One of the sad occasions of my term of Mayor was to attend the funeral of Jack Hole, a former Mayor and one of the Freemen of the Borough. I went to the church in my full chain as an expression of our great admiration and respect the Town of Newbury had for him. Sadly, the church was not very full but nevertheless, most of the prominent people in the Town were there to pay their last respects to him.
I gave an eulogy in the church as follows, from a Town Council’s perspective.
“When I came to live in Newbury some 30 years ago, I was soon told that if I wanted to know anything about the life and history of the Town and in particular about local government, Jack Hole was the person to talk to. He had arrived here some 45 years earlier and had not only established himself as a successful businessman, running the Tudor Café which many people today still talk about with great affection, but as a Borough Councillor.
He was co-opted onto the Council in 1942 and retained his seat in 1947 at the local elections in what was then the North Ward. In 1950, he was appointed the Mayor of Newbury, one of the youngest townsmen to be honoured since the Borough received its Charter of Incorporation from Queen Elizabeth 1st. At the Mayor Making ceremony, Councillor Jim Freeman proposed his nomination, and spoke of Jack’s record in public life. Amongst these were him taking the lead in 1947 in the relief of flood victims and supplying food to those badly affected. He also spoke of Jack’s success as the Chairman of the Estates and Town Planning Committee, the Civic Publicity and the Finance Committees. He also referred to Jack’s interests outside the Civic sphere, such as the Chamber of Commerce of which Jack was a Past President, the deputy Chairman of the Fairclose Day Centre and the Chairman of the Old Peoples Outing Committee. This Old Peoples Outing is of particular credit to Jack as it is still going strong today. It is only its title has changed to the Mayor’s Drive and Tea party.
In his acceptance speech, Jack paid tribute to his wife Ruth who had been the greatest help to him in their married life and and who would give him the necessary support in his term of office. One of the schemes he wanted to finish was the War Memorial which was the incorporation of those who had fallen in the 2nd World War.
As predicted, his term as Mayor was very successful and subsequently in 1954, he was elevated to the position of Alderman and was the senior member of the Council.
In 1969 in recognition of his outstanding service to the community, Jack was made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Newbury, the town’s highest honour and which had only been conferred on six previous occasions. As the Newbury Weekly News reported at the time, over 250 civic dignitaries attended the occasion in the Corn Exchange where they heard Alderman Jim Freeman explain that the honorary freemanship conferred no privileges or rights. In its simplest form, it is a mark of appreciation given by the Town to a person who has stood out amongst his fellows in the service he has given. It is intangible , neither marked by title nor decoration. Recorded yes on a simple scroll in a simple casket but somehow we feel that the message it conveys stretches back to the early history of our country, to lords, serfs and freedmen. Such men were of great character, who worked courageously and had a pride in their town which was a necessary foundation for its well being. Jack worked tirelessly to make this town a better place to live in than it would otherwise have been.
Today we say goodbye to Jack, to whom this town owes a great debt of gratitude. He will be remembered in the chronicles and history of this town as one of the great men of his time and a great inspiration to us all.”
I really cannot add much to that except to reiterate that the Town had lost a good friend who was a great inspiration to us all
I gave an eulogy in the church as follows, from a Town Council’s perspective.
“When I came to live in Newbury some 30 years ago, I was soon told that if I wanted to know anything about the life and history of the Town and in particular about local government, Jack Hole was the person to talk to. He had arrived here some 45 years earlier and had not only established himself as a successful businessman, running the Tudor Café which many people today still talk about with great affection, but as a Borough Councillor.
He was co-opted onto the Council in 1942 and retained his seat in 1947 at the local elections in what was then the North Ward. In 1950, he was appointed the Mayor of Newbury, one of the youngest townsmen to be honoured since the Borough received its Charter of Incorporation from Queen Elizabeth 1st. At the Mayor Making ceremony, Councillor Jim Freeman proposed his nomination, and spoke of Jack’s record in public life. Amongst these were him taking the lead in 1947 in the relief of flood victims and supplying food to those badly affected. He also spoke of Jack’s success as the Chairman of the Estates and Town Planning Committee, the Civic Publicity and the Finance Committees. He also referred to Jack’s interests outside the Civic sphere, such as the Chamber of Commerce of which Jack was a Past President, the deputy Chairman of the Fairclose Day Centre and the Chairman of the Old Peoples Outing Committee. This Old Peoples Outing is of particular credit to Jack as it is still going strong today. It is only its title has changed to the Mayor’s Drive and Tea party.
In his acceptance speech, Jack paid tribute to his wife Ruth who had been the greatest help to him in their married life and and who would give him the necessary support in his term of office. One of the schemes he wanted to finish was the War Memorial which was the incorporation of those who had fallen in the 2nd World War.
As predicted, his term as Mayor was very successful and subsequently in 1954, he was elevated to the position of Alderman and was the senior member of the Council.
In 1969 in recognition of his outstanding service to the community, Jack was made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Newbury, the town’s highest honour and which had only been conferred on six previous occasions. As the Newbury Weekly News reported at the time, over 250 civic dignitaries attended the occasion in the Corn Exchange where they heard Alderman Jim Freeman explain that the honorary freemanship conferred no privileges or rights. In its simplest form, it is a mark of appreciation given by the Town to a person who has stood out amongst his fellows in the service he has given. It is intangible , neither marked by title nor decoration. Recorded yes on a simple scroll in a simple casket but somehow we feel that the message it conveys stretches back to the early history of our country, to lords, serfs and freedmen. Such men were of great character, who worked courageously and had a pride in their town which was a necessary foundation for its well being. Jack worked tirelessly to make this town a better place to live in than it would otherwise have been.
Today we say goodbye to Jack, to whom this town owes a great debt of gratitude. He will be remembered in the chronicles and history of this town as one of the great men of his time and a great inspiration to us all.”
I really cannot add much to that except to reiterate that the Town had lost a good friend who was a great inspiration to us all
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