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Born at Higher Broughton, near Salford, Lancashire, only son of the two children of David Watson, chemist, metallurgist, and pioneer of the electrolytic refining of copper, and his wife Mary, daughter of Samuel Seares, a London stockbroker, 1886; educated privately and at Manchester Grammar School; entered the University of Manchester, 1904; intended a career in chemistry and industry, but in fact specialised in geology, and while an undergraduate began to study preserved plants from Coal Measures deposits, with Marie Stopes producing a seminal paper on coal balls in Philosophical Transactions, vol 200B, 1907; graduated with first class honours in geology, 1907; produced other papers on palaeobotany, 1907-1908; Beyer fellow at the University of Manchester, 1908; MSc; demonstrator, 1909; Watson's sister Constance died tragically in her second year at Somerville College Oxford, 1909; Watson became interested in fossil reptiles and other vertebrates, visited many fossil localities in Britain, and worked intensively in the British Museum (Natural History) (BMNH), 1908-1911; became interested in the BMNH collection of fossil reptiles from the Karoo (Karroo) of South Africa, and to further his knowledge collected extensively there, met the palaeontologist Robert Broom, and set up a subdivision of the Beaufort Series into biostratigraphical zones, 1911; invited by James P Hill to be honorary lecturer in vertebrate palaeontology at University College London, 1911; Lecturer in Vertebrate Palaeontology, University College London, 1912-1921; collected fossils in Australia, 1914; wrote an account of the embryological development of the skull of the platypus; returned through North America, making useful collections in Texas, 1915; returned to Britain and took a technical commission as lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 1916-1918; married Katharine Margarite Parker, 1917; transferred to the Royal Air Force as a captain, working on airship and balloon fabrics, 1918; after World War One, conducted research at Newcastle upon Tyne on coal measure amphibia and fish; returned to University College London, 1920; succeeded Hill as Jodrell Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy, 1921; developed the Zoology department at University College London; elected Fellow of the Royal Society, 1922; Croonian lecturer, Royal Society, 1924; Romanes lecturer at Oxford, 1928; Rainer Medal, 1928; Honorary DSc, Cape Town, 1929; member of the Agricultural Research Council, 1931-1942; Lyell medal, Geological Society of London, 1935; Silliman lecturer, Yale University, 1937; in the USA as acting secretary of the Agricultural Research Council, 1939; returned to supervise the evacuation of the department to Bangor; became Secretary of the Scientific Subcommittee of the Food Policy Committee of the War Cabinet, 1940; Thompson Medal, National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 1941; Darwin medal, Royal Society, 1942; Honorary LLD, Aberdeen, 1943; Honorary DSc, Manchester, 1943; returned to University College in Bangor and, when the war-damaged department was made habitable, in London; Trustee of the British Museum, 1946-1963; travelled abroad, including the USSR, South Africa, and Ceylon; honorary fellow of University College London, 1948; Honorary DSc, Reading and Wales, 1948; Honorary DSc, Witwatersrand, 1949; Linnean medal, Linnean Society, 1949; retired from his chair and became Emeritus Professor, 1951; Alexander Agassiz visiting professor at Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, 1952-1953; Darwin Wallace Medal, Linnean Society, 1958; recipient of a Festschrift, Studies on Fossil Vertebrates presented to David Meredith Seares Watson, edited by T Stanley Westoll, 1958; continued to have the use of a room at University College London and with his secretary and illustrator since 1928, Joyce Townsend, continued to write papers until his full retirement from scientific research, 1965; Wollaston medal, Geological Society of London, 1965; scientific papers, apart from early and significant work on fossil plants, dealt largely with vertebrate palaeontology, including seminal work on fossil reptiles, based largely on his own collections from South Africa, Texas, and elsewhere; two daughters, Katharine Mary and Janet Vida; died, 1973. See also F R Parrington and T S Westoll's memoir in Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, vol xx (1974), pp 483-504. Publications: Palaeontology and the Evolution of Man ... Romanes Lecture ... 1928 (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1928); The Animal Bones from Skara Brae (1931); Science and Government [Earl Grey Memorial Lecture no 24, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1942]; Paleontology and Modern Biology [Mrs Hepsa Ely Silliman Memorial Lectures] (Yale University Press, New Haven, [1951]); The Brachyopid Labyrinthodonts, etc [Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Geology, vol ii, no 8] (London, 1956); A New Labyrinthodont, Paracyclotosaurus, from the Upper Trias of New South Wales, etc [Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Geology, vol iii, no 7] (London, 1958); The Anomodont Skeleton [Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, vol xxix, pt 3] (London, 1960); many papers on vertebrate palaeontology and connected subjects in Philosophical Transactions, Proceedings of the Zoological Society, Journal of Anatomy, and elsewhere.

Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd was formed in 1898 when a merger was negotiated between Watney and Co Ltd of the Stag Brewery, Pimlico; Combe and Co Ltd of the Wood Yard Brewery, Long Acre and Reid's Brewery Co Ltd, of the Griffin Brewery, Clerkenwell. Following the merger the company was the largest brewing concern in the United Kingdom, and was based at Watney's Stag Brewery in Pimlico.

In 1953 Watney purchased (jointly with Beecham Group Ltd) the franchise for Coca-Cola in south and northwest England, setting up Coca-Cola Southern Bottlers Ltd in 1956.

In 1956 it was decided that the Stag Brewery offered no further scope for expansion. Mann, Crossman and Paulin Ltd of Whitechapel was acquired to provide a new London brewery, and its name was changed to Watney Mann Ltd.

In 1962 the trading assets of Watney Mann Ltd were transferred to Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd and it became a holding company. In 1972 Watney Mann was acquired by Grand Metropolitan Hotels and was merged with Truman, Hanbury, Buxton and Co Ltd in 1974. In the 1990s it was Watney Mann and Truman (Holdings) Ltd.

Watney Mann Ltd , brewers

Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd was formed in 1898 when a merger was negotiated between Watney and Co Ltd of the Stag Brewery, Pimlico; Combe and Co Ltd of the Wood Yard Brewery, Long Acre and Reid's Brewery Co Ltd, of the Griffin Brewery, Clerkenwell. Following the merger the company was the largest brewing concern in the United Kingdom, and was based at Watney's Stag Brewery in Pimlico.

