Page 702 - Reading Mercury

A dance took place at St. Sebastian’s Hall on Friday last week for the Home Guard.
It was organised by Number 4 Platoon, and the proceeds were in aid of the new site
for the Wokingham Ambulance Station.

PAYMENTS TO CHARITY
Local cinemas have provided the following sums of money to charity from Sunday
cinema shows:--Royal Berkshire Hospital, £75; Wokingham Orthopaedic Clinic, £30;
the Mayor’s Fund, £15; Berkshire Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Society, £10; Berkshire
County Probation Fund, £5; All Saints’ District Nursing Association, £7 10s.; St.
Paul’s District Nursing Association, £7 10s.

DEATH OF MR. F.E. CHAPMAN
Mr. F.E. Chapman, of Holme Rayles, Wokingham, passed away on Thursday. The
father of A.P.F. Chapman, the England, Kent and Berkshire cricketer, he had a long
and honourable career in the scholastic profession, retiring to Wokingham, though
taking temporary masterships. He served on the Berks Education Committee for a
long period, and since 1922 has been a manager of Palmer Schools, Wokingham. He
played much representative cricket and football, and also hockey. The funeral will
take place at All Saints’, Wokingham, today (Saturday) at 2.30p.m.

AWARD OF THE D.F.M.
The king has approved the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal to Flight Sergt.
Henry George Matthews, 236 Squadron, in recognition of gallantry and devotion to
duty in the execution of air operations. Sergt. Matthews, whose home is at “Hillboro”,
Soldier’s Rise, Wokingham, was severely wounded in the left shoulder during combat
with two Heinkels. He continued to man his turret, and during the return flight he was
continuously in radio communication with his base. In this way he contributed largely
to the safe return of his aircraft.
He was in the grocery trade before he enlisted in June 1939, as a wireless operator,
and played for the Crowthorne Wednesday F.C. He was educated at the Palmer
School.

th
Fri 12 Dec
WOKINGHAM AND DISTRICT WARSHIPS WEEK
H.M.S. GARTH
A f400,000 TARGET
Should Wargrave Adopt a Rowing Boat?
Wokingham people will be interested to learn that-the town has been allotted the
Destroyer H.M.S. Garth for Warships Week and if the amount aimed at --£400,000—
is raised, the town and district will be given the honour of adopting the destroyer.
Arrangements have been made with the co-operation of the Admiralty, for each area
conducting a “week” to adopt a ship, the cost of which is equivalent to the target
aimed at, and in order to commemorate this association, the Admiralty will present a
replica of the ship’s badge, together with a history of the ship’s name for permanent
exhibition in the Town Hall or Council Offices of the adopting area. It is suggested
that the ship adopted should be presented by the area with a suitable plaque to be
fixed on the quarterdeck of the ship.
At a meeting of the main Committee of the Wokingham Warships Campaign held in
the Town Hall on Tuesday, the Mayor (Councillor E. W. Reeves) said that
Wokingham had now decided to adopt a destroyer of the Hunt class. It was very

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