Jack Williams with Pam Haseltine, 1993

You are in [Themes] [Reminiscences] [Oral History - Audio Archives] [Jack Williams with Pam Haseltine, 1993]

Jack Williams was born in Chilton Foliat, but moved to Hungerford in 1938. He is passionate about Hungerford, has served as Town Councillor for many years, and as Mayor (1978-81), as well as very many other offices. He has written widely on Hungerford, and these taped reminiscences add greatly to our knowledge.

This is Part 1 of 7:
- Born in Chilton Foliat, moved to Hungerford 1938
- Hungerford 1930-1970
- Chilton Aircraft, Vickers Armstrong, shops and errand boys
- Thatchers
- Motor cars
- Refuse collection
- Canal water sports, and dereliction of canal

This is Part 2 of 7:
- The Common
- Clifford, shoe shop
- Macklin's dairy
- Seeing Gen Eisenhower address troops on the Common
- Cricket Club
- War Memorial 1948-49
- The barracks
- Corn Exchange "Doughnut dugout"
- Pill box defence line
- ARP system (Mr Percy)
- Tank traps under the railway bridge. Hedgehogs. Gun emplacement.
- Population changes

This is Part 3 of 7:
- Employment changes
- Wage levels
- Allotments (Strongrove, Eddington, Catholic Church, Dodds' nursery)
- St John's Mission Hall (Church Army)
- Bodman's drapers
- Town Band
- Town Twinning

This is Part 4 of 7:
- Christian Endeavour organisation
- Youth Centre
- Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Air Scouts
- 2nd World War aerodromes
- Bombing at Newbury (and Home Farm, Froxfield)
- Sport - football, rugby club, cricket club
- Cricket pavilion (Savernake station waiting room, then glider packing cases)

This is Part 5 of 7:
- Bowls Club, tennis court, putting green
- Golf course on Common
- 1953 Queen's Coronation
- Carnivals
- Edward's fair
- Fire Brigade
- Parish Council
- Town Council 1974

This is Part 6 of 7:
- High Street changes
- Bearwater
- Wesleyan Methodist Church

This is Part 7 of 7:
- The Laundry - cleaning the boilers
- Platt's brewery (Palethorpe's)
- Champ's Mineral Waters
- Station
- Boarden Carriage
- Frosts of 1940
- John of Gaunt School, 1963
- National School, ARP centre, school dentist
- Library - National School, Dobson's Wool shop, Church Street, Bridge Street schoolroom