In 1953 Watney purchased (jointly with Beecham Group Ltd) the franchise for Coca-Cola in south and northwest England, setting up Coca-Cola Southern Bottlers Ltd in 1956.

In 1956 it was decided that the Stag Brewery offered no further scope for expansion. Mann, Crossman and Paulin Ltd of Whitechapel was acquired to provide a new London brewery, and its name was changed to Watney Mann Ltd.

In 1962 the trading assets of Watney Mann Ltd were transferred to Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd and it became a holding company. In 1972 Watney Mann was acquired by Grand Metropolitan Hotels and was merged with Truman, Hanbury, Buxton and Co Ltd in 1974. In the 1990s it was Watney Mann and Truman (Holdings) Ltd.

Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd was formed in 1898 when a merger was negotiated between Watney and Co Ltd of the Stag Brewery, Pimlico; Combe and Co Ltd of the Wood Yard Brewery, Long Acre and Reid's Brewery Co Ltd, of the Griffin Brewery, Clerkenwell. Following the merger the company was the largest brewing concern in the United Kingdom, and was based at Watney's Stag Brewery in Pimlico.

The Stag Brewhouse and Brewery, Pimlico, was founded in 1636 by John Greene and his son Sir William Greene. In 1837 James Watney, a miller, bought a quarter share in the Stag Brewery, alongside John Elliot. From 1849 the firm was known as Elliot, Watney and Co. John Elliot withdrew from the business in 1850, remaining a partner in name only until 1858 when he retired. The firm became known as James Watney and Co. In 1885 Watney and Co Ltd was registered as a limited liability company.

Combe and Co Ltd was founded in 1722 by John Shackley in a former timber yard off Long Acre, London. In 1739 the business was acquired by William Gyfford who enlarged the premises, trading as Gyfford and Co. In 1787 the brewery was purchased by Harvey Christian Combe, a malt factor, but it was not until 1839 that the firm began to trade as Combe and Co. The Wood Yard Brewery closed in 1905 but the Combe family continued to take a major role in the management of Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd.

In 1757 Richard Meux and Mungo Murray acquired the Jackson's Brewery in Mercer Street. When this was damaged in a major fire they constructed new premises at Liquorpond Street (now Clerkenwell Road). In 1793 Andrew Reid joined the business which became known as Meux, Reid and Co. In 1816 the Meux family left the business which changed its name to Reid and Co. The company was registered in 1888 as Reid's Brewery Co Ltd. On the merger with Watney and Combe it ceased to brew.

In 1956 Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd decided that the Stag Brewery offered no further scope for expansion. Mann, Crossman and Paulin Ltd of Whitechapel was acquired to provide a new London brewery, and the company name was changed to Watney Mann Ltd.

The Isleworth Brewery, St John's Road, Isleworth, passed through various owners until it was acquired by William Farnell in 1800, thereafter it remained in the Farnell family. In 1886 it was incorporated as a limited liability company; and acquired Sich and Co Ltd of Chiswick. In 1923 it was acquired by Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd.

Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd was formed in 1898 when a merger was negotiated between Watney and Co Ltd of the Stag Brewery, Pimlico; Combe and Co Ltd of the Wood Yard Brewery, Long Acre and Reid's Brewery Co Ltd, of the Griffin Brewery, Clerkenwell. Following the merger the company was the largest brewing concern in the United Kingdom, and was based at Watney's Stag Brewery in Pimlico.

The Stag Brewhouse and Brewery, Pimlico, was founded in 1636 by John Greene and his son Sir William Greene. In 1837 James Watney, a miller, bought a quarter share in the Stag Brewery, alongside John Elliot. From 1849 the firm was known as Elliot, Watney and Co. John Elliot withdrew from the business in 1850, remaining a partner in name only until 1858 when he retired. The firm became known as James Watney and Co. In 1885 Watney and Co Ltd was registered as a limited liability company.

Combe and Co Ltd was founded in 1722 by John Shackley in a former timber yard off Long Acre, London. In 1739 the business was acquired by William Gyfford who enlarged the premises, trading as Gyfford and Co. In 1787 the brewery was purchased by Harvey Christian Combe, a malt factor, but it was not until 1839 that the firm began to trade as Combe and Co. The Wood Yard Brewery closed in 1905 but the Combe family continued to take a major role in the management of Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd.

In 1757 Richard Meux and Mungo Murray acquired the Jackson's Brewery in Mercer Street. When this was damaged in a major fire they constructed new premises at Liquorpond Street (now Clerkenwell Road). In 1793 Andrew Reid joined the business which became known as Meux, Reid and Co. In 1816 the Meux family left the business which changed its name to Reid and Co. The company was registered in 1888 as Reid's Brewery Co Ltd. On the merger with Watney and Combe it ceased to brew.

In 1956 Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd decided that the Stag Brewery offered no further scope for expansion. Mann, Crossman and Paulin Ltd of Whitechapel was acquired to provide a new London brewery, and the company name was changed to Watney Mann Ltd.

Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd was formed in 1898 when a merger was negotiated between Watney and Co Ltd of the Stag Brewery, Pimlico; Combe and Co Ltd of the Wood Yard Brewery, Long Acre and Reid's Brewery Co Ltd, of the Griffin Brewery, Clerkenwell. Following the merger the company was the largest brewing concern in the United Kingdom, and was based at Watney's Stag Brewery in Pimlico.

The Stag Brewhouse and Brewery, Pimlico, was founded in 1636 by John Greene and his son Sir William Greene. In 1837 James Watney, a miller, bought a quarter share in the Stag Brewery, alongside John Elliot. From 1849 the firm was known as Elliot, Watney and Co. John Elliot withdrew from the business in 1850, remaining a partner in name only until 1858 when he retired. The firm became known as James Watney and Co. In 1885 Watney and Co Ltd was registered as a limited liability company.

Combe and Co Ltd was founded in 1722 by John Shackley in a former timber yard off Long Acre, London. In 1739 the business was acquired by William Gyfford who enlarged the premises, trading as Gyfford and Co. In 1787 the brewery was purchased by Harvey Christian Combe, a malt factor, but it was not until 1839 that the firm began to trade as Combe and Co. The Wood Yard Brewery closed in 1905 but the Combe family continued to take a major role in the management of Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd.

