Page 734 - Reading Mercury

Among the prisoners of war repatriated from Germany on the Gripsholm was Pte I
Dyer.of Nine-Mile-Ride, Wokingham.

OVERSEAS RELIEF
th
The money raised by Wokingham Boy Scouts on May 20 —Overseas Relief Day
was approximately £12.

AWARDED THE D.S.M.
For courage and skill in dangerous mine-sweeping operations, a Wokingham man
Temp Stoker, Petty Officer George Edward Holloway has been awarded the
Distinguished Service Medal.

LADY BADEN POWELL’s VISIT
Lady Baden Powell, Chief Guide, visited the County Girls’ School, The Holt, on
Saturday for the South Berkshire Girl Guides’ Rally. The Chief Guide accompanied
by the County Commissioner, Miss H. Williams informally inspected the Guides who
came from Bracknell, Crowthorne, Earley and Farnborough.
st
The 1 Twyford Rangers also attended. The march-in of massed colours and drums
of Royal Merchant Navy School, Bear Wood was followed by the march-in of the
Guides.

th
Fri 9 June
FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH CONFERRED UPON ALDERMAN W. T.
MARTIN, J.P. AND DR. E. WARD, M.B.E.
Town’s Most Honorable Distinction in Recognition of Their Long and Devoted
Services
Before a large assembly of specially invited guests, the Wokingham Borough
Council, at a special meeting on Wednesday, unanimously passed a resolution, to
confer upon Alderman W. T. Martin, J.P., and Doctor Ernest Ward, M.B.E., the
honorary Freedom of the Borough of Wokingham.
Almost every member of the Council was present for this historic occasion, and
among the guests were Ald. Martin’s son, and daughter in law, Mrs. Girdler, (Ald.
Martin's daughter), and her two boys, together with other members of his family, Dr.
Ward's two daughters were also present, to witness the presentation, which is the
greatest distinction a town can bestow upon any one of its citizens. The Mayor,
Councillor G. A. Cheeseman, presided and in formally opening the proceedings, said
that this special meeting had been, called to confer honour, where honour was due,
and that the presentation they were about to make to Ald. Martin and Dr, Ward, was
the greatest privilege that a town could bestow, and was only given in cases where it
was richly deserved. He then called upon Ald. Philip Sale, to propose the resolution in
respect of Ald. W. T. Martin, J.P., he being the only one other, to possess the
distinction of Freeman of the Borough.

ALD. MARTIN J.P.
Alderman Sale, .in expressing the great pleasure it afforded him to be allotted the
duty of proposing the resolution that Ald. Martin be made an Honorary Freeman of
this Borough, spoke of the long friendship between himself and Ald. Martin, I have
known him all my life, his mother, and father too, end I think I knew his grandfather,
but I was a child at the time, and children’s impressions are sometimes fleeting. He

732