Programme 2020

In describing the lives of the families of the 1^st and 2^nd Earls of Dudley Martin showed us a fascinating slice of local history. The family wealth was made during the Industrial Revolution in the Black Country. Lord Ward, (William) the 1^st Earl (b 1817), inherited the estate when he married. From a misspent youth he turned benefactor - doing much good in the Black Country as well as locally - endowing the West Window of Worcester Cathedral.

In 1837 he bought Witley Court for £667,939. Lord Ward married Selina De Burgh in 1851 but she died in childbirth the same year. Lord Ward extended Witley Court considerably and remodelled the interior in the style of Louis XV. The gardens were designed by William Nesfield and included the famous Flora and Perseus and Andromeda fountains.

In 1865 the Earl married Georgina Moncrieff. They had seven children and hosted many houseparties. Edward Elgar would visit to play the piano for guests. Following the death of the Earl in 1885 Georgina devoted herself to her family and charitable work, nursing in London during the 2^nd Boer War and WW1. She died in Richmond in 1929 at the age of 82.

Their eldest son, William Humble Ward, became the 2^nd Earl of Dudley. He married Rachel Gurney. She designed the lily mosaic on the reredos in Great Witley Church. They had seven children but it was not a happy marriage. The 2^nd Earl was a Conservative MP, became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and eventually Governor of Australia. The couple separated following his affairs. Rachel received an annual allowance of £5000. She helped enlarge the village school and set up a hospital in France during WW1. After the war Rachel established The White House in Great Witley to rehabilitate young offenders. In 1920 she died of a heart attack while swimming off the coast of Ireland. The Earl fought in WW1, retired in 1916 and died in London in 1932.

There was a full house and great atmosphere at this Open Meeting as we were joined by friends and family and Rock WI to hear an inspiring and fascinating account of the charity Ape Action Africa.

Rachel gave us a privileged insight into her work as director of the Mefou Primate Sanctuary in Cameroon. The sanctuary cares for and rehabilitates about 350 baby gorillas, chimps and other monkeys that have been abandoned after their parents are killed by poachers for bushmeat or the pet trade. The young animals are rescued by government agencies and passed to the sanctuary, often wounded and traumatized. Rachel initially went out to Cameroon 20 years ago for a 3 month voluntary placement – she was handed a baby gorilla, began to care for him 24 hours a day and never left! She described the practicalities of caring for the apes and the almost comical difficulties of weighing and x-raying a 200 kg gorilla. The staff of professionals and volunteers eventually introduce the animals into large separate reserves where they live safely in a semi-wild environment. There is a long-term plan to eventually re-introduce the rescued primates back into the wild. The charity also runs several local community projects to provide employment and education – there are farms, schools, a health centre and women’s craft groups. It is hoped that through providing education and employment the poaching can be reduced.

At the end of her illustrated talk Rachel kindly answered a very long succession of questions from the floor before we all descended on a table groaning with cakes and even gorilla shaped biscuits! A spontaneous collection raised a generous sum to go some way towards the £20,000 monthly running cost of the sanctuary. For lots more information do look at the website and find out how you can donate or even adopt an ape! www.apeactionafrica.org