London Grand Rank Association – Somerset
At a recent meeting of our Group held at The Walnut Tree, North Petherton we had the pleasure of the company of our PGM RW Bro Ray Guthrie and his wife Hazel.
After the agenda had been dealt with the outgoing Chairman, Allan Covey invested his successor Harry Price, the new Chairman then introduced Mr John Scanlon who gave a talk on entitled ‘Digging for Britain during the Second World War’. Unemployment just before the war was 70% and the country imported everything from dairy products 70%, meat 60%, lumber 95%, cereals 90%, Fruit and Veg 80%, tea, coffee and spices 100% sugar 80%, fodder for the animals 80%, fish 15%. During the war the Government encourage everyone to grow vegetables and even the moat at the Tower of London was set aside for allotments. John Boyd Orr helped shape the British war time food policy as a member of Churchill’s Scientific Committee on Food policy.
In 1949 he was awarded The Nobel Peace Prize and was appointed the first Director of the World Health Organization. People were encouraged to keep pigs and everyone in the street used to put their food scraps out. Bee keeping was deemed an essential as the wax was needed for waterproofing. Liberty vessels were built for transporting food from the United States of America. Group Captain John ‘Cats Eyes’ Cunningham was the R.A.F.’s most successful night fighter pilot ace during the Second World War. The Government came up the idea that eating carrots helps you see in the dark (not true) the pilot was using a German made intercept radar. The character in the film ’Great Escape’ known as ‘cookie’ was one of the key ‘Tunnellers’ played by James Garner was based on Fl. Lt. James Leslie Long as was one of the 76 men to escape on the night 24th March 1944.He was one of 50, said to be shot by the Gestapo. Aged 29. Although born in Bournemouth he lived at Stoke Road, Taunton and went to Richard Huish College. The Chairman on behalf of the members thanked John for a very interesting talk which had been enjoyed everyone here as was shown in the usual manner.
The Charity box raised £54.00
