Editorial

B.C.Gittos

It is an interesting coincidence that September 1978 saw the publication of the first issue of Chronicle and my own arrival in Yeovil. Now a dozen issues later, I have been entrusted with guiding your journal into 1984. It is with trepidation that one would attempt to follow the exemplary work of Mr.Leslie Brooke, based as it was on a life time of professional experience. Perhaps I could begin, by thanking him for his assistance with the preparation of this final issue of volume 2. Secondly, I would like to add my thanks to those of the Chairman and Secretary, for all he has done for the Society, in the role of Hon. Editor over the last 5½ years. It is all too easy to enjoy the product, without appreciating the: workload behind the scenes. There are some modest changes to this issue, in keeping with a change of management, but I have endeavoured to preserve the “character” of Chronicle.

I am encouraged by the response of members in providing material for this edition. However looking ahead to the next issue, I can well appreciate there will be greater difficulty in keeping the ink flowing over over the busy summer months. It is, therefore, appropriate to make an appeal, now, for members to continue to supply material for the next Chronicle, which will be the first part of volume 3.

I intend to continue previous editor’s policy of not limiting the scope of Chronicle to the history of Yeovil, but of seeking to record any matters of interest generated members’ individual researches, which otherwise have gone unpublished.

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 Secretary’s Letter

J.S.Moon

Although the Chairman has written a few words of thanks to the three officers of our society who stepped down from their posts at the last A G M and at risk of repetition I feel that I also would add an expression of gratitude for the work that Leslie Brooke and Ron Gilson have done for the Society as Editor and Treasurer respectively. Pat Knight’s contribution as Librarian I hope that I dealt adequately in our last issue.

One more ‘thank you’, a very sincere one, to the ladies (and gentlemen) who so generously provided the refreshments that helped to make our A G M such an enjoyable occasion. Your Committee wanted to have rather more of a social event than our regular monthly meetings but did not think that there would be sufficient support for an annual dinner or even a socia1 evening at another venue. To have announced it as a ‘buffet’ was perhaps rather pretentious and in fact one or two people had some doubts as to whether anything at all in that line was feasible. As it turned out, everyone seems to have enjoyed their evening and I hope it will become an annual event. Thanks also to the Library Staff for providing the coffee without charge.

The other point that I want to mention here concerns Chronicle distribution, to those who do not get to the October and April meetings, when they are distributed. As Chronicle contains up to date information on our future programme, it is important that it gets to members without delay, but we cannot afford postal delivery at our present subscription rates and delivery by hand is very time consuming. What appears to be a reasonable solution, for which we again have to thank the Library, is that after this issue, copies not collected at meetings will be marked with the members’ names and deposited in a folder in the Reference Library for members to collect from there. For members who cannot get to the Library to post a limited number of copies, if the people concerned add 50p to their next year’s subscription, to cover post and packing.

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 Letter from The Chairman

Dear Members,

As you will appreciate, three members of your Committee retired at the last A.G.M. It gives me great pleasure to take this opportunity of thanking all three, Mr.L.Brooke, Mr.R.Gilson and Mrs.P.Knight, for their most valuable work on behalf of the Yeovil Archaeological & Local History Society. They have sacrificed many hours of their leisure time to work on behalf of the Society and it is thanks to their efforts that we can work today from the strong foundations that they have provided. May I thank you all for your valuable support as we look forward to another year together.

Kind regards, W.T.J.Chapman.

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