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AT Wargrave Local History Society’s December meeting members enjoyed the traditional homemade mince pies and mulled wine expertly prepared by Wendy Smith.

During the evening, the society secretary took another look at some items from the society archives.

Although these were, as on some previous occasions, postcard views of the village, this particular selection looked at the messages on the back more than the views on the front.

They ranged in date from 1906 through to the Thirties, and were the equivalent of the email of today. It was even possible to send a postcard for somebody’s birthday, and it would be received on the same day as posted.

The first was a view looking up Victoria Road, with just the simple message “With Love from Granny” on the back but it had been over-printed with the wording “Christmas Greetings” on the front (this being before the general introduction of the types of Christmas cards familiar now).

The selection then took a virtual walk, beginning by the entrance to the Wargrave Backwater. The back of the card has a clear Wargrave postmark for June 22, 1905.

Rosie, the writer of the card, has clearly run out of space. Not only is there part of the message upside down before the start, there is a further comment on the picture side.

The main message reads “I hope you haven’t got one like this, thanks for pretty one this morn. Nice to he you to go to Reading. Why didn’t you take me. I went to Bear Place for an hour yesterday stayed to tea home by 6.15. Isn’t it grand weather. when are you coming on now. Any time if you feel you would be clear when you got up.” (It should probably have said “Nice to hear you to go to Reading ...”).

Although Hare Hatch lies (as it did then) within the parish of Wargrave, the postal address for The Grange is given as Nr Twyford. This was fairly typical of the kind of messages to be seen on these postcards.

The next few examples — seen in date order — moved along the Backwater, then to Chiltern Towers (in Dark Lane), followed by the then new Wargrave Station and the Vicarage (then on the corner of Station Road).

The next postcard showed the church, and was postmarked in Wargrave on September 4, 1906. This one was sent to an address in Upper Parkstone (which is in Dorset, between the towns of Poole and Bournemouth).

Although there is not yet the roofed lych gate at the churchyard path, there is a metal arch supporting a large electric lamp — powered from the church’s generator in what is now the Hannen Room, as this pre-dated mains electricity supplies in the village.

The message is again more like modern social media: “Dear J, Thank you very much for PC, what a nice view, it must be a pretty place. I am glad you like your blouse. I expect you noticed I have not finished it if you will let me have it a few hours when you come back, I will do it but I knew you could ware it and no one but yourself would know. Fondest love Eva”.

The card of the Vicarage had been posted on the same day by Sally to the same Dorset address and it also thanked J for the PC they had received — clearly exchanging postcards was a common means of communication.

Moving along the High Street, the card of the White Hart was another posted to The Grange at Hare Hatch, on October 31, 1908. The message, written sideways on the address side of the card, reads “Dear J, I am so sorry I could not come up yesterday as I went to Reading on Thursday but I will come up Mon or Tuesday, so glad you got a nice day today with love, Yours ever MS”.

A view of the church after the June 1914 fire was used to send birthday greetings the following month — the address only has Victoria Road — the postman knew where people lived without a house name or number!

A different view of the church was posted on September 24, 1917 — use of the pictures of the pre-fire church not being particularly unusual — this actual photograph pre-dating even the provision of the electric light over the gateway.

The message is again one of information, not the holiday greeting typical on modern postcards. Set sideways on, George wrote “Sun night — Dear Maj, I arrived home safe at 10.30 after a lot of trouble with my lamps, for they would not burn. Will write tomorrow Monday Love to all”.

Note that even though a house number is given, Victoria Road was not numbered throughout until the Sixties — 6a was one of the terrace of houses on the south side at the top of the road.

The style of postmark used for Wargrave changed over time, from the square pattern of the early cards to the round versions used later as seen on the 1917 card or the 1931 version.

The view of the river, looking towards Shiplake, was taken close to the St George and Dragon. Posted on January 1, 1931, it is again a message about a journey. In this case, it reads “Dear Auntie Polly, Just to let you know we got home all right. We just managed to catch the bus at Maidenhead and then we had a lift from Hare Hatch. Love to all from Ruth”.

Villagers — in this case living near the top of Victoria Road — would not consider it unusual to walk along the unlit road to and from the A4 bus stop by the Horse and Groom.

Most of the postcards seen were addressed to a Miss J Viner — not a familiar village name — at addresses within Wargrave, in London, and in Dorset. So, who was Miss Viner?

Jane Elizabeth Viner was born on December 20, 1883, in Southcote, Reading, where her father, John William Viner, was a gardener.

By 1901, she had moved to Wargrave, where she was living at the vicarage, working as a “school room maid” for the vicar, the Rev Arthur Henry Austen-Leigh.

By the time of the first of these postcards, 1905, she is living at The Grange at Hare Hatch, as a servant girl. The house belonged at that time to James Remnant, MP (grandfather of the society’s late president) — hence sometimes her address is in London.

Meanwhile, Jane’s parents, John and Annie, have moved to live in Dorset, in the Parkstone area of Poole, and Jane has holidays there with them at their home in Alder Road — Jane’s sister, Alice, living in nearby Albert Road. In the 1911 census, Jane is shown as a housemaid at 4 Oxford Square in London — the home of James F Remnant, barrister.

In 1915 she got married at St Michael’s church in Bournemouth (she was then living quite close to the church, at The Lodge, Chine Crescent Road) to William James Fuller. He was 17 years older than Jane, having been born on August 6, 1866, and was a widower, his first wife, Ruth, having died on July 21, 1914.

William and Jane’s first child was baptised at St Michael’s on August 25, 1916, being called Jane Ruth. (Although not far away — two to three miles — neither Alder Road or Albert Road, Parkstone, lie within the parish of St Michael’s).

But the address they had at the time their daughter was born was 6a Victoria Road, Wargrave. In the 1911 census, William had been living at 4a and working for a Iocal builder. He was also one of the bell-ringers at St Mary’s. By the time of the 1939 register (effectively a census at that time), Jane Fuller’s daughter, Jane Ruth, is living at The Grange at Hare Hatch, also as a servant girl.

The next (and last) entry in the register for The Grange is another “local girl” — Vera Silver — three years younger than Jane Fuller. Vera would be better known to many in Wargrave by her married name — Vera Bird — having married taxi driver Harold in 1944.

Also recorded in the 1939 Register are William James and Jane Elizabeth Fuller, living at the Woodclyffe Almshouses (no 3). William died in January 1945, his funeral being at St Mary’s on the 29th and his wife died on January 1, 1962, both being interred in the churchyard.

So, one more postcard addressed to Jane Viner at The Grange. Posted on December 23, 1907, it was another local view card overprinted with “Christmas Greetings”, but in this case one of a series a multiview cards. Clearly bearing the Wargrave postmark, the message reads “Dear Jannie, Just to wish you a very Happy Christmas & Bright & Prosperous New Year. I find Alice sent you a PC similar to this so thought you would like a pair. With fondest love & Best Christmas Wishes from Eva.”

Jane and William Fuller’s daughter, Jane, got married at St Mary’s Church on October 5, 1943, and her first child was born on January 8, 1947, and baptised at St Mary’s on April 7. Sadly he died on February 27, 1985 (the funeral being on March 4), just over eight years before his mother on June 26, 1993, while his father, Gerald, died on June 8, 1989.

Oh and Jane Fuller was better known by her middle name as Ruth Bird and her son, Derek, was the society’s first chairman.

For more information about the society, visit www.wargrave
history.org.uk

Peter Delaney