Page 751 - Reading Mercury

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Sat 10 March
LAST OF A LANDMARK
American soldiers were called in to assist in the final stages of the removal of the
stale ---water tank which has stood in the Market Place for several years. Pneumatic
drills were employed by them to raze the concrete foundations in the ground.

LOOKS AFTER TROOPS WELFARE
His home bombed and his wife staying with friends at 8, Barkham Road,
Wokingham, Bdr Albert Brown is looking after the welfare of British other ranks at
an U.N.R.R. camp for Yugoslav refugees local in the Suez Canal area. Bdr. Brown
has seen service in Syria and Palestine where he was on plotting tables and worked
with a mobile plotting unit.

WOUNDED SOLDIERS’PARTY
A party for wounded soldiers was held in the Town Hall on Thursday under the
direction of Mrs. Hussey. Fifty guests were entertained with tea, spelling bee ----and
impromptu games, and in the evening a concert party from the R.E.M.E. School
presented a show. Cigarettes were provided by members of the N.F.S. Originally
planned to take place monthly, Mrs. Hussey’s partied have proved such a success that
they are to be held fortnightly as soon as possible. Forty-five ladies in the town have
come forward to help, and each in turn, according to the number of men expected, is
responsible for food for three guests.

N.F.S. PRESENTATION
Compan Officer A.F. Edwards, N.F.S. is retiring from full-time service with the
N.F.S. but is returning to part-time capacity at Sonning, where he has been Chief
Officer from 1919 to 1941, when he was posted to take charge at Wokingham. During
the three and a half years he has been at Wokingham, Mr. Edwards has made many
friends and he pays tribute to the generous and measure of co-operation received from
local officials, civil defence members etc. Recently he was presented with an
illuminated address, a case of pipe tobacco, a fountain pen and a wallet containing
notes as a token of esteem from Fire Force members at Wokingham, Winnersh and
Finchampstead stations.

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Sat 17 March
OBITUARY
Sgt. R.F.D. Shafer, R.A.F., aged 23, son of Mr. Shafer, of Aukland, Mill Lane,
Earley, who was killed in a flying accident, was interred at St. Paul’s, Wokingham, on
Saturday, the Rev. P.H. Scot, officiating

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Fri 20 April
WOKINGHAM’S WELCOME HOME FUND FOR THE FORCES, 1945
Inaugural Meeting at Town Hall
Under the ex officio chairmanship of the Mayor, the first meeting of representatives
of local organisations took place at the Town Hall, on Monday. An executive
committee was formed to launch a fund, and to make arrangements for an official
welcome home to all local service men and women. It was agreed that the Fund be
described at “Wokingham’s Welcome Home Fund for the Forces, 1945,” and that it
should be registered under the War Charities Act.

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