Halloween is always fun at Hungerford Arcade –  or so we thought!  When suddenly and without warning, two witches flew down from the sky.  They parked their brooms in the Arcade doorway, the door creaked and the glass rattled as they made their entrance.  The older one, carrying a snowy owl on the end of her hand, cried out,  “We have come this day of Halloween to awaken the spooks who dwell within the bowels of this Arcade”.  The chandeliers shook on the ceilings and lights flickered.  Fearful of the witches, we greeted them kindly hoping they would look upon us favourably, but it became obvious, mischief was on their mind.  

They stalked the Arcade and there came across stallholder, Don Greenslade.  We all gasped and wondered what they had in store for poor Don, when the older witch grabbed him and then, without warning, planted a big kiss on the side of his face.  Then, the young witch did exactly the same.  What is going on? we thought.  All became clear when the witches showed their faces.  We gasped as we looked upon them…… They were Jayne Greenslade (Don’s lovely wife) and his gorgeous daughter, Vicky.  It turned out to be another great day at the Arcade after all!

Recently, I had occasion to be walking past the Crown Court in Reading when I noticed that a memorial had been erected opposite the elegant gates of the building.  On closer inspection, I found that the memorial was in memory of a certain Frederick William Owen Potts who to date, has won the only Victoria Cross associated with the town.

But who was Fred Potts, and what were the circumstances of his gallantry, and what became of him?

Fred was actually born in 1892 in the Katesgrove area of Reading and lived a very obscure life until 1913 when he saved a boy called Charles Rex from drowning in the River Thames, which earned him gratitude and notice at the time.

By 1915, Fred was a soldier serving in 1/1^st Berkshire Yeomanry and found himself involved in the treacherous Gallipoli Campaign.  On the 21^st of August 1915, Fred found himself with a severely wounded comrade very near to some Turkish trenches. He himself had been wounded in the thigh but remained with his fellow soldier for over two days.  Knowing that their position was perilous, Fred constructed a sledge of sorts by attaching a shovel to the equipment of his wounded friend. He then dragged the man over six hundred yards to safety with both being under enemy fire for the whole duration.  For this bravery, Trooper Potts was awarded the Victoria Cross, and after a stay in hospital, he returned to the conflict where he achieved the rank of lance-corporal.

After the war, he kept a tailors shop in Alpine Street and like many other soldiers, slowly faded back into obscurity.  Sadly, Fred died young at the age of fifty on the 2nd of November 1943. He was buried at the Reading Crematorium where his grave can be found.

The Victoria Cross and other medals that belonged to Fred are now held by the Imperial War Museum.  Although Fred died young, the soldier that he saved, a man named Arthur Andrews, lived a long life only passing away in 1980 aged eighty-nine.  Charles Rex, the five year old boy he saved from drowning in 1913 also enjoyed a long life thanks to Fred, surviving until he was nearly ninety.  It was not until 2009 and after a radio documentary, that a reunion took place at the Imperial War Museum between the relatives of both Arthur and Fred.

Shortly after this, plans were put into place that a permanent memorial be erected in honour of Trooper Potts.  The choice of location near to the beautiful Forbury Gardens was a good one and one can see not only the memorial to Fred but a small and interesting permanent exhibition.  There is also an associated memorial, the Maiwand Lion, listing the men of Reading who perished during the horrors of World War One.

Fred also had a new road named after him in Reading, in a rather busy location to say the least.  Trooper Potts Way can be found outside of the back entrance to Reading Railway Station.  I wonder how many of the people using this thoroughfare stop and think of who Trooper Fred Potts actually was and why he is now quite celebrated by this large Berkshire town?

Stuart Miller-Osborne

June is first on the left Gary is in the centre (Is that a fur collar Gary?)

Hungerford Arcade stallholders, Gary and June Crook own two of the military vehicles that will be on display outside the Arcade on Sunday 1st November.  They have just returned from another successful tour with The Royal Observer Group and their vintage military vehicles, this time in Belgium and Germany.

Gary and June came into the Arcade this week to do something very special to their unit.  They cleared two shelves of militaria which was for sale and replaced it with a military display for Remembrance. As you can see from the pictures, they did a marvellous job.

When you are next in Hungerford, call into the Arcade and take a look at Gary and June’s very special unit 28 and our Memorial window.

For further details of this wonderful event, go to  www.hungerfordrotary.org.uk

Hungerford Arcade co-owner, Adrian Gilmour, received an invitation from his bank manager, Phil Hobbs, to attend the Reading Digital Business Club: Innovation, organised by Barclays Bank for their business clients.  Adrian accepted and took his managers, Alex Rogers and myself, (Rita) to the event.

We finished work at the Arcade, locked up and went on our way to Reading in Adrian’s car.  We had to be there by 6.00 pm.  It was raining as we headed along the M4 towards Reading making very good time.  We were about two miles from our exit when suddenly, traffic began to slow down before gradually coming to a halt. We sat there and sat there in the dark, looking at our watches.  At 6.45 we really began to worry, because if we didn’t move by 7.00 at the latest, we might as well turn around and head back to Hungerford.  Then, at 6.55 the traffic started moving, getting faster and faster.  We were soon at our turn-off just outside Reading.  

Barclays Bank Manager, Phil Hobbs, Rita Kibble, Leslie Commodore, Alex Rogers

With great relief, we arrived at Barclays Bank, where we were greeted with a very warm welcome.  We had some food and a drink as we were brought up to speed as to what had gone on before. Barclays Digital Eagle, Leslie Commodore presented IT and he was excellent.  We took away a lot of useful information which will surely be helpful to the Arcade business. It was a great evening and we were all very pleased we made it.  Sadly, Adrian is not in the photograph as he was the photographer!

