four months later that The Studio was habitable again. There was therefore an enforced break in Club meetings but at Christmas the President and Council sent a greetings card to all the membership (129) as a reminder that the Club still existed and was awaiting a suitable opportunity to recommence a programme. By the turn of the year 12 members were in the forces and others had shown continued interest in the Club by sparing and hour or two of short leave to meet at fellow members' homes.