NWN-18062020

Thursday, June 18, 2020 34 150 years ago June 23 1870 An ill-used donkey THOMAS Blackman, of Inkpen, described as a labourer, was summoned to Borough Police Court on Friday for cruelty to a donkey. The donkey was observed standing in Cheap-street, with a number of sores, old and recent. Its feet were without shoes, and very tender; the animal was altogether in torture, and in a starving state. The evidence of Mr Bland, veterinary surgeon, went to show that a number of ulcerated sores existed and the donkey was altogether emaciated and unfit for work. Replying to the Mayor, Mr Bland said that the extreme age to which a donkey would live might be 40 years. The donkey was shown to the Magistrates, and presented a most pitiful appearance. The Mayor said it was a very bad case, and defendant would be fined 50s, including costs; the Bench recommended that he should destroy the donkey. The money was paid, and prisoner explained, as he had done several times, “Please your honour the poor donkey rubbed ‘hisself ’ in the stable,” to which a remark was heard in undertone from someone in court, “More fool the donkey then”. Memories of a lifetime MRS Martha Piper of Woolton Hill, who died recently, was 95 and had been a widow 23 years. She saw what very few persons have seen, two Jubilees, that of George III and of Queen Victoria. She was born before the great battle of Trafalgar, and was quite a young woman at the time of the battle of Waterloo. At her birth, steam engines had not been invented, and London was still lighted with oil lamps, 125 years ago June 20 1895

NEWBURY NEWS LOCAL HISTORY

Newbury Weekly News

Man fined 50 shillings for ill-treating donkey Animal had to be destroyed after being left in ‘pitiful sta’t,eJune 23, 1870 OLD MEMORIES REVIVED Extracts taken from past columns of the Newbury Weekly News

stations are open for 15 hours, from 7am until 10pm. Because the count is being held on Friday morning, banks have been reluctant to release clerks to help, and additional people are having to be supplied from Shire Hall. Activists blockWAE pipe FIVE Greenpeace activists appeared at Reading police station yesterday for questioning in connection with the blocking of a discharge pipe at AWE Aldermaston recently. Insp Martin Elliot of Reading Police said reports were being sent to the Crown Prosecution Service which would then consider whether to press charges. The activists’ appearance was marked by a Greenpeace demonstration outside the police station, lasting the whole day. Greenpeace spokesman Mr Adam Woolf said the point of the demonstration was to show support for the people involved. Insp. Elliot said “They had 12 very well behaved people who had their placards outside the station, but there were no problems. “The last ones left at around 5 or 6pm.” Greenpeace said the pipe had been blocked in a bid to stop the production of nuclear warheads at Aldermaston. New skate park boost VICTORIA Park in Newbury could soon be provided with a new skate park and children’s play area. Newbury Town Council has this week received a £200,000 boost as Greenham Common Trust granted it £100,000 and the Government’s Playbuilder and Aiming High schemes each gave £50,000 to the council, bringing its plans to build a state-of-the- art play area and new skate park a step closer. The town council has wanted to replace the existing playground, skate park and tennis courts for some time, saying that the facilities are outdated and in poor condition. Now the council is hoping to start work on the proposed £384,000 development in the autumn, despite a shortfall of £184,000. The council said that if the projects met the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act, it could receive a further £60,000, leaving it to find the remaining £124,000. Town councillor David Allen (Lib Dem, Victoria) said that news of the latest funding was wonderful for the whole Newbury community, and that the council would now apply to the Public Works Loan Board for the remainder of the money. The new playground could include a Mega Tower with climbing pole and wall, a tube slide and deck, a dedicated toddler play area with sandpit and a 30m aerial runway, trampoline and basket swing. The proposed scheme would also include an outdoor gym area with a range of equipment, including an air skier, rowing machine, cross trainers, leg presses and physiotherapy tai chi spinners. The council also hopes that the new skate park, which would be larger than the original and partially constructed below ground level, will minimise any visual obstruction and be quieter than the existing steel structure. 25 years ago June 15 1995 10 years ago June 17 2010

WORLD darts champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor found life much tougher at the wicket than on the oche. Taylo,rwho had won the world title for the eighth time–he went on to win an amazing 14 altoget–her was playing in a charity cricket match at Burghclere Social Club on July 13, 2003. He was used to notching up scores regularly in excess of 100 on the dartboard, but this time he was out for nought. Back to the day job Phil! n Anyone wishing to submit an image for this page should email editor@ newburynews.co.uk, attaching a copy of the picture with details about it, or send it to: Local History, Newbury Weekly News, Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newyb, ur Berkshire RG14 2AD.

if it stands the test of weather and the burden of heavy traffic, that a valuable contribution will have been made to road construction. The Surveyor is confident that the process will turn out trumps. Nobody will be more glad than the users, who have complained for years of the inequalities of the surface, and the Corporation have always been in despair at the cost of maintenance compared with the unsatisfactory results achieved. At any rate, Newbury is leading the way in housing and road- making, and it was gratifying to find that experts from such a wide area had so much to say in praise of its civic enterprise. n There were some on Saturday who, for a few moments, thought that Newbury had a distinguished visitor, nobody more or less than the Minister of War. There was certainly a striking resemblance, and when inquiry was made it was whispered that it was “Brown of Whitehall”. More than ever was the conviction that a notable person- age was adopting anonymity in order to spy out the land and find out how houses were being built so quickly and cheaply. Possibly he had a scheme for housing the army, and preferred red bricks and tiles to match the new scarlet uniforms. However, there were professional friends who knew him and rallied him on the resemblance. He admitted it but confessed he had not the Winstonian taste in headgear, and could not lay claim to some other characteristics. Nevertheless, although his identity was fully disclosed, he was just as assertive and pugnacious as his famous double. He defended departmental administration with a vigorous flow of language. He may have certainly been a

brook Street with reinforced concrete aroused great interest. It is too much in the experimental stage to justify criticism, and the experts are content to await results before delivering judgement. They were prepared to admit that

DBMS, but he was certainly not a war lord. 75 years ago June 21 1945 Thanks for the furniture WANTAGE Rural Area responded magnificently to the appeal for furniture to re-settle bombed out people in Lewisham. During the last few weeks two furniture vans have gone to town laden with their gifts. The scheme has been organised by the WVS and quoted below is an extract from a letter written by the Countess of Londesborough, WVS Organiser for Lewisham, to Mrs RC Dawson, Centre Organiser in the Wantage Rural Area: “The van-loads of gifts from the outer area of Wantage came when we had practically nothing left in the store, and our poor WVS were searching for just a few articles to take round, so you can imagine what delight they felt. “It is most wonderfully good of your people – there were some marvellous gifts and it is going to make so much difference to our poor bombed out people. “Thank you very much indeed.” All parties expect to win ALL three parties are forecasting they will win the Newbury division in today’s General Election when, despite a number of people being away on holiday, it is expected that a record number of votes will be cast. But the secrets of the ballot will not be revealed until after midday tomorrow because for the first time for several elections the count is not being held immediately after the polling stations closes. One of the reasons for this is the extra hour’s voting – polling 50 years ago June 18 1970

gas having been used for the first time in Pall Mall in 1807.

100 years ago June 17 1920 Reinforcing the road THE reconstruction of North-