Monty Meth MBE... a well deserved honour !

Spotted in the JC of 22/6/07, this is a well deserved honour for Monty who has always practised what he preached.

MAZELTOV !

IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE ?

Did you come to the 2004 re-union? (that's Sydney & Mo booking everyone in)
Did you enjoy yourself?
Did you take photos?

This is an open letter addressed to anyone who is:

A: Reasonably Computerate
B: Has access to a computer and a scanner
C: Was ever a member of the New Cambridge Boy’s Club and
D: Wishes to perpetuate the memory of the club

At the age of 83 I am all too conscious of the fact that after having started this Blog off, I need someone to take it over and guarantee it continuity.

My main interest, and any experience I have, is related to the club that started at Chance Street and later spent the wartime years at the old Webbe Club premises.

Maxie has got lots of the New Cambridge club photos and memorabilia and it needs someone of that era to post those and other similar photos on to this site, to make comment and to pass on the spirit of those times to the younger generation.

If you think you could be of any assistance, please send me an e-mail (see my profile)

Ron

Maxie's Album 009 Cecil Bright...The man who brought us together

This very accurate appreciation of Cecil's work for the club was written by Sidney Tabor for the club magazine in the 1950s.
My problem (as organiser of this Blog) is not to use too many superlatives when describing the boys/men who inhabited the C&BG over its many years but Cecil truly was a lovely man in every sense.

Maxie's Album 008 Michael (Morry) Ross

In 1987 Michael Ross presented a boxing portrait of himself to the club.
Morry & Dave Ross were two of my (Ron's) childhood heroes and were contemporaries of my brothers Mossy & Mick. The theme of "brothers", both attending and contributing to the club, runs throughout the history of the C&BG and was part of its strength.

Maxie's Album 007 Fed. Table Tennis Team 1944

H.Parnell, S.Freeman, R.Bernstein, M.Lea

Maxie's Album 005 & 006 Club visit to the House of Commons 1942

Sir Percy Harris, the local MP in the Trilby hat and a very young Maxie in front of him.
Compare this with the earlier photo taken in 1935 !

Maxie's Album 003 & 004

003 Junior Officers Vic Monger & Max (note the dangling fag !)
004 Max & "T", Hythe Camp 1952
To refresh some of your memories a list of Wartime & Post-war camps follow:
1943 Frome (Somerset)
1944 Banbury
1945 Canford (Dorset)
1946 Herne Bay (Dymchurch)
1947 Herne Bay
1948 Washington (Worthing)
1949 St. Mary's Bay (Dymchurch)
1950 Shackleford (Guildford)
1952 Saltwood Castle (Hythe)
1953 Weymouth
From 1954 to 1957 the club had it's own weekend campsite at Badger Hall, Thundersley in Essex which was also used for annual camps.
1954 Badger Hall
1955 Saltwood near Hythe
1956 Guestling near Hastings
1957 Pinhay, Lyme Regis
1970 Bishops Stortford

Maxie's Album 002

Left to right: ?, Charlie Klip,?, Maxie Lea, Basil Silverman,Harold Bromberg, Alf Segar, Sid Freeman, Peter Younger.
Reunion circa 1992

Maxie's Wonderful Album ! 001

On Tuesday the 29th of May 2007 Maxie Lea called round my to my house and left with me various albums relating to the C&BG Boy's Club.

There was Maxie's own album, a large file containing memorabilia and an album that had belonged to dear Cecil Bright. For the purpose of simplicity I will refer to all of these items as "Maxie's Album" and over the next few months I will endeavour to get as many of these photos and other items scanned and displayed on this site as soon as possible.

Keep watching, there are loads more to come, and if you can add any names please contact me (Ron) either by e-mail or by leaving a comment on this site

Dave Saunders famous certificate

Derek Merton: Obituary in the Jewish Chronicle, 9th March 2007

Final batch of Ron's "oldies"

That's Ron's lot of old club snaps, now it's up to YOU to find some more !
From the top:
1. Greatstones camp cookhouse duties, Ron and ?
2. A ramble with Bobby Lisky in the water, Dave Woolfe drying his feet & Ron with the walking stick
3. That's Ron with the top hat
4. Harry Moss's car with George, Harry Moss, Ronny Coffer, Dave Ross, Mick Goldstein, Syd Curtis and Ron almost completely squashed
5. Ron and his Brownie camera

Photos submitted by Dave Saunders: Batch 2

WHO's-WHO supplied by Dave:
BATCH 2.
1st.down.
Myself on left with the late Harry Solomons at the AJYAnnual Sports in 1942 held at Parliament Hill Fields. I won the 880 yds. and Harry the 100 yds.
They gave me a certificate which I still have, with a promise of a medal after the war.-I am still waiting.

