Introducing his talk, Mr Saunders noted that ‘brief’ and ‘Mervyn’ are not often associated together! Given the breadth of his subject, this is perhaps understandable. Mervyn’s history began with the restoration of King Charles 11 who allowed theatres to reopen after their closure by Oliver Cromwell. The first and most notable was the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane. Unfortunately this had to close shortly after opening because of the Plague and then the Great Fire of London. The present building, still in use, is the fourth on the site. A local connection is that Rex Harrison, born in Huyton, Liverpool starred in My Fair Lady when it opened in London at the Theatre Royal. Apart from ‘straight’ theatre, mention was made of entertainment to be found in tea gardens, inns, music halls and circuses.
Being from St Helens, Mr Saunders concluded his talk with a plea for the recognition of a fellow citizen from St Helens. George Groves was the first sound recording engineer working on the ‘Jazz Singer’ the first talking picture. Despite this and a successful Hollywood career, he is largely forgotten. This was an interesting subject and a lively presentation. Hopefully we will see a return visit by Mervyn Saunders.
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I wonder if any of our members attending Mike’s talk were expecting to hear detailed information of how to carry out money laundering in a practical way? Mike having worked in a bank, had encountered some of the world of money laundering. He began his talk with details of the Brinks-Mat robbery in 1983. He described the ferocity that the gang used on the guards in the Air Cargo building where large amounts of money and diamonds were held. The gang were very surprised to find gold also in the store. This was a temporary consignment of 6000 gold bars weighing nearly 3 tons, possibly worth over 26 million.
Before making their getaway the gang loaded the gold, cash and diamonds into their only means of transport, a Ford Transit van. The robbers just managed to drive away with the van very low down on its springs. This was only the start of their problems as the gold had to be converted into other forms of cash Jewellery or disposable goods. Any large amounts of cash needed to be fed into bank accounts either into British or Foreign Banks without raising suspicion.
They had access to a jeweller who could alter the gold, melt it down, add copper to change its value. The jeweller made gold rings and other forms of jewellery so it could be sold. The cash obtained was fed through businesses, these might have been a car wash, a barbers, a nail bar, a garage selling cars or even a corner shop. They still needed to be careful not to raise suspicion by depositing large amounts of cash that the banks may consider excessive. If the banks noticed high transactions they would inform the police who would investigate the books. Present day, in the illegal drugs trade the same conditions would still apply.
Brinks-Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport
Only a small amount of the gold has ever been recovered. It has been noted in the trade that gold jewellery bought today may well contain some of the gold from the Brinks-Mat robbery.
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With thanks to Alan Dodd for the interesting article.
Peter has many years experience working in Pathology Laboratories and gave a light hearted talk about his ‘Life in the Path Lab’ on 26th Sept. This was a well presented, interesting and humorous talk about a serious subject. Peter largely focused on the lack of Health and Safety in the ‘good old days’ that would not be tolerated in modern Pathology Laboratories today. These laboratories focus on the analysis of body fluids, tissues, cells and blood. This aids in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of diseases. Peter explained how they also have an important role in preparing for Blood Transfusions. Pathology Labs play a crucial role in healthcare by providing essential diagnostic information to doctors. There was a lot of interest in the many leaflets that Peter brought to illustrate the role of Path Labs. Judging by the animated reactions and comments, the talk was well received. We thanked Peter for beginning our 2025-2026 Speaker Meetings in style.
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Elaine explained that Southport Offshore Rescue Trust is independent of the RNLI and receives no government or regular external funding. Being independent means that the Trust is responsible for its own financing and fundraising.
The original RNLI station was closed in 1925.
Through the benefit of a PowerPoint presentation and some very interesting video clips. Elaine explained that Kath Wilson was responsible for raising funds for the Southport Lifeboat, after her son Geoff Clements died off the Southport coast whilst fishing with his friends. Kath raised £1m to build the new station, which was opened in January 2022.
