VISCOUNT ALEXANDER AND WANGANUI MAYOR RECALL BOYHOOD DAYS

Wanganui Chronicle, 22 November 1950, Page 4

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER AND WANGANUI MAYOR RECALL BOYHOOD DAYS

Memories of his old home in the village of Worle, near the town of Wes-ton-super-Mare, in Somerset, England, were recalled for the Mayor of Wanganui, Hon. W. J. Rogers, M.L.C., when he met the leader of the British delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s conference in Wellington, the Rt. Hon. Viscount, Alexander, in Wanganui on Monday. Viscount Alexander, who was First Lord of the Admiralty during World War II and is now Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is visiting Wanganui with a party of Commonwealth Parliamentarians. He was born in Weston-super-Mare, and as a young Baptist lay preacher conducted services in the chapel at Worle which Mr Rogers had ‘attended in earlier years before leaving for New Zealand. For Mr Rogers, the visit of Viscount Alexander has brought back many memories of his boyhood days. When they met in Wanganui Mr Rogers asked Viscount Alexander a few questions about Somerset and the distinguished visitor immediately recalled his own associations with Weston-super-Mare and his visits to the village of Worle, which is really a suburb of the town. Rogers learned that his old schoolmaster at Worle, the late Mr W. Bennett, was a close friend of Viscount Alexander’s in those early days. Mr Rogers also spoke of the chapel he attended before leaving for New Zealand when he was 18 years of age. It transpired that as a young man Viscount Alexander had preached and conducted services there. Many other memories were revived by Viscount Alexander and Mr Rogers, Viscount Alexander later remarking to his colleagues that he felt that in the Mayor ot Wanganui there was a real bit of Somerset, with Mr Rogers still retaining the brogue. Mr Rogers accompanied Viscount Alexander and party on a trip over the Gentle Annie, as far as Parakino, on Monday afternoon, and with city councillors and the town clerk, Mr C. R. Whtie. entertained the visitors at morning tea at Virginia Lake yesterday. Subsequently, Mr Rogers and the town clerk lunched with the party at the Rutland Hotel, and in the afternoon a visit was paid to Mr J. G. Alexander s property at Maxwell. Viscount Alexander and party leave I Wanganui this mornin'; for Hawera, after visitinc the Collegiate School,