Smisby WI was founded in 1934 and we celebrated our 80th anniversary in  2015 and will celebrate our 90th Anniversary in 2025. A short history is available via the history page, covering events to 2015.  The national  WI organisation celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2015. Smisby is a member of the Derbyshire Federation, and the DFWI celebrated its centenary in 2018.

  Smisby WI are a very friendly institute and meet on the third Thursday in the month in Smisby village hall. We have a varied programme with a speaker at most meetings. A range of other acitivites take place every month.

Currently membership has risen to 65, so at the moment new membership is restricted to Smisby residents. However, a waiting list is in operation for people who would like to join.

Christmas Lunch at the Tap House, Ann's Well Place  Smisby

We normally chose a date in December but Tuesday November 26^th was decided on and at the Tap House, Anns Well Place, which is a hamlet in Smisby.  When deciding on a new  venue and date  it's always a worry that we may not get a good response, but this choice proved a winner with thirty-seven members signed up.

The Tap House had placed us in their garden room, which was lovely and warm.  Christmas carols were playing in the background and a display of three decorated Reinders in the corner. The tables looked amazing, with crackers, holly and mini-Christmas trees.

We had ordered two courses which was certainly enough for some of the members as the portions were rather on the large size. 

Lunch over, then answers to the quizzes were given out by Lynn, our resident quiz master. Then a couple of poems ( we always try to find a Christmas poem) were read by Julie our President. Jean and Suzanne was thanked for organising the event, then Julie finished with a poem about an exploding pig, it was obviously one she used to read to the children at school.

A great lunch, great company, the Chef and waitresses looked after us amazingly, we will more than likely be back next year if they will have us.

90th Anniversary Afternoon Tea and a fashion show with Notty Hornblower

 A big thank you to everyone who came to our afternoon tea on Friday, and of course to the "catering ladies" who did a wonderful job of making up seven loaves of sandwiches in record time. The cakes were amazing, and they looked superb on the cake stands.
Of course we did have a bit of a hiccup again, Notty Hornblower had planned to be at the village hall for 12.30 for a 2.p.m. start. Unfortunately, Notty and her three models got very lost and arrived at 1.45. After a quick re-think, out came the sandwiches, cakes, Bucks Fizz, Pimm's, and everyone tucked into the afternoon tea a little early but I think was very welcome.
The clothes that Notty Hornblower bought along ranged from 1930's and 1940s to some beautiful dresses from the 1960s & 70s. Lots of lovely hats, handbags and shoes, and a genuine land army outfit. The photos show a group of members about to enjoy sandwiches and cake, Notty with her amazing bird hat and Sue, who just had to try it on and have her picture taken. 
Thank you to everyone who came early and helped, and also those who cleared up at the end. You gave your time to make the day a success and an excellent start to our 90th Birthday Celebrations. 

Middle Temple, Inns of Court Visit September 2024

Excitedly arriving at Middle Temple, after a long coach journey, it proved initially to be difficult to get into the building. Lots of knocking on the doors by the guides: high security! We were split into three groups, and each guide started their tour in a different room. Our guide took us to the landing overlooking the great hall. We were amazed at the enormous hammer beam roof, and I think we all took pictures. The guide explained that the hall had escaped being bombed, apart from the small annex whereof the landing was a part. There was a picture on the wall of the hole in the wall near to where we stood – that whole extension was rebuilt using the bricks from the original (as were the bombed buildings nearby). The lovely stained glass had been removed in 1938 due to someone’s prescience.

Along the side walls of the great hall are sixteenth and seventeenth-century stained-glass windows that celebrate many of the notables in the history of the Middle Temple. Next to each other at one end are two window panels dedicated to one Jekyll and one Hyde – our guide speculated that this is where Stephenson must have found the two names in his famous novel. At the end behind the top table are portraits of Elizabeth I, most Stuart monarchs, and the first Hanoverian (George I). Omitted from the places of honour are James I and Mary II (wife of William of Orange – he made it there though). James’s smaller portrait is in one of the passages. Oddly, Charles the First’s picture is central, much larger than the other paintings, in the place of honour.

