Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 4. p 834

A Po pu la r Food Control Official

H a n d s o m e P re s e n ta tio n to Mr. W . S. Belcher.
A v ery p lea sin g litt le ce re m o n y was e n a cte d
in th e Mayor '€™ s Parlour, R e a d in g , o n O ct. 14th,
w hen M r. W. S. Belcher, u n til
r e c e n tly th e
E x e cu tiv e O fficer o f th e Food Control Committee
in R e a d in g , was
traders o f p re s e n te d
th e to w n by s om e
with, t a n g ib le
of tok en s the of
ch er. H e was a p p o in te d a n d th e y all knew th e
stren u o u s tim es th e y h a d rig h t fro m th e d a y he
was a p p o in te d u n til h e le ft. T h a t was p a rticu ­
la rly th e ca se w hen th e re was a s h o rta g e o f
m a r g a rin e and s om e p eop le s eem ed d e te rm in e d
to cre a te an u p r o a r b eca u se th e y said th e
w ea lth ie r classes h a d th e ir g o o d s d e liv e re d to
th em w h ereas th e p o o r h a d to sta n d in queues

skilfu l m a n n e r in w h ich M r. Belcher ca rrie d o u t
his d u tie s th ere m ig h t h a v e b een serious riots in
R e a d in g . M r. Colebrook su gg ested , and oth ers
a t once fe ll in w ith th e id e a , th a t th ey should
sh ow th e ir a p p re cia tio n o f th e w ay in w h ich
M r. B e lch e r h a d ca rrie d o u t his very o n erou s
d u tie s. A h a n d som e fr u it b o w l h a d b een p u r­
ch ased and he h a d th e gre a te st p leasure in

a n d th e n w ere n o t ce rta in o f g e ttin g t h a t w h ich
t h e y w e re e n title d to . I n J a n u a ry th e re was
th a t q u e u e o u ts id e t h e Maypole . T h e co m m it
t e e w ere1 w o rk in g in t h a t ro o m a t th e tim e an d
h e a rin g th e p e o p le w ere b re a k in g in to th e Maypole
se ve ra l o f them w en t to W e s t S tr e e t a n d
fr o m t h e t o p o f a tra in to ld th e p e o p le th ey
s h o u ld h a v e th e ir ju s t rig h ts. M r. B e lch e r sat
u p th e w h ole o f th a t n ig h t in o r d e r t h a t th e
m a r g a rin e s h o u ld b e d istrib u te d . B u t f o r th e

h a n d in g th e re m a in d e r o f t h e m o n e y t o M r.
B e lch e r in th e sh a p e o f a ch equ e f o r £50.
He
w ished b o th M r. an d M rs. B e lch e r lo n g life ,
h e a lth and h a ppiness. (A p p la u s e .)
T h e bow l, s u p p lie d b y M essrs. Botly & Lewis,
b o re t h e in scrip tio n :— P re se n te d t o M r. W . S .
B e lch e r b y th e business m e n o f R e a d in g in re ­
co g n itio n o f h is services as E xe cu tiv e Officer
d u rin g National Rationing , 1917-18.
F . A . Sarjeant , Mayor.

th e ir res p ect f o r h im p e rs o n a lly an d th e ir keen
a p p re cia tio n o f his s p le n d id w ork in co n n e ctio n
w ith th e fo o d d istrib u tio n .

T h e e m b o d im e n t o f

t a c t, g o o d te m p e r a n d co u rte sy in m o s t try in g
tim e s , a n d w h en th e w ork m u st h a v e seem ed
a lm o s t o v e r w h e lm in g ,

M r.B e lc h e r ’ s co n d u ct
w as th e a d m ira tio n o f th e to w n s p e o p le g en er­
ally .
H is frie n d s n a tu ra lly d id n o t lik e h im to
le a v e w ith o u t s om e little to k e n o f th e ir esteem
a n d h ig h a p p re cia tio n o f his
v a lu a b le w ork.
M r. W . M . Colebrook , w ith t h a t g o o d n a tu re o f
w h ich h e is th e e m b o d im e n t,
no
sooner
m a d e th e s u g g e stio n th a n it w as receiv ed w ith
th e g r e a te s t fa v o u r a m on g st th e tra d e rs o f th e
to w n , w ith t h e resu lt th a t M r. B elch er,

w ith

w h om was in clu d e d his w ife , receiv ed a ch eq u e
f o r £50 a n d a h a n d s o m e f r u it dish .
T h e M a y o r (M r. F. A . Sarjeant) p resid ed ,
a n d h e w as a cco m p a n ie d b y M r. a n d M rs.
Belch er, M r. R . J . Venner , M r. W . M . Colebrook , M r. W . G. Hick s
(re p re s e n tin g the
m a s ter bakers ), M r. R . R . Rawlinson (m a n a g er,
Reading Industrial C-Operative Society ), M r.
J . W . Harris (R e a d in g Dairymen ), an d M r. J.
Freeman (p re s id e n t, Reading Grocers' €™ Associat io n ) .
A p o lo g ie s w ere re c e iv e d fr o m M r. Pulle n , M r.
F . A . Cox an d M r. Longhurst, b o th o f t h e la tte r
s p e a k in g in h ig h te rm s co n ce rn in g th e p a tien ce,
t a c t a n d co u rte sy w h ich M r. B e lc h e r d isp la y ed ,
e v e n in th e m o st tr y in g tim es.
T h e M A Y O R sa id t h a t th e y w ere all a w a re
t h a t a b o u t a y e a r a g o th e y w ere in g r e a t diffi­
cu ltie s in R e a d in g as fo o d was sh ort.
T h ey
k n e w t h a t if t h e y w ere to d o a n y th in g th a t was
rig h t a n d ju s t t o t h e in h a b ita n ts a t la r g e fo o d
m u st b e c u rta ile d t o a ce r ta in e x te n t a n d d is tri­
b u te d ge n e ra lly . H e w as a p p o in te d as on e o f
th e m em b ers rep resen tin g th e C ou n cil an d th ey
h a d t o look ro u n d t o find an E x e cu tiv e O fficer
f o r th e p u rp o s e o f th e d istrib u tio n o f th e fo o d .
S e v e ra l na m es w ere su g g e ste d , b u t n on e m e t
w ith t h e sa m e a p p ro v a l as d id t h a t o f M r. B e l­

