INTHECOMMUNITY
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THE FIRST chief nurse for adult social care recently paid a virtual visit to a Winnersh care home.
Professor Deborah Sturdy OBE, pledged to get to know those working on the frontline, when appointed in December last year.
She had a 20-minute virtual tour of Abbeyfield Winnersh, a dementiafriendly care home run by The Abbeyfield Society.
Led by registered manager, Sue Smart, Professor Sturdy’s tour included the home’s garden, lounge, dining room, cinema, salon and resident Penny’s room.
She also saw the activities room, where residents were painting and making thank-you cards for the staff, and witnessed the end of a video call a resident had made with her family, with the assistance of a member of staff.
Professor Sturdy said: “I was delighted to meet staff today and hear about the incredible work everyone has done during the past 11 months.
“My virtual visit to Abbeyfield Winnersh and a walk around the home was really appreciated. There were so many activities taking place and it was fantastic to see both residents and staff having fun.
“I would like to thank Penny and her family, who let me see her lovely room. It was really heartening to hear the many ways in which staff have supported residents across the organisation and each other, during such a difficult time.”
She added: “Thank you for all you are doing and I look forward to visiting again when we can meet in person.”
BMMHS
The British Modern Military History Society is delighted to announce the publication of the first volume of its book Glimpses of War.. Realed on May 8, the anniversary of VE Day, It was born out of lockdown, and is a compilation of military stories and articles from our members and historians of experiences in wartime, both civilian and military in any role and any conflict.
All proceeds from this 550-page volume will go to the charity Blind Veterans UK (formerly St Dunstan’s) who have given full endorsement to the book. More details of the publication and how to contribute to future volumes are at: www.bmmhs.org/glimpses-of-war
During 2021 BMMHS will continue Zoom talks twice a month and look to resume live meetings as soon as we can and it is deemed safe to do so. Please check our website www.bmmhs.org for up-to-date information.
Our afternoon meeting at 2pm on Tuesday May 4 will be entitled Ships, Stars and Isles - an illustrated talk based on a collection of some four hundred letters that the speaker’s father, Billy Taylor, wrote home to his parents whilst serving in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
Long after his father’s death, Mark Taylor discovered the letters. As he read them, he saw that his father was a skilled and witty writer who had described a naval life, both routine and in action, from the Dover Patrol via the Dunkirk evacuation (where Billy was awarded the D.S.M.), Atlantic convoys, U-boat encounters, the invasions of both North Africa and France, and ultimately the Japanese surrender in the Far East.
Despite the constraints of the censor and his audience, Billy’s letters revealed his thoughts as well as his experience.
On Wednesday May 12 our evening talk at 7.30pm will be on Lawrence of Arabia: Man, Myth and Movie.
Lawrence was probably the most remarkable officer to have served in the British Army during the Great War. Today he is probably the most famous.
Yet it is now difficult to separate the man from the myth.
As a result of recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, T.E. Lawrence has enjoyed a resurgence of interest among British and American army officers.
In his presentation, Dr John Peaty will try to disentangle the man from the myth, examine the various portrayals of Lawrence and try to explain how a junior British Army officer became, next to Mao, the most famous guerrilla leader the world has ever known.
Check out our website on www.bmmhs.org for details of all our talks, and to register for talks, email us on zoom@bmmhs.org
Wargrave Local History Society
The Wargrave Local History Society embarked on its 2021-22 programme of talks in April, again making use of the internet Zoom system.
The presentation was given by Reading Library’s local history specialist, Katie Amos, on Prospect Park Mansion in west Reading – “The history of the Mansion House and its families”.
Katie’s thorough research began with the Benjamin Childs and Frances Kendrick. She had challenged Benjamin to a duel – either fight him or marry him.
He chose the latter, and they lived at Calcot Park. However, Frances died only a few years later, and Benjamin then arranged for Prospect Hill House to be built (now known as The Mansion House).
It was extended by John Liebenrood in 1800, to look much as it does currently, and had various occupiers over time – several renting it for quite short periods.
The stories of these occupiers included a the subject of a Lunacy Commission for his strange behaviour, running out of the house with no clothes on and thinking he was royalty, while his sister was also committed for lunacy.
Another lady, Angela Burdett Coutts, (said to be the richest woman in the country after Queen Victoria) only lived there for a short while, but proposed marriage to the Duke of Wellington.
He was much older than her, but kindly turned her down. Other banking families also occupied the house, and then in the early 1880s it accommodated a school. That had been in nearby Parkside Road, but when those premises went up in flames, made use of Prospect Park House whilst their original school was rebuilt. There were strict rules on what the pupils were allowed to do – or not do.
The Liebenroods. who still owned it, offered it for sale several times towards the end of the 19th century, without success. In 1901 it was bought by Joseph Fidler, who had a business as a seedsman. He then offered it to
Reading Council ‘for the public benefit’, in much the way the Palmer family had provided Palmer Park to the east of Reading.
The council decided that they were unlikely to get a similar opportunity again, so bought it for £14,000. Its uses changed over time, being used for agricultural shows, part for an infectious disease’s hospital. etc.
In the Frist World War, the house was taken over by the Board of Guardians, to re-house elderly from the Battle Hospital site, when that was required to treat injured men from the military, while in the Second, the National Fire Service made use of it. It then fell into a poor state of repair, especially after three arson attacks, but has subsequently been restored and made into a restaurant, with the surrounding ground a public open space.
Katie has written a book on it, published by the Scallop Shell Press.
The Society’s planned programme is at www.wargravehistory.org.uk, where the latest information can be found, or email info@wargravehistory.org.uk to confirm meeting details.