Empress wishes all mensans a very
Happy 70th anniversary
 

The Castle Donington Weekend

Saturday 1 October

12:00pm

Lunch

Lunch at the Tudor Inn, 101 Bondgate, Castle Donington, Derbys, DE74 2NR. Example menu at www.thetudorhotel.co.uk

2:00pm

Guided Walk

A free guided walk of Castle Donington starting at the Tudor Inn

7:00pm

1940s Evening

A 1940s themed dinner and dancing at Radisson Blu Hotel, Herald Way, DE74 2TZ

Sunday 2 October

10:00am

Spa Session

A relaxing start to the day in the leisure club of the Radisson Blu Hotel

12:00pm

Aeropark

A visit to see displays of vintage aircraft and to view modern ones landing at East Midlands Airport

2:00pm

Afternoon Tea

A vintage afternoon tea served at Tylers Tea Rooms, Market Street, Castle Donington

If you thought London was too far south, join us at The Castle Donington Weekend Our 1940s evening on 1st October to celebrate Mensa's 70th anniversary For full details and to book go to the events section at www.mensa.org.uk

Editorial

Front cover of 'The Land Girl' from October 1946

Welcome to the October Edition of Empress. Happy Mensa birthday!!! Did you attend the British Mensa Annual Gathering in London? Don't you worry if you didn't. You can still celebrate Mensa 70th Anniversary at Castle Donington. Maxine has organised a whole weekend full of events. I have added the summary on the cover. Check the September edition for full details. If you haven't booked by the time you are reading this, you better stop, pick up the phone and call her straight away!

Maria Falces

Regional News

It's our anniversary month and I'm delighted to see so much happening. Eating, drinking, racing, quizzing, walking, swimming, dancing, partying, comedy and much more. Many thanks to everyone who hosts an event whether they are a LocSec or not. Particular thanks to Leicester LocSec Paul for suggesting and organising our recreation of the first Thomas Cook package tour on the Great Central Railway in August. It was a most excellent day out with members, both longstanding and brand new, travelling from Notts/Derbys/Leics/Northants/Milton Keynes to join the fun. Some of us caught the first train out at 9.30am and last train back at 5.30pm so definite value for money!

All in beautiful sunshine.

The following day we visited the Heights Of Abraham in Matlock which again attracted some new faces including a German Mensan who just happened to be passing through Derbyshire on a whistle stop tour that day and was able to join us. To me this is what Mensa is all about - meeting new people whilst having a fun time.

You may still be in time to come along to our 1940s themed dinner dance to celebrate Mensa's 70th anniversary on the actual anniversary of Saturday 1st October. Tickets are £40 which is quite reasonable for an event featuring a big band! Please contact me as soon as you can to check availability. Don't forget we have daytime events on 1st and 2nd October around the East Midlands Airport town of Castle Donington too. If you haven't already seen details. where have you been!?

If you know anyone who may be interested in joining Mensa in this special year there will be test sessions taking place at The Y in Leicester on 15th October, The Quaker Centre in Milton Keynes on 19th November, Central Library in Northampton on 15th October and International Community Centre in Nottingham on 26th November. Contact Helen at the Mensa office to book a place. I'm on [Phone Number] or [Email]

Maxine Bates

Regional Officer

Member's profile - Sue Staples

Head and shoulders photo of Sue
Where do you live?
I was born in Nottingham. I went to uni and worked in London. Then I lived and worked in Bermuda, New York, Jamaica, Hungary and Australia. I finally settled down in West Bridgford, Notts, 43 years ago.
When did you join?
Saw an advert for a Mensa test to be held at the Cafe Royal in London, Easter 1974 (I think!). I knew the manager there and as I would be in London on that day en route to Rhodes - no direct National Express buses to airports in those days - I decided to apply. Why? Why not!
Occupation?
I'm a retired secondary school teacher specialising in exam work, O and A level, initially in grammar schools. I have also worked for the Home Office.
Have you attended any Mensa events?
The most enjoyable events I've attended are a very informative trip to Lincoln, greyhound racing, an Ethiopian meal - who can forget the injera bread? - and the recent laugh-out-loud sheep racing.
Any hobbies and interests?
Some of my interests are keeping fit and healthy-jogging, dancing, gym, walking, yoga, Pilates, table tennis, ten pin bowling, visiting different places in the UK and abroad, languages, gardening, fashion, 20th and 21st century art, Coronation Street and reading. I also help with research trials for new medicines, medical procedures, cosmetics and cognitive function - extremely interesting.
Anything else?
I'm 3 minutes older than Mensa and I'll be spending my birthday with friends in Sardinia!