Our guide talked about honorary Middle Templars known as benchers. Many famous figures from history were included, like Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir Francis Chichester (there is a small display linking Drake and Chichester in one of the rooms). Her majesty Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) was a recent royal bencher – the most important one of the time. There is an impressive painting showing a celebratory dinner after WW2 in the late 1940s with King George VI to one side of the top table, as bencher of Inner Temple, and his wife as bencher of Middle Temple a few seats away. It was decided that a painting would record the glittering occasion better than a photograph – though I’d have liked to see the photographs the artist must have worked from. There is a room dedicated to the Queen Mother, with a beige and pink carpet with a repeated design representing aspects of her history, like her Scottish ancestry and coat of arms. In that room there is a portrait of her as a beautiful young woman. Every passageway and every room were lined with portraits, with coats of arms, and with history.

The sight of the tables set for lunch was impressive. The hall is where the table mentioned by Simon Michael was found – or rather not found by many of us, it turns out – the one where the top is the hatch from Drake’s ship The Golden Hind. It was hard to see as the caterers had placed a plastic covering on the top of the glass cover, and were storing boxes on it. The table has a carving of a golden hind on the side. It turned out that the three tables reserved for ‘Smisby Woman Institute’ [sic] were just under the top table. And when we went for lunch there were two senior members of the Temple eating there – so we did see judges or senior barristers, but they weren’t wearing wigs. We were not allowed to take photographs at all during lunch so I don’t think there are any of the table.

After a lengthy lunch (everyone I spoke to enjoyed the food) – we were nearly the first in and we were the last out at somewhere near 2.30 – we had some free time to wander around. Many of us went to the Temple church where there were more signs of its Knights Templar past than I saw of the two Inns of Court that share it now. There are signs of the Lamb and Flag (the motif of the Middle Temple) and the Pegasus (the motif of the Inner Temple), but by that stage of the afternoon I couldn’t focus adequately on what I was seeing. Apparently the church appears in The Da Vinci Code… though I’m unsure if any of us recognised how and where it appeared. After a quick stop at the café on the way back to the coach we set off for home. It was a really interesting trip!

Click on thumbnails to enlarge:

Saltaire Mill Visit 30 May 2024

The day began with skies echoing”dark satanic mills” but it stayed fair for us and we had smooth journeys both ways, so a great day was had by all.
There was plenty for us to see with the Hockney galleries, other art and craft exhibitions, retail opportunities and the sheer scale and majesty of the whole area.
Titus Salt was certainly a philanthropic man of great vision and determination as well as a shrewd businessman. He was determined to give his workers more than a job living in the slums of Bradford and created a whole village with houses, church, school, park etc all in a wooded valley with handy canal river & rail connections.
As you can see from the photos, everything was built to last - unlike some of todays architecture. 
Many thanks to Julie and her helpers for organising such a lovely trip.

44 of us went off to Saltaire, very comfortable on our coach trip. Saltaire takes its name from the founder, Sir Titus Salt, and the river Aire which runs through the village. Thanks to its preservation as a model village, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
Our first venture was into the former textile mill, now an art gallery, shopping centre and restaurant complex. The art galleries feature over 400 works by local artist David Hockney. One of his latest works is a 90.75 metres long frieze recording the changing seasons in and around his French garden. Vibrant and joyful!
We also enjoyed the catering facilities especially the Yorkshire Scoundrel/Rascal/Scamp. Recipe available.
We then took a tour round the town which is built on a grid system, the lower paid workers were housed in the centre and the increasingly bigger houses , where the more senior workers lived, were further out. All still habitable. School buildings, meeting halls, alms houses, hospital block and a church were also built for the working community. Some of these were open for visitors. Some of the original shops are still open to trade too. However there was not enough time to visit everything and the weather wasn’t kind enough for us to visit the beautiful park or venture to the canal side or railway sidings.
It was an interesting day. Saltaire -well worth visiting again and again, the coach was very comfortable and the company always the best.