In 1757 Richard Meux and Mungo Murray acquired the Jackson's Brewery in Mercer Street. When this was damaged in a major fire they constructed new premises at Liquorpond Street (now Clerkenwell Road). In 1793 Andrew Reid joined the business which became known as Meux, Reid and Co. In 1816 the Meux family left the business which changed its name to Reid and Co. The company was registered in 1888 as Reid's Brewery Co Ltd. On the merger with Watney and Combe it ceased to brew.

In 1956 Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd decided that the Stag Brewery offered no further scope for expansion. Mann, Crossman and Paulin Ltd of Whitechapel was acquired to provide a new London brewery, and the company name was changed to Watney Mann Ltd.

Simon Watney is an art historian and writer on health. He became involved with the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in the winter of 1970, whilst studying at Sussex University, and helped to establish the Sussex GLF in Brighton the following year. Following four years as an art history lecturer at Brighton Polytechnic (1971-1974), Watney moved to London in 1975 and joined the Gay Left Collective two years later. They published his article 'The Ideology of GLF' in 1980. He worked as a Senior Lecturer in the history and theory of photography at the School of Communication, Polytechnic of Central London, from 1976-1986, and published several books on art history. He continues to write and lecture in his capacity as an art historian. He left the academic world in 1986 to concentrate on practical efforts in fighting AIDS, working on short contracts for several AIDS/HIV projects from 1986-1992, and undertaking voluntary sector work. Amongst other roles, Watney chaired the Policy Group and the Health Education Group of the Terrence Higgins Trust, and was a founder-Trustee of The National AIDS Manual and of Gay Men Fighting AIDS. In 1990 he was one of the founders of OutRage!. From 1988, he wrote a regular HIV/AIDS column in Gay Times, and was awarded the US Words Project for AIDS/Gregory Kolovakos award for his book Taking liberties: AIDS and cultural politics (Serpent's Tail in association with the ICA, London, 1989). Since 1992, Simon Watney has been the Director of the Red Hot AIDS Charitable Trust, an HIV/AIDS funding initiative supporting education around the world for those at demonstrably high risk from HIV. In 1995, The Independent described him as one of the forty most influential gay men in Britain. Publications: Imagine hope: AIDS and gay identity (Routledge, London, 2000); Policing desire: pornography, AIDS and the media (Methuen, London, 1987); Practices of freedom: selected writings on HIV/AIDS (Rivers Oram, London, 1994); The art of Duncan Grant (Murray, London, 1990); Taking liberties: AIDS and cultural politics (Serpent's Tail in association with the ICA, London, 1989); editor of Photography politics (Comedia, London, 1986); Fantastic painters (Thames and Hudson, London, 1977); English post-impressionism (Studio Vista, London, 1980).

John Watkins was born in Woking, Surrey, training at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, before joining the Navy in 1941; after the war he studied politics at the London School of Economics where he was greatly influenced by reading Friedrich Hayek's The Road to Serfdom. After graduation he studied for an MA at Yale University, before returned to the Government Department at LSE to take up a lectureship in political science, transferring to the Philosophy Department as Reader in 1958. He was promoted to Professor in 1966. Watkins retired in 1989 but continued regular attendance at seminars and was an associate for the LSE Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science. Professor Watkins' publications include Hobbes's System of Ideas(1965), Science and Scepticism (1984)and Human Freedom after Darwin (1999) and numerous articles including 'Ideal types and Historical Explanation' (1953), 'Historical Explanation in the Social Sciences' (1957), 'Negative Utilitarianism' (1963), 'Confirmation, the Paradoxes and Positivism' (1964), 'Decision and Belief' (1967) and 'Imperfect Rationality' (1971).

Born, 1907; educated Lancing College, Cambridge University; expedition to Edge Island (Edgøya), 1927; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1927-1932; RGS Cuthbert Peek Grant, 1928; expedition to Labrador, 1928-1929; British Arctic air route expedition, 1930-1931; RGS Founder's Medal, 1932; expedition to Greenland, 1932, where he died.

The Watford and Edgware Railway Company was founded in the 1860s with the intention of constructing a railway line between Edgware and Watford, via Bushey Heath. The line was never constructed as the company were unable to raise the capital and met significant opposition from rival companies. In 1922 the company was purchased by the London Electric Railway Company who intended to use the rights of way obtained by the Watford and Edgware Railway Company to extend their Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway (the modern Northern Line). Work did not begin until 1935 but had not progressed beyond earthworks and tunnelling when the Second World War began and work ceased. It was not resumed after the war.

The Watford and District Synagogue was founded in 1946 and is situated on Nascot Road, Bushey. It was formerly called the Watford and Bushey Associated Synagogue. This synagogue was admitted as an Affiliated member of the United Synagogue in 1948 and is now a Constituent member.

Waters, a master's assistant in 1842, served on the East Indies Station first in the VIXEN and then in 1843 in the JUPITER. He was made second master in 1845 and master in 1848. Between 1852 and 1856 he served in the Black Sea in the SIMOOM and in the SHANNON until 1861. During the Indian Mutiny, 1857, Waters was left in command of the SHANNON while her captain, Sir William Peel (1824-1858), led the Naval Brigade. He later served as master, and staff commander when the rank was redesignated, in several ships. His active career ended as staff captain with two appointments as Queen's Harbour Master, first at Malta and then at Sheerness. He retired in 1876.

Commander Waters began his collection of material on Chinese craft while serving on the China Station as a midshipman on HMS BERWICK 1930-1931 and as a lieutenant on HMS BEAGLE 1937-1938. He added notes and articles to it since.

Waterloo Bridge Company

Waterloo Bridge, designed by Rennie, was built by a private company which obtained an act of Parliament for that purpose in 1809. Work began in 1811 and the original intention was to use the name 'Strand Bridge'. The project was renamed 'Waterloo Bridge' in 1816, a year before it opened in 1817.

In 1878 it was acquired by the Metropolitan Board of Works and the existing tolls were abandoned. Structural defects were soon discovered and repaired, but in the 1920's, the bridge was declared unsafe. The London County Council replaced it with a design by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott which was erected 1939-1944.

A conveyance is a type of deed, used to transfer land from one party to another, usually for money (when you sell your house a conveyance is involved). Early forms of conveyance included feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.

Copyhold land was land that belonged to a Manor and was, notionally, property of the Lord of the Manor. Gradually copyhold land was enfranchised until the Law of Property Act 1922 abolished copyhold status, converting all such land into freehold. Enfranchisement was the process by which a copyhold title was changed to a freehold.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.

