Events
MONTHLY OPEN MEETINGS
We have monthly meetings of general interest, a great opportunity to listen to entertaining speakers and to find out what else is going on in our U3A.
Meetings are usually on the third Wednesday of the month , at the Boniface Centre in Crediton Starting at 10.00 am Tea or coffee and biscuits included all for the price of £1.50 . There are also occasional Zoom presentations.
Please respect others’ vulnerabilities and worries by keeping a distance. We want everyone to feel comfortable but we know that some feel more comfortable and safe among crowds than others. Please also come warmly dressed as increased ventilation may well reduce the room temperature.
We now have reserved seats at the front of the hall for the harder of hearing.
On the 21st of September we ran a stall at Crediton Farmers market to publicize our branch of the u3a manned by volunteers where we handed out leaflets and answered questions from the public about the u3a. See picture to the side.
2024 program
October 16th
Stewart Raine "A History Of The English Garden"
This Years talks so far
2024
August 2024
August’s Talk: Air Commodore Andrew Lambert ‘Peter the Great and Vladimir Putin: what
are the parallels between them?
Andrew took us through a whistlestop tour of over 1000 years of Russian history. His main theme was the repeated invasion of Russia by many different countries. It has given the Russian people a lack of trust in foreigners and the feeling they need to be strong and militaristic in order to protect themselves. This colours the view of the average Russian citizen in the current situation of the invasion of Ukraine, which they see partly as a defensive move.
Here are just some of the conflicts that occurred over the years, with a particular focus on Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. 7th Century: Early settlers in Russia were Slavs, a mostly agricultural population, who constantly undertook small feuds with each other. 9th Century: Vikings conquered a large part of Russia, founding their capital at Kiev. They established the Rurik dynasty (from which Russia took its name). The Slavs became the peasants, and the Rus (Vikings) became the aristocracy. This empire expanded over the next 2 centuries. An elite corps called the Varangian guard was formed as a bodyguard for the emperor.
13th Century: Mongols invaded Russia many times taking Slavs for sale as slaves in fact, the
word slave comes from Slav. The Swedes and the Teutonic knights also invaded and took
slaves.
14th Century, 15th Century: The Mongols continued to subjugate the Russians, however
invasions from the Ottoman Empire replaces the Mongols.
16th Century: Russia started to assert its independence. Ivan IV (aka Ivan the Terrible)
stopped the slave market, set up a professional army and built St Basil’s Cathedral. He
defeated the Ottomans and gained land from Sweden but had to impose crippling taxes to
do this. He also imposed a very conservative rule on the country. However, his succession
was unclear as he had his sons murdered. This led to a period of instability and invasion
from Poland.
17th Century: The Romanov dynasty was founded with Michael Romanov being its first Tsar. He was elected from the ranks of the Boyars (the highest-ranking Russian nobles). This dynasty lasted until the Russian revolution in 1917. Peter the Great was Michael’s grandson. He was brought up outside Moscow for his safety and learnt his battlecraft by playing ever more realistic mock battles with his friends. Peter had a very Western-looking approach and built the Russia’s first ‘modern’ navy, he founded St Petersburg on land he took from the Swedes, he adopted the Gregorian calendar and established stamp duty and the Rouble as a currency. He required the ruling classes to westernize their dress. He was ruthless, being
prepared to kill anyone who opposed him, even killing his own son. Catherine, Peter’s wife, took over after his death. She was ambitious and extended the reach of Russia from the Baltic to the Black Sea. She laid the foundations for the extent of the Russian Empire, and it’s this Russia from which Putin lays his foundation for the claim to Ukraine.
18th Century: throughout this time there was constant conflict with Turkey (the Ottomans),Poland, Sweden and Germany (Prussia).
19th Century: Famously, Napoleon invaded Russia and was only repelled using a scorched earth policy by the Russians that left the French with no resources. Russia continued to extend its territories on its southern side. At the end of the century, the Crimean War led to Russia in conflict with the Ottomans, French and British, with the Russian losing territory in the region as a result.
