The Lee W.I.By Shelagh Illing
The Lee W.I. met as usual in the Parish Hall on 9th June. Various items of interest were read from the county newsletter. Our President, Mrs June Lock, gave us an account of the National W.I. AGM at the Albert Hall, London. The various speakers were all splendid and the singing of ‘Jerusalem’ at the start and finish, together with the Welsh anthem ‘Land of my Fathers’ which was accompanied by the organ, were truly inspiring. The resolution regarding honey bees was passed.
Our main focus now is to provide a well stocked stall at the flower show.
We then welcomed our speaker, Mr Graham Laurie MVO, who gave us a superb talk entitled ‘Roald Dahl’s War’ and an insight into his early life. He was born in September 1916 of Norwegian parents. Together with his brother, he attended Repton public school, was keen on sport and being 6' 5 ¾" must have been daunting to the opposition! Photography was also an interest and we were shown many original photographs on the screen. Dahl applied for a trainee post with Shell and was accepted, much to the surprise of his house master, who sarcastically remarked he would avoid buying shares in Shell. After 3 years training, he was posted to East Africa in 1937.
When war was declared he joined the RAF and trained as a pilot in the Middle East, was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in 80 Squadron and flew Hurricanes, engaging with the enemy and claiming several kills. In 1940 after crash landing, he was badly wounded and taken to Alexandria for treatment and eventually repatriated.
Briefly in 1942, he was posted to Washington, USA, as Air Attaché. He became interested in writing stories and met C S Forrester, who encouraged him after reading a book about his war experiences. Dahl did not return to Shell. He met Ian Fleming and consequently wrote the screenplay of ‘Live and Let Die’ which he vowed never to do gain as the script was always being changed. He also wrote several ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ which appeared on television. Finally, he wrote the famous children’s books, which he read to his own children and which are still enjoyed by thousands of children today. A remarkable man.
Next meeting – 14th July: Mr Evans ‘Teachers are human - just!’