M r. V E N N E R exp ressed th e g r e a t p leasure it
a fford ed him t o p a rticip a te in t h a t p resen tation ,
beca u se h e h a d a g o o d d ea l to d o w ith Mr.
B e lch e r w h en h e was E xe cu tiv e O fficer f o r th e
F o o d C o n tro l. N o m a tte r how try in g t h e cir­
cum stances', o r what1 tim e o f th e d a y o r n ig h t it
w as, h e alw ays m e t w ith u n fa ilin g co u rte sy
fro m M r. B elch er. N o th in g seem ed t o o m u ch
tro u b le f o r him . A s a ru le th e y a void ed
officials, b u t it was alw ays a p leasure t o g o to
M r. B elch er.
M r. F R E E M A N a d d ed h is trib u te , s a y in g th a t
M r. B e lc h e r’ s g r e a t Jielp was lik e oil to th e m a­
ch in ery. H e w as asked b y t h e R e ta il G ro ce rs ’
A sso cia tio n to w a it u p on him p erson a lly a n d
th a n k him f o r th e ta c t an d cou rtesy w ith w h ich
h e h a d h a n d le d a d ifficu lt situ a tion .
M r. H IC K S , o n b e h a lf o f th e M a ster B ak ers,
spoke in a sim ilar strain .
M r. R A W L IN S O N
(C o -o p e r a tiv e
S o cie ty )
said on e co u ld n o t ru b shoulders w ith a m a n o f
M r. B e lc h e r’s ty p e w ith o u t b e in g th e b e tte r fo r
it. A ll his a ctiv ities w ere a b o v e b o a r d , he was
s tr a ig h tfo r w a rd , k in d ly and d ip lo m a tic.
M r. C O L E B R O O K spok e o f th e g r e a t pleasu re
it a ffo rd e d h im t o b e t h e ch an n el o f expression
o f g o o d fe e lin g th a t h a d b een m a d e b y the
tra d e rs o f R e a d in g t o M r. B elch er, w ho h a d
h a n d le d th e m a tte r o f fo o d co n tro l in such an
efficien t m an n er as to giv e a ll-ro u n d sa tisfa c­
tion .
In a n e x tre m e ly n ice little speech M r.
B E L C H E R a ck n o w le d g e d th e g ifts. H e sa id he
a p p re cia te d v ery sin cerely an d d e e p ly th a t e x ­
p ression o f th e ir kindness and g o o d w ill tow a rd s
him . W h e n , o v e r a y e a r a g o , he w as a sk e d to
ta k e o n th a t jo b h e little th o u g h t it w as go in g
t o b e such a b ig task o r he w ou ld n ever h a ve
to u ch e d it. H e trie d to d o his b e st a n d m ak e
th e th in g g o as sm o o th ly as p ossib le. T h e diffi­
cu lties w ere v e ry g re a t. N o o n e b u t th e M a y o r
an d h im se lf knew how sm all a reserve o f fo o d
th e y h a d in th e to w n a t o n e tim e. F ew p e o p le
rea lised h ow m u ch th e M a y o r ha d d o n e t o pre­
serve th e p ea ce o f th e to w n , e sp ecially in th e
s y m p a th e tic w a y in w hich he ha d h a n d le d the
d e p u ta tio n s a n d d e a lt g e n e ra lly w ith f o o d co m ­
p lain ts. H e (M r. B e lch e r) ha d a v ery lo y a l sta ff,
w ho w o rk e d h a rd and w ith o u t fr ictio n . H is hours
w ere very lo n g , b u t his w ife n ev er gru m b le d ,
b u t alw ays t o ld him to w ear a sm ile a n d d o his
b est, an d d u rin g th e fe w hou rs h e spen t at
h om e alw ays ch eered h im u p . H e w o u ld ever
look b a ck w ith p rid e and p leasu re a n d gra titu d e
u p o n th a t occa sio n .
H e th a n k e d th em h e a rt
and soul.
M r. C O L E B R O O K m o v e d a v o te o f th a n k s to
th e M a y o r and. spoke in v ery a p p re cia tiv e term s
o f the w ay in w hich M r. S a r je a n t h a d p er­
form ed ' his d u ties d u rin g th e p a st tw o yea rs.
M r. V E N N E R s econ d ed and also co m p lim e n t­
e d th e M a y o r o n th e services h e h a d re n d e re d to
T h e p rop osal m e t w ith h e a rty a cce p ta n ce ,
th e tow n .