Events and Meetings

More or Leicester

On Fri 7th Oct at 7:30pm - J is for... Jokes evening

Alphabet Themed Events:

A joyous jamboree of jollity as we join the jazziest jongleurs at our J is for... Jokes evening! Go to http://tinyurl.com/jisforjokes to book for the JustTheTonic comedy night on 7th October in Loughborough Town Hall (Tickets are just £10 each), let me know you're coming and I'll see you in the bar for some jolly japes and maybe a jeroboam of jin... er.... gin!

On Mon 24th Oct at 8:00pm - 4MOTM

What could top that? Only our regular fourth Monday, 24th October, shindig at The Stamford Arms in Groby, that's what! There's the option of eating beforehand (puds are a quid! A QUID!! It'd be rude not to!) from about six-ish... maybe six thirty.. before we retire to the bar at about eight-ish for a pub get-together. Y'see, it's like two meetings for the price of one! Details of the pub (and menus) are at www.stamfordarms.co.uk don't forget to drop me a line to tell me you're coming (especially if you fancy eating) so I can grab a big enough table.

Paul Coulson

photo of Christine Howells

Lively Lincs

On Sat 8th Oct at 12.05pm - Pub discussion

The discussion at the "Adam and Eve", Lindum Hill on Saturday 8th October, is around "When does choice become oppression?" Around is the word - we are do enjoy tangents. Look for the magazine in the alcove from 12.05pm. We usually move onto the topic at 12.30pm. There is food available and the parking is free.

On Tue 18th Oct at 6.45pm - Meal and Quiz

We're returning to the Carpenters Arms, Fiskerton on Tuesday 18th - it's a friendly village pub where we can all find something we like to eat and a car park. We meet at 6.45pm so we can eat before the quiz afterwards and you are welcome to just join us for the quiz if you prefer. Please let me know either option by 13th so that I can book a table/work out how many teams we will need. Hope to see you soon.

Christine Howells

Contact [Email] for details

photo of Maxine Bates

Notts News

On Wed 5th Oct at 8.00pm - 5OTM

Lots happening this month including the usual eating and drinking plus racing and theatre. We'll be at the Vat & Fiddle pub on Queensbridge Road from 8.00pm on Wednesday 5th for a drink and chat. A big thanks to the 30+ people who came along to the hilarious sheep racing event at our August event and helped raise £140 for charity.

On Thu 13th Oct at 7.30pm - Natter & Nosh

On Thursday 13th join us from 7.30pm for a meal or later for just a drink at the Cadland pub in Chilwell. We have tables 20-24 reserved which are at the far side of the bar.

On Sat 22nd Oct at 8.00pm - Theatre

Is anyone interested in seeing camp comedian Julian Clary at Nottingham Playhouse on Saturday 22nd? He's appearing in his new show "The Joy Of Mincing". The performance starts at 8.00pm but maybe dinner beforehand? We've a block booking of seats front of circle costing £24 each. Contact me to check availability.

On Tue 25th Oct at 7.30pm - Eating meeting

Our "eating meeting" goes Portuguese this month as we're heading to Nando's peri-peri chicken restaurant at Giltbrook (near Ikea) at 7.30pm on Tuesday 25th. There are vegetarian dishes too. Contact me by 21st if you would like a place. Menu at www.nandos.co.uk

On Fri 28th Oct at 6.00pm - Greyhound racing

Finally on Friday 28th we return to Nottingham Greyhound Stadium in Colwick to take part in the finals of their charity tournament. Come and cheer on our allocated dog and help raise money for Cancer Research UK. Tickets only £3 (normal price is £6) with all money going to charity. You can arrive and leave any time you like between 6.00pm and 10.30pm. Find us downstairs where there is a bar, café, tote bet kiosks and screens to watch the racing if you don't want to stand trackside. Friends, family and work colleagues more than welcome and accompanied under 18s are admitted free! Why not give it a try if you've never been before?

