In 1928, when Paul Harris
first visited Great Britain as President Emeritus, few people had any
prior warning and it was not until May 23, two days after he had landed
in Scotland, that a report in the press alerted most Rotarians to the
presence of their founder and his wife in Britain. Among the first
Rotarians to respond to the
unexpected news were members of the Newcastle on Tyne Club who "very
enthusiastically on the proposal of Secretary W T Price, agreed to
send a telegram of welcome to Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, then
on a visit to this country".
Six weeks later, on Friday July 6, Paul Harris set off from Doncaster
for the North. His first stop, "after a run through interesting
country", was at Newcastle, to be greeted there by an
assembly of members including two future Presidents of RIBI and
Directors of RI, Hugh Galloway (1) and Thomas D Young (2), and the
newly installed President of the Newcastle Rotary Club, Joseph Robinson.
He went to a big reception of over 300 members, not at the
Station Hotel, the club's regular meeting place, but on this occasion at
the Grand Assembly Rooms, shaking hands, giving autographs "following
the usual custom" and signing the club's visitors book,
which can still be seen today.
As soon as official business was over, Paul Harris was driven by a
Newcastle member along part of the Roman Wall, stopping for afternoon
tea with a retired Army officer, believed to be Major General Sir R A
Kerr-Montgomery, KCMG, CB, DSO, JP, who was at that time a Newcastle
Rotarian although his name is not given in Paul Harris' diary.
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Afterwards he returned for
the night to Newcastle. On the next day, he was driven Northwards
through the Lowlands to Edinburgh via what
he described as "Sir Walter Scott country". It was to be nine years
before he returned.
On July 15, 1937, Paul Harris who had been in the Lake District, stayed
the night with the President of the Carlisle club, R S Duthie.
The next day he took the train to Newcastle where he met up with several
old friends, went to yet another inter-club lunch before going on a
drive into the Cheviots. He then went back for a special
dinner and to spend the night at the hospitable home of Tom Armstrong.
On the 17th he returned to Carlisle by train and then onwards to
Kilmarnock where, after several weeks apart, Paul was reunited with his
wife, Jean.
Paul Harris was never able to revisit his many friends in Britain, in
part because of the intervening war, in part because of his
increasing frailty. Some did manage to see him in the United States,
among them Tom Young of Newcastle who attended the Toronto Convention
in 1942 after a hazardous journey via Lisbon.
1. Hugh Galloway President of RIBI 1932-1933 Director RI 1934-6
2 Thomas D Young President RIBI 1939-1942 Director RI
1944-1945
Basil Lewis Rotary Global History 13 March 2003 |
