The Speaker at the men's meeting today was Charles Rees a retired local GP. Charles treated us to a detailed, spirited and erudite talk on American history from the late 16th Century to the present day, largely centred on the fractious relationship that existed between Great Britain and the Colonial Americans.

The Americans became increasingly riled by British Taxation without representation and a turning point was reached at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1775 when it could be said the War of Independence started.

The situation was complicated by the ambitions for control by Britain’s old enemy France who held large swaths of land which led all the way up to Canada where they were a pre-eminent presence.  The bitter fighting with the Colonial Militia lasted for eight years.  The British troops hated fighting the Americans because they didn’t know the accepted rules.  You weren’t supposed to hide behind a tree, shoot a Redcoat soldier and then run away to fight another day.

Eventually a negotiated peace settlement was agreed and Britain paid huge reparations to the then United States.

After a period of internal disagreement and the election of Abraham Lincoln, Civil war broke out in 1861 between the Northern Republicans and the Confederacy of Southern States that supported the continuation of slavery.

Both of the American protagonists courted British help and when a major seaport blockade was set up along the Eastern seaboard Britain built and supplied a large number of very fast, very effective “Blockade Runners”.

The use of Diplomacy, Intelligence, Military force and Economic pressure was developed and used to great effect as a general strategy by the US Government to obtain supremacy over rivals.  By1880 it is reckoned the US Gross Domestic Product was equal to that of the United Kingdom.  At the present time it is estimated that our GDP is equal to that of the State of Texas.

In 1917 when the UK was fighting Germany.  The US entered the Great War to assist France.

In December 1941 the US entered World War Two after the attack on Pearl Harbour when Britain had been fighting Nazi Germany since 1939.

In 2006 the British Chancellor, Ed Balls made the final payment of our war debt to the USA of £42.5 million.

 A most informative talk which left many of us moving to enjoy our Luncheon thinking “With friends like that - who needs Enemies”