Page 743 - Reading Mercury

patriotism and love of your country and your town, and also a tribute that by your
sacrifice you saved your country and your town from the horrors of war.
On behalf of your Town Council, and the inhabitants of Wokingham, I sincerely
thank you for your past services. I congratulate you on the fact that through your
efforts, it is possible for this standing down ceremony to take place, and I can assure
you that the present generation will ever remember the service you have rendered to
your country and this Scroll will remind the coming generation what their forefathers
did for Wokingham.
At the conclusion of his speech, the Mayor received from Major Bryden, a bound
volume giving the names of 1,070 officers, men and women of the Home guard
auxiliary, who served with ‘D’ Company. The volume bound in Red feather, had the
Royal Berkshire’s Regimental badge, colours, shoulder flash, and title, superimposed
on the cover. On the fly leaf was printed the name of ‘D’ Company’s Commanding
Officers, and included Lt./Cll. R.H. Anderson, who commenced the Company from
18th July 1940 to May 1942. Major H.M. Kemble, D.S.O., from May 1942 to
December 1943, and Major S.T. Bryden, from January 1st. 1944, to date.
Below these names appears the quotation “They also served, who trained and
waited.”.
before the Company moved off from the assembly point, the men were addressed by
Lt. Col. F.B. Abbott, D.S.O., and the men responded by giving him three resounding
cheers.

th
Sat 9 Dec
CONCERT AIDS R.A.F.
At Rose Street Methodist Schoolroom on Tuesday a concert in aid of the R.A.F.
Benevolent Fund was held and had a good attendance

FOR MERCHANT NAVY COMFORTS
A programme of folk songs, sea shanties, and sketches was presented by Wellington
College Sing-Song Society at the Town Hall, Wokingham on Thursday last week, in
aid of the Merchant Navy Comforts Service. The producer was Mr. B.G.L. Kemp.

WON D.C.M. IN MALAYAN CAMPAIGN
Regt.-Sergt.-Major Charles Roadnight, D.C.M., whose father is the proprietor of a
private hotel on the Bagshot Road, Wokingham, hopes soon to be exchanging war
stories with his father, also a former R.S.M. and holder of the D.C.M.
Charles Roadnight has recently come out of Burma where he was with a special
Force (The Chindits) unit. Before that he saw active service on the North-West
Frontier. He was also in the Malayam Campaign and was one of a select party to
make an exciting escape from Singapore when the Japanese were in the streets of the
city He won his D.C.M. during the Malayan Campaign, when he attacked a hut full of
Japanese single-handed, wiping out a score of them by throwing grenades which he
had stuffed into his kit.

th
Fri 15 Dec
NEWS OF THE FORCES
Wokingham Man Captures S.S. Major
During the crossing of the Scheldt Canal by the famous Desert Rats’ Division,
Lance Cpl. P. Beasley, of 51 Eastheath Avenue, Wokingham, captured an S.S. Major

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