Lease and release was the most common method of conveying freehold property from the later seventeenth century onwards, before the introduction of the modern conveyance in the late nineteenth century. The lease was granted for a year (sometimes six months), then on the following day the lessor released their right of ownership in return for the consideration (the thing for which land was transferred from one party to another, usually, of course, a sum of money).

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.

Lease and release was the most common method of conveying freehold property from the later seventeenth century onwards, before the introduction of the modern conveyance in the late nineteenth century. The lease was granted for a year (sometimes six months), then on the following day the lessor released their right of ownership in return for the consideration (the thing for which land was transferred from one party to another, usually, of course, a sum of money).

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.

Probate (also called proving a will) is the process of establishing the validity of a will, which was recorded in the grant of probate.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

Gilbert Waterhouse: Born Hipperholme, Yorkshire, 15 July 1888, son of Harold Waterhouse of Tarleton, Lancs; Educated at Pendleton Grammar School, Wigan Institute, Pendleton Higher Elementary School and Manchester Grammar School (Foundation Scholar 1900), St John's College Cambridge and the University of Berlin; first recipient of the Tiarks University German Scholarship, Cambridge, 1910; Assistant Lecturer in English, University of Lepzig, 1911-1914; Assistant Master, Manchester Grammar School, 1914-1915; Professor of German, University of Dublin, 1915-1932; Administrator, Government Scheme of Grants to ex-Service Students (Ireland), 1919-1925; Secretary, Royal Commission on the University of Dublin, 1920; Professor of German, Queen's University, Belfast, 1933-1953; Died 25 July 1977. Married 1920, Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Wobert Woods, 3 daughters.
Publications: The Literary Relations of England and Germany in the Seventeenth Century, 1914; The War and the Study of German: a public lecture delivered in Trinity College, Dublin, on Tuesday, May 29th, 1917 , (1917); ed Franz Grillparzer: Weh' dem der lügt, (1923); The Prince of Peace, (1927); A Short History of German Literature, (1928); (trans) Clara Viebig: The Sleeping Army, (1929); (trans) General von Seeckt Thoughts of a Soldier, (1930); Simon van der Stel's Journal of his Expedition to Namaqualand (1685), (1932, supplement 1953).

John Alfred Groom was a London engraver and evangelical preacher, who became concerned with the plight of the poverty-stricken and often disabled girls and women who sold flowers and watercress in the streets around Farringdon Market. His work with them began when he founded the Watercress and Flower Girls' Christian Mission in 1866. A permanent home for the mission was found in Harp Alley and Lord Shaftesbury became its first president. Religious services were held at Foresters' Hall until its destruction in 1890, after which John Groom purchased Woodbridge Chapel, Clerkenwell.

Taking inspiration from the trend for imported handmade flowers, John Groom set up a factory in Sekforde Street, close to the Woodbridge Chapel, where disabled girls could work at making artificial flowers and thus make a living for themselves. The girls lived in houses in Sekforde Street, rented by John Groom. Further factories were subsequently built in Woodbridge Street and Haywards Place. The name of the charity was changed to John Groom's Crippleage and Flower Girls Mission in 1907.

Rising inner London rents forced the charity's council to purchase a large estate in Edgware in 1931 and the whole operation moved there in 1932. In 1965 Edgware opened its doors to male residents. The charity's name changed again in 1969 to John Groom's Association for the Disabled and in 1990 to John Groom's Association for Disabled People.

John Groom was also very concerned for the welfare of deprived and orphaned children. He bought a house at Clacton-on-Sea and built others around it and his orphanage opened in 1890. During World War II the older children from Clacton were evacuated to Davenport House, Shropshire, with the babies being sent first to Edgware and then to Farncote House, Wolverhampton. After the war the older children moved into a new home at Pilgrim's House, Kent, and the babies moved to the new Cudham Hall, also in Kent. In 1956 Charnwood, near Chislehurst was purchased to provide a family children's home with room for 12 children. Thorpe Bay Children's Home was added to the list in 1951 when John Grooms took over a children's convalescent home at Stamford Hill House. The charity's work with children finally ended in 1979.

John Grooms expanded its work with housing for the disabled during the early 1970s, with John Groom's Housing Association becoming a registered charity in its own right. The association's developments have included flats in Princess Crescent, Finsbury Park (1973), Dolphin Court, which was built on the site of the Thorpe Bay Children's Home (1984) and John Grooms Court, Norwich (1989).

The charity has also developed the idea of special holidays for the disabled, with hotels in Minehead and Llandudno, and self-catering caravans and bungalows. It has also been involved with a special Brain Injuries Rehabilitation Unit, Icanho, Stowmarket, Suffolk and the HOPE Nursery at Cheshunt, Hertfordshire which provides horticultural employment and therapy for disabled workers.

In 2007 John Groom's merged with the Shaftesbury Society to form Grooms-Shaftesbury with 'a vision of working with people and communities affected by poverty and disability, helping them to maximise their potential', becoming one of the UK's largest Christian charities.

Water Saving Trust

Towards a Water Saving Trust Steering Group was established c 1996. Secretary Sean Creighton organised the Towards A Water Saving Trust Conference 1997.

The Queen Adelaide Fund was established in 1835 by Col. Clitherow, Chairman of the Committee of Visitors for Hanwell Asylum, for the assistance of patients discharged cured from Hanwell Asylum in Middlesex, "to enable them to make a fresh start in life". It had come to the attention of the chairman of the Asylum, Colonel James Clitherow, that when cured patients were discharged from the asylum many of them were forced to enter the workhouse as their furniture, tools and even clothes had been sold to support their families while they were being treated. The Fund provided such patients with a grant to enable them to resume their jobs and reunite their families. The fund was supported by Queen Adelaide, consort of William IV, who was also a patron of the Hanwell Asylum. She was the first subscriber to the Fund, donating £100 as well as her name.

The Fund was expanded in 1840 and from 1852 it assisted and administered the similar Queen Victoria Fund for Colney Hatch Asylum patients. In 1889 the Queen Victoria Fund was formally consolidated into the Queen Adelaide Fund.