20th Century: The Romanov dynasty fell in 1917, and there was a widespread civil war, with eventually the Red Army winning and Communism taking over. After Lenin’s death, Stalin rose to power over the bodies of his colleagues. Famously, the Nazis invaded Russia in WWII, killing many people, before retreating. Eventaully Gorbachev and Yeltsin led to greater liberalization and the Communists fell from power, the Soviet Union disintegrating.
21st Century: Putin came to power. He is a former KGB agent. At first, he appeared relatively liberal and to offer stability after the rocky economic situation that came as a result of the fall of Communist rule. Gradually he became more despotic, controlling the media and all aspects of Russian life. He is just as prepared as Peter the Great to remove opposition. Like Peter the Great, he sees military strength as good and he sees the West as weak as it did not respond to his invasion of Chechnya and Georgia or his invasion of the Crimea.
To conclude, Russians perceive themselves as always under attack, and that any sacrifice is acceptable in defence of the kingdom. Both Putin and many in Russia believe that lack ofstrong controls leads to weakness and anarchy. It is better to be ruthless.
July 2024
July’s talk: Avoiding Scams by Laura O’Donnell Of Age UK
Scams have always been with us, but sadly modern technology has made it even easier than ever. Recent statistics show that there are more than 400 000 reported scams a year with over 2 billion pounds taken. Reported scams now make up about 40% of UK crime. Many scams also go unreported so it’s hard to know the true impact of these crimes. Anyone can be targeted, and we all need to be aware of just how vulnerable we are. The five most common types of scam are:
•Online shopping or auctions, where you don’t get what you expect or anything at all.
•Dating scams, here fraudsters can ‘groom’ victims for many months before requesting money.
•Ticket scams where you are sold non-existent tickets to popular events or even plane flights.
•Investment scams, for example. People may try to steal your pension by offering seemingly attractive investments.
•Door-to-door scams. People may pretend to be something they are not, or offer to do unsolicited work on your property.
Laura gave us some tips for recognizing scams. Here are some common features that should put you on your guard:
•Contact may be unexpected. For example, a knock on the door, a phone call or an email.
•The situation may be portrayed as urgent. For example, a special offer or perhaps a deadline on an important payment.
•There may be a threat. For example, a fine for non-payment of fees or an indication that your bank account or credit card have been misused.
•An offer may be ‘too good to miss’.
•Payment might be made in an unusual way. For example, a large upfront payment, payment to a third party or gift cards. Cash is untraceable so try not pay this way.
•Secrecy. You might be asked to keep the details secret from you friends and family.
•You might be asked for personal information where it is not appropriate.
Banking scams are very common. Be aware how your bank or credit card company will contact you. If you have any doubts about a phone call or email, contact your bank independently. Call the number on your bank card. However, some fraudsters can keep your phone line open so use another phone or wait awhile to make this call. Do not click on any links in emails, go to the website independently. Never transfer money to a new account to ‘keep it safe’.
When working online, look for the padlock and https in the web address. If you’re dealing with large amounts of money, do ‘due diligence’. Check the company is bona fide with Companies House. Check the details of the website, for example terms and conditions and privacy policies. They must have contact details. Do not download software to your computer that will allow someone else to access your computer online. Use a credit card to make purchases rather than a debit card as credit card companies, as this will give protection up to £30,000.
When receiving unexpected emails, check that the sender address matches what is expected. Look for slight errors in presentation or spelling and grammar. Don’t respond directly to the email and don’t give any personal information. Forward the email to ‘report@phishing.gov.uk’.
Keep yourself self:
•Be vigilant and sceptical
•Guard your personal information from birth dates to credit card numbers.
•Investigate who you are interacting with, ask for proof of identity
•Consult a trusted person if still in doubt
•Pay with a credit card.
Some useful contacts
•Citizens advice: 0800 144 8848, their consumer service gives further advice on avoiding scams: 0808 223 1133.
•Financial Conduct Authority: to find out how to choose a financial advisor or check on possible fraudulent investments 0800 111 6768. www,fca.org.uk
•Financial Ombudsman Service if you think you have been unfairly treated by your bank etc. 0800 023 4567 www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
•Age UK: Local contact 033 241 2340 or Nationally 0800 169 65 65 They make a booklet with a lot of useful information.
