Difference between revisions of "Eastercon 1944"

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'''Eastercon 1944''' was a [[convention]] held April 8–9, 1944 (Easter weekend) in [[London]] by the [[Cosmos Club]] of Teddington. The [[GoH]] was [[Professor A. M. Low]] and [[Walter Gillings]] was the 'Convention President'. [[Rob Hansen]] has identified 25 known attendees including [[John Millard]], then serving in the Canadian airforce. [[Gus Willmorth]] from [[Los Angeles]], also then stationed in the UK, had also hoped to attend but his leave was cancelled, likely because of the preparations for D-Day.
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'''Eastercon 1944''' was a [[UK]] [[early convention]] held April 8–9, 1944 (Easter weekend) by the [[Cosmos Club]] of Teddington, a suburb of [[London]].<ref>28 minutes southwest from Waterloo by the (already electrified!) Kingston Loop Line; Teddington was amalgamated into Greater London in 1965.</ref> The [[GoH]] was [[Professor A. M. Low]]; [[Walter Gillings]] was the 'Convention President', while [[John Aiken]] the 'Organising Secretary'. [[Rob Hansen]] identified 25 attendees including [[John Millard]], serving in the Canadian airforce. [[Gus Willmorth]] from [[Los Angeles]], also stationed in the UK, had hoped to attend but his leave was cancelled at last minute, likely because of the preparations for D-Day.
  
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It seems to have been the first British convention to charge a membership fee. This was 15/- for both days (15 shillings, equivalent to about £27 in 2024) and included 'all meals and entertainment'.
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Apparently it was the first British convention to charge a [[membership]] fee: 15/-<ref>15 shillings, i. e. three quarters of a pound. Per https://measuringworth.com/calculators/ukcompare/ this is about 39 £ of purchasing power in 2022, though thrice more considering average income. To give another comparison, the ''[[Futurian War Digest]]'' cost 3 pence (1/80 of a pound), while the 1946 prozine ''[[Fantasy (Gillings)]]'' was a shilling. So yes, this seems quite a sum; even the 1949 [[Loncon (Eastercon)]] cost only 7/6d including the buffet, half as much.</ref> for both days, including 'all meals and entertainment'.
  
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The Saturday session was held in central London and involved a visit to the bookshops of Charing Cross Road, a screening of some Disney shorts at the Cameo News Theatre, and a trip to the Pillars of Hercules pub followed by dinner in the Shanghai Restaurant.
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The Saturday afternoon session was held in central [[London]] and involved a visit to the bookshops of Charing Cross Road, a screening of some Disney shorts at the Cameo News Theatre, and a trip to the Pillars of Hercules pub followed by dinner in the Shanghai Restaurant.
  
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The Sunday session was at Shirley's, a cafe in Teddington where the [[Cosmos Club]] was located.
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The Sunday session with a proper con programming started at noon at Shirley's, a cafe in Teddington where the [[Cosmos Club]] was located.
  
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The advance publicity said some informal events were planned for the Monday but these seem not to have happened based on reports.
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The advance publicity said some informal events were planned for the Monday but these did not happen based on reports.
  
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A souvenir book, ''Eastercon 1944'', was edited by [[Bruce Gaffron]] and issued in November, its publication 'badly delayed by the interference of doodle-bugs'.
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A [[souvenir book]] ''Eastercon 1944'' edited by [[Bruce Gaffron]] was published in November, 'badly delayed by the interference of doodle-bugs' (i. e. the German V-1 flying bombs, launched mid-June; not only these disrupted life in London and around per se, but [[Cosmos Club]] was originally based around a fire watch unit).
  
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Writing on his website in 2010, Rob Hansen said:
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Rob Hansen summed up his detailed history:
  
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  Looking back on the convention from 2010, the thing that most impresses about it is that it happened at all. The other wartime cons were small affairs, but the 1944 Eastercon was as full and complete a convention as any that had been seen in Britain to that point. Organising and running it under wartime conditions was a magnificent achievement. Both it and those responsible for it, the Cosmos Club, deserve to be better remembered and more celebrated than they have been.
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  … from 2010, the thing that most impresses about it is that it happened at all. The other [[war]]time cons were small affairs, but the 1944 Eastercon was as full and complete a convention as any that had been seen in Britain to that point. Organising and running it under wartime conditions was a magnificent achievement. Both it and those responsible for it, the Cosmos Club, deserve to be better remembered and more celebrated than they have been.
  
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In spite of its name ("Eastercon") and its date (Easter) and its location (the UK), it's not considered an [[Eastercon]] as when the series was codified in 1971 the numbering started from [[Whitcon]] in 1948.
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In spite of the con's name and it being the first UK [[natcon]] at Easter, it was not included as an [[Eastercon]] when their series was retroactively codified in 1971; the numbering started from [[Whitcon]] in 1948 notwithstanding its name, date and an incredible 4-year pause despite the end of the war. ''Then'' again, perhaps the point is that it was Whitcon that started a new regular tradition in new conditions without such gaps.
  
