Copyright © Costa Blanca 41 Club 2018

A place in the sun for the ex Round Tabler o

Costa Blanca 41 Club

The History of our Club

A series of articles on the history and development of the Costa Blanca 41 Club is being compiled by Past Chairmen Bob Oxley and Ted Homewood from a large number of newsletters recovered from files held by Tony Ogden, who played a major part in the development of the Club and later in the development of an annual get together of clubs from the region now known as the ‘Iberian Cluster’.


Ted Homewood

Chairman 2005-06

Bob Oxley

Chairman 2011-12

Prologue

In February 1985, Terry and Beryl Loftus retired to Javea, Spain. A past chairman of both Tunbridge Wells Round Table and 41 Club, Terry was also founder chairman of Crowborough 41 Club. National President of 41 Club at the time was Bob Ramsay, also a Tunbridge Wells member, with a property in Moraira. They talked about starting a 41 Club in Javea, but without a telephone, and the prospect of it being years before Terry could get one, there didn’t appear there was much that he could do immediately.


In June, Terry had a visitor, Fritz Burgel, a member of Berlin (Germany) 41 Club. He had been advised by Bob Ramsay of Terry’s presence in Javea. Beryl invited Fritz and Erna in, they had a few drinks, got on well together, and decided that this would be the first meeting of the 41 Club, Costa Blanca. They had another meeting at Fritz’s villa, then went to the Dos Granados restaurant and called it the second meeting of the 41 Club Costa Blanca.


Fritz Burgel had been a U-Boat Lieutenant Commander in the German Navy during the Second World War. He sailed into the naval base in La Spezia and attended a formal dinner where all the Italian commanders were weighed down with medals, in comparison with his few. He was awarded the Italian Medal for Bravery, but he modestly claims that this was just to even up the medal count.


Off the coast of Alexandria, he sank a British Troop Carrier, and dived to the bottom of the ocean to try to avoid the Royal Navy’s onslaught of depth charges. When it became obvious that the Royal Navy were not going to give up, he put some white sheets in the torpedo tubes and fired them to the surface, surrendered, and he and his crew were put ashore in Egypt.


After the war, Richard Attenborough made a movie about the German U-boats which was filmed in Cartagena, and Fritz was engaged to ensure that the interpretation of the German U-boat Service was authentic. Travelling back to Berlin from the shoot, he stopped in Javea, liked the place and spent most of his fee on purchasing a villa. He was an active member of Berlin 41 Club and a founder member of Berlin Old Tablers.


They sent postcards to their respective National Associations advising them of the first 41 Club in Spain. Thanks to a friend who had contacts with Telefonica, Terry obtained a telephone, and wrote a small news item which was published in the Costa Blanca News inviting any past members of Round Table to contact him. Because hardly anyone had a ‘phone, he had to find their homes and invite them to his. They decided to hold meetings on the first Wednesday of the month and around the 20th of the month have a social get together with their wives.


On Wednesday, 27th November 1985, Jack Cope proposed that the inaugural meeting of the Costa Blanca 41 Club be held in La Jara. Terry was elected Chairman, Roy Parkin, Vice Chairman with Peter Griffiths as Secretary. After several subsequent meetings in Javea Port, and still during Bob Ramsay’s National Presidency, it was decided to hold the Charter on Friday, 7th March 1986. Bob presented the club with a Chain of Office donated by the Tunbridge Wells Club. Around 80 members and friends came from the UK, together with the Chairman and Secretary of Round Table Spain and the 41 Club of Portugal.


Terry Loftus

Founder Chairman


1   (86/87) -1986…..in the beginning….H1


2  (88/89) - Rules are rules, but can they be changedH2


3   (89/90) - Older and wiser maybe but…..…..H3.


4   (90/91) - Hola, is that the hospital?H4


5   (91/92) - A club of wealth and substance?H5


6   (92/93) - All things International….H6


7   (93/94) - When the Algarve was in the MedH7


8   (94/95) - A milestone yearH8


9   (96/97) - Membership and Rules DominateH9


10 (98/99) - Happy ‘Holas’ and sad goodbyesH10


11 (00/02) - People and Places of InterestH11


12 (02/04) - Travel by boat,’plane….and bus?H12



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