At the outbreak of the Second World War, in September 1939, Kidderminster Rotary were most anxious to do what they could to help the war effort and to "do their bit", but it was difficult to decide exactly what. This feeling was not just restricted to the Kidderminster Club, but was felt throughout Rotary and, in fact, by all those not in the armed forces.

However, some decisive, if not war winning, decisions were taken. That the Club should meet fortnightly; and that the speaker at each meeting should be restricted to fifteen minutes (was this the start of the tradition with which we are all familiar?) so that members could get back to their businesses and the work which they were doing - which might have been of national importance; that meals would have to be modified (did they have more than three courses pre-war?) and that National Savings should be a top priority - the Government had called for £500,000,000 to be raised for war purposes from that source.

Another blow was struck when it was announced in December that the children evacuated from Smethwick to Kidderminster would be treated to a Christmas party at the Baths Assembly Hall Room. The Club normally arranged a Christmas party for local children. This was to be extended by entertaining those from Smethwick, but on a different day.

Local Involvement
In 1940 the Club had to turn down a request to assist soldiers coming home on leave by supplying motor transport to Kidderminster Station. Firstly, because there were so many other calls on members time, such as the ARP service, or the Special Constabulary, secondly because there were very few cars in use due to petrol rationing and thirdly because od blackout restrictions. However, a compromise was reached by having bicycles available at the Police Station for servicemen arriving here too late to reach their homes in the district by means of ordinary transport.

"District" was very widely defined. Soldiers, sailors and Airmen made thousands of journeys on the Rotary bicycles to homes as far away as Tenbury, Clows Top, Farlow, Cleobury Mortimer, Stottesdon and (can you believe it) - Wolverhampton. Probably along the canal towpath, which is much the shortest and flattest route for a cyclist. Some returning servicemen possibly had a more rigorous time coming home on leave than staying with their units, for they first had to get from the Railway Station down to the Police Station by the Town Hall before undertaking the ride home, maybe with a kit bag? How the bicycles were returned is not recorded, but it is known that the service was advertised on a board at Kidderminster GWR Station.

With great foresight early in the war, the club "adopted" His Majesty's Trawler Fort Robert. The crew were sent gifts and when asked, her skipper said that there were 2 pipe and 8 cigarette smokers on board and that any brand of tobacco would be welcome, as would jerseys and mittens. This request was met by referring matters to the Rotary Ladies Committee, led by Mrs. Stanley Goodwin who soon got to work. Rotarian Rawcroft very generously supplied the wool free of charge and H.M.S. Fort Robert (one of 500 or more fishing trawlers commandeered by the Admiralty for use as mine sweepers) survived the war.

Help was also given to H.M.S. Vansittart (a somewhat elderly destroyer, built in 1918) by sending £5 towards the renewal of her library. She also survived.

Kidderminster suffered very little from the bombing, but Rotarians were not to know this and therefore elected a Vice-President, as well as a President, just in case Hitler's bombs struck down the Club's leader.

Fund raising formed the greatest part of Club efforts to defeat Nazi Germany. £130 (quite a large sum in those days - multiply by 50 to equate with todays values) was raised with which to purchase a mobile canteen and trailer. This was not to refresh the troops before cycling off with their kit bags on their handlebars to Mamble, but to assist the blitzed cities of Coventry and Birmingham. Considerable financial help was given to the YMCA so that a hut could be built for Kidderminster's servicemen.

By 1941 the "Pipes for Seamen" had become a National Rotary scheme and 400 pipes (with tobacco to put in them) had been gathered in and sent to every port in Britain.

Two very important projects were started in 1942 which were to have long lasting effects
to this day. One was the setting up of a Citizens Advice Bureau and the other was the formation of the Inner Wheel Club. It is probable that both projects were fostered by the community sprit which was very much in evidence in wartime Britain and the consequent breaking down of barriers; also by the realisation that women could play an increasing role within the community, as proved by their war service.

Speakers
Talks at the Rotary fortnightly meetings were a regular feature of the war years and appear to have been maintained despite all th difficulties in travelling about.
Speakers came from afar and whilst the topics were not too remote from wartime objectives such as "our Russian Allies", "The Free French" and "How to get on with the Americans" and "China" there was a memorable and radical talk by Lord Dudley on post war housing.

One learnt from another talk on Rotary in Europe that there were still 5 countries left in Europe in which Rotary flourished even in the darkest days of the war - Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Portugal and strangely (in view of the fact that it was under German occupation) - Denmark. In all the enemy countries Rotary was, of course, suppressed.

The most bellicose of the talks to the Club appear to have come from a fellow member, who called upon the Air Force to bomb to every German city and thereby kill as many factory workers as possible. He was the Rotarian who expressed the view that during the First World War it was unanimously felt that there was no such thing as a good German.

The Lion Hotel - Worcester Street Meeting place of our Club 1921 - 1958

Meals
Very early on it was decided that meals should consist of unrationed food only. As this meant leaving out meat, cheese, fats, flour, sugar, eggs, jam, all tinned food and tea, (bread was not rationed until after the end of the war) the chef at the Lion Hotel must have been very versatile with his use of vegetables. No doubt the Rotarians were all the healthier for that. The Minister of Food was Lord Woolton and his Ministry's recipes were followed. One speaker, when commenting on the large number of Club members makes favourable reference to "Woolton's Pie" as assisting recruitment.

There were American Army bases both at Wolverley and at Burlish Camp and the two American Army guests at Rotary lunch in 1943, Captain Wilkinson and Lieutenant Anson, would have probably been too polite to comment on the Lentil Roast and Carrot Tart. The fact that mention was made of these two guests and very few others in the wartime records indicate how important their presence, representing our principle ally, was considered to be. One is glad to note that two wounded British Soldiers from Stone Hospital were invited as guests in 1944.

Compared with the number of Rotarians in the Club today, the wartime membership seems massive - 62 in 1943 and this despite the shortage of men! The other attraction (apart from Woolton Pie) and aid to recruitment, might have been the identity of the Licensee of the Lion, Mrs. Dorothy Round a pre-war Wimbledon tennis champion.

Sir George Eddy, O.B.E J.P The prominent Kidderminster Rotarian and Town Benefactor.

Sir George Eddy, who received his knighthood later, was one of the Club's wartime Presidents and his charitable work and the drive which he gave to the local savings movement were well known. His enthusiasm for such causes rubbed off on his fellow Rotarians and resulted in the Club having an auspicious record in those areas.

At the end of the hostilities the Club reverted immediately to weekly meetings, even though food was just as short, if not more so, with the Country taking on the burden of supplying a starving Europe. Bread rationing was introduced and the National Loaf became darker and darker in texture. Contact was made straight away with 61 new International Clubs with our Club looking forward to the return of other signs of normality.

Today, the lunch time talks are of practical matters, but then, the preference was for speakers who would stress moral and religious values, there being a feeling that Rotary principles might be needed more than ever, should the local community be tempted to become more self seeking - in post war Kidderminster.