 Visit to Sinai House, Burton on Trent, May 2024

Had a fabulous morning at Sinai House (after an adventure for some to find it, then to open the gate, then get chased by sheep and finally park without going in the moat!)

Simon Michael, Barrister and Author, April 2024

At a recent group meeting Simon Michael gave a brilliant talk about his career as a Barrister and his change in role to an author. Members were so impressed he was added as an extra speaker to our local programme, so that all Smisby members had an opportunity to listen to him.  

So on 12^th April 2024, we invited Simon Michael to talk about his life as a Barrister and his later role as a successful author, published in the UK and USA.  Thirty-six members enjoyed a shared supper kindly donated by those that attended on the evening.

Simon's family came to England in 1492 as refugees from the Spanish Inquisition, and remained in the East End of London for the next 450 years. He told us about his humble beginnings, just going to an ordinary secondary school.  He studied Law at Kings College, London University and paid his way thorough University by working as a labourer for the London Borough of Barnett. His background was completely different to other Barristers at that time.

During Simon's time as a Barrister he prosecuted and defended a wide variety of villains at a time when there was extensive police corruption too. This experience provided the background to his thrillers. He read an extract from his Charles Holborne series, which is set in the dangerous gangland streets of 1960s London.  His talk kept us all enthralled, as we learnt about his work in criminal law, prosecuting and defending murderers, armed robbers, and con artists, which of course gives him plenty of ideas for the nine books he has written.

Thank you Simon, everyone thoroughly enjoyed hearing your talk and also learning about the history of the Middle Temple and about the Knights Templars.

Christmas lunch at the golf club 13/12/23 

We had a superb lunch at the Golf Club on Tuesday.  The tables were decorated beautifully, the black table clothes really made a statement as you walked into the dining area. The food and the service was certainly excellent. Members appreciated the tasty starters, well cooked vegetables and meat, the bread and cranberry sauces and the excellent puddings. The only negative I heard from a few, was a plea for sprouts next year!

Thanks Lynn P. for the two quizzes which kept us guessing, well done to those who won the boxes of chocolates. Thanks to Julie who read out the poem "I'm fine thank you" ; yes, we can all relate to some of the lines that Julie so beautifully read. Then it was our resident pocket rocket (Jane M.) who led us in the "Twelve Days of Christmas" a must to end our Christmas Lunch and the end of another WI year.

Thank you, Jean, for once again organising and liaising with the golf club.

Our Christmas party in the village hall, 7/12/23.

Thursday 7^th of December was a very busy day for some of our members. In the morning we had a craft session led by Josie Renshaw, one of our talented members who showed us how to decorate a candle stick with foliage out of our gardens. With a lot of help from Josie, fifteen members had great fun decorating and making the candlesticks look truly amazing. There is a method in our madness as they were to grace our tables for the party on the evening. Once the tables were laid, it was off home to get our party frocks on.

For our Christmas party we always try to find something different to entertain us, this year the Peter and Iris “After Eight Quartet” were booked for the evening. Peter introduced themselves as the After Eight Quartet as they only sang after eight. That was a joke of course, and it set the tone for a superb evening of singing and a couple of jokes in between, especially the parrot one. Their repertoire was so diverse with Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, The Beech Boys, On Ilkley Moor bar t’At and the wonderful sacred Christmas carol sung in Latin, “Gaudete” meaning rejoice. Overall, a truly superb night of entertainment with Peter, Iris, Christine & Ben.

The members once again supplied a superb buffet to enjoy, accompanied by mulled wine and low alcohol drinks, a great night enjoyed by everyone a lovely finish to 2023.

Belvoir Castle November 2023

The subject always comes up at one of our committee meetings about where to go for our Christmas outing.

