The town clerk was granted an increase in salary of £100 per annum.
It was resolved that the government should be informed that it was the opinion of Abingdon Town Council that the practice of pillion riding on motorcycles should be made illegal.
Arrangements were made for a Remembrance Day service at the war memorial. These included a suggestion that shopkeepers be asked to close their shops from 10 a.m. until noon on that day.
At the Kinema in Stert Street, Snowy Baker, the Australian middleweight champion, joined a group of friends on a kangaroo hunt. These animals gave the hunters a lively chase for many a mile before they were rewarded with the capture of a specimen of this rare marsupial. The noted boxer had a lively bout with the adversary before managing to place the blow that brought it down for the count. This unusual and thrilling boxing-match and hunt will be shown at the Abingdon Kinema next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in an Australian picture play entitled ‘The Fighting Breed’.
The Abingdon Fire Brigade received a test call to Drayton on Wednesday evening. The bells were rung at 6:25 p.m., and the brigade left the station at 6:29, getting to work on Drayton Road within nine minutes of receiving the call. Subsequently, they tested the supplies at Ock Bridge, Conduit Road, and the Square, arriving home at 8:20 p.m. after a very useful drill. Alderman Cottrell and Councillor Simpson witnessed the turnout, and the officers of the brigade present were Chief Officer J. Gibbens, Chief Engineer Humfrey, and Firemen Ballard, Chivers, Andrew, Ackling, Gent, Langford, and Hooke.
The monthly meeting of Northcourt Women’s Institute was held in the hut on Wednesday last week, when Mrs. Morris one of the members gave an interesting demonstration of rug making. After tea and the usual business, there was an amusing photograph guessing competition.
The matron of the Cottage Hospital acknowledges with thanks the gifts from the Harvest Festivals at Culham, Milton, Marcham, Drayton, Radley, Appleford, Shippon, Dry Sandford, and Tubney, which included fruits, vegetables, eggs, honey, flour, bread, and flowers.
The local matches on Saturday included an Amateur Cup tie on the Abingdon ground between Abingdon and Headington. The result was: Abingdon 2, Headington 1.
The Michaelmas Fair was held on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, attracting many people despite the very bad weather. The fair, which occupied the same area as last year (Market Place, High Street, and Ock Street), featured the usual amusements, including roundabouts, switchbacks, shooting galleries, coconut shies, and more. The fair is usually held for only two days, but it was extended to Wednesday due to the weather, which made trade very slow on Monday and Tuesday.
Polling Day for the General Election has been fixed for Wednesday, October 29th. There is every prospect that the fight in the Abingdon Division will be a strenuous one, in view of the fact that the Liberal Party won the seat at the last election by 254 votes.
A sale of work was held in the Corn Exchange in aid of the home and foreign missions, and proved a great success.
At the County Police Court on Monday, Charles Haultin, of Pond Farm, Appleton, was summoned by Mrs. Fanny Eynstone, of Appleton, for stealing a quantity of apples from an orchard. The defendant did not appear, and a warrant for his arrest was issued.
At the Borough Police Court on Tuesday—before the Mayor (Mr. C. Rippon) and Messrs. J. Ricketts and A. W. Morland — Harry King, of 45 Alexander Road, Oxford, was summoned for riding a motor-cycle without a light and for failing to produce his license. P.C. Brooker stated he saw the defendant riding a motor-cycle without a light on High Street on the evening of October 10th. Upon being stopped, the defendant stated he didn’t know the light was out and couldn’t produce his license. The defendant did not appear in court but wrote a letter admitting guilt, and the magistrates fined him 5s. for each offense.
The Abingdon Bowling Club held a whist drive on Thursday in the Roysse Room. The Mayor and Mayoress were present. The prizes, given by the Committee, were awarded as follows:
Ladies: 1st, Mrs. Alston; 2nd, Mrs. V. Ashby; 3rd, Mrs. Thomas.
Gentlemen: 1st, Mrs. G. Blay (playing as a gentleman); 2nd, Mr. A. Manoury; 3rd, Mr. H. W. Trotman.
In common with many other constituencies throughout the country, the electors of North Berks have returned a Conservative to represent them in the House of Commons. After a splendid fight, Major R. G. C. Glyn (Conservative) defeated Mr. E. A. Lessing, O.B.E. (Liberal), and Mr. D. S. Brundrit (Labour).
On Wednesday (Polling Day), the Conservative and Liberal parties were extremely active, with the former being better served in terms of motor vehicles. All three candidates visited the polling stations throughout the day. The weather was very unfavourable, with heavy rain falling after tea and continuing until the close of the poll at 9 p.m.
Shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday, Major Glyn’s supporters gathered in large numbers in the Market Place to hear the results. The figures were announced at about three o’clock by Major F. R. Hedges, amidst a tremendous round of applause, as follows:
Glyn (Conservative): 13,117
Lessing (Liberal): 8,815
Brundrit (Labour): 1,315
Conservative Majority: 4,312
It will therefore be seen that Major Glyn was elected by an overwhelming majority this time.
The fight was a clean one. In every constituency, one must contend with overly zealous supporters who, in their enthusiasm, may overstep the mark. This inevitably results in a “budget” of stories cropping up, most often without foundation. Both Major Glyn and Mr. Lessing are honourable men, and they fought with integrity. We say this without fear of contradiction, and the same can be said of Mr. Brundrit who lost his deposit.
ABINGDON
Thou gentle town, so quiet, serene,
Girdled around with living green,
O happy they who oft have seen
Thy courts, fair Abingdon.
Well writ thy name upon the scroll
Of famous towns, and still thy soul
Live on, and ages yet will roll
O’er thee, famed Abingdon.
‘Tis true thy glorious days are past
When thy great Abbey, sacred, vast,
Stood there as if it would, outlast
All else, save Abingdon.
But that proud edifice and great
Bowed to the dust, and shared the fate
Of other things rich and ornate
Within old Abingdon.
Thanks be to God, not all is gone
Of fashioned wood and chiselled stone;
Much still remains for thee alone,
Time honoured Abingdon.
Two noble churches still are thine,
Each witness to the fire divine
That in thee flamed, and still benign
Doth light on Abingdon.
And many houses old and quaint
Plead for the artist’s brush to paint
Their graceful outlines, strong or faint.
To honour Abingdon.
For thou hast mellowed with the years
That come and go, spite of our tears,
But in thy streets there seem no fears
To vex, loved Abingdon,
O, town upon a riverside
Where meadows meet and waters glide
Heav’n be thy help and God thy guide
For ever, Abingdon.
by Albert E-Smith, Highgate, London
Thanks to the Abingdon Town (Borough) Council Minutes, Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette, North Wilts Herald, Berks and Oxon Advertiser on the British Newspaper Archive and to the North Berks Herald microfilm in the library. The adverts come from theses publications. The poem ABINGDON appeared in the North Berks Herald as did the cartoon on football.