On the formation of the Middlesex County Council and London County Council, two Trustees were appointed from the Councillors of each County Council. However, the administrative and secretarial staff continued to be supplied by the Asylum, and later by Middlesex County Council. The Clerk to the Committee for Hanwell Asylum was originally also Clerk to the Trustees of the Queen Adelaide Fund, but later this position was taken by the Clerk of the Middlesex County Council.

Samuel Hall Wass was born in 1907. He was educated at University College Nottingham, and came to Guy's Hospital as a preclinical student in 1928. He qualified in 1934, became FRCS in 1935 and MS of London University in 1936. His appointment to the consulting staff was delayed because of the World War Two. He was a clinical assistant at St Mark's Hospital from 1937 to 1939, where he excellenced in diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the colon and rectum. Before his election to the consulting staff of Guy's Hospital in 1946, Wass had already served on the staff of the Evelina Hospital for Sick Children, St John's Hospital, Lewisham, and St Olave's Hospital, Bermondsey. He was also appointed Hunterian Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons and lectured on odontoma and other affections of the jaw. He served on the Court of Examiners of the Royal College of Surgeons for nine years between 1955 and 1964. He also examined in surgery for the University of London. He was appointed a governor of Guy's Hospital in 1964 and was elected Chairman of the Medical Committee and also of the School Council in 1966. He died in 1970.

George Washington was born in 1732 in Northern Virginia to a family of gentleman farmers. From 1754 to 1759 he fought in the military campaigns west of the Appalachians in the Seven Years War, resigning his commission on his marriage to Martha Custis (by which his estates, already extensive, were further increased). In 1758 he had become a member of the House of Burgesses for Virginia and served in this capacity for many years. In 1775, at the time of the American colonies' revolt against the English government, he was chosen by the Continental Convention to lead the revolutionary army. Following independence he retired to his estates, returning to public life to serve from 1787 to 1789 as President of the National Convention on the future form of government of the United States. As a result of this body's deliberations the office of President of the United States of America was created. Washington was elected the first holder of the office and held it for two terms, from 1789 to 1797, after which he retired once again. He died in 1799.

Quarter Sessions were sessions of a court held in each county four times a year by a local Justice of the Peace to hear criminal charges as well as civil and criminal appeals. The history of quarter sessions traces to 1327, when King Edward III appointed men in every county to keep the peace.

Malvin Warschauer was born in 1871 the son of a timber merchant in a small village in Kanth, near Breslau, Silesia (now Wroclaw, Poland). He was a student at Berlin University from 1890 where he studied oriental languages, Arabic and Syrian and philosophy and became a member, then later president, of the Academic Union for Jewish History and Literature. He also studied at the College of Jewish Learning at Unter den Linden where most of the students were from Eastern Europe, Austria and Hungary. It was during this time that he became a life-long friend of Leo Baeck.

He was an early Zionist and often met with opposition from his rabbinical colleagues over his ideas on the subject. He married Recha Blum in 1904 and had children in 1905 and 1907 respectively. Having been a temporary preacher at the new synagogue in Luetzowstrasse, he became a rabbi in 1906. In 1911 he took over as head of the College of Jewish Learning. He later became the Rabbi of Oranienburgerstrasse. The children having already emigrated to England earlier in the decade, Malvin Warschauer was himself forced to flee and arrived at Croydon airport in January 1939.

His years in England were spent officiating as a guest rabbi, involving himself in work with the considerable refugee community in and around Guildford and writing his memoirs. He died on 27 January 1955.

Warsaw Anglican Chaplaincy

The Bishop of London was held to exercise responsibility for Anglican churches overseas where no other bishop had been appointed. He retained responsibility for churches in northern and central Europe until 1980, but his jurisdiction in southern Europe ceased in 1842 on the creation of the diocese of Gibraltar. In 1980, the Bishop of London divested himself of all overseas jurisdiction and a new diocese of 'Gibraltar in Europe' was established.

In 1816 the British and Foreign Bible Society first began to preach in Warsaw. Their activities were interrupted by a Russian invasion and it was not until 1875 that an Anglican mission returned to the city. Between 1925 and 1927 the mission constructed a church, Emmanuel Chapel. However, the chapel was badly damaged by bombing during the Second World War and the building was demolished. After the war the church attempted to reclaim the site of the chapel but the government refused to recognise their claim. In 1995 the British Embassy set up a chaplaincy at the British School; and in 1996 the Polish Republic recognised the church and offered them use of a chapel.

Information from: http://www.anglicanchurch.pl/index2.php?page=our_history.

Warrens , solicitors

There are several solicitors firms called 'Warrens' listed in the London Post Office Directories.

Born, c1870; worked as a printer and bookbinder, living in Canterbury; served the China Inland Mission (CIM), leaving for China aged 21, 1891; arrived, 1892; studied the language at Anking, in Anhwei; sent to Ningpo in Chekiang province; married the daughter of a missionary, Minnie Meadows, 1897; stationed at Shaohsing, c1897-1911; moved to Hangchow, 1911; Principal of the Bible Training Institute, which prepared Chinese students for Christian service; subsequently CIM Superintendent of the Chekiang field; left Chekiang and served the CIM administration in various capacities from 1922; appointed CIM Assistant China Director, 1931; travelled from the CIM headquarters in Shanghai to distant provinces including Kansu, Kweichow and Yunnan; died, 1940.

Henry Warren, member of the Royal College of Surgeons, England, 1809. In 1859, he was resident at Gravesend, Kent.