June 19th 2024 Martin Pailthorpe The Hero's of Telemark
Early during WWII, both the allies and Germany were developing an atomic bomb. The Germans were working on a process that used ‘heavy water’ to treat uranium, allowing it to split into components used in bomb making. Water is made of atoms of hydrogen and oxygen and one form of hydrogen is twice as heavy as normal. If this atom is present in the water molecule, then we have ‘heavy water’. In natural water, only one heavy water molecule is found in 4000 water molecules. The only factory in the world capable of purifying heavy water molecules from natural water was in Norway and this fell into German hands when they occupied Norway. Realising that this gave the Germans an immense advantage, the Allies decided to destroy the factory. Because of its location in the mountains, it was inaccessible to normal bombing raids. For this reason, operations Grouse and Gunnerside were set up to disable the plant. 60 years after the event, Ray Mears and Martin Pailthorpe returned to Norway together with commandos from the UK and Norway to re-create the raid and experience the awful conditions of the raid.
At the start of the mission, 4 Norwegian commandos were parachuted onto the Hardanger plateau, some distance from the ‘heavy water’ factory together with some heavy equipment needed for the raid. They were to take the equipment nearer to the factory and prepare a landing site for gliders carrying UK commandos who were going to carry out the raid. Unfortunately, the winter was turning out to be one of the worst for some time. A journey that should have taken 5 days took 15. They did make it, but they ran out of food. Bad weather also meant that the glider landings were delayed. Eventaully, they took place but several of the gliders crashed. Those soldiers who survived the crash were executed by the Germans. The mission had to be postponed, but even worse, now the Germans knew something was up and security at the plant was increased and extensive searches took place around the area. The 4 original commandos retreated to the Hardanger plateau where they survived by foraging in the frozen wastes. They were forced to eat lichen called ‘Reindeer moss’. They suffered from severe malnutrition and were saved when a herd of reindeer passed near enough to hunt.
Meanwhile, back in the UK. A replacement team of Norwegian commandos were trained up and in operation Gunnerside, these men were parachuted into Norway. The two teams managed to meet up two months after the original target date. They managed to enter the plant by crossing a deep gorge and an icy river. This route was not guarded as it was thought impassable by the Germans. The commandos managed to enter the plant unseen by the Germans and lay explosives which then blew up the plant. They managed to escape the plant and capture despite extensive searches for them. Some skied to Sweden, others stayed in Norway to become part of the Norwegian resistance.
The Ray Mears TV series highlighted just how difficult the raid was and how the great suffering of those who took part. Even the modern-day soldiers struggled to complete the tasks.
May 15th 2024 Ashley Jones on "The Nobel Prize"
The Nobel Prizes were instituted as the result of the Will of Alfred Nobel. Alfred was born in 1833 in Stockholm. His father, Immanuel, was a businessman with varying success. Eventually, Immanuel turned to manufacturing arms, and had some success by selling arms to both sides in the Crimean War! Alfred entered the family business but was fascinated by science. During the second half of the 19thC, there was a great need for reliable explosives for the mining and construction industry. Although nitroglycerin was known to be a powerful explosive, it was too reactive to be useful. Alfred discovered that by mixing it with Fuller’s Earth (an inert material), nitroglycerin became stable enough to be useful. He had invented dynamite. The manufacture and sale of dynamite made Alfred perhaps the richest man in the world. However, he also became known as ‘the Merchant of Death’. He discovered this in 1888, when his less well-known brother, Ludvig, died. The papers mistakenly thought Alfred had died and so published his obituary. On reading this, Alfred was distressed to think that his legacy would be so negative, and so began planning a more positive legacy that led to the founding of the Nobel Prizes when he died in 1896.
