Page 1031 - Reading Mercury

They were preceded by the Mace Bearer, Mr. H. Biddle, and two Honorary
Constables, Mr. H. Dyer and Mr. C.R. Waller.
The flags on the Town Hall and the church were at half-mast and the Constables’
staves and the Mace were all draped in black crepe in mourning for the Duke of
Windsor. The Mayor’s Chaplain, the Rev. Kenneth Martin, Rector of All Saints’,
conducted the service after which the procession formed again with St. Sebastian’s
Silver Band leading the Mayor, the Corporation and Member of Parliament, Mr. W.
van Straubenzee.
Representatives from the Wokingham Branch of the Royal British Legion, the Red
Cross, St. John Ambulance Brigade, Guides, Cubs and Scouts and Army Cadet Force
followed. Their leaders were introduced to the Mayor outside the Town Hall where
the parade ended.

ALL THE FUN OF THE CARNIVAL COMES TO WOKINGHAM
Wokingham’s record-breaking carnival nearly got out of hand on Saturday. Police
were called in twice during the afternoon and eight young people were arrested.
An unhappy series of events led to the first incident, which took place at the tug-of-
war heat between a team from the town’s Metropolitan Pub and one from Camberley.
All was going well until the Metropolitan team were disqualified by the referee. A
scuffle broke out in the crowd and the referee was forced to seek safety, Police were
called out to restore order and no arrests were made. A spokesman from the
metropolitan team claimed that the incident arose after the referee failed to give a
satisfactory explanation for the disqualification.
The major conflict of the day occurred in nearby Denmark Street as the crowd
started leaving the Carnival Field off Wellington Road. After receiving sever
complaints, police arrived on the scene and a number people were taken by van to the
police station. Eight people were later granted bail and face charges arising out of the
incident.
Apart from this the Carnival was a success. More than £1,500 was raised—at least
£500 more than last year’s total. The money will go towards buying a new coach for
the St. John Ambulance Brigade.
An estimated 8,000 turned up to enjoy this annual spectacle organised by the
Wokingham Round Table. The special attraction of the day was the 40-dtrong pipe
th
band of the 7 Gurkha Rifles who led the grand procession through Wokingham and
later gave a memorable display in the Carnival Field. There was also music by the
Maidenhead Sea Scouts, the St. Sebastian’s Silver Band and the R.E.M.E.
Apprentices from Arborfield.
The procession itself was full of the improbable, the inspired and the eccentric.
There was Alice with her friends in Wonderland; a “Heath Robinson” style mowing
machine; the world’s largest Lardey cake; old time music hall and many other
entertaining creations.
The judges must have had a hard time trying to decide the prize-winning floats. In
the voluntary section they chose the Wokingham Society’s ingenious “pollution
menace,” while Clifford Dairy’s “Cleopatra in her bath” was the trade winner.
To keep all the family occupied during the afternoon there was an exciting
programme of events with something for everyone. A hovercraft and vintage
motorcycles were other attractions. There was a Donkey Derby and P.T. displays
together with the usual fairground trappings.

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