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Overview / History "A Hobby I invented for Myself " John C.Wood Mar 1932
Unbeknown to the young John Wood, two cousins, George Stromier and LeoVogt shared his enthusiasm and having read his article it was inevitable that the three of them should meet. Before very long their talks turned to the subject of a club for like minded steamer enthusiasts and the result was a letter which appeared in the Glasgow Herald on 13 May 1932. Leo Vogt, John Wood, George Stromier CLYDE STEAMERS Ever since Mr Andrew McQueen published his first book on Clyde River Steamers a certain amount of focus has been given to this hobby which more and more people are finding every year to be as healthy as it is fascinating. Last year, and more generally since the introduction of short period season tickets, a large number of boys and a few girls and not a few adults of all ages have taken a keen interest in river sailing's and in histories, structure and colours of the steamers comprising the various fleets. It is now proposed to form a Clyde River Steamer Club which will have as it’s main objects :- 1)To arouse and maintain interest in the Clyde River Fleet2) To give opportunities for enthusiasts to sail together, meet together and talk together It is proposed the Club shall have a distinctive badge and membership cards be distributed. To cover this and other expenses there would be a small subscription of, say 2s 6d per annum. Would anyone interested kindly communicate with the writer.Yours etc; John C Wood Thus was the Club born and by the end of 1932 the membership stood at 130 Since then the club has gone from strength to strength faithful to the aims as set out in the founding letter and today the membership stand at 680
Full Steam Ahead for Enthusiasts (A modern day view)  In recent years ships flying the Clyde River Steamer Club flag have landed members at interesting piers and places from the "good old days" - Ormidale, Tarbert, Carrick Castle, Tighnabruaich, Carradale, Kilchattan Bay, Portencross and Kerrycroy. For more than 30 years the Club has published two books every 12 months, Clyde steamers, illustrated articles on Clyde and other steamers past and present, and the Review, an annual look at the past year’s scene in passenger and coastal shipping throughout Scotland which is distributed free to all members. Throughout its existence there has never been a shortage of characters whose eccentric enthusiasm has enriched the life of the Club – those who would not sail on certain steamers; the young man (well ahead of his time) who proposed the setting up of a fund to purchase and preserve the P.S.Iona ; the redoubtable member who offered to defray the expense of repainting P.S. Lucy Ashton’s funnel too have her properly dressed for her Diamond Jubilee Cruise (unfortunately rejected ) ; those who "just happen to be there" to photograph something unusual ; those who" just happen to have a free period" when important events are about to unfold at Greenock and Gourock ; those who trail to the remotest coasts to photograph a ship in a unique setting ; and so on. It can also be confessed that the outlook of one who had been a "cradle" Caley enthusiast, was quite affected on discovering that some people actually preferred steamers with funnels other than yellow. But the good fellowship generated has been one of the Club’s attributes and many are grateful for the valued and lasting friendships formed under the blue pennant. From September to May evening meetings are held monthly in Glasgow,usually in the form of an illustrated talk,dealing with interesting and unusual aspects of coastal shipping. In most cases the photographs are unique,from the speaker’s own collection, normally in colour,however many sepia photographs crop up from older collections, and in some cases go back many generations, occasionally over 100 years in the same family. Throughout the spring and summer months the CRSC arranges a variety of cruises and special outings on the Clyde,the lochs,the Western Isles, the Lake District or other interesting locations around the coast of the United Kingdom. What better way to savour the delights of some of the finest and most spectacular coastal scenery in Europe? The CRSC looks forward with eager anticipation to continue sailing in this new century. The desire for nostalgic memories seems to be forever on the increase Reproduced with the kind permission of Terry Primrose |
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An article with the above title appeared in the Sunday Post in Mar 1932 and was, in effect, the catalyst which led to the foundation of the Clyde River Steamer Club. In it the young writer ( he was 15 at the time ) described how he went sailing on the steamers with a ‘runabout’ ticket and collected memorabilia such as timetables, tickets, postcards etc;