Sir Astley Cooper: Born, Brooke Hall near Norwich, 1768; educated at home; apprenticed to his uncle, William Cooper, surgeon to Guy's Hospital, 1784; soon after transferred to Henry Cline, surgeon to St Thomas's Hospital; Edinburgh Medical School, 1787-1788; Demonstrator of Anatomy, St Thomas's Hospital, 1789; joint lecturer with Cline in Anatomy and Surgery, 1791; lectured on anatomy at the College of Surgeons, 1793-1796; Surgeon, Guy's Hospital, 1800-1825; private practice rapidly increased; Fellow, Royal Society, 1802; made post-mortem examinations wherever possible, and was often in contact with 'resurrectionists'; a founder and first treasurer, 1805, President, 1819-1820, Medical and Chirurgical Society of London; Professor of Comparative Anatomy, Royal College of Surgeons, 1813; lectured, 1814-1815; performed a small operation on King George IV, 1820; by the bestowal of a baronetcy; examiner at the College of Surgeons, 1822; published his 'Dislocations and Fractures of the Joints', 1822; resigned his lectureship at St Thomas's, 1825; instigator of the founding of a separate medical school at Guy's Hospital; Consulting Surgeon to Guy's Hospital; President, College of Surgeons, 1827, 1836; Sergeant-Surgeon to King William IV, 1828; Vice-President, Royal Society, 1830; died, 1841.
Publications include: The Anatomy and Surgical Treatment of Inguinal and Congenital Hernia (Crural and Umbilical Hernia) (printed for T Cox; sold by Messrs Johnson, etc, London, 1804); A Treatise on Dislocations, and on Fractures of the Joints (Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown; E Cox & Son, London, 1822); The Lectures of Sir Astley Cooper, Bart., F.R.S. ... on the Principles and Practice of Surgery: with additional notes and cases, by Frederick Tyrrell 3 volumes (Thomas & George Underwood, London, 1824-1827); Illustrations of the Diseases of the Breast ... In two parts (Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green: London, 1829); Lectures on the Principles and Practice of Surgery Second edition (F C Westley, London, 1830); Observations on the Structure and Diseases of the Testis (Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green; Highley & Underwood, London, 1830); The Anatomy of the Thymus Gland (Longman, Rees, Orme, Green & Brown, London, 1832).

Cline: Born, London, 1750; educated, Merchant Taylors' School; apprenticed to Mr Thomas Smith, surgeon to St Thomas's Hospital, 1767; diploma from Surgeons' Hall, 1774; Lecturer on anatomy, St Thomas's Hospital, 1781-1811; Surgeon, St Thomas's Hospital, 1784-1811; examiner at the College of Surgeons, 1810; master of the College of Surgeons, 1815, president, 1823; delivered the Hunterian oration, 1816, 1824; died, 1827.
Publications: On the Form of Animals (Bulmer & Co, London, 1805).

Student and member of staff at the Royal College of Science, (Imperial College), 1925-1931; Lecturer, University of Cairo; Head of Chemistry Department, University of Natal, Pietermarietzburgh, retired, 1964; Dean, Faculty of Science, 1965-1967; research fields were organic chemistry, pyrolisidine alkaleids, insects' pheromones.

Robert Boyle was born on 25 January 1627 at Lismore, Munster, seventh son of the notorious Richard Boyle, first Earl of Cork, thereby having high status and considerable wealth. His education began at home, then continued at Eton and with foreign travel from 1639. He visited France, Geneva - where he suffered a conversion experience which was to have a profound effect on him - and Italy, where he discovered the writings of Galileo. He returned to England in 1644, taking up residence at the family manor of Stalbridge, Dorset, from 1645. He visited Ireland in 1652-1653, then by 1656 moved to Oxford where he joined the circle of natural philosophers there which formed the liveliest centre of English science at that time. After the Restoration in 1660, many of them moved to London, where the Royal Society was founded (with Boyle among its founding Fellows), although Boyle did not move there until 1668, sharing a house in Pall Mall with his sister Katherine, Lady Ranelagh, until they both died in 1691. In the 1640's he became preoccupied with themes which were to continue throughout his life - vindication of an approved understanding of nature, in its own right as well as its utilitarian advantages; insistence on the importance of experiment in pursuing this aim, and the advocacy of spirituality. To these ends he became involved with other like-minded individuals known as the 'Invisible College', and subsequently the circle of intellectuals surrounding the Prussian emigré, Samuel Hartlib. He devoted his life to extensive and systematic experimentation, and to writing. His major scientific work on pneumatics, 'New Experiments Physico-Mechanical, Touching the Air and its Effects', used the air pump as the key piece of equipment used to explore the physical properties of air, vindicated the possibility of a vacuum, illustrated the extent to which life depended on air, and proved that the volume of air varies inversely with its pressure (Boyle's Law). 1661 saw the publication of the 'Sceptical Chemist' and 'Certain Physiological Essays', the beginning of a series where he sought to vindicate a mechanistic theory of matter and to remodel chemistry along new lines, and where he crucially vindicated an experimental approach. In the 1670's his publications continued the previous themes, but also included theology. In the 1680's, his interest shifted to medical matters, such as 'Memoirs for the Natural History of Human Blood' (1684), or the collections of recipes in his 'Medicinal Experiments' (1688-1694). At the same time, he continued his work as a Christian apologist, his 'The Christian Virtuoso' appearing in 1690. His concern about the theological implications of the new philosophy can be seen in 'Discourse of Things above Reason' (1681) and 'Disquisition about the Final Causes of Things' (1688). On his death in 1691 he endowed a Lectureship to expound the Christian message. His significance to the development of natural philosphy was recognised in his lifetime, and his influence was particularly important for Isaac Newton, the leading figure in the following generation, whose work is seen as the culmination of the scientific achievement of seventeenth-century England.

An assignment of a lease is the transfer of the rights laid out in the lease to another party, usually for a consideration (a sum of money).

Abstract of title is a summary of prior ownership of a property, drawn up by solicitors. Such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months, and was usually drawn up just prior to a sale.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

Sir Pelham Francis Warner was born in The Hall, Port of Spain, Trinidad, on 2 October 1873. He was the son of Charles William Warner, Attorney General of Trinidad. He married Agnes Blyth in 1904 and they had three children, two boys Esmond and John and a daughter Elizabeth.

Warner was educated at Rugby School and Oxford University, where he played in the varsity match against Cambridge. He made his first-class debut for Middlesex in 1894 and in 1897 was called up to play for Lord Hawke's XI in the West Indies. He then made his debut for England vs. South Africa in Johannesburg in 1899.

In 1903 Warner had the honour of being the first captain of an MCC touring side following the decision to make MCC the governing body responsible for England cricket tours overseas. The tour was to Australia and England won the series 3-2, thus bringing back the Ashes. Warner was rewarded with a place on the MCC Committee, and captained the first ever MCC tour of South Africa. During the First World War, Warner served with the Inns of Court and the Ministry of Information at the Foreign Office. After the war he returned to play first-class cricket in Middlesex and helped them to win the championship in 1920, scoring 79 and being led off the pitch by spectators - a framed picture of which is included in this collection.

