THE COUNCIL: It's 1919 and the "photo-opportunity" has become a part of Abingdon political life! The film camera took a slow panning shot across Roysse Court where the Council had mustered before joining the ceremonies in the town centre. Stills from the film have been brought together into a composite picture to allow us to view the whole team, which included senior post-holders such as the Town Clerk and the Chief Engineer as well as elected Councillors. We can cross-refer to other evidence to identify many of them.
One of our researchers found this photograph in the County Hall Museum archives. This was the Corporation taken on the day of the Coronation of King George V in 1911, in front of the same building but taken from a different angle. This image is useful because the individuals are named below in the order they appear in the photograph so we can definitely link names and faces. Take a close look at the faces and see how many you think were still in the Corporation eight years later and feature above?
Meanwhile we can also interrogate the evidence of the local newspaper reports of the events of the day. The North Berks Herald mentions the Mayor as being Alderman H. S. Challenor and later in the same article reported that "...the Corporation procession, in their official robes, came from the Guildhall and occupied the platform, the Mayor preceded by the Sergeant-at-Mace, and accompanied by the Vicar of Abingdon (the Rev. H. A. Kennedy), Aldermen Morland and Cottrell, Councillors Clarke (Deputy-Mayor), Gadd, Skurray, Langford, Palmer, Gibson, Thatcher, Saxby and Rippon, the Town Clerk (Mr. H. G. W. d'Almaine), and other Borough officers." (NBH 9th August 1919)
Six surnames below the 1911 photograph match with surnames reported by the newspapers, and the face of one of the men described as Sergeant-at-Mace is additionally recognisable as being in both images. The Town Clerk, Mayor and Vicar are identifiable by their robes which are little changed in the modern era.
How are you getting on with naming numbers 1 to 23 above?
Cllr Skurray - One of the names above is known to the historians who have put together the Abingdon Buildings and People web resource. Follow the link to find out more about Skurray (and see pictures of him). He was an important figure in the town and ran Morlands Brewery for many years. If you are not already familiar with the website prepare to be happily sidetracked into many other fascinating and carefully researched articles about people from Abingdon across the ages and the buildings they lived and worked in. Click here for link to Skurray in the Buildings and People website.
Cllr Langford - This family name is also covered in the Abingdon Buildings and People web resource. The article is a general introduction to the family and their business interests but as yet we do not have a precise identification of the Councillor present at the Homecoming Parade, not any photo to compare with the images from the film. Click here for link to Langford Family in the Buildings and People website.
