FOR 90 years, membership of the Wallingford Comrades Club has been strictly men only. But that is about to change.

Members of the club — set up by returning servicemen in 1919 after the Great War — have bowed after years of debate and voted to allow women to join.

Five years ago they allowed women in as guests of members and last night chairman Bob Elliott admitted the change was inevitable and even predicted the day when one of his successors may be of the fairer sex.

However, he did admit not everyone was happy with the move.

He said: “It’s a move to the 21st century.

“There have been rumblings over this for years, but the problem has been getting the two thirds majority. It’s a big step for the club.

“The atmosphere was jubilant, but it was despair with others. Hopefully we will get busier.

“Like all licensed premises, we have been struggling to make ends meet. We are not immune to that so we welcome any opportunity to improve our trade with more members.

“We hope many more women will now take the opportunity to enjoy the comfortable surroundings and participate fully in the club’s activities.”

Mr Elliott, 65, who has been a member since the early 1960s, said one member’s wife had already shown an interest in joining the 450 member club.

Former servicewoman Freydis Sharland, 88, of Brook Street, Benson, welcomed the move.

A ‘Spitfire Girl’, she was in the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War flying damaged and repaired aircraft to stations round the country.

She said: “It sounds like a good idea to me, I suppose you could say it’s long overdue, but better late than never.

“I might become a member.”

Mr Elliott, of Brookmead Drive, Wallingford, also revealed plans were in the pipeline to make the venue in Wood Street more attractive to the opposite sex.

He said: “We do have plans to change the club, but they are in the very early stages.

“There is only one ladies toilet for example and that has to be resolved. “I don’t know how the club will change, it’s a complete unknown.

“It will take the club into another era.

“I can certainly visualise a lady chair on the committee at some point in time.”

The vote required a two-thirds majority of members present, but club members would not reveal details of the vote.

Mr Elliott added: “In the old days, women were only allowed in once a year and then that got moved to six times a year.

“That’s the way the world was back in 1919. It’s only in the last five years or so they have been allowed in as guests of members.

“How many ladies we will get, I don’t know.”

Annual membership from the club costs £60.