Page 804 - Reading Mercury

neighbouring towns and villages, most of them supplied with paper hats, balloons and
fireworks.
st
rd
Music from the bands of the 1 . Batt. Royal Hampshire Regiment, and 3
Carabiniers (Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards), was relayed in the streets from the
Market Place, and was followed by children’s entertainment on a decorated stage.
Many Mayors Present
rd
With a flourish of instruments, twelve trumpeters of the 3 Carabiniers heralded the
guests on to the stage in the afternoon to await the arrival of the carnival queen elect
and her attendants. Among those present were the Mayor and Mayoress of
Wokingham, Cllr. S.L. Bowyer and Mrs. Ratcliffe, Mrs. Peter Remnant, wife of the
M.P. for the Division, the Mayor and Mayoress of Reading, Ald. A.F. Clark and Mrs.
C.D. Widdecombe, the Mayor and Mayoress of Windsor, Cllr. R.H. Tozer and Mrs.
Tozer, the Mayor and Mayoress of Abingdon, Cllr. Mrs. Challenor and Miss Janet
Challenor, the Mayor and Mayoress of Maidenhead, Cllr. J.B. Maudsley and Mrs. J.
Norris, the Mayor and Mayoress of Henley, Cllr. H.T. Simms and Mrs. Simms, the
Mayor and Mayoress of Newbury, Cllr J H. Hole and Mrs. Hole, the Mayor and
Mayoress of Hendon, Ald J.L. Freedman and Mrs. Freedman, the Mayor and
Mayoress of Wallingford, Cllr. M.L. Whitely and Mrs. Whitely, and chairman of
Wokingham R.D.C., Lt.-Col C.D. Burnell and Mrs. Burnell.
A further fanfare by the trumpeters, and the queen elect, Miss Pauline Froud, and
her maids-of-honour, Miss Gwen Musto and Miss Beryl Choules, with attendants,
Miss Rhoda Fry and Master C. Hussey, mounted the raised, red-carpeted stage to take
their positions in the centre.
Mr. H. Banks, in his full civic dress of town crier, announced the ceremony ready to
begin, and introduced the Mayor of Wokingham, who spoke a few words, urging
support to make the carnival a success.
Crowning Of The Queen
On bended knee, Miss Pauline Froud, aged 17, was then crowned carnival queen for
the carnival—revived after a lapse of 13 years—by the Mayoress, Mrs. Ratcliffe.
Addressing her audience, the carnival queen dressed in white cloque, said, “May I
express my deep appreciation of the honour which has been bestowed upon me. My
heartfelt wish is that today will bring much pleasure to young and old and that your
generosity will benefit our local charities.”
The Mayor of Wokingham replied by saying he hoped it would be the happiest day
in the Carnival Queen’s life. The “royal party” were then led by bands to the carnival
field for the opening of the pleasure park. Here the Carnival Queen sampled the
amusements before leaving to tour the various shows and sports.
While music by several bands in the Market Place entertained many during the
afternoon, several thousand spectators and contestants packed the sports field for a
grand athletic display. Here also a children’s fancy dress parade was held, with
children dressed as everything from angels to goblins. One particular set which
attracted attention was the first-prize winner. “The Mayor and Corporation” composed
of two alderman, a policeman, town crier, mace-bearer and Mayor.
Results were as follows:- long list of winners.
The main event of the day, the grand procession, left Rectory Road at 6.30 p.m. and
nearly 100 decorated vehicles and parties took 25 minutes to pass one point. Led by
rd
the Band of the 3 Carabiniers, the procession threaded its way along the three-mile
route which was lined with cheering crowds. A vehicle which attracted much attention
was the antique fire engine drawn by two horses. The engine was found by accident in
a junk yard at Twyford a short time ago, and it was discovered to have once belonged

802