TALES FROM THE HILLS

(Ashmansworth and Crux Easton)

Last month’s tale reminded me of a member of the WI, long retired, who was once persuaded to give a talk on her time in Africa. She peered closely at one slide. “I can’t think why I put that one in,” she said. A member of the audience suggested: “There’s an elephant under that tree.” Well, that’s one way to keep your audience awake: get them to help with the talk!

The WI played a great part in the life of the villages for everyone, not just for the members. They often invited us to meetings and on trips. There was a tour of a new liner, the QE2, at Southampton, an outing along the Kennet and Avon canal on a horse-drawn barge, tea with the Swanns at The Chase, and a walk with the children over the fields from Ashmansworth to Woodcott for tea and cakes.

Laura Nicholson persuaded them to hold three meetings a year in Woodcott. Fair enough.

Woodcott had active members: Alma Bushnell, Pat Legg and Mrs Watts and, what’s more, it had a charming village hall, in brick. By contrast, Ashmansworth’s was then bare concrete blocks. (That planner from Basingstoke was scathing. “Do something about it,” he said. “Urgently!”)

Memory is too fickle, even with hard evidence. For example, here’s a letter from Carol

O’Shaughnessy, president of the WI in 1984, thanking me for a talk I’d given. To this day I can’t remember ever giving a talk to the WI. I dug up an old appointments diary and sure enough, there it is: “7.45. WI.”

Further digging revealed a copy of my letter accepting the invitation, to give a talk

on the history of the villages. I’ve even added that I expect to learn more from the members than they’ll learn from me. Yet the talk itself remains a blank.

I do remember that the first president was Mary Cooper, followed by Edith Anscomb, Pamela Fane and Diana Barton. Other stalwarts from those days were Doreen Poole, Mary Herbert, Olive Theyer, Kate Theyer, Hilary Finzi, Joan Fisher, Mrs Saunders and Penelope Lake. Over at Crux Easton there were Joan Nicholls, Pat Archer, Nora Kilby and Mrs Blomfield.

To their credit, a new member, a Mrs Phillips, insisted that it should be put on record that they were the nicest and friendliest WI she’d known. Where had she been?

Agricola, April 2026