British Fantasy Society

(1) The Modern One

The modern British Fantasy Society, is an organization formed in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society. It is unrelated (except, perhaps, in spirit) with the earlier one (#2, below.)

The BWFS was an organization "catering for all devotees of fantasy, horror and the supernatural" it had "a magazine, Dark Horizons, and a monthly Bulletin with news and information, free advertising and details of Society services. Other services include, a lending library (already quite extensive), a fanzine library where you can keep up with the latest fan-magazines, a magazine chain, circulating the professional magazines, an amateur writers circle..."

It was founded in 1971 by Keith Walker, Phil Spencer and Rosemary Pardoe. Pardoe was secretary and the first BWFS publication, The Bulletin, was edited by Walker. During 1971 two other publications were started: A Fanzine Newsletter and Dark Horizons, both edited by Pardoe. Other publications included the British Fantasy Society Journal, Mystique, and Shellings.

In 1972, the BWFS had its first general meeting, at the 1972 Eastercon, Chessmancon -- it took places in a crowded hotel room! At this meeting, the word "Weird" was dropped from the society's name — from now on it was the British Fantasy Society -- and the presidency of the society was made honorary. The first president was Ken Bulmer who was followed by Ramsey Campbell. It also began awarding the August Derleth Award (named after August Derleth, who suggested it.)

It sponsors Fantasycon was first held in 1975 in Birmingham, UK. It also awards the British Fantasy Award.

BFS also publishes a series of BFS Booklets of fiction and non-fiction.

For more information see “A History of the BFS.”

Website.

(2) The Early One; 1942–1946

J. Michael Rosenblum distributed a circular with Futurian War Digest #17 (February 1942), soliciting opinions about a new organisation to be called the British Fantasy Fan Federation, the Futurian Society of Great Britain, or the British Fantasy Society. The initial response drew 16 members and a preference for the first name, but as more members joined opinion swung in favour of the third and that was the name used in the first official British Fantasy Society Bulletin, edited by D. R. Smith and distributed alongside FIDO #21 in June.

That first bulletin announced officers:

• President: Ted Carnell
• Director: J. Michael Rosenblum
• Secretary: D. R. Smith
• Treasurer: Arthur W. Busby
• Librarian: Jack Gibson
• Coordinator of Advisory Board: D. W. L. Webster

By the fifth bulletin the organisation claimed 60 members. In the eighth bulletin, Smith proposed:

that the BFS be hereafter known as the Beefas, that male members be known as Beefasms, female Beefasmettes, JMR the Beefasdic, moi the Beefasec, this here thing the Beefasbull, and the motto 'Be good, sweet fan and Beefasm'.

Bulletin #17 in July 1944 announced new officers:

• President: Walter H. Gillings
• Director: J. Michael Rosenblum
• Secretary: D. R. Smith
• Treasurer: Arthur W. Busby
• Librarians: Fred Goodier and J.P. Doyle

Membership passed 100 in September and after a few fallow months there was a further surge in March 1945. Bulletin #22 in June 1945 was the first to be distributed independently following the cessation of Futurian War Digest. These later issues were longer, taking over some of the news functions of FIDO.

A total of 28 bulletins were issued under Smith's editorship through to November 1946. However, bulletin #27 in August 1946 carried his resignation to take effect when he was replaced or at the end of the year and with nobody willing to take over the BFS dissolved. Ron Holmes and Nigel Lindsay turned the BFS library into a new organisation, the British Fantasy Library.

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

The British Fantasy Society. The SFA, former head organization in Great Britain, suspended for the duration when war hit, but there continued to be considerable activity in British fandom, and new fellows coming in who had never joined the SFA. So Michel Rosenblum organized the BFS. It established a library of books and prozines, managed the circulating of chain letters in specialized fields, chains for circulating prozines, and cooperated in issuing some fanzines. By such means wartime difficulties to fan activities were surmounted.

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Club

1942—

This is a club page. Please extend it by adding information about when and where the club met, when and by whom it was founded, how long it was active, notable accomplishments, well-known members, clubzines, any conventions it ran, external links to the club's website, other club pages, etc. When there's a floreat (Fl.), this indicates the time or times for which we have found evidence that the club existed. This is probably not going to represent the club's full lifetime, so please update it if you can!