Page 805 - Reading Mercury

to Newbury fire service. It is in perfect running order and is driven by steam. A
windmill composed of wood covered by flowers drew the greatest applause, and it
was given a first prize. It was exhibited by Sale and Sons. White-washed, with brass
and chromium gleaming, the Corporation dust cart was almost unrecognisable. The
bins were used for collecting coins thrown by the spectators.
Prizes were presented by the Carnival Queen, outside the floodlit Town Hall at 9
p.m. Here the Mayors of Newbury, Hendon and Henley, who had remained to the end,
publicly thanked the town for its hospitality. The Mayor of Wokingham concluded the
prize-giving with a word of thanks to Peter Sparkes, the organising secretary, and his
committee and helpers.
Carnival Dances
The British Legion Hall, Drill Hall and Church House were packed to capacity for
the rest of the evening until 2 a.m. for dancing and general fun-making. The Hon.
Peter Remnant, M.P. for the Division, with Mrs. Remnant, attended the various
dances
The Mayor stated on Thursday: “I am anxious to take the first opportunity of
thanking everybody who helped towards the success of our carnival, and to express
my gratitude to the public for their magnificent support.”

rd
Sat 23 Sept.
HOOLIGANISM AT TOUTLEY CAMP
A few days after No. 17, Toutley Camp, Wokingham, was vacated, hooligans
started to destroy what might have become a home. Over 60 panes of glass were
smashed, windows and door frames broken, and a gas cooker partly dismantled. Now
Wokingham Town Council has approved the Housing Committee’s recommendation
that due to the damage done the demolition of the building be speeded up.

th
Sat 11 Nov
WOMEN’S LAND ARMY TO DISBAND
Women’s Aid Given To Berkshire Farmers
th
On November 30 , 100 girls working in different parts of Berkshire will be the only
remnants of the Women’s Land Army left in the county. The final disbanding takes
place on that date, and as the months go by, the girls’ familiar uniforms will become a
more unusual sight and will no longer be replaced by the Land Army.
In its eleven years’ existence, the Land Army in Berkshire formed an emergency
labour force upon which farmers learned to depend for the efficient working of their
farms. Initial reluctance to employ women was swiftly broken down as the girls
themselves proved their worth, and many employers could genuinely say: “I don’t
know how we should have managed without them. No job was too dirty or difficult
for them to tackle and actual physical strength was the only limitation in which their
sex made a difference to the work they undertook Market gardening, ditching,
hedging, thatching, tractor, pest and poultry work were among the hundreds of ways
in which they helped farmers in the urgent war-time food production programme, but
it was probably in milking and dairying that they made their biggest contribution.
Dairy Instruction
Many farmers preferred girls to men working in the cowsheds, for they had a lighter
touch, were quieter with the animals and were often more particular about the
hygienic side of dairy work. Miss J. Matthews, dairy officer to Berks County Council
agricultural education department, organised dairying courses from 1943 until 1949,
at the rate of about two a year for 12 students at a time. She also assisted in the

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