Woolwich Memorial Hospital Fete 1979
Report written by Chris Warrell for our August 1979 Newsletter
Sunday 29 July 1979
Woolwich Memorial Hospital
Woolwich
This was the second time our club had put on a show at this fete, the first time being a year ago. Then it rained, but that was nothing compared to this year when we had gales as well with the effect that the rain was driven almost sideways!
Despite the weather the event was very successful and all the handbills advertising our September exhibition were taken by the public. The local press were also there and a picture of Adrian with his exhibit appeared in the Kentish Independent for 2 August with the caption ‘All eyes — as children examine a fire engine model from the Meccano club’. Pity they couldn’t find out the name of our club.
Thanks are due to Geoff Davison who brought a fly sheet from a ridge tent plus poles, David Whitmore who supplied half a dozen tables from Lewisham Hospital and Adrian Ashford who looked after the tables in his home.
A list of the models on display now follows:
Adrian Ashford — Fire engine; Formula 1 racing car.
Stan Bedford — Electric dockyard crane.
Geoff Davison — Models brought to meeting plus beach buggy, German rail gun.
David Smithers* — Simple workshop machines, with Meccano ‘men’, driven from (electric) steam engine, using Meccano from the various periods of the original models.
Chris Warrell — Glasgow Subway train; ‘Mini’ car.
David Whitmore — Grasshopper beam engine; Steam wagon.
Also present were two of David Whitmore’s sons, Michael and non-Meccano enthusiast John.
* David Smithers unfortunately could not attend due to the weather because his only means of transport is a bike, but he did leave his display with Adrian the day before.