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September 2019
In this issue:
  • 'ATA Girls and Ancient Airmen' exhibition now on
  • News and Sunday Opening
  • Maidenhead Boundary Walk
  • Did you know... 
  • Upcoming Exhibitions

ATA Girls and Ancient Airmen Exhibition now on

Running until 2 November, this new display in the Sammes Gallery marks the ATA’s 80th anniversary and features a number of ATA people who had strong connections with White Waltham and Maidenhead. They include Amy Johnson and her ex-husband Jim Mollison. Freddie Laker, the pioneer of budget travel, and an American pilot who kept a diary which is brim full of social detail about where he lodged and where he ate, drank and partied. Skindles and the Riviera both feature, as does dinner with Lady Astor at Cliveden!  
Another successful Thames Cruise

A full load of passengers enjoyed our annual River Thames cruise from Maidenhead to Temple and back on a glorious day on 5th September. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a wonderful day. Looking a long way ahead, the 2020 cruise will be on Thursday 3rd September 2020 – a date for your new diary!

Tribute to the WVS, WRVS and RVS

To mark the 80th Anniversary of the start of the Second World War, Maidenhead Heritage Centre is paying overdue tribute to the women of the local WVS, WRVS and RVS with a new exhibition starting in early November. 

The WVS (Women’s Voluntary Service) was founded in 1938 by the Marchioness of Reading to recruit women to support Air Raid Precautions (ARP) in a country preparing to face wartime aerial bombing. Soon the role of the WVS extended beyond Civil Defence, helping with wider social issues such as evacuees and the distribution of food and clothing to air raid victims.

Over eighty years on, the Royal Voluntary Service continues its work, having become independent from Civil Defence in 1968.

The legacy of the Maidenhead WVS, and its successor organizations, can be seen in the Community Centre on York Road, and in the memories of those helped during the Floods and the great fire at Windsor.   

If you have stories to tell, photographs and memorabilia available for loan for the exhibition, please contact us. Thank you.

Frozen uniforms!  

Many thanks to Colin Cutler, a long-time supporter of the Heritage Centre, for offering space in his freezer for a number of ATA uniforms.  These arrived with moth damage and are being deep frozen to kill off the eggs which may be hidden in creases and folds in the fabric. Once the uniforms have been declared clear of infestation, some of them will be displayed in the ATA gallery on the first floor. Meanwhile we are delighted to have received loans and donations from the families of four ATA people who were looking for a museum which would take good care of their material.
Sunday Opening
We are pleased to announce that the Heritage Centre will be open on Sundays (12noon to 4pm), starting Sunday 20th October. Being open the extra day will give more families the opportunity to come and visit us at the weekends. This wouldn't be possible of course without the dedication from our volunteer team, and we would be delighted to welcome new volunteers who could offer their support on Sundays.

Maidenhead Boundary Walk
On October 6th our assistant administrator Flora will be doing the annual Maidenhead Boundary Walk to raise funds for the Heritage Centre.  The 14 mile walk was completed by MHT Chairman Richard Poad last year. Flora has so far raised a total sponsorship of well over £300. You can sponsor Flora by clicking here or by phoning in a pledge on 01628 780555.

Did you know...
In 1945, the residents of Albert Street and Princess Street were invited to a VE Party in Royal Square, Maidenhead. Congregating around a large table, they ate party food consisting of jelly, cakes and paste sandwiches, all paid for with saved-up rations for the occasion. Can you spot Mrs Diana Borden, draped in a Union Flag, wearing her sister’s wedding dress? Although not visible in the picture, Diana also wore a blue and gold satin cloak and a fireman’s helmet with a dustbin lid for a shield and a broom stick for a trident. She must have made quite the stir.

In 2020, a local resident is going to recreate a 1945 VE Day party at the top of Maidenhead High Street to celebrate 75 years since the end of the Second World War. The event will be filled with music, dancing and food from the era. Guests will also be encouraged to dress up in the outfits of the time. So, if next year you stumble across people dressed up like Mrs Borden, you will know that you are not seeing ghosts from the past but modern day folk enjoying VE celebrations like the generation before them.

Upcoming Exhibitions
A Football Anniversary

2020 is the 150th anniversary of Maidenhead United Football Club - the oldest senior football ground in the UK. The anniversary will be marked with a special exhibition appealing to all fans of the sport. The exact dates have not been fixed, but meanwhile we would be pleased to hear from people with stories to tell and memorabilia they would be happy to loan for the exhibition.

For full details of our exhibition schedule from September to December, please visit our events page
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