The new station is a lot more comfortable for the volunteers compared to the old RNLI building. That building had no toilets or running water and nowhere for them the warm up after being out on a ‘shout’.
We were supplied information about the two types of rescue boat that they currently have. One is suitable for the open sea (Artic 24 Lifeboat) and the other for shallow waters (D-Class Lifeboat).
They have three quadbikes that can be used on the beach for a variety of rescue operations, such as mud rescues. A Challenger launch vehicle, which can enter the water as well as a New Holland Launch Tractor.
Southport Offshore Rescue Trust also have a drone that assists with emergency calls. It helps in trying to locate missing people with its thermal camera and a very strong spotlight.
Each volunteer has their own suit which helps keep them dry when they are out on the water.
All the equipment that they use cost thousands of pounds and must be replaced on a regular basis.
They way they do that is by having open days at the Southport Lifeboat Station. They have a shop on St. Peter’s Road in Birkdale, which is run by volunteers.
They also have their Lifeboatlotto which costs £2 per week.
We were supplied with information on the various lifeboats which have been used by Southport over the years and some stories about the numerous rescues in which they have been involved over the years.
Southport Offshore Rescue Trust are one of the 62 independent lifeboat stations around the country; (20% of all lifeboat stations in the UK are independent).
All the volunteers are highly trained and receive specific training for the specialised equipment that they use.
They work closely with all emergency services as well as with the other lifeboat stations, RNLI and independent.
Elaine and her colleague Andrew were thanked for coming to talk to SoFA on Friday and everyone was very pleased that Southport once again has a lifeboat station and brave people who volunteer.
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Bernard Nevin, Chairman of the Formby Historical Society, gave an interesting presentation called Operation Fish at our Speaker Meeting on 28th February. The talk came to be written after a completely chance encounter outside the former Martins Bank in Liverpool. Bernard was stopped by some American tourists from a cruise ship who were looking for the Three Graces. It was agreed that Martins Bank was also an interesting building before Bernard directed the tourists to the correct location. Bernard then discovered around the corner, a plaque fixed to the wall with a grating in the pavement suggesting that the bank had been used to deposit gold during the Second World War. There were no records to be found. This set Bernard on a journey of discovery whilst researching Operation Fish. This was the top secret relocation of money and gold ingots from the UK to Canada for safekeeping during World War 2. Bernard’s presentation was followed by a lively discussion and many questions after our members had heard all about the vital importance of Martins Bank and Liverpool in the Second World War.
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On Friday 22 November, SoFA was entertained by the United Voice Show Choir, Christ Church, Southport. The choir was created by James Loynes in 2006. James’s goal was to give people from all walks of life and all levels of musical experience the opportunity to perform on stage and have a lot of fun in the process!
There were about 40 choir members, all dressed in their United Voice T-Shirts and in the second half all put on colourful Christmas headgear.
James introduced the choir to the SoFA members who were in attendance and let them know that the concerts the choir have put on included Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Home Alone, ABBA and Doctor Who.
A number of songs were performed from their ‘Top of the Pops’ concert, which took place in August. These included ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Under the Boardwalk’, ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody. We were also given a taster of the songs that will be included in their next concert ‘Christmas Time … and Space’. Some these songs were ‘All I want for Christmas is You’, ‘Feliz Navidad’ and ‘From a Distance’, to name a few. We were also privileged to have the rarely heard song ‘Born Is The Light of the World’ performed.
The choir was energetic with their singing, with some interesting movements to make the numbers come alive.
To give the choir a short break, James sang three solos accompanied by a guitarist.
At the end of the performance James thanked SoFA for inviting the choir to sing at their Speaker Meeting. The feedback from the audience was that they thoroughly enjoyed the performance.
If anyone is interested in purchasing tickets for the ‘Christmas Time … and Space’ they can be obtained from James by calling 07581 841 450. It is being held at Greenbank High School, Birkdale on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 December 2024.
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