The first prizes were awarded in 1901 and were for Literature, Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Peace. Economics was added at a later date. The prize can be shared by up to three people (or it can be an organization) and consists of a gold medal, a diploma (which includes an original work of art) and about £750,000. The winners are selected from nominees put forward by significant people and institutions in the field. The winner being selected by Swedish institutions except for the Peace price which is selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The winners are announced in October each year and awarded in December in Stockholm.
Here are some fascinating facts about the prizes. About 10% of prizes have some link to Cambridge University. The youngest winner is Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani education activist. The International Red Cross has won the Peace prize three times. A surprising non-winner is Mahatma Ghandi. Jean-Paul Satre declined the Literature prize and Bob Dylan declined to attend the ceremony and later rejected the prize money.
April 17th 2024
Rosemary Griggs ‘An Audience with the Lady Katherine and a peep inside her wardrobe’.
Rosemary took up historical research in her retirement. By dilgent research and experimentation, she has learnt how to construct how to the complex dress of the Tudor period.
Her talk was most entertaing as sometimes it was Rosemary talking to us and sometimes, Lady Katherine.
Lady Katherine was born in 1519 in Devon, At 12 years old she was betrothed to Otho Gilbert and they had a daughter and three sons. After her 1st husband died, she married Walter Raleigh (not the one with the cloak). They had one daugther and two sons. Their youngest son was Walter Raleigh (of the cloak fame). Katherine lived in Palace Gate, Exeter in her final years.
Through her personna of Katherine, Rosemary told us of the rules (sumptuary laws) governing people’s clothing in Tudor times. These laws were partly about maintaining the status of the different levels
of society but they aere also aimed to protect our own wool trade, the wealth of medieval England being built on wool.
For example, trading in the pink dye, cochineal (carmine), was controlled by Spain and so not readily available to us. Any pink cloth had to be imported, and so this not favoured. Elizabeth I also introduced a law that any man below the rank of gentlemen must wear a cap made of English wool and finished only by guild members. Again, this was to protect the wool industry.
Katherine told us how her dress showed her status as a wealthy lady. The bottom layer would be a shift/chemise made of linen. This could be washed. Everything elase was kept clean by brushing. Next there would be a layer that gave shape and support to the top half. These were called ‘a pair of bodies’ today we would think corset. Then there would be a petticoat, maybe made of red silk, and the farthingale, hooped to hold the thick dress material. Over this would go the underskirt, which could be seen at the front and so had a fine panel that was visible, although most of it would be made of linen. Over all of this would go the gown. The gown would be made of rich material and was kept together by
pins or laces. Detachable sleeves were popular as this made the costume easy to update as fashions changed.
March 20th Peter Isaacson on " Medical Detection Dogs" Super Sniffers
Peter represents the charity ‘Medical Detection Dogs’. He came to talk to us about just two ways dogs can effectively help us in ways just not possible by other means. The charity was founded in 2008 by Dr Clare Guest. She realized that dogs’ acute sense of smell can be trained to detect unusual chemicals emitted by our bodies and thus give us early warning signals of disease. Some dogs have been trained to detect early signs of cancer, Parkinson’s disease and infectious diseases such as COVID. In her book ‘Daisy’s Gift’ Dr Guest described how her own dog, Daisy, alerted her to her own early-stage breast cancer.
Other dogs have been trained as ‘personal assistants’ for people with particular problems. One disease where this has been particularly helpful is PoTS. This disease results in episodes where a sudden drop in blood pressure can lead to the patient collapsing and injuring themselves. The dog can give 5 minutes warning that an episode is about to happen, giving the chance for the patient to sit in a safe position. This allows people who were previously housebound to lead normal lives knowing they won’t collapse without warning. Currently the charity has trained assistance dogs to provide help for sufferers of PoTS, Addison’s disease and nut allergy.
Peter described how the dogs were trained. Not all dogs are suitable, and gundogs seem to have the best ‘nose’ Dogs may be specially bred but they also come from rescue homes, are donated or bought. It takes 18 to 24 months to train the dog for a particular odour. During their training they live with volunteers. Dr Guest is most insistent that the dogs live in real homes not kennels. The dogs are trained by using samples of urine donated by affected patients. This they can do very accurately. For example, a 2004 study showed that dogs were able to detect 70% of prostate cancers just from sniffing urine samples. Another study showed that the dogs were better that lateral flow test at detecting COVID.