After he retired from cricket Warner remained active in the game. He became manager of the MCC touring team during the infamous Bodyline series of 1932-1933. Warner was knighted in 1937 and during the Second World War he became Deputy Secretary of MCC. In 1950-1951 Warner was President of MCC and celebrated his 80th birthday with a dinner in the Long Room - two events that make up the bulk of correspondence and telegrams included in this collection. Warner died at West Lavington, near Midhurst, Sussex, on January 30, 1963.

This collection was bequeathed to MCC by Marina Warner, Warner's granddaughter, in 2009. The collection focuses on Warner's achievements away from the game - his MBE, his knighthood, his election as MCC President in 1950-1951, the release of his book 'Lord's 1787-1945' and his 80th birthday. The collection also includes material acquired during the course of Warner's life, including poetry, menu cards, orders of service and certificates. The material was held in a Louis Vuitton trunk with one sticker with 'The Grand Hotel, Melbourne' written on it, and with the scarlet and gold colours of MCC. MCC has retained the trunk.

Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.

Lease and release was the most common method of conveying freehold property from the later seventeenth century onwards, before the introduction of the modern conveyance in the late nineteenth century. The lease was granted for a year (sometimes six months), then on the following day the lessor released their right of ownership in return for the consideration (the thing for which land was transferred from one party to another, usually, of course, a sum of money).

An assignment of term, or assignment to attend the inheritance, was an assignment of the remaining term of years in a mortgage to a trustee after the mortgage itself has been redeemed.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

The author was a surgeon in the Indian Medical Service. He was promoted to Assistant Surgeon in 1849, and Surgeon in 1864. After serving in Jamaica as a surgeon he joined the Indian Medical Service and was stationed in the State of Travancore. Returning to England he took his FRCS in 1864 and obtained his MD at Aberdeen the next year. He was an early advocate of 'Cottage hospitals' and in later life devoted himself to medical philanthropic work (cf. BMJ 1891, i pp. 264, 265).

Harold Edgar Wareham was born on 8 January 1872 at Guildford, son of the Rev. Edward Allport Wareham who was a missionary to Southern India with the London Missionary Society. He studied theology at Edinburgh Congregational Hall, and medicine and surgery at Edinburgh University. He was ordained in April 1902, and was appointed to the London Missionary Society Central African Mission as a medical missionary. He married Rebecca Purves Stewart (b 1877) on 19 April 1902. Dr and Mrs Wareham left Britain on 30 April 1902 and arrived in Kawimbe on 3 August. They were stationed at Kambole until October 1903, when they were transferred to Kawimbe. In 1921, Dr Wareham was appointed temporarily to Mpolokoso. He left in May 1922 to open a new mission station at Kafulwe in Lake Mweru district. The Warehams carried out medical, educational and some evangelical activities. In 1925 they were transferred to Mbereshi. Their work as missionaries in Northern Rhodesia ended in 1931, when Dr Wareham retired on grounds of ill health. They returned to Britain on 21 September 1931. Harold Edgar Wareham died in Edinburgh on 4 February 1955. Mrs Wareham died on 15 March in the same year.

Walter Rauff was a professional naval officer until 1937 when he began working for the Nazi Sicherheitsdienst (security service) in which service he became head of the technical affairs section of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (Reich Security main office). In this capacity, during 1941 and 1942 he supervised the outfitting and despatch of some 20 gas vans in which at least 200,000 people were murdered. Rauff left Berlin to lead an SD Einsatzkommando in Tunis in late 1942. He became district SS und Polizeiführer (SS and police leader) for Northern Italy in September 1943. After the war, having escaped from a prisoner of war camp he eventually settled in Chile where he managed to evade extradition and died in 1984.

James Ware was born at Portsmouth on 11 February 1756, and was the son of Martin Ware, who was successively the master shipbuilder of the royal dockyards of Sheerness, Plymouth, and Deptford. He was educated at the Portsmouth grammar school, and went upon trial to Ramsay Karr, surgeon of the King's Yard in Portsmouth on 3 July 1770. He was bound apprentice to Karr on 2 March 1771, to serve for five years from the previous July. During his apprenticeship he attended the practice of the surgeons at the Haslar Naval Hospital, and, having served a part of his time, his master allowed him, as was then the usual custom, to come to London for the purpose of attending the medical and surgical practice of one of the general hospitals. Ware selected St. Thomas's, and entered himself as a student on 25 Sept. 1773. In 1776, Joseph Else appointed him to be his demonstrator of anatomy. On 1 January 1777 he began to act as assistant to Jonathan Wathen, a surgeon who devoted himself principally to diseases of the eye; and on 25 March 1778 he entered into partnership with Wathen until 1791, after which Ware began to practise upon his own account, chiefly but not entirely in ophthalmic surgery. In 1788 he became one of the founders of the Society for the Relief of the Widows and Orphans of Medical Men in London and its vicinity, a society of which he was chosen president in 1809. In 1800 he founded the school for the indigent blind, in imitation of a similar institution which had been established at Liverpool ten years earlier. He was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries on 18 Jan 1798, and on 11 March 1802 he was admitted a fellow of the Royal Society. He married, in 1787, the widow of N. Polhill, and daughter of Robert Maitland, by whom he had a large family of sons and daughters. He died on 13 April 1815.

Publications:
Remarks on the Ophthalmy, Psorophthalmy, and Purulent Eye, London, 1780; Chirurgical observations relative to the epiphora, or Watery Eye ... The scrophulous or intermittent ophthalmy, the extraction of the cataract, and the introduction of the male catheter, London, 1792; An enquiry into the causes which have ... commonly prevented success in the operation of extracting the cataract, London, 1795; Chirurgical Observations relative to the Eye, London, 1798; Remarks on the Fistula Lachrymalis, to which are added observations on hæmorrhoids and additional remarks on the ophthalmy, London, 1798; Remarks on the purulent ophthalmy which has lately been epidemical in this country, London, 1808; Observations on the Treatment of the Epiphora edited by his son, Martin Ware, London, 1818; On an Operation of largely Puncturing the Capsule of the Crystalline Humour in Gutta Serena, London, 1812. He published several papers of professional importance in the Transactions of the Medical and of the Medical and Chirurgical societies, of which the most interesting are the cases of recovery of sight after long periods of blindness. He also edited Reade's Practical Observations on Diseases of the Inner Corner of the Eye, London, 1811; and translated Wenzel's Treatise on Cataract, 1791.

