Luncheons & Speakers – Yeovil Probus

The Probus Club of Yeovil meets at The Quicksilver Mail pub, Hendford Hill, Yeovil BA20 2RG – normally on the second Monday of each month (except when this coincides with a bank holiday).

2026 Luncheons	Talk	Speaker	Description
11th May	Did Hitler die in the Fuhrerbunker?	Richard Hutley	Adolf Hitler, Fuhrer of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. He was reported by German media to have killed himself by gunshot on 30 th April 1945 in his Fuhrerbunker in Berlin. With no body ever found & reported sightings into the late 1950’s in South America, is it possible he survived? The evidence suggests he did, before his demise in 1962. An examination of how he came to power & why he could have lived long after the war
8th June	The Fourth Serivce History of the Merchant Navy in World War II	David Parsons	David talks about the history of the Merchant Navy during World War II. The seafarers were almost continually on the front line when the ships were at sea and very often in port. Merchant ships were priority targets as they brought supplies to both the civilian populations and the armed service. They lost a greater percentage of personnel than any of the three armed service. Sir Winston Churchill called them the Fourth Service and they were essential to the victories. The men and a few women crew members were among the bravest of all who served during the War. Sadly their efforts and sacrifices are largely unrecognised.
13th July	Morris Minor-One of the Family	Simon Baker	Simon will relate story of this iconic little car from it’s conception & development by Alec Issigonis, which often put him at odds with the chairman of Morris Motors William Morris (Lord Nuffield). It’s debut was at the 1948 Earls Court motor show & subsequently 1.6 million were produced in the form of saloon, tourer, traveller, panel van & pickup truck. Simon will show the attitudes, practices & fashions of the day through the advertising media. Autocar magazine called it “a primary way Britain got back onto the road after the second world war”.
10th August	The Impossible Cross	Dick Taylor	Dick will tell the history of the Victoria Cross, with some lesser known winners, the problems of ensuring that it is only awarded to the most deserving people, & concluding with a discussion on why it is so difficult to win – especially if you are a woman
14th September	Some People of Sherborne	Roger Marsh	Roger will relate the lives of the most notable people of Sherborne who throughout history have made an impact on Sherborne & far beyond.
12th October	The Royal Visit That Went Wrong (but wasn’t my fault)	Alan Jenkins	Alan is a retired police inspector who worked in Public Order, Counter Terrorism, Training & operations. Alan will discuss the complex & at times frustrating planning behind policing a Royal Visit. He then discusses a visit he commanded & planned where everything that could go wrong did!! It’s very funny & popular.
9th November	AGM
14th December	Life Behind the Sideshows	Kay Townsend	Kay will talk about life on the fairground in times past. It covers topics such as freak shows of years ago which developed into curiosity shows (with film footage) also she will take us on a ride upon the wall of death & describe a flea circus. She will take us back in time to the 50’s & 60’s

2027

11^th January	Sherborne – The Past, The Place, The People.	Roger Marsh	Roger will describe Sherborne from it’s beginnings in 705AD, how it has developed & some of the noted people associated with the town.
8th February	First Clash of the Ironclads-Monitor & Merrimack	James Porter	On the 9^th March 1862 the worlds first battle between two ironclad warships took place, in Hampton Roads, Virginia,during the American Civil War. Although both sides claimed victory, the battle was essentially inconclusive. What was not in doubt was the days of wooden warships were now over & the future lay with iron & then steel.
8th March	Life Behind the Sideshows Ladies to be invited	Kay Townsend	Kay will talk about life on the fairground in times past. It covers topics such as freak shows of years ago which developed into curiosity shows (with film footage) also she will take us on a ride upon the wall of death & describe a flea circus. She will take us back in time to the 50’s & 60’s.
12th April	Berlin 1963	Ian Munro	Ian Will relate his experiences as an 18 year old in Berlin18 months after the wall was erected & describe some of the events during the early cold war period in Berlin.
10^th May	English Eccentricity & Customs	Bill McNaught	Bill will relate how the English are renowned throughout the world as a nation with more eccentrics than any other country. But what is an eccentric? Some years ago, the first & only formal study was undertaken by two academics. This talk examines the results of this study & describes examples of some of histories strangest people. If not eccentric, why do normal people participate & celebrate eccentric traditions, with examples of those taking place around the country in a typical year. Finally we look at some other odd historical customs & are there any present day eccentrics.
14^th June	Nikola Tesla – The Maverick Hungarian	Richard Hutley	The man who Electrified the World. Was he a genius? Richard will describe Tesla’s pioneering work with AC Current, Death Rays, Lasers, Wireless, Anti Gravity, Hydro Power, UFO’s etc! When Einstein was asked what it was like to be the smartest man in the world? He replied “I don’t know, you will to ask Nikola Tesla”.
12^th July	Trinity House	David Parsons	David will explain who or what is Trinity House. Trinity House is a charity dedicated to safeguarding shipping & seafarers, providing education, support & welfare to the seafaring community with a statutory duty as a general lighthouse Authority to deliver reliable efficient & cost-effective aids to navigation service for the benefit & safety of all mariners. The corporation of Trinity House is an independent corporation with over 500 years of expertise in maritime safety.