All of us at Hungerford Arcade wish to congratulate Fiona Hobson and her team for making The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning held at the United Reformed Church for Macmillan Cancer Support a phenomenal success.  In a letter, Fiona said, “This is the fourth year we have held this and this year, we raised more than the first two years added together!!.  The total raised so far this year is, £1,371.15”.

Well done everyone who contributed and made it such a success.

The Hungerford 2015 Food Festival was a huge success again this year.  The weather was glorious and the town was packed with people. There were over 40 stalls of local produce, street food and buskers, live cooking demonstrations, children’s foodie fun and face painting, and the great Hungerford Cook-Off not to mention, Barney’s Pumpkin Challenge.

We had Dominic and Haley Crocker and chef, Jamie Price of Hog and Crackle, plugged into our electricity supply roasting their hog. (It makes me hungry just thing about it!).

There was Ian from Olives & Things with the most fabulous stall you have ever seen.

Venus and Chris Cardwell of ISIDRO’S selling Filipino, Vietnamese and Thai food.

 
There were farmers selling their fruit and vegetables, meat of every kind.  Bakers, cheese makers.  Too many to mention.

Dani Winslet, the Events Manager at the Town Hall and Corn Exchange did an amazing job.  She was very busy organising everyone but took time out to have her picture taken with Arcade co-owner, Adrian Gilmour.  Well done Dani.

That is it for another year, but the next big event in the town is the Hungerford Literary Festival from 16th – 19th October. For any queries, including sponsorship opportunities, please contact Emma at The Hungerford Bookshop on 01488 683480 or email sales@hungerfordbooks.co.uk

Our Classic Car Show was once again a great success.  The warm sunshine brought everyone out and the Arcade was buzzing!  The West Berkshire Classic Vehicle Club, as always, did us proud with a spectacular display of classic cars.  You will see what I mean when you view some of the pictures below.  There will be more to follow in the next few days, so keep looking.

The Friends of the

David Hunt – Treasurer of The Atwell Wilson Motor Museum

Atwell Wilson Motor Museum were here selling raffle tickets for their beautiful classic Mini Cooper.  All the proceeds go towards the upkeep of this wonderful museum. You can find out more about them by clicking on this link to their website www.atwellwilson.org.uk/

We would like to say a big thank you to Mike and Colleen Kent and all the Members of the West Berkshire Classic Vehicle Club for all their hard work in organising this very popular event.

Dave Powell with his 1962 Standard Companion

Edwin Bootyman on his 1200cc Honda Goldwing Interstate

Hillman Minx

Ken Pickford with his 1958 Hillman Minx Estate which he is going to completely restore. There are only 3 or 4 of this model left in the country

Bryan Geater’s 1967 MkII 2.8 Jaguar which he has owned for 35 years.

Beautiful Sunbeam Alpine

Roy Parr with his beautiful Triumph Vitesse

Frank Cheever’s beautiful and very rare, 1969 Hillman Husky Estate

Unfortunately, the piece had lost it’s price tag and though we tried, we couldn’t get hold of the stallholder to put a price on it.  So, Halldis had to leave without the one item she really wanted.

 A few days passed and the stallholder was reached and a price ticket was placed on the item and the item was returned to it’s unit.  That day, just minutes after it had been returned to the unit, a customer had a minor trip and knocked the cup off the shelf and it smashed on the floor.  Well, accidents do happen, so the poor old cup ended up in the bin and I thought nothing more of it.

Until, that is, the very next day when Halldis came back in for another browse.  She asked me if I had found out the price of the cup because she would really love to buy it.  I informed her of the series of events which led to it ending up in the bin.    She was so disappointed that she could have bought it and saved it from it’s untimely demise if only she had come in the day before.

She was so upset that she asked me if I would show her the broken pieces – and it just so happened I hadn’t emptied the bin yet and the pieces were all there.  She said she would like to take them home to Norway and stick them back together to add to her collection of blue and white.  I was more than happy to let her have them for nothing, in exchange for such a good story!

She absolutely loved the Arcade and although she would have been happier to take the cup away in one piece, she was delighted to have it even though it had been smashed.

A lovely lady called into the Arcade, Waterways Chaplain, Sue Stapleton.  It was always Sue’s dream to live on a boat and when she and her husband Bob sold their home in November 2013, they couldn’t find a suitable house and out of the blue, the opportunity to buy a boat came along –  Sue’s dream came true.  Sue and Bob have 4 children, one of whom is still at university and two grandchildren. 

Sue and husband, Bob love every minute of their life on a boat and have never looked back. Life on the canal is amazing and the wide range of people who chose this life is wonderful.   Sue is part of a Chaplain work group called Work Place Matters who deal solely with people living on the waterways.  Sue covers the canal between Devizes and Newbury and is always on hand, together with her husband Bob, to help people in any way they can.  

 I, like many people, think of life on the canals as a dream.  Obviously it is for most, but for others, it can be quite hard.  As you do not have a registered address living on a boat, life can be difficult for some people, especially those who suffer anxiety and depression.  For example, for those who need to sign on and receive job seekers and anyone who has to fill out forms, register with a doctor, dentist or dependent on a food bank, you can feel quite insecure and lonely.  This is where Sue and her husband, Bob make all the difference by talking, filling in forms and much, much more and do turn hopelessness into positive thinking as many people already know.   

Sue was in the Arcade this morning  purchasing items that she will keep on her boat for anyone who needs something at any time.  From china to all bits and pieces.  Things we all take for granted does not, for various reasons, come naturally to some of those living on a boat.  These are the people whom Sue and Bob help.  Sue is a bright, bubbly lady and I am sure that she brings happiness to all people whether they need help or not.

 You can find out more about the Waterways Chaplains by clicking onto this link www.workplacematters.org.uk/articles/canal-plus-chaplaincy-to-hidden-community