Astley Paston Cooper was born at Brooke Hall near Norwich, 1768; educated at home; apprenticed to his uncle, William Cooper, surgeon to Guy's Hospital, 1784; soon after transferred to Henry Cline, surgeon to St Thomas's Hospital; Edinburgh Medical School, 1787-1788; Demonstrator of anatomy, St Thomas's Hospital, 1789; joint lecturer with Cline in anatomy and surgery, 1791; lectured on anatomy at the College of Surgeons, 1793-1796; Surgeon, Guy's Hospital, 1800-1825; private practice rapidly increased; Fellow, Royal Society, 1802; made post-mortem examinations wherever possible, and was often in contact with 'resurrectionists'; a founder and first treasurer, 1805, President, 1819-1820, Medical and Chirurgical Society of London; Professor of Comparative Anatomy, Royal College of Surgeons, 1813; lectured, 1814-1815; performed a small operation on George IV, 1820; by the bestowal of a baronetcy; examiner at the College of Surgeons, 1822; published his 'Dislocations and Fractures of the Joints', 1822; resigned his lectureship at St. Thomas's, 1825; instigator of the founding of a separate medical school at Guy's Hospital; Consulting Surgeon to Guy's Hospital; President, College of Surgeons, 1827, 1836; Sergeant-Surgeon to King William IV, 1828; Vice-President, Royal Society, 1830; died, 1841.

Publications include: The Anatomy and Surgical Treatment of Inguinal and Congenital Hernia (Crural and Umbilical Hernia) (printed for T Cox; sold by Messrs Johnson, etc, London, 1804); A Treatise on Dislocations, and on Fractures of the Joints (Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown; E Cox & Son, London, 1822); The Lectures of Sir Astley Cooper, Bart., F.R.S. ... on the Principles and Practice of Surgery: with additional notes and cases, by Frederick Tyrrell 3 volumes (Thomas & George Underwood, London, 1824-1827); Illustrations of the Diseases of the Breast ... In two parts (Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green: London, 1829; Lectures on the Principles and Practice of Surgery Second edition (F C Westley, London, 1830); Observations on the Structure and Diseases of the Testis (Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green; Highley & Underwood, London, 1830); The Anatomy of the Thymus Gland (Longman, Rees, Orme, Green & Brown, London, 1832).

James Ware was an eminent surgeon and oculist, born about 1756, Portsmouth. After having been demonstrator of anatomy at Cambridge, he formed a partnership in the metropolis with Mr Wathen, which continued until 1791; after which he practised on his own account and attained a first-rate reputation. Among his works are Observations on Ophthlamy, Remarks on Fistula Lachrymalis, Chirurgical Observations. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society. He died 1815.

Born 1911; Flying Officer, No 3 (Indian) Wing, Quetta and Peshawar, North West Frontier, India, [1932]-1934; Flight Lt, 1935; Student, Flying Instructor's Course, Central Flying School, Inland Area, 23 Group, Upavon, Marlborough, Wiltshire, 1935-1936; attached to 612 (County of Aberdeen) Army Co-operation Sqn, Auxiliary Air Force [1936-1938]; Sqn Ldr, 1938; Instructor, School of Army Co-operation, 22 (Army Co-operation) Group, Old Sarum, Salisbury, Wiltshire, 1938-1939; served in World War Two, 1939-1945; Gp Capt, 1949; died 1985.

Sue Ward is an independent authority on pensions, journalist, author, researcher and trainer since 1984.

She is an active member of the Labour Party, being involved in many campaigns concerned with pensions issues over the years, including contributing to publications for the 'Security in Retirement for Everyone' campaign, and sitting on the Executive Committee and acting as a Spokesperson for the Social Security Campaign (1981-1991). She also contributed to the work of various working parties, including the Womens' Monitoring Group, Economic Equality Policy Review Group, and Working Group on Pensions (1984-1997).

She played a significant role in the establishment of the Northern Pensions Resource Group in 1988, acting as Secretary to the Steering Committee of the group for 18 years.

She is a former member of the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority and acted as Secretary to the body from 1996-2002.

She was Assistant Secretary for the TUC in the Social Insurance Department from 1982-1984, before going freelance and carrying out work for them on an occasional basis, including writing articles and conducting training courses. From 1994-1995 she was involved in a consultancy role, briefing and lobbying on the Bill that became the Pensions Act 1995. She held a standing invitation to attend the TUC Pension Specialists Group, and received their papers.

She was also a member of the Goode Committee on pensions law reform, set up in the wake of the Maxwell Scandal. She was a co-opted member of the First Working Party established by the Local Authority Pension Funds group in 1982, and of the Working Party on Performance Criteria.

She served as a Director of the Pensions Investment Resource Centre and as a Working Party Observer on behalf of the TUC for the Local Authority Pension Fund Conference's Working Party on Pension Fund Investment which formed a steering group to bring about the PIRC and gave it the majority of its members on its first Council.

Reginald George (Reg) Ward was born in Thanet in 1924 and was by trade a plumber. He had a long and distinuished career in local government, serving on the former Margate Borough Council for nearly 25 years and leading the Labour Group for much of that period. He was also member of Thanet District Council and was a Kent county councillor in the 1970s. In 1972, in recognition of his services, he was made a Freeman of the Borough of Margate. He also served as a governor of many Thanet schools and as Chairman of the Quarterdeck Youth Club.

He stood unsucessfully as Parliamentary candidate for Canterbury in 1955 and Ashford in 1959. He has represented the Labour Party at regional and national conferences and lectured for the Party at a number of schools. He was Chairman of the Kent Labour Party and the Thanet West CLP, and a member of the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society (later SE Retail CWS).

Michael Ward (b 1949) was active in different areas of the Greater London Council during his career. In 1976-1977 he was an additional member of the Housing Development Committee. In 1981 he became the Chair of the Industry and Employment Committee and from 1982 he was Chairman of the Enterprise Board Selection Panel. From 1982 he was also the Vice-Chairman of the London Community Builders Sub-Committee and the Supplies and Contract Services Sub-Committee. He was elected as a Member of the Greater London Council for Haringey, Wood Green on 7 May 1981 and served until the GLC's abolition in 1986. Outside of his responsibilities with the GLC he also worked for an advice centre for the homeless in London. He is currently the Chief Executive of the London Development Agency.