2nd.down.
Group at Greatstones camp 1939.
Back row 4th from left Stanley Kitler next Jack Roodyn.
Next row bending down myself, (Dave Saunders)
Bottom row,from left Dave Grenhalgh then Monty Meth. Others I can't remember

3rd.down.
Greatstones camp. 1939. Myself on right. Others I can't remember.

4th.down.
Greatstones 1939. Camp concert. I am in the back row among many familiar faces but I cannot name.

5th down.
Greatstones. Mealtime.

6th.down.
Meeting with T, Date and names not known.
(Ron adds:Extreme left is Leslie Phillips, extreme right Sam Posner)
BATCH 1.
1st. down
Greatstones camp. 2nd.right, Don Carlton then Derek Merton.
(Note from Ron: Left of Derek is a rare photo of Nat Levison who ran the drama class,extreme left is Stanley Hale and then Stanley Kittler)

2nd. down
Club Sports Day. Victoria Park. maybe 1938,
From Left. Odiff Fugler, then Myself(Dave Saunders),third runner not known.

3rd.down.
Greatstones camp. Tuck shop, No names.

4th down
Chance Street. meeting. George and Roland Lotinga, T and various others.

5th down.
Greatstones. Cookhouse.

6th. down.
Greatstones camp.1939. My tent: Centre row,second from left Harold Steinfield then myself, Dave Saunders. Others I cannot remember.

7th down.
The Elms, 1942 or 1943. Our successful football team, (I think)
Top row, from left. Bobby Gray, Harry Solomons, Myself(Dave Saunders), Mo Isenberg, Harold Spiro, Stanley Kitler.
Bottom row, from left. Ralph Levene, Odiff Fugler, Sid Levy, (Brazier, I think), Giorgi.

The first of, we hope !, many photos: Batch 1, Submitted by Dave Saunders (Click on Comments)

1936 & The Four Harmonica Kids

The club used to foster whatever subject the members showed interest in and so, in the heydays of Larry Adler & Borra Minnowitz we had a harmonica class.
As a spin-off, some of the boys started a harmonica group aptly named the 4 Harmonica Kids and Benny Lampert and I (Ron Goldstein) were amongst its members.
The photos show my "official" photo, Benny and I meeting up at the AJEX parade of 2004 and a list of accounts that Benny has kept as a souvenir.

The club boys who went to war

A lot of the boys who were members of the club came from large families and it was inevitable that when WW2 started on the 3rd of September most of the menfolk were called to arms. My own family had five sons in the forces namely Lou, Jack, Mossy,Mick and Ron. Jack (z"l) was to be lost over Nurenberg and the family was never to be the same again.To see the full story on the BBC WW2 Archives click here:The Goldstein Boys
It is to be hoped that other club members who served in the Forces and came from similarly large families will leave a record on this site.

Sgt.Major Mick Goldstein

Its an old cliche that goes still waters run deep but a classic example was my brother Mick (z"l)
As with Donny Carlton and Jack Nissenthal I decided to place his story into the BBC WW2 Archives.
Click on this link Sgt.Major Mick to see the full story in its original setting.

Donny Carlton......Another C&BG wartime hero

In 2004 the BBC opened a WW2 Archives and invited contributions.
I was glad to record some of the club boys formerly untold stories and one of them was how Donny Carlton won his MM medal.
Click on this link Donny to see the story in its original setting in the BBC archives.
The picture shows him at our 2004 reunion with another hero, my dear brother Mick (z"l).

The Club Song

Taken directly from the Souvenir Brochure of 2000, copyright acknowledgements as before.
In the same brochure we were reminded of the club motto:
SERVUS CORPUS COLE MENTEM ANIMAM CURA which was translated as: Keep fit, cultivate your mind, think of your soul

1925-2000... The Souvenir Brochure

In 2000 the reunion committee and various generous donors did us proud and laid on a super brochure to commemorate 75 fantastic years.
This wonderful photo of the old premises is brilliantly evocative and I am still trying to locate myself !
Thanks & Copyright acknowledged to Batiste Publications Ltd,design by David Marley & Camden Town Typesetters