Page 696 - Reading Mercury

the purchase of savings stamps for children of the Wokingham Elementary Schools.
No goals were scored.
Two whist drives held in the Town Hall on Wednesday, Mr. P. Fry acting as M.C.
Prizes were distributed by the Mayoress.
Other events were held in the district. On Thursday, at the Ritz Cinema, the Mayor
made a recruiting appeal for the Home Guard and Civil Defence organisations.
The total realised by Wednesday night was £125, 095.

th
Sat 5 April
WAR WEAPONS WEEK
Wokingham Raises Over £220, 000
ORIGINAL TARGET TREBLED
The remarkable total of £225,366 raised during Wokingham’s War Weapons Week,
which ended on Saturday, represents just three times the total originally aimed at.
Gratifying as this complete success is, there is one feature of the Week which is even
more notable.
At Wescott Elementary School, Wokingham, Mr. Edward E. Browne (head master),
the staff and the pupils took War Weapons Week very seriously. They worked
together to do their full share in the cause, and the result was that no less than £64 was
raised by the school in one week, an average of £2 1s. per head.
The Mayor (Cllr. E.W. Reeves) and the Mayoress paid a special visit to the school
on Friday last week, to congratulate everyone on the special effort. The chairman was
Ald. P. Sale (chairman of the managers), and the attendance included Mrs. Sale and
Cllr. And Mrs. J.E. Thorpe. It was stated that the school saved a total of £320 in 1940.
The totals for the first two months of this year being: January, £76; February, £82.
Mention was also made of the fact that the school has “adopted” six prisoners of war,
and sends each of them 5s. a month.
The proceedings included a cleverly-staged “pageant,” not the least interesting item
being the enthusiastic “capture of Hitler and Mussolini.”
MAYOR’S GRATITUDE
In a letter addressed to this newspaper, the Mayor of Wokingham says: “Although at
the time of writing the final result of our War Weapons Week is not to hand, and a
further opportunity will be arranged for Mr. G. Ford, chairman of the Rural District
Council, and myself to express our thanks to everyone concerned, I feel I must take
the earliest opportunity of expressing gratitude for the great help which has been
given locally. Mr. S. Lawrence, our campaign secretary, has put into the week an
enormous amount of work, and I am sure the success of the arrangements and of the
week has, in a large measure, been due to his energy, enthusiasm and efficiency. The
parade, which has been described as the best in the county upon which I have had
many congratulations, has been the work of Mr. Rands, as chairman, and his
Entertainments Committee, and I do offer to all of them my sincere thanks. The Hon.
Mrs. Corfield and members of the War Bonds Committee have been most active, and
have contributed to a large extent in the total. The manner in which in so short a time
everyone was aware of our War Weapons Week is proof of the work of our Publicity
Committee, under the chairmanship of Ald Barrett, and the Press agent, Mr. W.E.
Hall. The indicator, giving the daily results was in charge of Miss Finch, and I wish to
express my best thanks for the able way the total was compiled each day. To all and
everyone who helped, and there are many, I would like, at the earliest opportunity, to
express my sincere thanks and gratitude.

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