JIM Noble, president of the Royal Naval Association, addressed a well attended Chard Museum annual meeting in the Holyrood Lace Mill's Stringfellow Room recently.

Giving a detailed account of the life and work of Chard's own warship, HMS Campion, known affectionately to her crew as Ragged Robin', he reported that only one crew member, Mr Mayhew, remained and was now living in Walsall.

Built in Sunderland in 1941, Campion at 1,500 tons, was basically an extended whaler in design. One of the Flower Class' corvettes intended for convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic, her escapades mirrored closely those of the fictional Compass Rose' in Nicholas Monserrat's The Cruel Sea'. She was uncomfortable and ill-equipped for the task; there was no heating or refrigeration; her armament consisted of a 1918 four-inch gun, two Lewis guns and a pom a pom' with four throwers for depth charges. Two dinghies and a few life rafts were all that could save the 114 crew in the event of disaster.

Chard's Mayor at the time, Cllr Bishop, headed the fundraising efforts: £64,951 was raised in a week, and a further £27,258 the following week. Although not quite the full cost of Campion - £120,000, or about £2.3 million in today's terms - this represented an astonishing amount equivalent to £8 15/- per head of Chard's population, when the average wage was just £4 per week.

Fundraising techniques would have been familiar - concerts, football matches, bridge parties, tea parties - and even the council donated £1,500 of the housing fund. But could the same be done again?

During its service, Campion took such a battering that in 1946 she was deemed unfit for further duties and was broken up in Barry. As a Rating, Mr Mayhew received £1 a week for his hardships and adventures, and his story, together with those of his shipmates, will be the central feature of the museum's displays this summer.

Before the meeting, Roy Milliner presented a quarter-size replica of the Jubilee Homes plaque to vice chairman of Trustees, Michael Mussell, and clerk Tony Prior. Donated generously by his company, Phoenix Engineering, it will replace the original plaque which will find a new home in the museum.

During the business meeting, chairman Barry Dillon reported on a successful year of events and visitors, highlighting improvements to facilities and attempts to encourage more young people to visit the museum. He reminded his audience that the museum had been among the first in the South West to be awarded the prestigious Accreditation by the Museums Libraries and Archives Council in London.

Three new members were welcomed onto the museum council: Laurie Forkes, Michael Mussell and Jim Parker. Grateful thanks were extended to Bill Close who was standing down after more than 25 years service, but other members of the council were re-elected to soldier on.

Despite being the only in-town tourist attraction, and the sole guardian of the town's heritage, Chard Museum has received no financial support from the town council for several years, and with the district council grants frozen, finances continue to operate on a knife edge and rely almost entirely on the support of Friends' and volunteers.

Anyone wishing to add their services as a volunteer should contact chairman Barry Dillon.