OUR HISTORY
Thanks to research by Gilbert Markley into the records of the British Legion and the Ex-servicemen’s Club, we know that the King’s Cliffe branch of the British Legion was formed in 1927 and in 1928 the group decided to establish a “Club”. Rules were drawn up for this “British Legion (King’s Cliffe and District) Club Limited” and printed by Dolby’s of Stamford at 1/- per copy. Every member of the Club was required to buy a copy of the Rule Book which set out the objects of the Club:
“to carry on the business of Club Proprietors by providing for the use of Members the means of social intercourse, mutual helpfulness, mental and moral improvement, rational recreation and the other advantages of a club; also further to advance that comradeship which sprang up whilst serving their country”.
The rules were quite stern, reflecting perhaps the military discipline which would have been familiar to members who had served in the Armed Forces!
Soon after being formed, the “Club” was offered a bungalow and house in West Street to rent for £9 per quarter. (Former Windmill Inn, now the doctors’ surgery.) and in 1930 the Club bought the property for £300.
Until December 1938, the Club was called the British Legion Club, but when the local British Legion branch applied to become affiliated to the British Legion nationally they found they could not comply with the requirements, one of which was to provide accommodation to ex-servicemen travelling the country to find work. The British Legion’s name could no longer be used on the Club door, and it became known as the KC Ex-Servicemen’s Club. It remained so until the new club premises in Wood Road opened in March 1967, at which point it became affiliated to the CIU – Clubs and Institutions Union – and the name was changed to KC Ex-Servicemen’s & Social Club, as it still is today.
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new beginnings
In 1963, the Club committee began to look for new, larger premises. They looked at various possibilities: purchasing the old Wheel Inn or building new premises on the paddock in Pig Lane, but neither of these progressed. Instead in 1964, Mr Arthur Brown – a founder member of the Club – offered a site in part of his field on Wood Road. Purchase was agreed at £1,000 and the committee, led by George Sansom, commissioned Mr J Portess as architect for the project to build the new club premises. The Club was built by Messrs Firmins for £24,487 15s 2d and opened its doors there for the first time on 17th March 1967 after an emotional speech by George Sansom at a meeting on the previous evening….
The Club thrived in its new and later extended premises. This was June 1989 – the clubhouse in Wood Road had a facelift, with improved facilities in the lounge, games room and TV room. At this time the membership fee was 86p for men and 35p for women and the Club had 600 members.
leisure
Club outings were always popular – often involving several coach-loads of adults and children heading to the coast, on board P C Howard coaches. This small photo from one such trip shows (left to right) Jack Gilder, Gilbert Markley, Arthur Booth, Albert Blake and, in front, Jim Wyles.
We know the precise date of this photo because it was remembered by Dorothy Campbell as the night when her grand-daughter Eleanor was born! In the centre is the late Mrs Gladys Blake, Chris Gilbert’s very dear mum and wife of the Club Steward, George Blake. George became Steward of the Club in 1959: he and Gladys and their family had accommodation above the Club in West Street, and then moved to the new Club premises in 1967, continuing as Steward until he and Gladys retired in 1988.
activities
The champion dominoes team
from the mid-1960s
Dominoes team, mid 1970s
Leisure activities were a big attraction at the Club. Darts, dominoes and cribbage being particularly popular.
Darts and dominoes teams from the Club took part in many a match in local league championships
long service
Various members of the Club committee have received long service awards from the C.I.U. (Clubs and Institutions Union) over the years. This picture was taken in 1988 when the club celebrated its 50th anniversary ..... Albert Blake had served 30 years on the cttee, 11 as president; Gordon Woolf 30 years (12 on cttee and 18 as a trustee), Fred Blake 29 years (12 on cttee, 13 as trustee, 2 as treasurer and 2 as secretary) and Gilbert Markley received a Certificate of Merit for 4 years on cttee, 3 as trustee, and 4 as treasurer). Since then, of course, Gilbert has clocked up many more years as both treasurer and secretary.
