People are stopping to look at the new heritage trail information board that appeared in West St Helen’s Street yesterday.

The first picture on the board is a drawing of St Helen’s Church and shows the Half Moon pub of 1755, and next door – Hyde’s Draper, Grocer and Ready made Clothes’ shop.

Ready made clothes must have taken off because the next picture on the board shows Hyde’s (later Clarke’s) clothing factory dominating the street near St Helen’s Church

The board is one of five new heritage boards at our end of the town centre. They were organised by Ann Berkeley, researched by members of the Abingdon Archaeological and Historical Society, and financed by The National Lottery, Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council, and Choose Abingdon.

The local fire service moved from the old station in Market Square to the current building in Ock Street in late September 1964.

The current crew are pulling together some information and facts about the local fire service over the last 50 years and plan to have an open day / birthday celebration next year. This is an early advert for that, but more importantly at this early planning stage they would like to appeal to local residents for any information on people / events involving Abingdon Fire Crews over the last 50 years (like the above).

Send anything you have to fireabingdon.blue@oxfordshire.gov.uk . Or tell them next time you meet.

During 1921 many war memorials were unveiled including the one in Abingdon – unveiled by the Earl of Abingdon during a brief spell of bright weather in a stormy day – Sunday September 11th.

Abingdon Borough Council war memorial committee after much debate opted for a design by Mr West, which was considered to be dignified and showed some of the architectural features from the old town. It also had the merit that it was not a copy of types seen in many places. A bronze figure in relief was added to meet people’s wishes for a bronze soldier but meant the design needed to be made larger to allow the names of the men.

Today the war memorial became the focal point for Remembrance Sunday in Abingdon with the usual large crowds. It now stands with wreaths in front and crosses down the sides.

I was helping at Trinity and so part of one of the smaller remembrance ceremonies in town. There were over 100 people for the Trinity service. We heard during the two minutes silence the powered glider going to the main ceremony.

Children during the service learned something about men from Trinity and the Congregational church (now combined) who had not returned from the war, and saw pictures of the town’s war memorial.

Children also made wreaths with paper poppies.

In 1920, the relatives  who had lost loved ones in the Great War were canvassed by Abingdon Borough Council’s War Memorial Committee about a fitting memorial. The preferred option was a Statue of a Soldier with 100 votes, a cross got 62 votes, and a monument 31 votes.

The memorial that was decided upon does incorporate a soldier.

On this wet Wednesday, before Remembrance Day, the Royal British Legion wreath remains from last year.

Either side of the monument turf has been placed – for poppies and crosses.