Ciao for now!

Maxine Bates

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

New for Northampton

On Sun 9th Oct at 10:30am - Brunch

This month's get-together will be breakfast/brunch at the usual Rendezvous Coffee Shop in Market Walk, Northampton Town Centre. This time we're reviewing holidays - bring 2 or 3 photos (maximum!) and any amusing or interesting anecdote that happened. Best one gets a free coffee! Or tea. Contact me on [Phone Number] or email: [Email] for any encouragement.

Paul Coulson

photo of Richard Allen

Hertfordshire Happenings

On Thu 6th Oct at 8.00pm - FThOTM

As ever, we are at the Three Magnets, Leys Avenue, Letchworth. Thursday nights are curry nights but other food (standard Wetherspoons' fare) is available as well. Leys Avenue is the main shopping street in Letchworth and is a few minutes' walk from the station (Kings Cross to Cambridge line). Call me for more details.

On Sat 8th Oct at 3:00pm - Harvest High Jinks

Come along for some cereal thrillers at the Lawrence household. Nibble on some niblets, chew on a cob and wash it all down with a barley brew. Bring along an unusual beer, with a prize for the funniest name. Email [Email] or call [Phone Number].

On Fri 28th Oct at 8:00pm - LFOTM

Last Friday is at our usual venue of the Cowper Arms, Digswell. The pub is next to Welwyn North station and is served by stopping trains from Kings Cross to Peterborough and Cambridge. Good food, beer and conversation guaranteed! Please call me for more details.

Advance Notice

Viennese style New Year's Eve concert at the Barbican, London. This will be the twelfth year we've been going and it remains as enjoyable as ever. If you're interested, please drop me a line or give me a call as tickets sell fast. We meet at a nearby Wetherspoon's for a drink and a meal at 5.30 and then walk to the Barbican, which is about ten minutes' walk. The concert finishes at about 10, so you can get to any celebrations you may have planned!

Richard Allen

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Jo Sidebottom

Mensans in MK & Bedford

On Tue 11th Oct at 6.30pm - Italian meal

Our first event in October is a meal at Prezzo at the MK Dons Stadium in Bletchley, at 6.30pm on Tuesday 11th October. We may go on to a film afterwards, if there is anything that people want to see. Please let me know by Sunday 9th if you plan to come so I can book a table.

On Mon 17th Oct at 8.30pm - 3MOTM Quiz

Our monthly visit to the Barge in Woolstone for the quiz is on Monday 17th. Meet from 8.30 - the quiz starts at 9pm and costs £1 per person. Please let me know beforehand if you're coming so I can bag a large enough table.

On Sun 23rd Oct at 10:00am - Sunday breakfast

As autumn is upon us, we are retreating indoors for Sunday breakfast and returning to Brown's, next to Jury's Inn on Midsummer Boulevard. Join us from 10am on Sunday 23rd for a full breakfast, a snack, or just a drink.

Jo Sidebottom

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] / [Mobile Number] for details

photo of Val Hinkins

Mid Bucks

On Fri 7th Oct at 10:30am - Conversation and coffee

Meet me from 10:30am onwards on Friday 7th October for a morning of informal conversation and coffee. This month we are returning to Café Zest in House of Fraser at the Eden centre in High Wycombe. No need to book, you are welcome if you just turn up on the day.

On Mon 10th Oct at 8:00pm - Indoor Games

Join Dave and Alison at their home in Flackwell Heath for a relaxed evening of indoor board games. Arrive for an 8pm start on Monday 10th October. Space is limited, so please contact Dave on [Phone Number] or [Email] for directions and games you would like to play.

