Abingdon 100 Years Ago – July 1924


Foot and Mouth Disease Spreads

Further outbreaks of Foot and Mouth disease have occurred at Sunningwell and Dunmore, Wootton. Twelve cattle were destroyed at Mr. Greening’s farm in Sunningwell, and eight at Mr. John Benson’s farm in Dunmore last Monday.

Hospital Board Approves Increased Charges for Isolation Hospital

At a meeting of the Abingdon Joint Hospital Board last Thursday, a new scale of charges was approved. The new charges are: £3 per week per patient for up to three patients, £2 15s per week for six patients, and £2 10s per week for over six patients. Ambulance use will be an additional charge.

Abingdon Groups Enjoy Day Out at Wembley

A group of about 300 people from Abingdon, including members of the Abingdon Constitution Association, the Junior Imperial League, the Abingdon Glove Factory, and Messrs. Coxeters, visited the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley on Saturday. They departed from Abingdon Station at 8:30 AM and returned around midnight. Major Glyn accompanied the Junior Imperial League for part of the day.

Firefighters Prevent Major Damage at Culham Farm

Abingdon Fire Brigade was called to a fire involving two ricks of straw at Mr. P. E. Saunders’ farm in Culham on Saturday. A plentiful supply of water from the river prevented the complete destruction of the ricks.

North Oxford Croquet Club Defeats Abingdon

The North Oxford Croquet Club defeated the Abingdon team by 64 to 58 in a match with a 2.5 hour time limit on Thursday afternoon.

Boy Sent to Reformatory for Arson

A 14-year-old boy from Radley was sentenced to three years in a reformatory on Monday for setting fire to two cottages. He was detained at the Union Workhouse until a place was found and then sent to the Northampton Training School near Towcester.

Grammar School Celebrates Founder’s Day

The Grammar School (Roysse’s) held its Founder’s Day on Friday. The day included a church service, prize-giving, an “At Home” with the HeadMaster and Mrs. Grundy and the traditional Old Boys’ cricket match, which the school won. The school regatta took place on Thursday.


Bible Students Predict End Times

The International Bible Students Association announced a free lecture on “All Nations Marching to Armageddon” in the Roysse room. “But millions are now living will never die.” This meeting is one of an extensive campaign throughout the locality. The Bible students, hold and maintain that great and wonderful changes are taking place in the Earth and that the Kingdom of Christ is at hand. It will be introduced and established on the ruins of the present order.

General Fined for Car Without Lights

General Sir Percy Radcliffe was fined 10 shillings for leaving his car without lights in Bath Street on July 1st.

Maintenance Case Dismissed Due to Wife’s Conduct

A case against Henry Charles Paish for failing to maintain his wife at the Abingdon Union Workhouse was dismissed after the court heard allegations of her immoral conduct. She had been admitted into the Union for confinement. Defendant stated that he lived with his wife for about three weeks after their marriage while on leave after which his wife went back to domestic service, and he went to India with the forces. They had not lived together since that time. The magistrates Clerk submitted that in accordance with a case cited in the law books the Guardians were not entitled to an order in such a case. The summons was dismissed.

Abbey Grounds Open to Public

The Abbey grounds, formerly the residence of the Bishop of Reading, were opened to the public for the first time on Monday and Thursday afternoons and evenings. Admission is free.


Abingdon Skiff Regatta

The annual Abingdon Skiff Regatta was a success on Saturday. The event included races, dancing, and a procession of illuminated boats.

Sources were the Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette on the British Newspaper Archive, The North Berks Herald from the Abingdon Library microfilm. Thanks to Wikipedia for the poster for the British Empire Exhibition and the advert for a lecture about the world ending in 1925.

3 thoughts on “Abingdon 100 Years Ago – July 1924

  1. Mick

    We had religious cranks then and we have religious cranks now. Mind you 15 years later we did have Armageddon, but it hardly brought the “Kingdom of Christ”!

    Reply
  2. John Styles

    That talk is of course what became the Jehovah’s Witnesses. 1924 was just before Rutherford got sole control of the organisation, the name Jehovah’s Witnesses being adopted in 1931

    Reply
  3. Forestreeter

    General fined for car without lights
    Sir Percy Radcliffe was the third husband of Rahmeh Theodora Swinburne, who, following the death of her first husband, Richard Chamberlain, MP, used her inheritance to buy Lacies Court. No doublt the General was visiting the property. Rahmeh did not have ling to live – she died on 31 October 1924, possibly at their house in Menton in Provence, where she is commemorated in the name of a garden of exotic plants there, Val Rahmeh.

    Reply

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