The History of the Club
Foundations and Early Years
Churchdown Club was founded as a safe haven and place of entertainment, activity and companionship for serviceman returned from the horrors of WWI but also to be a memorial to their comrades who sadly never came home. The story put about by the local GP was that whilst he was treating one of those soldiers for malaria the man kept insisting that the village must have a club of this sort. When the man recovered though he apparently had no memory of this, so the Doctor had to implant the idea to him and his friends and together they set about planning the club.
We now believe that this may have been an artifice by the Doctor who along with the local vicar and headteacher had already been trying to set up a club for the village prior to the war.
Dr Reginald Moore
This G.P. Dr Reginald Moore was a remarkable fellow, a decorated war hero who poignantly had himself lost his only son killed in France. He can truly be said to be the founding father of the Churchdown Club we know today.
Building the Club (1921)
A flurry of fundraising took place and having purchased the ground from The Churchdown Land Company, the groundwork and building could commence. Amongst those most involved were two sets of brothers the Merrets and the Holfords, and through all the hard work in May 1921 the Churchdown United Services Club was first opened with two days of festivities.
Although the emphasis initially was on servicemen from the very start the intention was for the club to be for the benefit of the whole community an ethos the club continues to this day.
Early Activities and Expansion
Very quickly bowls, tennis, skittles, billiard and even a ladies section were up and running and all sorts of other activities were taking place daily such that very quickly more space was required. Land was acquired for bowling and tennis, but work was suspended for a while as a large Anglo-Saxon burial ground was discovered right where they were digging. After investigation the bodies were reinterred and now lie under the current tennis courts. A new bar and lounge and billiard room were all added within a few years.
Wartime Years
With the coming of WWII Churchdown changed massively with the Club having to adapt as well. Workers at the local Rotol and Gloster Aircraft Company factories swelled the membership to busting plus serviceman stationed in the area were accommodated including troops evacuated from Dunkirk. The club also hosted ARP Air Raid patrol and Home Guard (Dads Army) activities during the war.
Post-War Development
Post WWII the Club continued to expand with an expanded lounge area and dedicated skittle alley and snooker room (now the current function room).
The Club Today
The 21st century has brought its own challenges notably the Covid crisis, but the club has emerged thriving with now the highest membership for many a year. Still carrying on our traditional social and sporting activities but also with a Brownie troop and other community groups meeting on a weekly basis.
Our Ongoing Purpose
We may have lost the United Service from our title, but we very much aim to continue the work that was started by our founders to provide a social centre for the community whilst never forgetting those in whose memory the club was set up who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
