Porthcurno 18

Last year, the Exiles Golfing Society (EGS) closed down due to falling attendance and no new members joining. It had been formed in 1922 by John Cuthbert Denison-Pender (JCDP), grandson of the founder of Eastern Telegraph Co (ETC) that had laid its first telegraph cable into Porthcurno in Cornwall in 1870, just 3 miles from Land's End . Porthcurno was known by its telegraph system abbreviation of 'PK'. Other cables and companies were added and it became part of the World's largest telegraph company that was to merge with Marconi radio companies to become Cable & Wireless (C&W) in 1935. PK had a crucial role in communications during WWII when it carried almost all messages to and from UK. For this reason, the telegraph station was dug into the hillside of PK for protection by Cornish tin miners in 1941. PK was also the location of the engineering college that trained all staff who were going overseas and it was where I started my C&W career and spent my formative years at the age of 18 in 1965. 'Exiles' was included in the name of all social and sporting clubs of C&W companies worldwide.

The first of EGS's several solid silver trophies was donated by JCDP in 1921 and others followed from him and other over the years. Each was competed for every year except those of WWII. When EGS closed down, 96 years after its formation and just short of its centenary, we agreed that it was fit and proper that the trophies were handed over to the Telegraph Museum at PK for safe keeping and display. The main purpose of trip was the handover event at which the trophies were received in a warm welcome by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Gareth Parry. Surrounding it, we visited Porthcurno Valley, the Beach, the Minack Theatre that overlooks the Beach, Land's End and Sennen Cove, as well as tour the Museum and the PK Tunnels. Memories were stirred for those of us who started at PK. It was Jean's first visit to the area, she was impressed and enjoyed climbing from the Beach up to the Minack, walking the cliff tops around Land's End, over to Sennen Cove and its beach!

On the evening of the handover, we adjourned to the Logan Rock Inn at Treen, a popular hostelry with St Austell's finest ales and some bar skittles in my days at PK. An excellent sociable evening was had by all with liquid supplements aplenty!

Jean on Porthcurno Beach

Cable Hut

Porthcurno Beach

Logan Rock from the Minack

Minack Theatre

Minack Cafe overlooking the Beach

 Trophies

Gareth Parry

EGS Members, Trophies & Museum Staff

Winners looking for their names!

In the Tunnels

Lots of mahogany & brass!

Logan Rock Inn

Land's End signpost

Looking towards the Scilly Isles from Land's End

Land's End Hotel

Sennen Cove

Sennen Cove Beach & surfing

St Michael's Mount

Land's End just before sunset

Mileages from Land's End

First & Last House at Land's End

PK now covers optical fibre cables and it believed to carry about 70% of the internet traffic into and out of UK, although these cables connect through to terminals elsewhere.

Oh, and we did play some golf on the way down to Porthcurno, at Carlyon Bay near St Austell, a course that tested us all with its dry sloping  fairways that sent the ball off to the edge or even off the fairway, irrespective of where it was hit!