Page 1000 - Reading Mercury

Bridge itself. The other half is taken by the temporary bridges. A similar method was
used during the reconstruction of Victoria Bridge at Windsor.
It is hoped that the whole operation will be completed within 18 months.

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Sat 6 July
EMMBROOK BANK’S NEW BRANCH
The thrifty junior savers of Wokingham took another step forward on Monday.
After two years of excellent business, the Unique Emmbrook Secondary School Bank
celebrated the opening of a new branch. The custom for the branch—another 200
prospective clients—comes from Emmbrook County Primary School.
After officers from Berkshire savings organisations had congratulated the children
at the secondary school, a handful of nine-year-olds from the primary school across
the road stood on tiptoe to open accounts at the bank.
The bank was opened in March 1966, the idea of Headmaster, Mr. Richard Carter,
and mathematics teacher Mr. Michael Arbon. Since then its turnover in pocket money
in investments has been a fantastic £12,000. Of the 365 pupils at the school, 320 have
accounts with the bank.
Soon the 11-to-15-year-old pioneers and their new nine-to 11-year-old customers
will be joined by even younger children, the seven and eight-year-olds at the primary
school. They will have the chance to open accounts in September, when the primary
school’s own bank will be officially opened. Until then all the business is being done
at the secondary school. The bank is open for 45 minutes on three days a week.
The bank is staffed by the pupils. Mr. Arbon has already trained about 40 children
to be cashiers. They operate the entire bank themselves with very little help from the
staff. They write out their own cheques for dinner money, school journeys, their
metalwork, and even sweets at the tuck shop. There have been only one or two in the
red since the bank started.
The biggest savers among the pupils saw their names go into a lottery for a
Premium Bond on Monday. The winner was 14-year-old Michael Townsend of
Watmore Lane, Winnersh, one of the bank’s cashiers. A draw for bonds is being held
monthly at the school.
Mr. E.T. Harrison, Managing Director of Racal Electronics Ltd., told the pupils that
they could be proud of the example they had set. He said he was sure other schools
would soon be following suit.

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Sat 17 Aug
DEATH OF FORMER ‘TIMES’ CHIEF
For long a Chief Proprietor and a director of “The Times,” Mr. John Walter, aged
95, died on Sunday at his Hove home. He was a great-great-grandson of the founder
of that famous newspaper, and formerly of Bear Wood, near Wokingham.
Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, on graduating with honours (Lit.
Hum.) in 1897 he entered the family business at Printing House Square, London. In
keeping with a Walter tradition of “knowing the job from A to B,” one of his earliest
accomplishments was to learn how to operate the Kastenbein composing-machine. As
a journalist he became assistant to the Paris correspondent, and travelled extensively.
On the death in 1910 of his father, Mr. Arthur Fraser Walter, he became chairman of
“The Times,” holding this position until 1923. Mr. Alfred Harmsworth (later Lord
Northcliffe) had secured control of “The Times” in 1908. Lord Northcliffe’s shares
were acquired in 1922 by Mr. John Walter in association with Major the Hon. John
Astor (now Lord Astor of Hever), with whom he became co-Chief Proprietor.

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