Police left in the dark
Thieves steal blue lantern from Kingsclere station, March 25, 1999 OLD MEMORIES REVIVED Extracts taken from past columns of the Newbury Weekly News
150 years ago
March 26, 1874 Farewell to PC
THE funeral of Police Constable Moore, whose death occurred on the previous Wednesday, took place on Monday afternoon at Greenham Church, the deceased, in accordance with his last expressed wish, being borne to his final resting place on the shoulders of late fellow officers – constables in the Newbury Division of the Berks Constabulary.
Supt Bennett also attended to pay the rest due to the memory of one who, when alive, was a good officer, and performed his duty conscientiously.
Moore was 38 years of age and died of consumption.
Previous to joining the police force he was in the army, served during the Indian Mutiny, and was present at the relief of Lucknow.
125 years ago
March 30, 1899 Chapel chums
THE Newbury Congregational Magazine hopes that work at Weston will be made more effective by an arrangement which comes into force this quarter.
The two chapels, side by side, have long illustrated the waste of force involved in the overlapping of Free Church Denominations; though there has been a good deal of friendly cooperation between us and our Primitive Methodist
Now the cooperation will be closer. Instead of a preacher from each denomination attending every Sunday, and preaching, the Methodist in the morning and event, there will be one preacher on each
Sunday, Methodist and Congregationalist alternately, and he will preach in the Congregational Chapel in the afternoon, and in the Methodist Chapel in the evening.
This will be an economy both of labour and expense and will no doubt result in improved congregations and general spiritual gain.
The day of Nonconformist competition in little villages has nearly passed; unity and cooperation are our watchwords for the future.
100 years ago
March 27, 1924 Italian mystery
THE statement which appeared in London newspapers on Tuesday that a lady named Philbrick, shot by a sentry at a powder depot near Genoa, Italy, was believed to belong to Hungerford, caused quite painful shock to Miss Mary Elizabeth Philbrick of Church Street, Hungerford and relatives at Cold Ash.
Letters had been received from her stating that she was going to be staying at the Hotel Isotta, Genoa, which was the same hotel at which the shot woman was staying.
A NWN reporter was informed that it was concluded that there was the possibility of the shot woman being a cousin of the Philbricks who was constantly touring abroad and had not been seen by the Hungerford members of the family for some time.
A wire had been sent to the British Consul in Genoa and also a letter to get absolute and definite confirmation as to Miss Philbrick’s safety.
It was certainly a coincidence that Miss Philbrick’s initials ME as well as the surname corresponded with those of the woman mentioned in the cable from Italy and then there was also the singularity of them both staying at the same hotel.
75 years ago
March 24, 1949 Jewellery heist
A WIDESPREAD search has so far failed to trace thieves who stole jewellery worth £17,000 from Hungerford Park, the residence of Mr and Mrs AG Turner, on Thursday.
The discovery was made at about 10.30pm, but it is thought the robbery occurred an hour or two earlier, maybe while Mrs Turner and her daughter, Miss Rose Turner, were at dinner.
Mr Turner was away from home on business.
A small extending ladder had been carried from a potting shed in the kitchen garden, 200 yards away, to the mansion and was placed on the flagstones beneath a window 15 feet from the ground.
It was a small window measuring about 6ft by 3ft, at the extreme north-east of the mansion, which is of a modern type containing 40 rooms.
The room from which the jewels were taken is in Mrs Turner’s suite.
50 years ago March 28, 1974
Lovers elope
A 16-year-old Newbury girl who eloped from home last week with her fiancé rang up her elder sister on Tuesday and said: “I have got somewhere to live. We are all right – don’t worry.”
Carolyn Cooper, of Shaw, went missing on Thursday after leaving home for work at Spring’s Café in Newbury as normal in the morning.
On the same day her fiancé, 21year-old Stephen Rees, of Newbury, left a note for his parents to say he was leaving. Police were informed but by last night had no definite leads as to the whereabouts of the couple.
“Our efforts to trace them are continuing,” a senior officer said yesterday.
He added that they were treating it as a case of a girl eloping with her fiancé and were not concerned for Carolyn’s safety.
The phone call on Tuesday was the first time Carolyn had made any contact with relatives in the area.
Her sister, Mrs Linda Swan, told a NWN reporter: “Carolyn just said she had somewhere to live, they were all right and not to worry.”
25 years ago March 25, 1999
Police light stolen
POLICE have been left in the dark after thieves in Kingsclere stole their blue lantern from the police station wall.
The distinctive ‘Dixon of Dock Green’ lantern, worth £600, was yanked from the wall last Thursday, leaving only cables dangling and lots of puzzled people looking at the empty space as they walked past.
It is the second time the lantern has gone missing. Pranksters stole the light a few years ago when, but luckily, it was later discovered dumped nearby.
PC Paul Green, of Kingsclere police, said it was likely that more than one person had been involved in the most recent theft.
Apart from adding to the character of the listed police building, PC Green said the lamp was useful at night when he turned it on to indicate he was manning the office. Landlord at the George and Horn public house in Kingsclere, Mr Tony Knott, said: “It’s a shame really. It was rather nice. One expected to see Jack Warner coming out there and saying ‘Good evening all’.”
PC Green added that although he could see the funny side, he really wanted the light back.
10 years ago March 27, 2014
Canal drama
ALL the emergency services were scrambled on Tuesday to save an alleged shoplifter who had fallen into the Kennet and Avon Canal in Newbury.
Two fire engines, an ambulance and paramedics rushed to the canal near Newbury Football Club at around 5.20pm on Tuesday in response to reports that police were pursuing two male shoplifters and that one had fallen into the icy water.
Water bailiff for Newbury Angling Association, John Brodie, said he was approached by a man who said that police needed help getting a man out of the water. Mr Brodie rushed over the canal bridge and saw officers trying to rescue a man close to the bank.
Mr Brodie said: “I grabbed a pole that was on the towpath close by and ran over through the allotments and Newbury Marina to help the police to get this man out before he died. “He was trying to grab hold of a branch, but the water was fast flowing and he got dragged downstream.” A spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police confirmed the 23-year-old man from Newbury had ended up in the canal and was suffering from hypothermia.
He was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading for a check up and then arrested on suspicion of shoplifting.