A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE CLUB

AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR SOME 400 MEN RETURNED TO THE DISTRICT, MANY SUFFERING FROM THE EFFECTS OF THE WAR. THEY WERE PROMISED THAT THEY WOULD BE RETURNING TO A LAND FIT FOR HEROES BUT BY 1921 THIS WAS NOT THE CASE WITH UNEMPLOYMENT HIGH AND LITTLE BENEFIT AVAILABLE FROM THE STATE.

A SMALL GROUP OF LOCAL PEOPLE LED BY LT. COL. GEORGE HAMILTON AND THE COUNTESS OF LIMERICK (THE LAST PRIVATE RESIDENT OF HALL PLACE) FORMED A COMMITTEE TO SEE WHAT COULD BE DONE FOR THE EX-SERVICEMEN AND IN 1922 ARRANGED A PUBLIC MEETING HELD IN THE FREEMANTLE HALL.

A PROPOSAL WAS MADE TO COMBINE THE EX-SERVICEMEN WITH THE WORKING MEN’S CLUB IN THE VILLAGE BUT THIS WAS REJECTED AS THE LATTER WAS A TEMPERENCE CLUB, AND WAS FAILING. INSTEAD IN 1923 IT WAS AGREED TO FORM THE CLUB WITH LADY LIMERICK AS THE CLUB’S FIRST PRESIDENT, AND FIND A CENTRAL SITE AS SOON AS FUNDS BECAME AVAILABLE. IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1925 HOWEVER THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE PRESENT SITE WAS PURCHASED FROM FOUR LADIES AT A COST OF £175 WITH THE HELP OF A LOAN FROM THE UNITED SERVICES FUND AND A MORTGAGE FROM REFFELLS BEXLEY BREWERY AND THE CLUB HOUSE BUILT.

OVER THE YEARS THE EXTENT OF THE PROPERTY WAS INCREASED BY FURTHER PURCHASES AND THE CLUB HOUSE EXTENDED TO ITS CURRENT SIZE. A HALL WAS BUILT AT THE REAR OF THE CLUB WHICH WAS USED FOR SOCIAL EVENTS (AND AS BARRACKS FOR THE LOCAL HOME GUARD DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR). THE CLUBHOUSE SUFFERED SOME DAMAGE DURING THE WAR AND, ALTHOUGH MANY REPAIRS WERE MADE, THE HALL WAS EVENTUALLY DEMOLISHED IN 1982.