London SF Con

(For other Loncons, see Loncon (Disambiguation).)

The London SF Convention, sometimes referred to as Loncon, was held in London over Whitsun, May 31–June 1, 1952, at the White Horse and the Royal Hotel. There was no guest of honour. The committee was E. J. Carnell, Charles Duncombe, Frank Arnold, and Jim Ratigan.

This is canonically Eastercon 3. Festivention in 1951 wasn't strictly an Eastercon, and there was no convention in 1950, so the preceding event is Loncon in 1949.

Preparations

In his report of 1951's Festivention in New Worlds #11, Ted Carnell had said that, 'By popular request the visitors asked London to stage another Convention next year', and in his Preliminary Report Vin¢ Clarke said that on the Monday after the Festivention weekend, 'a farewell meeting at the 'Havelock' in Grays Inn Road that night brought 30 stalwarts to say farewell and to start planning the 1952 Convention!'

Despite the early start, there appear to have been no progress reports or if there were any no copies have been traced. The convention was publicised by New Worlds, Science Fantasy and Authentic Science Fiction. The programme book, was issued a few days in advance of the convention.

Membership fees were 2/6d for the 'convention society' plus 5/- per day. Teenagers were half-price.

Venue

The main venue for the Saturday and Sunday was The Royal Hotel on Russell Square in London. This had been previously used for Festivention in 1951 and would be used again for SCI-CON 70 in 1970. It has since been demolished. The Royal National Hotel now stands on the site.

As at Festivention, preliminary sessions were again held at the White Horse pub in Fetter Lane on the Thursday and Friday. This had also been the venue for the 1948 Whitcon.

Attendees

The 1952 Eastercon was the first to have a published membership list, although the first UK convention to do so had been NECON the previous year. This shows 197 members of the 'convention society'. It seems plausible that there were about 200 people present and maybe even more. Pete Campbell, writing in Operation Fantast #13–14 (Winter 1952), said that 196 people voted in the 1953 site selection and if that's correct then total attendance must surely have been significantly more than 200.

There are nearly 90 known attendees, people who are named in one of the convention reports, who appear in photos, and/or whose names appear on a signed copy of the programme book. A few of these people don't appear on the membership list. Over 10% of the membership is female.

In the table below names marked (A) are known attendees, names marked (AN) are known attendees who are not on the membership list, and names marked (N) are members who are known to have not been present such as Arthur C. Clarke who was abroad and Lee Hoffman because frankly if she'd been there somebody would have mentioned it. The remainder may have attended. In many cases that's the limit of our knowledge about them and where this is the case there won't be a page for them until and unless we find out some more. Names to which this applies are in italics. Additionally names marked * are family members of attendees who likely weren't fans per se.

