In 1934 the Harrises made a journey to Britain and as with his other visits,  Paul Harris wrote a diary of his experiences.  This diary he offered to the Board of Rotary to keep them informed both of his own movements and of the state of Rotary as he saw it in the various countries he went to.  He called  it 'Peregrinations or A Visit to Great Britain and South Africa', and although it has never been published as such, it has been quoted by various writers, perhaps most effectively in James Walsh's book 'The First Rotarian'. 

 

1934 was a particularly sensitive time in British Rotary following some enactments made at the RI Convention in 1933 in Boston.  The problems centred round the status and prerogatives of RIBI within RI.   Then, as now, the position of RIBI as 'an administrative territorial unit within RI' had led to much argument from other countries who wanted similar status, or the ending of the special status of RIBI as laid down in the 1922 agreement.  A meeting had been scheduled in London  for mid March between representatives of RI and RIBI and several senior members of RI crossed the Atlantic at this time.

Much of the transatlantic voyage was spent debating the discussions which were to take place with RIBI in London.  After the rapport which the President Emeritus had clearly established with British Rotary on his earlier visits, this was at least one visitor who would be welcome in Britain, whatever the outcome of the delicate discussions which were now to take place between this top level party of senior Rotarians and the leaders of British Rotary. At their London base, the American group spent several days talking with British Rotarians "at the task of ironing out the difficulties arising from the RI, RIBI relationship". Paul Harris later wrote that the results were such that "suspicions had been dispelled; the atmosphere had been cleared, and future friendly relations assured". In fact, on March 21, RIBI  issued a reassuring statement to all clubs and promised to submit a suitable amendment to the Detroit Convention whereby the position of RIBI prior to the Boston Convention would be restored. 

For most of the time, the President Emeritus (left in this 1923 photo) and Ches Perry, the Secretary, were present only as interested observers, "deeply interested observers to be sure", Paul Harris wrote later.  As 'observers', both Harris and Perry had the opportunity, if they so wished, to leave the discussions and go visiting.  

 

Although there is no mention of it in Paul Harris' own diary for this 1934 tour, he visited some club meetings while the other members of the delegation from RI were engaged in their discussions about the status of British Rotary. 

The history of the Hammersmith Club  records a visit by the President Emeritus at one of  their regular Friday meetings sometime in 1934.  This can only have been on March 2 as Paul Harris was not in London on any other Friday in 1934.  T Melville Jones, the High Master of St Paul's School, one of the foremost public schools in England, was in the Chair, and a Rotarian who was present recalled that "Paul Harris impressed us all with his warmth, modesty and down to earth approach."

After several days talking and with business now concluded, Paul and Jean Harris could begin their holiday. 

Basil Lewis