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ELSIE LILLY KIMBER

MISS ELSIE KIMBER DIES SUDDENLY

First woman Mayor: fine record of public service

Miss Elsie Lilly Kimber, Newbury's first woman Town Councillor, first woman Mayor and first Alderman, died in Newbury District Hospital early on Saturday morning. She had suffered from blood pressure.

On Friday afternoon she went to do some work in her garden, which she loved so much, and shortly afterwards was found lying on the ground unconscious. She had had a stroke. A neighbour was called, a doctor summoned and she was taken to hospital She died without regaining consciousness. Miss Kimber was 65.

18 MONTHS AFTER RETIREMENT

It was only at the beginning of last year that Miss Kimber retired from business as a grocer and provision merchant at Bartholomew House, Newbury, after being connected with the trade all her life. Formerly it was a branch of Messrs. Church Bros., for whom her father the late Mr. E.G. Kimber was manager. He took the business over in 1906 and died in 1939, but Miss Kimber had always taken a leading part in the management. On her retirement she had a bungalow built in Buckingham-road,, which she named “Eastwick” after the old family home on the Hampshire hills above the parish of Combe, where the Kimbers farmed for over 400 years.

BORN OVER THE BUSINESS

A hundred per cent Newburian, Miss Kimber was born at Bartholomew House and was educated in the town, first at the Girls' British School and afterwards at Newbury County Girls' School. He was one of the first intakes of 38 pupils who entered the latter when it opened as Newbury County Girls' High School, in the old Technical Institute premises in Northbrook-street. She was trained for the teaching profession, only to give it up because of illness at home, but she made time to come to the aid of the Education Authority when staffs were depleted through influenza and other epidemics.

TAUGHT CHILDREN TO SWIM

A keen swimmer all her life, in her younger days, Miss Kimber encouraged children at the National Schools to learn to swim, in fact she was not satisfied unless she had taught at least 40 of them herself during a summer season. She rode a bicycle from the age of eight, later took a motor-cycle and finally a car. At one time she drove a pony and high dog-cart, travelling many thousands of miles in connection with the grocery business.

A woman with a high sense of duty, she was an A.R.P. Warden in the last war, and a frequent blood donor, being on call permanently at Newbury District Hospital for this humane and valuable service. She was a governor of Newbury County Girls' School, and keenly interested in Christ's Hospital.

Entering the Town Council in 1922, Miss Kimber had the distinction ten years later of being the first woman to be elected Mayor of the Borough since the charter of incorporation was granted in 1596. She was then described by her proposer as “one who has an infinite capacity for taking pains.” Incidentally, she did not miss attending a single Council meeting during those ten years. She was appointed an Alderman in July 1943.

CHARACTER IN MUNICIPAL HISTORY

Miss Kimber was particularly keen on housing, slum clearance, public health and education. She was most persistent in her advocacy of wrongs needing righting or of things needing doing. She regarded nothing too small to be important, even an unlit lamp, a dangerous pot-hole, a flooded passage or a damaged Halt sign. Once a need was clearly established in her mind she would use every endeavour to secure its fulfilment. She was indeed a typical descendant of a fine old family imbued with a fighting yeoman spirit, courageous, businesslike, determined and of amazing vitality. She has made her mark in Newbury's municipal history.

Years ago she was quite a force in Newbury Chamber of Trade and the local Grocers' Association. Although never president of the latter- an honour she declined- she was the first woman delegate to the All England Grocers' Conference, among 500 men.

Miss Kimber was a regular worshipper at St John's Church, all her life.

She is survived by her brother, Mr. G.F.P. Kimber, a retired civil servant living at Wallington, Surrey, and a half-sister, Mrs. George Free.

CIVIC FUNERAL

The funeral took place yesterday with civic ceremonial, a service at St. Nicolas Church being conducted by the Rev. A.J.W. Pritchard, vicar of St John's, assisted by the Rev. D.H. James, and Canon T.H. Liddiard.

In a short address Mr. Pritchard said Miss Kimber had a special gift for public affairs. She was noted for her fairness, consideration and straightforwardness and in all her dealings applied those Christian principles in which she had been brought up and on which her whole life was based. In a humble way she gave devoted service to her town.

The hymns were “Rock of Ages” and “Forever with the Lord”.

Family mourners were Mr. and Mrs. G.F.J. Kimber (brother and sister-in-law), Miss Margaret Kimber (niece), Mr. George Free, Mrs. MacMorland (niece), Mr. Stewart Fraser, Miss L. Stagg, Mrs. Medhurst, Mrs. J. Cottrell, Miss V. Kimber (cousins) and Miss H. Denny (companion).

The civic procession was headed by the mace bearers who carried the maces draped with crepe. Then followed the Mayor (Councillor Ethel M. Elliott), members of the Corporation, officials and Borough magistrates.

Those present were the Mayoress (Mrs. J.M. Freeman), Aldermen C.A. Hawker, H.R. Metcalf. C.W. Burns, L.E. Shergold, R.A. Wickens, Councillors J. Hole, J.W. Slater, R.J. Huckle, A.P. Morton, F.P. Pirouet, G.E. Willis, M.W. Paine, R.E. Moore, A.S. Kilburn, H.G. Thompson, J.M. Freeman, R.J. Lovegrove, H. Jones, R.H. Wilde, S.G. Simpson, and H.H.Dennis; the Town Clerk (Mr. Leslie Southern), Borough Treasurer (Mr. H. Livingstone), Deputy Surveyor (Mr. J.D. Knowles, sanitary inspector (Mr. J.D. Hague), Clerk of the Peace (Mr. E.R. Colwill), hon. Archivist (Mr. P.H. Selwood),hon. Road Safety organiser (Mr. J. Olive), Town Marshal (Mr W.C. Franks), Mr. A.J. Low, Mrs. F.E. Evans, Mrs. M.M. Jones, Mrs. P. Whittaker, Mr. O.S. Brown, Mr. W. Lansley (Borough Magistrates), Mr. F.D. Bazett (representing Newbury County Girls' School governors), Mr. G.G. Green, Mr. R.F. Jeffrery, Major H. Rummins, Mr. P.W. Watts, Mrs. Parker and Miss M. Davies.

[There follows a list of over a hundred names of people who attended]

The interment was in the family grave in Newtown-road Cemetery.

Newbury Weekly News 29 April 1954

Not in Mrs P.