After much discussion one of the members suggested Belvoir Castle to see the “Twelve Days of Christmas”. This is one of our best loved Christmas carols, which we as a WI always sing to conclude our Christmas lunch, at the Golf Club in December. So, it was up to Jean, our outings coordinator to wave her magic wand and sprinkle the fairy dust and get us booked on this magical tour of the castle.

Tuesday 21st of November was a bit overcast, we had all prayed for it not to rain, and it worked. It was a bright cool day as we started off on our journey with the weather getting better by the hour, as that’s how long it took us to get there.

 Approaching Belvoir Castle, it looked resplendent perched on a hill in the middle of an otherwise flat Leicestershire landscape. Walking in through the front door a row of Christmas trees guided us to the hall where we were greeted by a beautifully decorated tree and a very welcome blazing open fire. This certainly set the trend for the displays that we were to see in twelve beautifully decorated rooms in the castle. As we walked through the rooms, we were travelling through a living storybook blending the magic of Christmas present with Christmas past. Thank you to all those at Belvoir for the superb displays everyone thoroughly enjoyed their time with you, the problem is where will we go next year!

Remembrance Day   

Pat and Suzanne made the poppy display on the front lawn of the village hall and finished just before it started to rain. The purple Poppies are  to remember  the horses that were used in the First World war, and the White Poppies signify Peace".

Coffee Morning on 26th October 2023  to support this year’s local Charity

What a fabulous morning we had yesterday in aid of the local Parkinson Charity group, suggested by Delia. The weather was dire, so we never expected such a wonderful turn out.
The counter in the kitchen was heaving with cakes so kindly donated by members, and the bag,   scarf, jewellery and raffle plus other donated items to sell were doing a roaring trade.
There was standing room only in the hall, with more people eating cake and having tea in the kitchen.
Janet our speaker told us about her journey with her husband’s Parkinsons problems, whowas a Detective Superintendent in the Leicestershire Police force, and the tips and information she gave out I know will have been of some help to some people present.
A BIG thank you to Chris Newman for her unstinting time in the kitchen, Chris you are a star! Thanks to the people who came early and helped to set up the room,  and to those who helped at the end. Thanks to the people who donated cakes, scones, sausage rolls, etc and to everyone who came and gave money for a very worthy local cause.
Thank you to everyone who came and supported the coffee morning, please if you see any of your friends who came tell them how much money we raised, and thank them.
Sonia our resident photographer did a sterling job introducing Janet and giving the vote of thanks and even had time to take photographs.
I have saved the best till last we raised the magnificent total of £712.

Canal trip 28th September 2023

Summer Outing 27 July 2023

Broadway and Sezincote House in the glories Cotswolds was the chosen destination for our 2023 summer outing.

The day dawned bright and clear although the forecast was rain so we dressed for all eventualities with umbrellas at the ready.  

After a very pleasant journey to Broadway, it was time to have a look round this iconic Cotswold town with its wide thorough fare and beautiful town houses and shops lining the road. It has many tea rooms and antique shops as well as the Gorden Russell Museum and the famous Lygon Arms Hotel which was known for its association with the arts and crafts movement.

Three hours gave us enough time to meander around the shops enjoy a coffee and cake and lunch before finding our way back to the coach for our journey to Sezincote House where a guided tour had been booked.

Sezincote House is a Mughal Indian Palace set in the Cotswold Hills created by nabob Charles Cockerell in 1805. The house is surmounted by a copper dome and minarets and is set in a picturesque water garden with pools waterfalls, a grotto, temple, Persian Garden and a curving Orangery where afternoon tea is served.

Our party was divided into two so whilst one group was being shown around the house the other members could visit the garden which was so beautiful, we really needed more time to appreciate its beauty.

The Guided tour of the house was excellent with a very knowledgeable guide, as the house is lived in by the family we were limited to a few rooms, but a lovely cup of tea and excellent cake in the Orangery made up for the lack of rooms to see.