On Sun 16th Oct at 12:45pm - Canal Walk

On Sunday 16th October, join me for an excursion to Colne Valley Park to admire the way the Grand Union Canal and Great Central Railway were driven across this watery landscape. Meet on the train leaving High Wycombe at 12:57. From Denham Station we will descend below the railway viaduct to reach a footpath heading for the Colne Valley park visitor centre (UB9 5PG), arriving just after 2pm. If coming by car, please meet us there. We pass Denham Deep Lock on the towpath of the Grand Union Canal, a good level path with no stiles. Total distance, including the walk to and from the station, will be around six miles. We may go for a Thai meal afterwards - let me know if you are interested in joining us.

Val Hinkins

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

Derby Diary

On Sat 1st Oct at All Day - Castle Donington Weekend

On Sun 2nd Oct at All Day - Castle Donington Weekend

Lots happening in and around Castle Donington over the weekend of Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd October including a pub lunch, guided walk, 1940s dinner dance, spa session, Aeropark visit and afternoon tea. Join in as much or as little as you like. Contact me for further details or see the event ads in Mensa Magazine or above

On Wed 19th Oct at 7.30pm - 3WOTM

As usual we'll be in the rear section of the Standing Order pub on Irongate from 7.30pm until late on Wednesday 19th for good value food and/or drink. Just look for a yellow Mblem on the table and probably 12-16 happy faces around it!

On Fri 21st Oct at 7:30pm - Ilkeston Fair

The newly married Susan and Mark Graves will be hosting our annual trip to Ilkeston fair on Friday 21st. Please contact them on [Phone Number] for meeting point and so we know who to look out for on the night. Also if bad weather in case the event is cancelled/postponed. You're welcome to come along whether you want to try some white knuckle thrills or just wander and eat traditional fair fayre.

On Sat 29th Oct at 8.00pm - Halloween Party

Following the success of last year's Halloween Party I'm organising another from 8.00pm until midnight on Saturday 29th. Venue is Heanor Conservative Club. Tickets cost £7.50 (or £5.00 for under 18s) and include a two course buffet and disco. There will be an optional raffle and witches' cauldron lucky dips with all proceeds going to Cancer Research UK. Spooky fancy dress is encouraged but not compulsory. Please contact me to purchase tickets.

Maxine Bates

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

History of Mensa

Mensa began with a chance conversation between two men on a train journey to Godalming in Surrey, in 1945.

World War II had just finished but Britain was still in turmoil. Buildings in London and other cities (as well as houses in the countryside) were just jagged remains of walls; food and clothing was still to be rationed up to 1953 and many children had spent their schooldays singing songs in underground shelters during airraids instead of classroom learning.

It was surprising that any managed to pass the 11-plus exam, which was introduced in this year of 1945.

Men were returning to the jobs they had left five years previously when they were called up into the forces or for war work in this country, and it was the younger of the two men on this train journey whose university education had been postponed by the conflict.

The older man on the train, Roland Berrill, an Australian by birth, got into conversation with the younger man, Lance Ware, by asking him if he was reading Hansard.

"Obviously," was the curt reply: The title of the book was plain to see. Berrill was not daunted. Conversation developed and eventually intelligence IQ was discussed. At the end of the journey they exchanged business cards. Lance was surprised later to receive a letter from Berrill asking to visit him at his lodgings in Oxford in order to follow up Lance's idea of starting a high IQ club.

Berrill, then aged 49, was called to the Bar in 1921 but had never practised as he had a very comfortable private income. He lived in a residential country club in Caterham, Surrey. This club's aims were to "promote vegetarianism by practical example; to make a centre for thinking people; to provide opportunities for discussion and new friendships and to provide warmth - internal, external and psychological."

Some of the residents became the first members of Mensa.

Lance, then aged 30, was only now, a fresher law student at Oxford, the delay being caused by the war. He had been, after he left school, a Royal Scholar at the Royal College of Science. He later did non-clinical research at the National Institute for Medical Research.

In 1939, Lance had become interested in intelligence testing while doing medical research and had tested his sister Elaine, friends and relatives to prove to himself that there was a good correlation between his estimates of their abilities and their IQ, irrespective of their worldly 'success' - or lack of it. Lance had also carried out these tests on his fellow workers and teachers until the end of the war, when he was then freed from the Government Employment Directives and could, at last, follow his chosen career.

