Third British Convention

The UK's Third Convention, also known then simply as London Convention, was held on Sunday 21 May 1939 in the Ancient Order of Druids' Memorial Hall on Lamb's Conduit Street, London, where its predecessor was held in April 1938. It was sponsored by the Science Fiction Association (SFA).

There were about 40 people present of whom Rob Hansen has identified 26:

• Frank Arnold
• G. W. Axworthy
• John F. Burke
• Ted Carnell
• G. Ken Chapman
• Arthur C. Clarke
• Eddie Ducker
• John Edwards
• George Ellis
• D. J. Foster
• Walter Gillings
• L. V. Heald
• Phil Hetherington
• Ron Holmes
• Eric C. Hopkins
• Maurice G. Hugi
• Harry Kay
• Professor A. M. Low
• David McIlwain
• Eric Needham
• W. J. Passingham
• Mr Rookes
• Bill Temple
• Harry Turner
• Frank Wilson
• C. S. Youd

Much is known thanks to Rob Hansen:

• Summary in chapter 1 of Then – said 48 attendees
• Details with retyped period reports (no pictorial material) on Hansen's website – says "around forty", with 26 identified by name (as of 2022, some have been added since 2011)

A small trivia point is that the attendees included Ted Carnell, Arthur C. Clarke and Wally Gillings, all of whom had been present at the 1937 and 1938 conventions. None attended the next British convention, the Midvention, meaning they were the last people who could at one point claim to have attended every UK convention.

The Liverpool branch of the SFA expressed interest in hosting the next convention in 1940. With the outbreak of World War II then this never happened and there would be no further UK conventions until Midvention in Leicester in 1943. Nearly half a century was to pass before Liverpool finally hosted the UK national convention in 1988. T

See Early Conventions.

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Second British Convention	Early Conventions	last
	1939

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