Heritage blue plaque commemorating Thatcham bombing raid victim unveiled
A blue plaque commemorating the only victim of the Second World War Thatcham bombing raids has been officially unveiled.
Lt Col Vernon Watkins Urquhart, who was the commanding officer of the former ordnance depot west of Thatcham Station, died on the night of August 16, 1940.
Members of the public gathered at 141 Station Road, with members of the Royal British Legion and Thatcham Town Council’s heritage working party, to see the plaque for the first time on Sunday (October 23).
Among the attendees were descendants of Lt Col Urquhart, including his granddaughter and great-grandaughter.
Granddaughter Claire Virden, who travelled to Thatcham from Norfolk, said she was “overwhelmed” by the way her grandfather was honoured in the town.
She said: “My mother had got his medals but she wasn’t able to come to his funeral, because he died during the war, she had just had a baby, it was war time and you couldn’t really travel.
“It was a great grief to her which is why I felt I must come to this. It would be such a thrill for her.
“This has been a conclusion in a way, it is somebody’s life that I did not know the endings of.
“When I leave here I am going to go via Shaw Cemetery and see his grave again because I didn’t know for a very long time that he was even buried there."
In attendance, and unveiling the plaque with her was mayor of Thatcham Jeff Brooks, who said the plaque is a way to remember a part of Thatcham’s development.
He said: “Thatcham has a rich history and we are bringing it out slowly and today is another step along the way.”
The blue plaque was fully funded by Thatcham Town Council and steered by the heritage working group, which is made up of councillors, members of the public and distinguished historians.
In a speech, moments before the plaque was officially revealed to the public, chairman of the heritage working party Nathan Gregory said: “He has been in Thatcham folklore for the last 60 or so years and his untimely death came from when he went to smoke a pipe after his evening meal.”
The Kennet Heath housing estate now stands on the site, and Urquhart Road runs through it.
Great granddaughter Katy Parsons, who already knew a little bit about her great grandfather from her mother’s side, said she had seen people calling for relatives of Lt Col Urquhart in the news.
“It is an unusual name,” she said. “So I looked into it and contacted the heritage society.
“Later we heard there was a plaque unveiling.”
She continued: “It is sad what happened to him but the history of what he had done was very interesting. It is good to look into it more and find a bit more out about his past really.”
The family members stayed behind after the unveiling to hear a talk from local historian Dr Nick Young, share stories and memories and learn more about their ancestor.
Mr Young said that the search for information on Lt Col Urquhart is ongoing. He said: “Now that we have made contact, we want to grow relationship with the [Urquhart] family, grow a relationship with the military associations and build up a history of the man.”
Despite a grave at Shaw Cemetery, Lt Col Urquhart still does not have a death certificate, nor a Commonwealth War Grave headstone.
The decision to commemorate him came from a public consultation in which Mirek Gosney, a Thatcham resident, had chosen the bombing victim.
The Newbury Weekly News reporter and keen history blogger said: “Early last year I was researching local history.
“I knew there was a military depot, I started looking into it and found out about him.
“There were many gaps in his story and there was a great sense of mystery.”
Mr Gosney filled out a nomination form citing work from his blog and an old Newbury Weekly News article on Lt Col Urquhart’s story.
He said: “The plaque itself looks good, it was done very tastefully.
“People are stopping to look at it. It gets people talking.”