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In association with WokinghamExploring our heritageRemembers with wokinghamremembers.com OUR PAST Stampede on the Barkham Road! During the First World War, the War Office located a Remount Depot on the Bearwood Estate, playing a vital role in training horses for the battlefield. STEVE BACON explains how the charge of the light footed brigade owes a debt to borough

HE Wokingham district, being part up for service. ’s weren’t for of the Windsor Forest and criss- the cavalry, but for transport. Many crossed by so many Rides, has long horses and mules were brought over to T been connected with horses. Wokingham Station from Britain and grew further with the purchase of It was a centre for hunting in the 19th Ireland, and then led along Barkham Road part of Whitehall Farm in Arborfield. and early 20th Centuries, so it was not to start their training. After deployment, Point-to-Point races returned to the surprising that the War Office decided some might return for treatment if social calendar, even attracting the Horses training at the Remount Depot. The horse lying down is not dead, just resting. Above to base a Remount Depot here, leasing injured or unwell. Prince of Wales who suffered spills right: a newspaper advert for point-topoint racing in 1914, while below is Moat House nearly 300 acres from the Walter family’s The horses were dispersed about the on the racecourse in 1923 and 1924, enormous Bearwood Estate in 1904. site in order to prevent the spread of remained on-site, and were boosted by a and newspapers expressed interest in What was surprising was the name. infectious diseases, and grazed in the more than a hundred grooms who were the fashionable clothes worn by the The depot was based around Biggs’ and fields. The depot’s commanding officer initially put up in tented accommodation. racegoers. Newspapers also covered the Ellis’ Farms, and half of the land was lived within the Remount Depot at the It’s hard to imagine the quiet of annual Cottage Garden Shows held for the in Barkham, while another two-fifths Moat House, built in 1906 just off Biggs the countryside at the time. One old villagers. was in . Only a tenth Lane. Arborfield resident in 1973 recalled the In 1937, it was announced that the was in Arborfield which included the The staff at the depot were mainly distant noises from the goods trains depot was to close. Up to 100,000 animals main entrance, so it became ‘Arborfield civilians but with serving soldiers filling at Wokingham Station in 1910 and the had passed through its gates. Even at Remount Depot’. The ‘Bramshill Hunt’ the key roles, one of whom was Farrier- clanking of the empty milk churns being the end there were 250 horses kept in pub gives a hint of how important horses Major Sergeant William Clark, later brought back along Barkham Road each condition ready for service. have been to the area. becoming the landlord of the ‘Swan’, morning. Imagine the sounds of untrained With the mechanisation of the Army, By 1904 most of the local gentry were located in Eversley Road opposite Birch horses being herded along that road in the base became an Ordnance Depot by members of the Garth Hunt, and local House where the Veterinary Officer was the dead of night to the Remount Depot. 1938, and the rest is REME history. people avidly followed its every move based. William was remembered as “a These horses had endured a long Most of the evidence of REME activity and hard journey - imagine 500 of them either on foot or by reading about each very strict man who retained his military will soon disappear – leaving the Moat charging along the Barkham road at the House and the ‘Sick Lines’ as a reminder hunt meeting in the local papers. As a bearing and discipline at all times.” same time! They suddenly had freedom Wokingham and Barkham; at its peak of the Remount Depot era, plus numerous spectator sport, it ranked second only to On the death of Arthur Fraser Walter, and caused all sorts of turmoil when 1,000 horses and mules were brought livery stables and riding schools in the football in terms of newspaper column his family was faced with large Death exploring the cottage gardens on the in every week. The base had expanded wider area. inches. The Remount Depot duly formed Duties. The War Office bought the site of way. No wonder a detachment of soldiers by another 100 acres including Langley part of the social calendar, and the Point- the Remount Depot in 1911, while most of was stationed at the Depot to keep some Common Farm, but with so many horses to-Point meetings drew large crowds until the Bearwood Estate was put up for sale sort of order; sometimes it took days to the depot used surrounding farms for About Steve Steve Bacon manages the website for they were suspended in 1914. at auction – though much of it including gather-up the horses that had wandered meadows, which made them vulnerable www.arborfieldhistory.org.uk and has What was a Remount Depot? The Bearwood Mansion failed to sell. off the route. to theft. produced two features on the effects of Army didn’t breed its own horses, The outbreak of war in August 1914 The sheer scale of the operation had In a newspaper article from 1916, the First and Second World Wars on the but bought-in animals from dealers, forced a huge upheaval. The civilian a major impact on the route between two men were charged with stealing taking them to depots to train them employees were called-up but mostly two mares that had been turned out at local area, compiled from contemporary Barkham Park, and were finally traced newspaper reports. Don’t forget to Guildford. Alfred Hutt of East Heath, Steve welcomes contributions of Wokingham, employed as a carpenter memories and photos of local interest. Father’s Day! at the depot, gave evidence. Mares were He is currently working on a series of On Sunday, June 21, it’s Father’s Day, valuable, some being sold back to dealers articles for The Wokingham Paper about but what do we buy for Dad? Here’s an for breeding stock – but these were Bearwood: The Times in the life of the idea: call into the Information Centre at stolen! Walter family; The Sale of the Century: the Town hall this week, lay out £3.50 The military commanders, particularly Bearwood Auctions 1911; and Bearwood: and buy one of the superb local history Colonel Badcock and adjutant Captain From Mansion to Hospital to School. Watch books which are on sale. Jim Bell has just Goater, were frequently mentioned in this space! published a new set of stories and they newspaper articles. They were well Steve is giving a talk on the Basingstoke- are also offered by the town’s library. integrated into the villages’ social life. The Wokingham Railway on Wednesday, Embrook Post Office on the Reading depot had an annual Sports Day both for June 24, 7.30pm at Baptist Road sell Peter Shilham’s series on the staff and for villagers. Church to the Model Railway Club. All are The Remount Depot, just off Biggs Lane, was a hive of activity during the First World War. village of Emmbrook. In peacetime, the Remount Depot welcome.

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