.  The British Chapter of the 1818 Society was created in 1988 in order to facilitate contacts between former World Bank Group staff members living in the UK and to act as a liaison with the Bank on matters of concern to former staff and their spouses/partners. The British Chapter currently has about 300 members and is run by a Board of Directors consisting of a Chairman, a Deputy Chairman, a Secretary, a Treasurer and five ordinary representatives. Board members are elected at a General Meeting in May for a two-year term. In addition to organizing social gatherings for the members, the British Chapter provides a forum for professional activities and information. The Chapter currently has two annual gatherings of members and spouses/guests: a spring (General) meeting in May, extending over three days and centred on a different region of the United Kingdom, and a luncheon meeting held in November in London.

Activities in 2003. The Spring Reunion, in May 2003,was held in Colchester and included tours of the museum and historic sites in the town as well as a visit to Constable Country. A dinner was addressed by Sir Tim Lankester, past UK ED of the Bank, on the achievements of 30 years of overseas development. The gathering concluded with the annual meeting that included an overview of the operations.

The Autumn Reunion was held on 22nd November in 2003 at the Army and Navy Club from noon to 4.00 pm and members were updated on the current activities of the BC and the latest developments in the World Bank retiree services and 1818 Society in Washington.

Activities for 2004. The BC held its Spring Reunion in Glasgow, based at the Thistle Hotel in the town centre from 14th to 16th May. More than 50 members and spouses were joined by Dieter and Halla von Samson of the German Chapter, Rene Puttemans from Luxembourg and Charlotte Jones from Washington. Saturday evening, BC member Edward Cunningham, now a distinguished resident of Edinburgh, enthralled us with an after-dinner speech entitled "The Rise and Fall of Glasgow and its rise again". Participants enjoyed seeing the varying architecture of traditional Stirling Castle (16th Century), the art-deco of Charles Rennie Macintosh in the Willow Pattern Tea Rooms (1903) and the Glasgow School of Art (1896-1899) and the modern, high-tech Norman Foster-designed Scottish Exhibition and Cultural Centre (aka the "Armadillo" building). Good company, comfortable accommodation and delicious meals made this an excellent reunion of former colleagues. The Reunion concluded with the AGM on Sunday morning.

The Winter Reunion was held as usual at the Army and Navy Club in London on Saturday 27th November 2004. A survey conducted amongst members on the number and structure of our reunions was evenly divided between retaining two reunions a year or reducing to one. Most respondents wanted to keep the Army and Navy as meeting place in London;

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