1. Ben Abas (AN)
2. R. C. Abel
3. Frank Arnold (A)
4. Mrs. L. Arnold *
5. Norman Ashfield (A)
6. B. A. Baker
7. C. Bell
8. Eric Bentcliffe (A)
9. A. H. Berrick
10. Bryan Berry (A)
11. G. Bills
12. John Birchby (A)
13. K. Bleach
14. Leonard Borston
15. Syd Bounds (A)
16. H. M. Boxer
17. D. Bradbury
18. M. Braddell
19. Fred Brown (A)
20. John Brunner (A)
21. Daphne Buckmaster (A)
22. Ron Buckmaster (A)
23. Pamela Buckmaster (AN)
24. R. Budge
25. Ken Bulmer (A)
26. Jim Burch (A)
27. Brian Burgess (A)
28. C. Burke
29. D. Burke
30. Freda Busfield (AN)
31. J. Cameron
32. Bert Campbell (A)
33. Eileen Campbell (A)*
34. Pete Campbell (A)
35. Ted Carnell (A)
36. N. H. Cartridge
37. Miss J. Cartwright
38. L. Challenger
39. G. Ken Chapman (A)
40. P. Chappell
41. George Charters (A)
42. C. Cheshire
43. Arthur C. Clarke (N)
44. Fred Clarke (AN)
45. Mrs Clarke (AN)*
46. Vin¢ Clarke (A)
47. L. Cleicher
48. J. Cobb
49. Dave Cohen (A)
50. Robert Conquest
51. P. Cook
52. Frank Cooper (A)
53. Tony Cooper (A)
54. Miss Craggs
55. P. W. Cutler
56. Mrs. P. Cutler *
57. W. O. Daniels
58. Ron Deacon (A)
59. H. Donne
60. Donald J. Doughty (A)
61. Philip Duerr (A)
62. Charles Duncombe (A)
63. Mrs R. Duncombe *
64. Matt Elder
65. B. Ellis
66. George Ellis (AN)
67. Paul Enever (A)
68. Jeff Espley (AN)
69. I. O. Evans
70. R. A. Fairthorne (A)
71. M. K. Fallon
72. Frank Fears (AN)
73. C. A. Fielder
74. Les Flood (A)
75. A. Francis
76. Dave Gardner (A)
77. Kerry Gaulder (A)
78. Denis Gifford (A)
79. H. Gomberg
80. B. Gregory
81. T. H. Griffiths
82. John Gutteridge (A)
83. C. Hall
84. John Beynon Harris
85. Peter Hawkins (AN)
86. G. Hay
87. J. S. Hays
88. Mrs J. S. Hays
89. Arthur F. Hillman (A)
90. Lee Hoffman (N)
91. F. D. Horton
92. Alan Hunter (A)
93. Joyce Hunter (A)*
94. D. J. Ibberson
95. Dorothy Jacobs (A)
96. P. Jacobs
97. E. R. James
98. Terry Jeeves (A)
99. Bill Jesson (AN)
100. Leslie J. Johnson (A)
101. Kenneth Johnson
102. W. Johnson
103. K. Johnstone (A)
104. C. F. W. Jones
105. Dick Jones (AN)
106. Eric Jones (A)
107. M. Kelly
108. G. Kelson
109. Len Kippin
110. Tony Klein
111. J. C. Knights
112. J. Knoles
113. Mrs. J. Knoles
114. Miss Kosen
115. E. Koyinsky
116. A. K. Lang
117. Max Leviten (A)
118. J. Lewis
119. J. Long (A)
120. Audrey Lovett (A)
121. Mrs M. D. Lowe
122. A. MacDowell
123. T. Manchee
124. J. Martin
125. S. V. May
126. Mrs Mayoll
127. W. Mayoll
128. David McIlwain (A)
129. Ken McIntyre
130. R. G. Medhurst (A)
131. A. Mercer
132. A. Miles
133. Frank Milnes (A)
134. Jim Mooney (A)
135. Lew Mordecai
136. Dan Morgan (A)
137. M. H. Morris
138. Miss Mowbray
139. John Newman
140. D. Peter Ogden
141. L. Onslow
142. Sigvard Östlund (A)
143. Mary Patchett (A)
144. G. Peacock
145. P. Pengelly
146. Miss Perry
147. John Phillifent
148. Peter Phillips (AN)
149. Derek Pickles (A)
150. Marjorie Pickles (A)
151. Mavis Pickles (AN)
152. M. Picklesheimer
153. Owen Plumridge
154. Ken Potter (A)
155. W. E. Price
156. F. Price
157. Jim Ratigan (A)
158. F. N. Reckless
159. T. Reeves
160. Peter J. Ridley (A)
161. J. L. Rimmer
162. Fred Robinson (A)
163. John Roles (A)
164. J. Michael Rosenblum (A)
165. Betty Rosenblum (A)
166. S. Russell
167. R. Rutter
168. Sandy Sanderson
169. Laurence Sandfield
170. T. Scott
171. F. Seales
172. J. Shaw
173. W. Shaw
174. Ina Shorrock (A)
175. Norman Shorrock (A)
176. A. Shreeve
177. D. S. Shure
178. Ken Slater
179. F. R. Smith
180. A. M. Sowerby
181. A. E. Taylor
182. P. G. Taylor
183. Bill Temple (A)
184. S. S. Thomas (A)
185. Tony Thorne (A)
186. Ted Tubb
187. J. Unsworth
188. P. Veness
189. Richard J. Vowles (A)
190. Miss A. Walker
191. Miss V. Walker
192. C. Wallace
193. Norman Wansborough (A)
194. Norman Weedall (A)
195. D. Whippell
196. C. Whitaker
197. James White (A)
198. S. White
199. Betty White (AN)
200. Tom White (AN)
201. H. D. Wicks
202. A. E. "Taffy" Williams (A)
203. Eric C. Williams (A)
204. Walt Willis (A)
205. F. Wilson
206. J. Wilson (A)
207. Mike Wilson
208. R. Wilstead
209. Dave Wood (A)
210. R. L. Worrall
211. I. Wright
212. S. Wright

The Convention

As in 1951 there were preliminary sessions in The White Horse on Thursday and Friday evening with many out-of-town fans attending, especially on the Friday.

