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
Whilst the war with Japan still continued, the return of peace in Europe, easier travel and the abolition of the black-out brought a revival of aspirations and there was no longer a feeling of just keeping the Club together. One could now look forward to the Club becoming more active on behalf of its 110 members.
Before, therefore, we enter the revival of photography after the War, we should look at the Club as it was five years ago and see how it shaped up during the War years.
We started with a president who had been in office since 1919 with a two year break in 1931/32, and a Treasurer and Secretary still holding office. It was the custom to make a record of each meeting and to read the record and sign it at the commencement of the following meeting. The Speakers came from many parts of the South and for most they were illustrating experimental material of which there was a great variety. Membership was drawn from a wide area, numbering 113. The subscription was 15/-d - the same as it had been since 1922.
We now start with 1946 with a President of two years in office and the requirement to keep a record not rigidly enforced. Speakers are local due to travel difficulties and most experimental processes ceased and would not be revived as wartime efforts have produced something better. Travel lectures were almost non-existent or of pre-War vintage, and manufacturers were in no position to vie with each other for custom as all Continental sources of material had dried up. It was essentially a do-it-yourself and buy British attitude for the residual membership of 117, paying a reduced subscription of 5/-d.
With films and paper becoming more readily available (though still not on open sale) and no restrictions on photography except for military installations, the stage is set for either survival, revival or extinction. So what of the next 10 years?