Romiley Fan Veterans & Scottish Dancing Society
The Romiley Fan Veterans & Scottish Dancing Society (RFV&SDS) is explained in the first issue of Now & Then (August 1954):
When the Turner family moved into the village of Romiley[1], in the County of Chester[2], it found that two major activities of the outside world were sadly neglected. There are no fans here; there are no Scottish dancers. Immediate action was taken to remedy this defect and the ROMILEY FAN VETERANS & SCOTTISH DANCING SOCIETY was founded in April of this year [1954]. Founder members are Harry Turner and Eric Needham; associate membership is automatically bestowed upon all fans who visit 10 Carlton Avenue[3]. Our junior section – Phil, Bill, and Bob Turner – is carrying out an extensive propaganda drive to wean the youth of Romiley from 'cowboys and Indians' and popularise spacemen and BEMs. News for Scottish dancers will appear in future issues...
Now & Then #3 (March 1955) brought an update on recruitment:
Local propaganda having produced no results, we are reduced to enrolling all fans who stray into the Cheshire countryside and visit the Sacred Place of Romiley. This pilgrimage to HQ may be waived at the Founders' discretion so that membership can be conferred upon deserving fans in remote corners of the Queen's Realm and Other Lands.
Now & Then #4 (June 1955) brought news of the first AGM, attended by out-of-town fans on their way to Cytricon, the 1955 Eastercon in Kettering. It also said that:
Since the meeting, wild and persistent rumours are flying round the village. One of these is that there is a move to merge all the active fan groups into a national amalgamation to be known as the Romiley, Torbay[4], & London Scottish Dancing, Lampshade Makers, Happy Fan Veterans & Promiscuous Snogging Society, with HQ at Belfast.
The Torquay Happy Fan and Lampshade Makers' Society was the notional sf group in Torquay that was in all probability just Nigel Lindsay, who was himself nominated for membership (#4). Initially it was said that he 'has not cleared himself of the charge of being under-cover man for the dreaded Romiley Fan Dancers' but by the end of #4:
We are happy to announce that Nigel Lindsay has renounced all affinities with the Fan Dancers and has been welcomed to the Hallowed Ranks of the RFV&SDS. (But he'll have to watch his step!)
Members of the RFV&SDS and the issue of Now & Then in which their memberships were announced. Names marked * are where the 'pilgrimage' to Romiley was waived:
- Mal Ashworth (6)
- Eric Bentcliffe (1)
- John Berry (5)
- Sid Birchby (1)
- Robert Bloch (4)*
- Ken Bulmer (2)*
- Pamela Bulmer (2)*
- Pat Darrell (2)
- Paul Enever (5)
- Rory Faulkner (6)*
- Frances Evans (1)
- Wally Gillings (1)
- Dean Grennell (7)*
- Stan Hawkins[5] (7)
- Jan Jansen (4)*
- Terry Jeeves (2)
- Ethel Lindsay (4)
- Nigel Lindsay (4)
- Howard Lyons (4)*
- Eric Needham (F)
- Sheila O'Donnell (6)
- Pat Patterson (3)*
- Derek Pickles (1)
- Sandy Sanderson (1)
- Bob Shaw (1)
- Ina Shorrock (1)
- Norman Shorrock (1)
- Arthur Thomson (7)
- Harry Turner (F)
- James White (1)
- Madeleine Willis (1)
- Walt Willis (1)
- Marion Turner (1)
- Brian Varley (1)
____
- ↑ Romiley at Wikipedia where the RFV&SDS goes criminally unnoted.
- ↑ At the risk of injecting seriousness into the RFV&SDS, this looks like a typo for 'Cheshire'.
- ↑ The Turner family home.
- ↑ Likely Torquay is meant. Clearly the RFV&SDS were not strong on geography.
- ↑ Described as 'an ex-RAF type who isn't a fan but has the right temperament'.
| Club | 1954—???? |
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