Vin¢ Clarke estimated there were 'nearly a hundred present' on Saturday morning when Ted Carnell opened the first session with proposals for the 1953 convention from various groups for which see below. Attendees heard a recorded message from Arthur C. Clarke and this was followed by a discussion on the subject 'That science fiction is true to the facts of human experience' (Clarke).

Walt Willis felt the convention 'had been pretty dull up to now' but then Ted Tubb began the auction, a 'a tour de force'. Films were shown after supper although there was 'means of darkening the windows, and for the first hour or so the screen was a slowly brightening rectangle of creamy yellow on which shadowy blobs swam like amoeba during a mating dance'. Willis noted that, 'There is nothing like a common affliction for drawing people even nearer together'.

Sunday began with a repeat of the Clarke recording, followed by Ted Carnell and Bert Campbell answering questions about their magazines. After lunch there was an authors and artists forum and the presentation of the International Fantasy Awards to Fancies And Goodnights by John Collier (accepted by Carnell) and The Exploration of Space by Arthur C. Clarke (accepted by his brother, Fred and sister-in-law) After a break there was a second auction.

The outcome of the formal site selection for 1953 is detailed below. It was followed by a screening of Metropolis. There was no formal closing ceremony. A small party went to see Flight to Mars on the Monday and James White and Walt Willis went to visit Chuck Harris who'd been unable to attend the convention itself.

Publications

A programme booklet – actually a four-page leaflet – was distributed in advance. It misleadingly suggests that the venue was The White Horse Tavern but this only hosted preliminary sessions on Thursday and Friday. A post-con report, London S-F Convention 1952 was issued as a supplement to Science Fantasy News and distributed to all members.

Future conventions

There had been a discussion on the Saturday about the 1953 site with 'various people ... making speeches about the site for next year's convention, the Northerners arguing that London was too expensive to get to and the Londoners pointing out how many other attractions London had to offer'. Walt Willis advanced a not-terribly-serious proposal on behalf of James White for 'Gay Paree in '53'.

On Sunday afternoon there were three bids for 1953.. Eric Bentcliffe championed Manchester with its large local group (the Nor'west Science Fantasy Club) and a central location accessible to fans in both London and Scotland as well as more local fans from Liverpool and Yorkshire. He also argued against London as the conventions would be all alike and there was no effective local group. Derek Pickles championed Bradford on much the same basis. Fred Brown spoke for London, arguing for local experience and that London was an obvious destination in the Coronation year, especially for American visitors.

A first vote gave 6 for Bradford, 17 for Manchester, and a clear majority for London. Eliminating Bradford led to 26 for Manchester and about 170 for London. The Manchester bid would return in 1953.

Ken Potter later wrote in Peri #1 (January 1953):

... it seems we are doomed to travel to London again [this] year as the motion to remove the Con was defeated by an overwhelming majority at [last] year's Con. It's pretty obvious that this was unfair. Practically the entire fan population of London was at the Con, and Northerners were staggeringly outnumbered by Southerners. The people who would be benefited by a move North had no say. Surely, a postal vote would not be amiss?

Fred Robinson wrote in Straight Up #5 (October 1952):

There is talk however of a postal vote if the Mancon is a success, for the energetic boys from the North are already making plans for a Supermancon in '53. However I still favour 'Bloomsbury in '53'.

Willis said that Ken Bulmer coined 'Coronvention' for the 1953 convention although the name mutated into Coroncon.

Links

• London SF Con publications and photos on fanac.org.
• Text of Programme book at gostak.org.uk.
• Science Fantasy News Loncon supplement conrep by Vince Clarke at news.ansible.uk.
• Science Fantasy News Loncon supplement conrep by Dorothy Jacobs at news.ansible.uk.
• 'The Harp in England (2)' in The Harp In England at taff.org.uk/.
• Rob Hansen's page on the convention at fiawol.org.uk.
• Links to other accounts at fiawol.org.uk.

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Loncon	Eastercon	Coroncon
	1952

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