In conclusion, Peter told us that medical detection dogs not only improve the life of patients but also save the NHS many thousands of pounds.
Feb
February’s talk: Brian Fernley ‘The Battle of Britain outside London: Exeter’s role in the conflict.
Brian came to talk to us from the South West Airfields Heritage Trust. They have two sites near Exeter that are worth visiting, Dunkeswell Airfield Heritage Centre and Upottery Airfield Heritage Centre; both near Honiton. However, there were other airfields around Exeter during WWII.
Brian told us that the Battle of Britain arose because the German military wished to gain air superiority before an invasion. Most of the action happened in the Sout East but there were battles all along the south coast, Weymouth being a particular target for the Germans. He spoke briefly about the rise to power of the Nazi party and German rearmament. Britain was slow to rearm after WWI, and in the 1930s, the RAF was small and old fashioned. However, the new Hurricane and Spitfire aircraft proved significant in defending the South Coast when they came on stream. There were three squadrons stationed near Exeter, 213, 87, and at the end, 601, and they all flew Hurricanes. The officers were accommodated at the Rougemont Hotel, whilst the other ranks camped out in tents.
Brian was able to tell us fascinating stories about individual pilots, based on the pilots’ own diaries.
Several poignant features became apparent. Firstly, the pilots were all young men. Most were between 18 and 25. If you were over 30, you were likely to be called ‘the old man’. Secondly, large numbers of aircraft were involved in each battle. This meant ‘friendly’ fire was a real risk. Squadron leader Lovell Gregg was probably shot down by one of his own flight who failed to identify his plane correctly. His plane crashed near Abbotsbury swannery and sadly he died. John Cock was also shot down by a fellow pilot when he accidentally flew between the pilot and a German plane which was under attack. Cock survived a crash into the sea near Portland Bill. He ditched his parachute, shoes and trousers so that he could swim to shore. Alas, he recorded in his diary,he realised too late that the trousers contained a five-pound note and he had to watch the both float away!
The Battle of Britain lasted only from 10th July 1940 to 31st October 1940. In September, Hitler ordered less priority to be placed on bombing British airfields and the Luftwaffe then moved on.
this was most fortunate for us, as more planes were being lost than made and Britain could nothave maintained its level of defence much longer
Jan
January’s Talk: Ian Gasper 'Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK’
Ian is a trustee with the charity ‘Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support’, DCRS. He came to talk to us about the plight of asylum seekers and refugees. He told us that more than 100 million people were displaced worldwide, however most (80%) of those displaced move to another part of the same country or to a bordering country. Of those people that come to Europe, relatively few come to the UK. Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Sweden all receive more than we do.
Even so, our asylum seeker system is unable to cope with the number of people who arrive. Ian made the distinction between a refugee/asylum seeker and an illegal immigrant. (For example, the small boats
migrants are largely considered as illegal migrants rather than refugees.) Only about 5% of migrants to the UK are asylum seekers. In 1951, the UN convention on refugees defined a refugee as, ‘someone who, owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, cannot return safely to their own country. It also states, ‘a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.’ The UK was an original signatory to this convention but since then has narrowed the range of this definition by defining the countries that are considered unsafe by the UK government.
Those people who are eligible for asylum applications face long periods (sometimes years) living in poor conditions; unable to work. Ian explained the complicated process they have to go through before, or even if, they gain the right to remain in the UK. Asylum seekers have to prepare and present their case to the legal system with no help from the government. This is where DCRS comes in. They provide support for asylum seekers including legal advice, and medical and mental health support.
Ian only briefly mentioned the proposed link with Rwanda. But in his view, the link could make the asylum system worse. Ian gave a thought-provoking talk. Thanks so much to him for sharing the plight of asylum seekers with us.
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For 2023 years meeting reports please click on the "Events in 2023" Link
for 2022 years meetings reports please click on the "Events in 2022" Link.
for 2021 years meetings reports please click on the "Events in 2021" link.