"The Winsham I Remember"
POLITICS
There was always a division between the Church and Chapel people, which
in some respects is in evidence today. It was the custom of Chapel people
to vote Liberal, and the Church people Conservative. I well remember at
one time the Liberal Committee rooms were at the Manse, and right next
door, where the yard entrance was situated, stood a large hoarding with
large posters asking for your vote. Electioneering times in the village
were lively, with quite a hectic period leading up till the day the actual
voting took place. Meetings were held in both the Jubilee Hall and the
Schoolroom, questions were asked, there were both hecklers and barrackers,
as well as fierce arguments, and on voting day people came into the
village that never came on any other occasion, but they all seemed to turn
out to vote. I remember that, if you worked on the Cricket St Thomas
estate, you were bought in to vote if they were reasonably satisfied that
you would vote in the right direction. I also remember that my own father,
who worked on the estate, was never afforded that privilege. This was a
sure sign that they were doubtful as to his political views, although I
can never remember him making his views public.
I do recall one night, the
Honourable Aubrey Herbert was coming to Winsham to address a meeting, and
on such occasions the village would be alive with expectations and the
streets would be thronged with grown ups and children alike, and on this
particular occasion a crowd of his supporters had gone down to Axewater to
meet him. The idea was to take a huge length of rope, tie it to the front
of his car, and haul it manually, triumphantly, up through the village to
the Jubilee Hall, where he was to address a packed meeting. On this
occasion, regretfully, things didn't work out exactly as planned. One of
the opposition had infiltrated the ranks, and cut the rope, and to the
tune of "Vote, Vote, Vote, for Aubrey Herbert" the car went into
reverse, causing a great deal of consternation and delay. However, with
little material damage, the parade finally arrived at the Jubilee Hall to
the strains of "See the Conquering Hero Comes" and the meeting
duly takes place as arranged.
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