The weather was very kind to us just the right temperature we didn't need our umbrellas, no one got lost and we all arrived safely back at Smisby. The feedback from members was superb they all enjoyed the day; thanks go to our outing's organiser Jean and for ordering the perfect weather.

 Gill Thomas visiting the St Helen's Heritage Centre

Jill has run this years (2023) London Marathon and as she is not a natural runner it was a big deal for her. She raises money for REACH, a charity that helps limb different children and their families navigate many of the challenges they face. Nine of our members were inspired by Gill, a fantastic talk given by a very inspirational person. 

Charles II

Dr Gareth Evans, in the persona of Charles II, gave a  fascinating description of HRH Charles II's life. This history dovetailed into Nell Gwynne's recollections, which we heard in March.What a wonderful way to learn about our history!  Dr Gareth Williams told us about King Charles  early life as a young boy, the civil war, the political situation with Europe, his conquests with the ladies of the court, and his interest in science and the many Royal Societies he founded.

Nell Gwynne visits Smisby, 30 March 2023

Making an eagerly awaited, return visit to Smisby, Lesley Smith presented Nell Gwynn’s story. The village hall was packed, as nearly every member came to see another brilliant performance by Lesley, who is a local historian, specialist in Tudor medicine and curator of Tutbury castle. Members provided a wide variety of refreshments and so a delicious supper was also enjoyed. Lesley also gave members the opportunity to learn about the authentic clothing which she wore. Everyone had a highly entertaining and very enjoyable evening.

After learning about Nell, mistress of Charles II, we are now looking forward to the visit by Lesley’s husband Dr Gareth Edwards, who will describe the kings life history as part of our Coronation celebrations for Charles III. 

 A night with the stars. 14^th March 2023

Christmas 2023 Activities 

On 15th December we had a fabulous morning packing the bags for the elderly people who will receive them on Christmas Day.  Fifty-five bags were filled to the brim, we just could not get anything else in them, thanks to everyone who provided the amazing number of items. 

Remembrance Day Display

Members decorated a tree at the village hall ready for Remembrance Day

Our Jubilee Celebration, Sunday June 12th 2-4.p.m.

What to do for the Queens Jubilee celebration for our members? We knew that there were several street parties being organized by the surrounding villages which our members would go to. So not to interrupt local community celebrations, we decided to hold our celebrations a week later.

Next, what to do, have a speaker or play games? A speaker was the voted option, but who? The Baroness of Bolsover was recommended by a local WI, so she was  invited to our afternoon tea; appropriate as her talk was “Afternoon Tea Etiquette”.

Village decorations were made. Then finger sandwiches, cakes and savory items  were prepared for the afternoon tea and the tables laid beautifully decorated with flowers and menus. Buck's fizz or Pimms were served on arrival and after the talk a cup of refreshing tea with the delicious food.

The Baroness did not disappoint, she told us the Victorians were the first to start the  afternoon tea tradition. Finger sandwiches were only the size of a finger and to be nibbled, Battenburg cake was always served which was named after Queen Victoria’s beloved Alfred, and tea always served in a beautiful China cup. We of course had all three items for the members to enjoy and members were able to practice their tea party etiquette.

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It was a superb afternoon, in  the hall which had been beautifully decorated by the village hall committee and all members wore their best frocks and hats. Click on photos to enlarge.

Loughborough Bell Foundry Visit, April 2022

On Thursday 28^th April twenty-eight members which included husbands made a very enjoyable visit to the John Taylor Bell Foundry in Loughborough.

From 1784 members of the Taylor family operated the business, and in 1839 it moved to Loughborough on condition that they recast the parish church bells. The factory moved to its present site in 1859 and is now proud to operate the largest bell foundry in the world and the only remaining bell foundry in the UK.

