HISTORY MINUTE:
Rotary during World War II

In the late 1930’s and early 1940’s Rotary International was finding its very existence threatened in Europe and on the other side of the world in Asia.

As the war officially erupted, entire countries fell to German and Japanese forces.  It was recorded in the book “A Century of Service-The Story of Rotary International  - the Story of Rotary International” that 484 clubs and more than 16,000 Rotarians were wiped off the rolls of Rotary during this time.

In Europe, Rotary records were seized by the Gestapo, Rotarians were imprisoned, and in Warsaw 12 members of the local Rotary clubs were taken from a meeting and summarily executed.  Some Rotary clubs burned every record of membership.  After Germany invaded France, French Rotarians continued to meet secretly.  From that Book, “A Century of Service,” this story was told by the French Rotarians.  “One day we were having our club lunch when a German officer, a General Shippert, came into the private dining room where we were sitting.  The last mouthful of food stuck in our mouths as we thought he was coming to arrest us.  But he was a Rotarian and a past Governor from Germany and said he has come to pay his respects to International President Maurice Duperrey.  We were so relieved!”

As was the case in Europe, after the Japanese invaded China and other Pacific Rim countries, Rotary members in the Far East were imprisoned.  In areas of the world controlled by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, it was difficult to be a member of Rotary; however, Rotarians, where and when they could, stood up to the challenge and Rotary membership made a robust recovery after the end of the war.

        -From Birmingham Rotary “Grams”