Both men had heard the radio broadcasts in 1945 by Sir Cyril Burt (who later became the first President of Mensa) and of his studies of psychology and intelligence testing. Sir Cyril had already organised a High IQ Club at University College, London and the entrance requirement of the club was an IQ of 155 on the Cattell Scale. This was the top one per cent of the population.

They met in his department for discussions on all kinds of topics. They were far from all being students as Burt, who had been involved with the school 11-plus tests which began in 1945, was struck that people of the 'lower classes' (as they were described in those clays) could be extremely intelligent people despite not being educated.

At first there was no formal test for joining this club - they were assessed by psychiatrists - but a colleague soon devised one which then standardised the IQ scores. Berrill and =Ware discussed the idea of a high IQ club of their own and Berrill was fired with enthusiasm. On March 11, 1946, on his 50th birthday, Berrill took the Cattell Ill A test under Ware's supervision - and was completely overwhelmed to be told that he had done extremely well with a score over the 155 pass mark.

No-one had ever told him that he had such potential. As the second child in his family, he had been ignored (although supplied with a large income) while his parents had 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 done everything for his older brother at Oxford.

On April 22, Lance Ware received a letter from Berrill enclosing ideas for the club which he wanted Lance and his sister, the third founder member, to consider. It was to have a monthly journal called Mens which was Latin for mind. Lance thought that would cause confusion with another publication entitled Men Only so the name Mensa was chosen and Mensa Magazine for the journal. "Mensa'', Berrill said, "was the first Latin word pupils were taught at school and it meant 'table' . . . around which members would sit as equals."

He designed a logo on a yellow background depicting the three founder members sitting around a table. Legend tells that yellow was chosen because intelligent people are referred to as 'eggheads'. Since then black wording on a yellow background has been used for Mensa's flag and badges. Thus Mensa as a club was brought into being somewhere in the middle of 1946 and was established on October 1 that year when Berrill sent the draft of the club's headed notepaper with Lance's Oxford address to the printers.

The first Mensa Magazine was published by Berrill in 1947 and Kermeth Passmore-Brown was the first treasurer for a short while until Paul Griffin took over. The annual subscriptions were 30 shillings (£1.50 in today's money).

Thirteen members were present at the very first dinner and conversations in the Jill-on-the Green restaurant (which no longer exists) in Soho, London. At this time Soho was not as it is these days but "was full of food shops and Italian restaurants, with just a couple of grimy shop windows hinting gently of the 'Pornorama' to come". This was the first of the black tie dinners which are still held every year.

20 Questions (No. 180)

The answers to the August competition were Italy, Romania, Germany, Russia, Albania, Hungary, Ireland, Austria, Spain, Poland, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Turkey, Portugal, Sweden, Belgium, Iceland and Ukraine. Thank you for all the nice comments that you enjoyed this quiz. The £10 book token is on the way to David Crozier of St Albans.

This month's competition is all about the 1940s to link in with Mensa's 70th anniversary. Send your entries to arrive by 20th October by post to '20 Questions (No. 180)', [Address], or by email to [Email] but either way remember to include your name and address.

1. Which two men founded Mensa?

2. Which song was the best-selling single of 1942?

3. Who was the first black person to play in Major League Baseball?

4. Which big band leader disappeared in a plane crash in December 1944?

5. Completed in 1943, what was the world's largest office building?

6. Which world leader was assassinated in 1948?

7. The Siege Of Leningrad lasted how many days?

8. Released in 1940, which was the second animated feature film released by Disney?

9. The first atomic bomb was tested in which US state?

10. Which member of Abba is the only one not born in the 1940s?

11. Who was commander of Operation Overlord in 1944?

12. Which British director's first film was titled Rebecca?

13. Who was the only man to sign the treaties that ended both World War 1 and 2?

14. Which country gained full independence from the USA on 4th July 1946?

15. The BBC show "ITMA" ran from 1939-1949. What did the "ITMA" stand for?

16. In which country were the 1944 winter Olympics due to have been held?

17. On which date was VE Day?

18. Marvel comics introduced which superhero in March 1941?

19. Who invented Velcro in 1948?

20. Which event triggered the USA entering World War 2?