MRS BARBARA GIBSON has vivid memeories of the Garden Club, that opened in St Albans during the Second World War.

She said: "This was started during the Second World War to provide facilities for people on war work, often on night shifts and frequently living in lodgings.

"It was just behind The Grange, St Peter's Street, where the Alban Arena now stands and consisted of two large single-storey buildings, one a Nissen hut which was the sports hall.

"During the war it was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a kitchen where food was always available, bathing and laundry facilities, a quiet room for letter-writing, a meetings room, a sports hall and a dance hall complete with stage and green room.

"At its peak it had more than 800 members but when I joined in late 1949 its membership was about 500 and it was thriving.

"Its hours then were 8am until 11pm (or later on dance nights) every day.

"It became very popular with men and women resettling themselves after the war and I have many happy memories of those who found friendship, companionship and often partners on the club.

"It had a very successful drama section, the Little Theatre Group who at one time rivalled the Company of Ten a cricket team that took part in all the local fixtures, rugger players, a motor cycle section (few had cars then), a concert party which I recall with particular affection and although the club had no bar it housed an expert knowledge of all the local pubs.

"The members ran the club, decorated it and raised all the funds for everything it did.

"It was rare to go into the club and not find friends.

"In 1951 it was selected as the representative club of its type for the Festival of Britain.

"At one time it had two wardens, the indomitable Mary Morris and Mrs Valeriani, universally known as 'Mrs Val', who looked after the club and the members.

"They bullied them, chivvied them and generally did their best to keep a large, very assorted group of people in some sort of order. Both of them were friends to many.

"The club eventually had to move to make way for the building of the Arena a little bit of the garden can be seen enclosed by a brick wall at the front.

"It eventually became an international club before closing some time in the 1960's.

"I was particularly reminded of all this by a report in the Observer of March 13 about the ashes of Reginald Salisbury being rocketed into the sky above Batchwood Golf Course.

"Reg was a very popular member of the Garden Club for a number of years, particularly