Photographer - Wallingford

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Reasons to be Proud of Wallingford
IN what is fast becoming a remarkable season for
Wallingford Rugby Club, it was the turn of the
Wallingford juniors to give the whole club yet
more reasons to smile. Not only did the under 14’s
give local rivals Henley a 41-7 routing to secure a
place in the Oxfordshire Plate final but the under
13’s went one stage further with an emphatic 36-
0 victory over Grove being rewarded with a finalist
place for the Oxfordshire Cup itself.
The Oxfordshire Cup competition is an
annual event and is a knockout competition
between all the clubs in the County. This is the first
time since the inception of the competition in the
90’s that the club will have been represented at
this age group in a final.
Gina Overton
WALLINGFORD U3A
WALLINGFORD U3A meets at Crowmarsh
Village Hall on the first Wednesday of the
month at 2. There is plenty of parking available.
Every month there is the opportunity to chat to
members over a cup of tea/coffee and to listen to
a very good speaker. In April, the speaker is Paul
Richards and his subject is The Descent of Man.
There is also the opportunity to join a varied
selection of study groups. U3As are self-help, selfmanaged
learning co-operatives for older people
no longer in full time work and provide
opportunities for their members to share learning
experiences in a wide range of interest groups and
to pursue learning not for qualifications but for
fun! Interesting and enjoyable outings are also
organised and vary from visits to theatres, castles
and great houses. Short three or four day holidays
are also arranged and in 2010 it is planned to visit
the Dutch Bulbfields and nearby cities such as
Amsterdam and Bruges. These visits are very
enjoyable and great fun. Come along on the first
Wednesday of the month to Crowmarsh Village
Hall and see for yourself!
St George’s Day
Marilyn Dyer-Lynch
THIS year, our St George’s Day celebrations will
take place on Saturday 25th April. Following
last year’s inaugural event, we will have lots of
music and dancing around the Town Centre,
including the excellent Wallingford School Fun
Band. The Market Place will be closed to traffic
between 10 and 4, with events taking place
between 11 and 3. There will be something for
everyone, including younger children, with free
face painting in Pettits store, morris dancers, more
music and lots of local groups getting involved.
Do come along on the day, and enjoy our
quintessentially English town at its best.
Lynda Atkins
First Aid Unit Well there was
another F.A.U.
THE Society of Friends, otherwise The
Quakers, has a long history of providing
relief to those in distress. The first time that I
am aware that this was done was in 1890
during the Franco¬Prussian War. Again in
1914 the French, and this time Britain, were
at war with Germany. Quakers and other
conscientious objectors, though unwilling to
fight, were concerned to relieve suffering as
best they could. This lead to the formation
of the Friends Ambulance Unit. The First
World War being largely static, ambulance
trains were developed to evacuate casualties
from the western Front to base hospitals.
Some 1000 members of the FAU were
involved in this. Although having the name
'Friends' the organisation was not specifically
a Quaker one, being open to those who
were pacifists and were committed to serve
in this way.
The organisation ceased to exist between
the wars but in 1939 was swiftly reactivated.
Surprisingly it first went overseas following
the invasion of Finland by the Soviet Union
on 1st December 1939. The Second World
War was by no means static and the FAU
worked throughout Europe, North Africa
and elsewhere. When cut off in Burma a
large group moving north, called the 'China
Convoy' became largely responsible for the
distribution of medical supplies throughout
China.
There was some controversy amongst
Quakers because; to enable the FAU to work
in the field it was necessary for the members
to wear army uniforms. This was a
compromise too far for some and as a result
another organisation emerged called the
Friends Relief Service which devoted its time
to civilian relief.
Some members of FAU were killed and a
few taken prisoner, in spite of working under
the authority of the Red Cross. Conscription
continued for some years after 1944 and it
was decided to provide an opportunity for
service for conscientious objectors, the
numbers of which increased following the
dropping of the Atomic Bomb.
With the ending of conscription the FAU
was finally wound up. However Quaker
involvement continued in many parts where
there was need.
Patrick Oakley
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