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
At the AGM on 5th March 1947 J. T. Morgan resigned through ill health and was made an Honorary Life Member and Vice President as was the Secretary A. E. Witty, who retired after holding the office since 1929. The new President was J. MacLaren and Secretary N. L. Coult. S. E. Whitaker remained Treasurer. Membership stood at 130 and the accounts showed a surplus of £13.1/4d. Subscription was confirmed at 21/- with wives of members 15/-.
A rare visit occurred on 12th March when Charles Duncan came and stated his previous visit to the Club had been in 1900. He talked about the chemistry of photography and demonstrated the coating of a Collodion Plate and a print from it in two/three minutes. On 9th April Mr Sharp of Autotype Ltd gave a demonstration of Trichrome Carbiro Colour Print.
The following week a demonstration took place of 2" x 2" projectors. A cine lecture on 23rd April proved somewhat disappointing as "owing to double summer time it was difficult to get The Studio dark enough". A problem which may recur in 1992 if the EEC regulations are enforced.
An outing was made on 5th July to the works of Mr Dorrett and Miss Moon at the Manor Home, Mitcham, where members and their families were entertained. During tea Mr Dorrett presented the Club with a very fine silver cup to be awarded in a manner to be decided by Council. Thus the Club now had two cups, the Newton Cup and the Dorrett Cup neither commemorating the name of anyone who had made an outstanding contribution to Club activities: be they photographic or administrative.' Isaacs, Keane, Mees, Wratten, Salt and Whitaker are all in the author's opinion, worthy of commemoration yet remain even today unrecognised by the Club.
Dr C. E. K. Mees, Vice President of Kodak wrote in June expressing the hope of visiting the Club in the near future: and the President was asked to stop private conversations at the back of the room from disturbing those at the front trying to hear the speaker! Do we hear murmurs of discontent?
The Winter Session opened with a lecture from A. L. M. Sowerby, Editor of Amateur Photography and on 15th October Percy M Harris showed the new "Ilford Colour Film". Agfa, Dufay, and Ansco colour slides were shown by member R. A. W. Y. Stevenson on 22nd October and in a thought-provoking talk on 26th November, E. A. Goldring from Barnet Ensign Ltd showed "35mm V the Rest".
The first inter-club competition held under the auspices of the SLF took place on 3rd December when South London PS visited and were awarded 97 points against Croydon's 94 out of a possible 120.
Early in 1948 Dr Posford (member) gave a demonstration of print mounting using Dunlop upholstery solution! Colour again on 11th February with R. M. Fanstone showing "Dufaycolor" and on 25th February Mr Alderton dealt with "Kodachrome Extachrome and Technicolor".