Rationing to end white weddings

“At least 16 coupons would be needed for a long dress made of satin, and it would be a very selfish bride who would expect her bridesmaids to surrender valuable coupons for dresses to be used only on one occasion,” wrote the Swindon Diary columnist.

Brides to be were advised to invest in a good tweed suit which would see them through all occasions, not only the wedding.

Other weddings this week in 1941 included that of Cyril Francis Robey of Highclere Farm, Newbury, who married Freda Wyatt of 40 Havelock Street at St. Paul’s, Swindon.

And Elsie Grace Wheeler of 17 Portsmouth Street was presented with a lucky horseshoe when she emerged from Christ Church following her marriage to Gunner William Franklin of 48 Swindon Road, Wroughton.

EX KAISER DIES IN EXILE Ex-Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Emperor who plunged Germany into war in 1914, died in exile this week in 1941. Aged 82, the grandson of Queen Victoria died at Doorn in Holland.

The ex Kaiser, abdicated following Germany’s defeat and on the day before the Armistice in 1918, he crossed the Dutch frontier to exile.

The Peace Treaty declared the ex Kaiser a criminal, and arrangements were made for his trial in London, but extradition was refused by the Dutch government.

Although he made no explicit comment, it was understood that he looked with favour on the Nazi regime as fostering Germany’s recovery, but did not approve its attitude to Jews.

TEETHING TROUBLES The Ministry of Health announced that contrary to reports, there was no shortage of false teeth and that there was no need to grant import licences as the home manufacture was increasing.

But a leading importer of false teeth stated that the stoppage of American supplies was making itself felt already.

“Most of the teeth made in this country are going to the Forces,” the importer stated.

“Enemy action has reduced the reserves. One London firm lost 250,000 teeth in a raid,”

FAMILIES MOURN LOSS OF THEIR SONS Local man Lance Corporal Edgar Robbins of the Royal Engineers was killed while on active service in Egypt. He was former clerk at the Great Western Railway and had been studying for his BSc degree before the outbreak of war. He was only son of Frank and Dorothy Robbins of Carfax Street, Swindon, and was 21-years-old when he died. He had joined up in November 1939 and had served in France with the BEF for six months before being transferred just two months before his death.

And two Wootton Bassett men were among the 1,415 men lost when the battle cruiser HMS Hood was sunk in the Denmark Strait. First Class Stoker Reginald Inkpen, 21, was the third son of Mr and Mrs LS Inkpen, of Vale View and had been in the service 17 months. He had previously been employed in the GWR Works in Swindon. Jefferys Waterson, 24 also a First Class Stoker, was the only son of Nurse Sheppard, of Wood Street. He had been in the Navy for four years and had also previously been employed in the GWR Works.

BOYS FACE THE COURT Magistrates berated the parents of a boy who appeared before Swindon’s Juvenile Court for the third time, this week in 1941.

“The seriousness of the position is not appreciated either by you or his mother,” chairman Mr WR Robins told the father of the boy who had stolen bicycles and sold them on, aided by his mother.

“You must realise that if you are unable to keep the boy under control somebody else must, in his interest, endeavour to do so,” said Mr. Robins, announcing that the boy would be sent to an approved school.

And two boys who did £3 worth of damage to windows on the canal side were dismissed with a caution while their parents were ordered to pay 4s costs each.

Mr HC Preater, the complainant, said stone throwing had become a terrible nuisance And he said personal warnings seemed to go unheeded.

He did not wish to press the case, he told the court, but he thought it was time something was done, especially in view of the fact that when he caught the boys he was subjected to considerable abuse from the mother of one of them.