Page 897 - Reading Mercury

handed a cheque for £10 to Major Willing with a suggestion that an item of furniture
be bought for the club. The officers for the ensuing year will be: President, Major
C.H. Willing; vice-president, Captain A.J. Vey; secretary, C.S.M. Binder.

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Sat 13 April
WOKINGHAM M.P. TO RETIRE
Politics And Business Are Hard Taskmasters
Those who attended the annual meeting of the representative council of the
Wokingham Constituency Conservative Association on Friday last week, heard with
regret that their Member, the Hon. Peter Remnant, would not be offering himself as a
candidate at the next General Election. Mr. Remnant has represented Wokingham
since 1950, when he became Member for the newly-created constituency, and in each
of his two subsequent elections—in 1951 and 1955—has been turned with an
increased majority, in each case following a three-cornered fight in which a Liberal
candidate was involved.
During the last war Mr. Remnant rose from the rank of unpaid acting lance-
bombardier to that of lieutenant-colonel, and was at one time senior staff officer to the
General Commanding Canal Area in Egypt. An enthusiastic sportsman, Mr. Remnant
used to play cricket for Berkshire in the Minor Counties Championship. On four
occasions he reached the final of the amateur fives championship, although never
successful.
Mr. Remnant’s business connections are with brewing and tea companies.

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Sat 4 May
LEGLESS AIR ACE MEETS FORMER NURSES
Two women who did more than anyone else to give the legless air ace, Group
Captain Douglas Bader, the will to live after his disastrous crash at Woodley in 1931,
were united with him on Saturday at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
The occasion was the annual prize-giving of the Reading Combined Hospitals
Training School for Nurses and Group Captain Bader was the guest-of-honour.
He could not conceal his joy at being back at the hospital which saved his life. “The
reason I have come here is not because I want to make an ass of myself,” he said. “but
because it is an honour to be here. Nothing on earth would have stopped me from
coming.”
Then Group Captain Bader turned to Miss Dorothy Brace, now matron of Battle
Hospital, who—“bless her heart”—was obviously moved by his affectionate
references to her nursing skill. “But there was someone else,” said Group Captain
Bader. “Sister Evelyn Thornhill, who was in charge of Benyon Ward back in 1931.”
And he persuaded Miss Thornhill, who is now matron of London’s Brompton
Hospital, to join him on the platform.
Group Capt. Bader told the nurses and guests: ”Had it not been for these two
ladies—apart from the chap who hacked off my legs—I would not be here (and so
happy) to-day.”
Then he told the young prize-winners that they were a “very pretty collection. If a
nurse was pretty as well as sympathetic, he added, amid laughter, a patient could send
the doctor away.
After he had distributed the prizes, Group Captain Bader, who was accompanied by
his wife, spent a long time chatting with Miss Brace and Miss Thornhill.

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