Ewart Hemmings


Abingdon Town Council announced, with sadness, that Ewart Hemmings has passed away after illness. Ewart served the Caldecott Ward for many years as a Labour Councillor at Town and Borough Councils, Vale of White Horse District Council and Oxfordshire County Council. He is still a local hero to that area. Somebody was telling me recently how Ewart helped them get the Saxton Rovers club house built. He was Mayor of Abingdon in 1978/9.

Ewart was awarded the Freedom of Abingdon in 1999 and was often to be seen at events in that capacity. He was also President of the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers and presided over the election of the Mayor of Ock Street. The picture above shows him reading from the WWI Abingdon Roll of Honour, where he read the H’s including the Hemmings.

As a mark of respect the Town Flag is now flying at half-mast from the Old County Hall.

10 thoughts on “Ewart Hemmings

  1. newcomer

    Ewart Hemmings sounds the ‘locally-involved’ politician who is a rarity nowadays.

    Nowadays we have careerists.

    Layla just voted with the Tory Rebels against increased Covid restrictions (she’s such a Fashionista Rebel herself). Rather make a facile political point than help the NHS avoid even more pressure, even if it means voting for The Idiot Boris’s half-measures … Covid might not be existential, but it’s got the potential to overcome the NHS’s capacity,

    Would Ewart Hemmings have wanted this?

    Well Done the LibDims.

    I suppose a plague on all political parties …. but Starmer is now the only adult in the room and even he has a few nitwits in his Party.

    Hope to see you all around Town in the New Year …

    … be careful and be happy.

    Reply
    1. Tim

      I met Ewart Hemmings on several occasions and he always listened with a genial ear.
      His passing is not a suitable bat to use against national politicians and their record on national events.
      Ewart Hemmings’s interest was local and his passing should be marked locally.
      Moran is the local MP, she represents us at a national level.

      Reply
    1. Hester

      Their website says “The team was formed in 1978, this was with local men who had previously danced with the Abingdon Morris and also with other men who were either born locally or have resided in the town for many years. The team has connections with a long line of Abingdon Morris dancers going back many generations and decided to take their name from an earlier dancer “Tom Hemmings”, it is in recognition of his effort and contribution to the Abingdon Morris that the present team decided to call themselves “Mr Hemmings Traditional Abingdon Morris Dancers”.

      There is more on the history of Abingdon Morris dancing in the History section of the Town Council website https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/history/aaahs-feature-articles . I don’t think the “People” section yet includes a feature on the Hemmings family, but maybe someone from the Historical Society will add one soon. Several of the family feature in the recently produced Abingdon and the First World War website https://www.abingdonfirstworldwar.uk/ – indeed one picture may be of a very young Ewart Hemmings.

      Reply
        1. Hester

          Looking at the information on the two links above I think Ewart was the son of Tom’s cousin Charles. But many members of the family are still around, so my apologies to them if I have got this wrong.

          Reply
  2. Lesley Legge

    Ewart was also Master of the Guild of Town Criers, as another friend said a gentle man and a gentleman. He will be sadly missed by so many people in Abingdon.

    Reply
  3. newcomer

    Tim, I made no aspersion against Mr. Hemmings. I have no reason to do so.

    The fact that the LibDims voted to a man/woman with the Tory Rebels is a different mattter, It’s as though, every now-and-then, they’e got to remind us what a bunch of nincompoops they are.

    I hope this clarifies my views.

    Reply
    1. Tim

      I know you made no aspersion aginst Mr Hemmings, I never said that you did.
      The passing of Mr Hemmings is not an appropriate opportunity to comment on national politicians shortcomings regardless of factual accuracy.

      Reply
  4. Peter Hogan

    There are Two Morris Teams in Abingdon. Ewart was President of the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers and, indeed some of his ancestors were Morris Dancers and Mayors of Ock Street. The Hemmings family was instrumental in keeping the Morris dancing alive after the 1st World War.

    The Mr Hemmiings Team broke away from the Traditional team in 1978. They also had dancers related to the Hemmings Family.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Michael Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.