The Cambridge Union Society.

The exact origin of the Society remains steeped in legend. The story goes, the Union was founded in 1815 at the conclusion of a drunken brawl between several smaller college debating societies, who then joined together and provided the basis for the 'Cambridge Union Society.' The 'Pious Founders' were Henry Bickersteth (Lord Langley) and Sir Edward Hall Alderson, of Gonville and Caius, and Sir Jonathan Frederick Pollock, of Trinity. In 1856 the Union moved to it's current home, designed by Alfred Waterhouse, and located behind the Round Church. Despite several fires and bomb damage from WWII, the historic building is regularly maintained. Some library volumes still bear the shrapnel scars. The debating society has played host to many famous people, Prime Ministers and politicians. Although most of the activity stopped during the war, Field Marshall Montgomery used the Chambers to lay out his first draft for D-Day. Many others in the public eye have been invited to the Union, including the model Katie Price. In a debate on 'Feminism' she won a landslide victory over her opponent, Boris Johnson's sister, who made many derogatory and snide remarks to Miss Price, who ignored it and admitted that leaving school at 16 with no qualifications, her large business empire was made by marketing herself ! It was interesting to find out about the Union Society.