After a short video on the history of the foundry we had a guided tour of the workshops. The foundry is famous for making the Great Paul Bell which took eleven days to transport to St Paul's Cathedral in London were it still hangs today. Bells from the foundry go all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.

Carillons and Chimes, with many European and American customers, were extensively developed by Taylors. Their pioneering, innovative design and tuning has perfected the modern Carillion. 

A fascinating tour with two knowledgeable guides which made the visit worthwhile.

Lockdown Activities Wall Hanging

Smisby members, and all WI  members up and down the country, have memories of the covid 19 pandemic and the effects of the lockdown on society. Now that we at Smisby WI are meeting in person and arranging outing, our President Julie felt that we should remember that lockdown time. Members were asked to portray what they did during all those months without meeting fellow members.

Felt was donated by one of our members and those who wanted to set about transforming the six-inch piece of felt into their special memory of the past fifteen months.  This collage now hangs proudly in our village hall, for not only our members but for all village hall users to enjoy.

Special March 2022 Meeting: Sex and the Tudors, Lesley Smith

Smisby members have thoroughtly enjoyed several talks given by Lesley Smith, including a visit to Tutbury Castle. So the committee decided, as a special treat for members, that we would invite her back to talk about  “Sex and the Tudors.” 

This additional meeting was possible at no cost to members as a result of our very successful fund raising ventures and also support from the village Parochial Charity.

 Forty-two members enjoyed a  hilarious evening.  We had an hour of history sprinkled with anecdotes, laughter all the way and a superb evening and supper all washed down with Buck’s Fizz.

Many thanks to Lesley Smith for another brilliant performance and thanks to the committee for organising this treat. 

Christmas Lunch at Willesley Golf Club

Thirty-one members enjoyed an excellent  Christmas lunch at Willesley Golf Club on 16 December 2021. Jean and Barbara had arranged the table seating, to make the catering service easier. After the meal we had a quiz put together by Lin P, followed by two Christmas songs with Julie as the conductor, and we finished with "The Twelve days of Christmas"; actions ably demonstrated by Jane M. Thanks to the Golf Club for once again making us feel very welcome

The next event will be Crafts on the 6th of January so look out for the details.

Happy Christmas to you all. 

Christmas Party 2021

Thirty-seven members attended the Christmas party  on the 9 th of December 2021, which was held in the village hall. We were welcomed with mulled wine. and entertained by the Roots Community choir, with music, singing and poetry.

The choir was under the guidance of their musical director Willow. Three of our WI members President Julie Cooper, Jane Mack and Jane Reynolds are in the Choir  which added to the interest! The twenty strong choir sang some beautiful carols as well as folk songs.  They were accompanied by  the director on guitar and keyboard, two members playing fiddles, another on a flute and Jane with her ukulele. Barbara gave the vote of thanks, and we were asked to put our hands together to give a very appreciated clap for the Roots Community Choir.

After the entertainment, members and the choir enjoyed a supper of sandwiches, assorted wraps, profiteroles, mince pies and macaroons. The tables were beautifully decorated with the lanterns made by the crafters in the morning. Also the village hall decorations  and Christmas lights made it feel very festive. Supper was followed by a free raffle, with each member being given a ticket and many members  left with a super prize.

DFWI Show 2021 result

Margaret Boyd and Marie entered art into the DFWI “Fruits of the Earth”  show, encouraged by Suzanne. This show replaced the normal WI competitive classes at  both the Derbyshire County Show and the Bakewell show for this year.

The show was held in October at the DFWI headquarters in Sherwin Street, Derby. Marie was delighted to win the "Harvest mouse in watercolour" class and Margaret came second. Marie also entered and won the acrylic painting competition with the theme of “Fungi” and the photographic class with the theme "Preserves”. 

Tea Gowns and Tea Time with the History Wardrobe.

After a long postponement, due to Covid resrtrictions, Smisby WI finally welcomed Lucy  Adlington from the History Wardrobe to afternoon tea.

