THE club met on October 25 at the Holly Bush Hotel, Alcester, when a most interesting talk was given by Bob Woodfield, his subject being HMS Monkshood.

Alcester and its surrounding districts decided to "buy a ship" and collectively raised enough money for Monkswood.

The ship was a "Flower" Class Corvette of 625 tons which was built by Fleming & Ferguson in April 1941 and spent the majority of her time escorting North Atlantic Convoys. This class of ship was built around the design of an ocean going fishing ship and was reasonably easy to construct.

The original order in was for 56 ships but more like 150 were built eventually.

Some 20 were lost in action during the war.

While they were excellent sea boats, life on board was somewhat uncomfortable due to the movement.

It was said that they would "roll on a wet flannel".

The ship's crest and ensign are on permanent display in Alcester Town Hall with a model constructed by Bob Woodfield.

The ship's bell is in the Royal British Legion Club in Bidford-on-Avon.

The next meeting is on Wednesday, November 22 when the speaker will be Roger Curtis, whose subject will be The BBC in Wartime.

The club meets every fourth Wednesday in the month at 12.15pm for 12.45pm for lunch at The Holly Bush Hotel, followed by a talk by a member or outside person.

A multitude of topics are broached, all of which are most interesting. Anyone who would might like to join should contact the secretary on 01789 766217.