Last week there was a service of remembrance for Dr Milward Cecil Hayward – one of the men from Abingdon who died 100 years ago in World War I.

The Grandchildren of Dr Hayward organised the service at St Nicolas Church, with the help of Revd. Paul Smith, and relatives came from far and wide for the event.

Dr Hayward is the founder of the Abingdon Surgery, having set up a practise at 65 Stert Street in 1902.

He volunteered at the start of the Great War, and so left the practise, to join the 3rd Home Counties Field Ambulance . On 11th May 1915, he was hit by a shell on the Menin Road, Ypres, causing damage to his spine and lungs. He subsequently died of pneumonia on August 23rd 1916, and is buried at Abingdon Spring Road Cemetery. The epitaph on his grave has the words of Jesus “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

The Vale of White Horse District was in favour of remaining, and so the result is painful to a lot of us who felt a part of the wider European Community.

Within the new structures that are to come into being, while things are in spin, it must be a good time to continue working for a fair, just and equal society – one that helps tackle poverty, climate change and the refugee crisis – causes Jo Cox fought for all her life.

There was a large queue outside the Bookstore when Terry Wogan came in November 2009 to sign his autobiographical book ‘Where was I?!”

I heard him say on BBC 2 National Radio beforehand “look forward to seeing you at Abingdon. I will be at the Abingdon Bookstore at around 12:30 this afternoon and remember … it is the rare unsigned ones that raise all the money but anyway I’m looking forward to seeing all my friends there.”

He was back 5 year later in November 2014 to sign copies of his book “The Little Book of Common Sense: Or Pause for Thought with Wogan”.

It was Very Good of him to visit Abingdon twice, and to support his friends at the Bookstore and meet lots of his Old Friends who knew him through the BBC Radio 2 Radio morning show.

Thanks to Malvin for the first two pictures.

Fred Knight, founder and former owner of F. Knight & Sons, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday night.

Thanks to Mike, his Grandson, for letting me know as many people will remember him. Mike says that Fred was a good man, and he did a lot for and in the town, and wants to see him commemorated for all he did to make Abingdon a better place.

The advert is from the 1972 Abingdon Who’s Who.