Luncheons and Speakers

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).

2025
8th September	The World of Ghosts	Brian Wright	Brian will be looking at the many different phenomena called ghosts & their possible causes. We will discuss any experiences   members have had, & look at the lecturers own experiences in a haunted mansion & during two ghost watches.
13th October	Darien Breakthrough	Col. John Blashford-Snell CBE	Col. John Blashford-Snell is a former British army officer, explorer & author. In 1971-72 he oversaw the first north -south vehicular journey from Alaska to Cape Horn. Part of this journey involved crossing the Darien Gap-thick uncharted jungle & swamp in Panama & Columbia. An expedition to drive two newly introduced Range Rovers 17,000 miles through North & South America was initiated & Funded by the MoD. It entailed crossing a 250 mile stretch of extremely inhospitable land in the isthmus of Central America, through which there was no discernible route. The terrain was regarded as impassable, consisting of thick rain forest, several sizeable rivers & an extensive swamp. The area is home to all manner of ferocious, biting, poisonous creatures & vicious thorny toxic plants.
10th November	AGM
8th December	Uncle Bill: Britain’s Forgotten Hero – Field Marshal William Slim	Ashley Jones MBE	Ashley will explore the life of Bristol born soldier, Field Marshal  Viscount William “Bill” Slim. Known affectionately as “uncle Bill” by his soldiers. Slim commanded the 14th “forgotten” army in the bitterly contested Burma campaign of WW2, recovering from the 1000 mile retreat from Burma to India, only to return two years later to defeat the Japanese in the steaming jungles of South East Asia.
2026
12th January	The Barwick Follies	Joseph Lewis	Joseph will describe the four towers or follies apparently marking the cardinal points of the Barwick park estate. He will put forward evidence to determine when & why they were erected & separate fact from myth.
9th February	Final Flight of Lancaster Bomber PB 848	James Porter	James will describe the state of German flack & night fighter defences in 1945 before examining the planning for & execution of one particular operation against Karlsruhe in February 1945. He will introduce the individual crew members of one particular Lancaster bomber, exploring their backgrounds & what life was like for them on a WW2 bomber Command airbase. He will then trace what happened during the raid, using personal accounts of aircrew survivors, leading to the demise of one particular aircraft & all but one of its crew.
9th March	Hare in Nature, History & Folklore	Brian Wright	The Hare is Britain’s swiftest mammal & one whose particular habits have caused speculation& given rise to some strange beliefs for centuries, particularly that it’s the only British animal that boxes! Brian will cover other aspects of this fascinating animal such as the many beliefs associated with it, it’s religious associations, & it’s appearance in art & literature
13th April	Twilight of Steam on the JiTong Railway-China 2004	Roger Marsh	Roger will describe an expedition across China into Inner Mongolia to discover the last railway in the world To use Steam locomotives. Their journey was eventful, challenging & often humorous. They achieve their objective & witness the massive 2-10- 2 QJ locomotives in use.
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 History of Coffee	Mike Rendell	Mike will relate the story of coffee from it’s possible discovery in Ethiopia 1200 years ago to the present. He traces it’s history through the Arabian peninsula & on to our own habit from the middle of the 17 th century & the establishment of the famous coffee houses where politics were debated & trade took place. Mike will tell it’s growing environment & production methods & conclude with some exotic variations.
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	t.b.c.
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	t.b.c
9th November	AGM
14th December	t.b.c.