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*Report of the convention in ''[[Futurian War Digest]]''.
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* [http://www.fiawol.org.uk/fanstuff/THEN%20Archive/Eas44.htm Eastercon 1944 detailed history] at Rob Hansen's website
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*{{link | website=https://eFanzines.com/AOY/AOY-40.htm|text=Efanzines content.}}
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* [https://fiawol.org.uk//FanStuff/THEN%20Archive/FWD/FWD35.htm "Eastercon Diary"] by Aiken in ''[[Futurian War Digest]]'' 35 (Vol. 4, Number 5), June 1944 (summarised/quoted above)
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*{{link | website=http://www.fiawol.org.uk/fanstuff/THEN%20Archive/Eas44.htm|text=Fiawol content}}
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* [https://eFanzines.com/AOY/AOY-40.htm Summary/quotes of the above] in [[Harry Warner, Jr.]]'s ''[[All Our Yesterdays]]'' column 40, dealing with the ''FWD'' in general
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*[http://www.fiawol.org.uk/fanstuff/then%20archive/Eas44a.htm Account] in ''[[Then]]''.
 
  
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See also [[Early Conventions]]
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See also [[Early Conventions]].
  
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{{convention | year=1944 | locale=London, UK}}
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{{convention | year=1944| locale=London, UK| series =early conventions| before =Norcon I (UK)| after= Whitcon}}
 
[[Category:UK]]
 
[[Category:UK]]
 
{{DISPLAYTITLE: Eastercon}}
 
{{DISPLAYTITLE: Eastercon}}

Revision as of 13:37, 17 May 2024

Eastercon 1944 was a UK early convention held April 8–9, 1944 (Easter weekend) by the Cosmos Club of Teddington, a suburb of London.[1] The GoH was Professor A. M. Low; Walter Gillings was the 'Convention President', while John Aiken the 'Organising Secretary'. Rob Hansen identified 25 attendees including John Millard, serving in the Canadian airforce. Gus Willmorth from Los Angeles, also stationed in the UK, had hoped to attend but his leave was cancelled at last minute, likely because of the preparations for D-Day.

Apparently it was the first British convention to charge a membership fee: 15/-[2] for both days, including 'all meals and entertainment'.

The Saturday afternoon session was held in central London and involved a visit to the bookshops of Charing Cross Road, a screening of some Disney shorts at the Cameo News Theatre, and a trip to the Pillars of Hercules pub followed by dinner in the Shanghai Restaurant.

The Sunday session with a proper con programming started at noon at Shirley's, a cafe in Teddington where the Cosmos Club was located.

The advance publicity said some informal events were planned for the Monday but these did not happen based on reports.

A souvenir book Eastercon 1944 edited by Bruce Gaffron was published in November, 'badly delayed by the interference of doodle-bugs' (i. e. the German V-1 flying bombs, launched mid-June; not only these disrupted life in London and around per se, but Cosmos Club was originally based around a fire watch unit).

Rob Hansen summed up his detailed history: 

… from 2010, the thing that most impresses about it is that it happened at all. The other wartime cons were small affairs, but the 1944 Eastercon was as full and complete a convention as any that had been seen in Britain to that point. Organising and running it under wartime conditions was a magnificent achievement. Both it and those responsible for it, the Cosmos Club, deserve to be better remembered and more celebrated than they have been.

In spite of the con's name and it being the first UK natcon at Easter, it was not included as an Eastercon when their series was retroactively codified in 1971; the numbering started from Whitcon in 1948 notwithstanding its name, date and an incredible 4-year pause despite the end of the war. Then again, perhaps the point is that it was Whitcon that started a new regular tradition in new conditions without such gaps.

See also Early Conventions.

Norcon early conventions Whitcon
1944
This is a convention page. Please extend it by adding information about the convention, including dates, GoHs, convention chairman, locale, sponsoring organization, external links to convention pages, awards given, the program, notable events, anecdotes, pictures, scans of publications, pictures of T-shirts, con reports, etc.

  1. ↑ 28 minutes southwest from Waterloo by the (already electrified!) Kingston Loop Line; Teddington was amalgamated into Greater London in 1965.
  2. ↑ 15 shillings, i. e. three quarters of a pound. Per https://measuringworth.com/calculators/ukcompare/ this is about 39 £ of purchasing power in 2022, though thrice more considering average income. To give another comparison, the Futurian War Digest cost 3 pence (1/80 of a pound), while the 1946 prozine Fantasy (Gillings) was a shilling. So yes, this seems quite a sum; even the 1949 Loncon cost only 7/6d including the buffet, half as much.
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