Thanks to the Faringdon Advertiser and Vale of the White Horse Gazette for the following news from Abingdon 100 years ago in January 1919. ( © Successor rightsholder unknown. All Rights Reserved.)
4th January 2019
The death occurred at Stert Street, Abingdon, on the 21st December, of Alfred Chalker, a well known and respected local preacher of the Abingdon Wesleyan Circuit, age 77 years.
A Memorial Fund is to be inaugurated at Roysse School, Abingdon, to commemorate those former scholars of the School who have laid down their lives during the war. It is suggested to place a memorial tablet in the School Chapel, and to form a Scholarship Fund to enable boys on leaving the School to continue their studies at the University or other institution.
11th January
Two captured German guns are to be exhibited in the Abingdon Market Place on Monday next.
A Victory Peal was rung on St. Helen’s Church bells last week, consisting of 5,075 changes of Grandsire Caters, in three and a half hours.
A New Year’s Entertainment to the inmates of the Abingdon Union, to which subscribers and friends were invited, took place on Wednesday evening in last week, when gifts were distributed.
The funeral of Pte. Joseph Green, Royal Berks Regt., of Radley Road, Abingdon, who died from pneumonia at Bridbrook Hospital, Warwick, took place in Abingdon Cemetery, and was attended by several soldiers and Boy Scouts. The coffin was covered with the Union Jacks, and there were many beautiful floral tributes. He joined up when he was 16, and had been in France two years, being wounded about nine months ago, when he was sent to the Abingdon Red Cross Hospital. Previous to joining up he was clerk to the Master of the Abingdon Union (Workhouse).
18th January
The River Thames has overflowed its banks at Abingdon, and many acres of meadow land in the vicinity are flooded.
The recent Victory Dance held at Abingdon Corn Exchange in aid of the Local Red Cross Hospital realised £14 10s 6d.
At the Borough Court on Tuesday there were 15 cases for riding bicycles without lights, in Abingdon, between January 1st and 5th, the defendants being chiefly Abingdonians. Four of the defendants were fined 5s each and the remainder 4s each.
A very successful exhibition of rabbits, and poultry was held in the Abingdon Corn Exchange on Thursday evening in last week, when the total of exhibits were nearly 700. The show was arranged by local fanciers and breeders, co-opted with the Self-coloured Rabbit Club.
25th January
A dance was held in the Guildhall, Abingdon, on Wednesday evening in last week, in aid of the Comforts Fund for the Abingdon Sanatorium, when there were over 100 present.
lt is proposed by the Show Committee of the North Berks Agricultural Society to recommend at the Annual meeting next month, the holding of the Societys’ show at Abingdon this year.
The Military Cross for distinguished services during operations in Salonica, has been awarded to Temp. Capt, H. A. Donkin, 7th Batt. Royal Berks Regiment, and son of Mr H Donkin, of Spring Road, Abingdon.
Thanks to the British Newspaper Archive
Does anyone know what the Abingdon Union is/was? I hadn’t come across it before Bacstreeter’s interesting article.
Iain, it was the workhouse on Oxford Road opposite OLA.
Good to see cyclists without lights were fined. Could do with that these days.
A ‘union’ was an early form of local authority, where parishes were grouped together together to provide a very rudimentary system of social care (ie, the workhouse). Despite their reputation, workhouses often provided basic hospital care for the chronically sick and aged who could not afford the fees of ‘proper’ hospitals.
So, what’s a “self-coloured” rabbit?
Sarah, about 65 years ago, my parents took my three sisters and I to Paris. While there we visited the ‘pet market’. In a shop window there were dozens of little chicks of every conceivable colour – red ones, blue ones, green ones etc. This was achieved by injecting the eggs with coloured dye, perhaps coloured dyes were added to the rabbit’s food!
The workhouse covered the area currently occupied by Abbott Road and Thesiger Road and the Boxhill park. It was in operation till the 1930s and there iis lots of detail about it at http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Abingdon/
what nobody complaining about the number of horses and carts on the road at 8am?
personally i always make sure not to put any pig food in the bin – i eat every last bit.
Oooh. Do you think the colour change would work on my children?
Thx all – very interesting