Page 996 - Reading Mercury

OPENING TOURNAMENT
Forty old and new members turned up for the Kestrel Lawn Tennis Club’s opening
tournament at Wokingham on Sunday, and although the weather was not too kind the
afternoon was a great success.
The eventual winners were Hugh Beckett and Joan Wright who beat Peter Niblett
and Margaret White 6—2.
nd
The club opens its programme on April 22 with a home mixed match against
Courage starting at 2 pm.

ROYAL EXCHANGE TO BE DEMOLISHED
For five years the old Royal Exchange public-house in Denmark Street,
Wokingham, has remained unoccupied, and now, as it is decaying, children are
playing inside the building. Because of the danger to children, Wokingham Borough
Council is serving a notice regarding the demolition of the building. Mr. L. Goddard
Smalley, the Town Clerk, said this week that the site was completely open at the rear
and was becoming a danger to children.

MORE SILVER
th
Three officers of the 4/6 Bn. of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, which was
disbanded last month, attended Thursday’s meeting of Wokingham Borough Council
to present a silver cup to the Mayor, Cllr. W.C.A. Smith. The cup was given to the
Royal Berkshire Regiment in 1868.

LANDING SITE
Berkshire police have been granted permission by Wokingham Borough Council to
sue the Carnival Field in Wellington Road as a landing space for helicopters. The
police are to use helicopters to combat crime and pin-point traffic hold-ups.

1968
rd
Sat 3 Feb
THE HON. PETER REMNANT
The former Conservative M.P. for Wokingham, the Hon. Peter Remnant, died at
Oxford on Wednesday. He was 71. Often described as a ‘typical Berkshire gentleman’
Mr. Remnant had all the attributes to merit this description.
Born at Hare Hatch, near Twyford, he lived in Berkshire for more than thirty years,
and always took an active interest in local affairs. Farmer in Berkshire, tea grower in
Assam, and a director of brewing and tea companies, were a few of Mr. Remnant’s
business positions.
He was the son of the First Lord Remnant, and was educated at Eton and Magdalen
College, Oxford. In 1939 he was an acting unpaid Lance-Bombardier in the R.A.
following the outbreak of hostilities he gained a commission and rose to become
Lieutenant-Colonel, and was, at one time, senior staff officer to the general
commanding Canal Area in Egypt.
An enthusiastic sportsman, Mr. Remnant played cricket for Berkshire in the Minor
Counties championship and on four occasions he reached the final of the amateur
“fives” championship, although never successful.
Turning to politics after the war, Mr. Remnant was returned for Wokingham—then
a new constituency—in 1950. In each of his subsequent elections in 1951 and 1955 he
increased his majority. As an M.P. he was active in Wokingham affairs and is still

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