 Julie, the Chairman, welcomed the 44 Smisby WI members and 30 guests from neighbouring WIs.  They all enjoyed the scrumptious tea provided by the WI committee under the direction of Secretary, Suzanne.  Menus for each table had been designed and made by Hazel.

Lucy, owner of History Wardrobe, specialises in dress history, with a particular interest in Edwardiana and the 1940s. She gave a very amusing, expert  and entertaining talk about 1940's ladies fashions.

She is also an author and was very excited to tell members that her latest book, "The Dressmakers of Auschwitz", had made it onto the New York Times best sellers list. Information about her other presentations and books can be found on the History wardrobe web site.

Some pictures of the events can be seen below

Owls at Rosliston Thursday 23rd September 2021

What an experience we had with the Owls at the Rosliston ARD Birds of prey.

Alice who has worked at the centre with the owls for many years and has now taken over the running of the business gave a wonderful display with owls flying across the room. We were allowed to have the owls on our gloved hands, hold the owls and even touch and stroke them.

Alices's father talked for the whole two hours telling us everything about the birds we were holding where they came from, their habitats, how they can hear a mouse's heartbeat, so much information!

A wonderful night and I'm sure we all ended the night a bit wiser about owls. 

 Tutbury Castle meeting Mary, Queen of Scots

On 4th September, thirty-four members met Mary Queen of Scots at Tutbury Castle, aka Lesley Smith. What a fantastic afternoon it was!

The surroundings of the castle and hall where we sat, plus the talk about Mary's childhood, marriages, and ultimate be-heading had us all riveted to our seats. Lesley's talk transported us back to the time of Mary's often tragic life,  not a sound was heard until the applause at the end. 

Because everyone who attended enjoyed the afternoon so much the committee are looking at inviting Lesley back to Smisby to do another one of her characters in the New Year, and later we will pay another visit to the castle.

85th Birthday Celebrations Thursday 15th July 2021.

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic we like others were unable to celebrate birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and to have a family wake for loved ones who had passed away. This also applied to our 85th birthday celebrations which we would have had in July last year.
Lesley Smith the Chatelain of Tutbury Castle and historian was booked to give a talk on Peggy Knight a WW11 SOE spy in 2020. Lesley appreciated that everything had to be cancelled so with a heavy heart we decided to re-arrange the party for 2021 and hoped that it would be able to go ahead.
Restrictions were starting to be relaxed with more people being able to meet indoors as well as outdoors, the date was fixed, food arranged emails sent out and thirty-three members enjoyed a fantastic night with Lesley as Peggy Knight.
The evening started with Pimm’s or Bucks Fizz, and then Julie introduced our speaker for the evening.
Lesley, dressed in a green suite, snood and curled hair told us about the life of Peggy, who was born in Paris to a Polish mother and French father. Her first language was French and then English. The family moved to England where she worked for the Asea Electric Company as a shorthand typist. In the early spring of 1944, she was in a café and was overheard speaking French, she was immediately recruited into the Special Operations Executive (SOE). She was rushed through a two-week training course, during which she did one practise parachute jump from a static balloon and was then sent behind enemy lines in Vichy France to establish herself as a secret British courier with code name of Nicole. She crossed back and forth between battle lines several times carrying intelligence messages and information. She also participated directly in an attack by the French resistance upon a German military convoy. Peggy narrowly escaped capture and execution later in 1944 when she and a group of resistance fighters were betrayed by one of their number to the Nazis.
After the war for her wartime activities Peggy was awarded many British, French, and American honours, including and OBE the Croix de Guerre and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by the United States.
During the talk you could have heard a pin drop we were all so wrapped up in Peggy’s story, Lesley was emotional as was many of our members, a fabulous talk, finishing by singing happy birthday to ourselves and enjoyed sandwiches, and cupcakes that were made especially for our birthday.
A superb birthday meeting with many requests to have Lesley back to give another talk one day.