Record Number: 30502

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Meeting held at “Frensham” 8th July 1944
    Howard R. Smith in the chair.

1. Minutes of last meeting were read and signed.

2. The Secretary reported that she had been advised earlier in the week that Charles Stansfield would be celebrating the 79th anniversary of his birthday on the day of this meeting. A few members had conferred together and agreed that it would certainly be the wish of the Club to send greetings to Charles Stansfield on this occasion and this had accordingly been done. A reply had been received just before the meeting and both letters were read. It was agreed that they should be entered in the minutes.

[...]

7. “Love Came In” by Beatrice Saxon-Snell was read with the following cast:-

[...]

Before the reading Howard Smith briefly recounted the historical events leading up to the time at which the action takes place. which explains the very strained relations between George Fox & James Naylor. It was agreed that when the copies were returned to Beatrice Saxon-Snell she should be warmly thanked for lending them to us, & told how very much the club appreciated the play.

8. “The Dear Departed” by Stanley Houghton a play of a much more frivolous nature, was read with the following cast:-

[...]

9. It being still quite early we decided to read another short play & chose quite at random from the books available “The Man who wouldn't go to Heaven” by F. Sladen-Smith. Read from sight and cast quite haphazardly this proved most entertaining. F. E. Pollard as the recording angel, Basil Smith as the Free Church Minister (with a voice pregnant with unxious non-conformity), Rosamund Wallis as a string minded woman calling loudly for her dog & indeed every character was most aptly portrayed. The full cast was as follows:

[...]


[signed as a true record by] AB Dilks 18/9/44'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

18 Sep 1944

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Reading
county: Berkshire
specific address: 39, Eastern Avenue

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Bruce Dilks

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

1904

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

Quaker or associated with the Friends

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Margaret Dilks

Title:

Minutes of the meeting of the XII Book Club held 8 July 1944

Genre:

Minutes

Form of Text:

Manuscript: Unknown, Notebook

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

reading group

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Source Information:

Record ID:

30502

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Margaret Dilks

Title:

XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 5 (1944-1952)

Location:

private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

11-16

Additional Information:

Margaret Dilks was secretary to the XII Book Club from 1940 to 1970. It is inferred from this, and from the handwriting, that she was the author of this set of minutes.

Citation:

Margaret Dilks, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 5 (1944-1952), private collection, 11-16, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=30502, accessed: 13 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

This is the reading, possibly brief and cursory, implied by the Chair's act of signing the minutes. It probably followed immediately after listening to the public reading of the minutes by the Secretary.
Material by kind permission of the XII Book Club. For further information and permission to quote this source, contact the Reading Experience Database (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/contacts.php).