Twenty members foregathered in the meeting room of the Royal Philatelic Society, London, at 41 Devonshire Place, W.1, on 27th January last, and once again we were fortunate that the weather was kind enough to enable our President to journey up from his Wiltshire home to take the chair. A number of topics were discussed, and the progress made during the past year was unanimously considered to be most satisfactory. For a number of personal reasons Messrs Forshaw, Roche and Smithson did not seek re-election to the Committee, and two of the vacancies were filled by the election of Mr. L. E. Britnor and Mr. G. W. Groves. It was decided that the Hon Secretary be authorised to co-opt another member to the Committee should the need arise. The meeting ended at 6.50 p.m., and was followed by tin informal dinner at Lord's Tavern, St. John's Wood Road, N.W. l, attended by nearly forty members and their guests. At the conclusion of an excellent meal, Mr. Kenneth F. Chapman, Editor of "Stamp Collecting" paid an encouraging tribute to our CIRCLE, to which our President responded in appreciative vein. The toast to the guests was eloquently proposed by Miss Rose Titford, the response being made by W. Ewart Gerrish, Esq., O.B.E., a Vice-President of the "Royal." Mr. Gerrish, in the course of his speech, disclosed the interesting fact that many years ago he was a collector of Jamaican stamps and was glad to know that a number of the items now reposed in our President's collection. His many amusing anecdotes were a source of great delight and made an appropriate conclusion to a very happy evening.
We would remind you that this will take place on Saturday, the 21st April, at 2.30 p.m. Please bring along a few pages and a note of any interesting points for discussion. It will be most helpful if those who intend to be present will advise the Hon. Secretary immediately in order that the necessary arrangements can be made for providing tea.
We were very pleased to see a number of our members at this exhibition and could riot help feeling that many more would have been there had it taken place a little later in the year. The organisers are to be congratulated, for we know that much thought and hard work was entailed before the doors opened. Whilst we appreciate that the competition had, of necessity, to play an important part in the proceedings, we consider that if a little more space were allocated in future to invited exhibits it might well prove advantageous.
Members will have observed in the philatelic press this is being held at Brighton from 5th to 8th June, and Cdr. G. Bridgmore Brown, F.R.P.S.L., Mr. G. W. Groves and our Hon. Secretary will be attending as the CIRCLE'S delegates. On this occasion a number of specialist societies and study circles are being asked to provide an exhibition to be held at the Grand Hotel, and we are glad to announce that our CIRCLE has been invited to furnish a number of frames. It has been decided that the exhibit should be as representative as possible by covering the entire B.W.I. group, and several members have kindly agreed to loan some of the more interesting items from their respective collections. At the time of going to press full details are not available, but a list of the items, shown will be included in our July issue for the benefit of all those who are unable to attend. As on former occasions, a meeting of the CIRCLE will take place on Thursday evening (June 7th), and details of the time and place can be obtained at the Congress Office. Our President will be in the chair, and all those who hope to be there are enjoined to bring a few pages to pass round.