‘…Through a Glass darkly…’
But for now, let us look again at some of the non-sequiturs of the fire. Leaving aside the dubious claims of visibility by various policeman, certain points about the fire require clarification. For example, when did it actually start? The newspapers state two very different times, 11.00 or 12.45. That’s a significant gap in time, but, as explained earlier, the most likely time of the inception of the fire is sometime between midnight and 1.00am. How close was the home of one of the owners? 15 yards or 30? Surely 15 yards cannot be correct. The light and noise alone would wake the occupant, and the survival of the property, given the proximity to the blaze and the lack of fire-fighting, is highly unlikely. So, let us assume the owner’s house is 30 yards away, which today is seen as the very minimum lateral distance from a fire to avoid damage. Even then, some damage to that property through exposure to heat and flame would be possible. Then what was the nightwatchman doing? Other than the ‘Rifle Volunteer’ (and where were the patrons?), there are no other properties nearby to occupy him, the mill premises are not too large for a fire to start, smoulder and then blaze without either being seen or heard. In this case, we cannot know. As mentioned, spontaneous combustion is possible, but was not a common occurrence, and the hazard was known about in the industry, so one would hope that some loss prevention activities, such as keeping the piles of waste rags and paper relatively low, and turning them frequently, would have been exercised, but then, is the later evidence of the Westcott brothers’ inadequate bookkeeping a symptom of poor housekeeping generally? Then after the blaze, given the late arrival of the fire brigade, why did the insurance company feel it necessary to reward them by paying double their costs, in effect, giving an ex-gratia payment to the brigade? One can only think that this was a form of public relations, perhaps to support the local agent, Mr Stone, but there can be no logical reason why an insurer would single out a brigade after such a performance. And lastly, why mortgage or re-mortgage with private individuals? Banks were well established, and the Westcott name and reputation well known. We will never know, but in today’s more forensic climate, these matters would have merited much deeper investigation.
The history of the Westcott family during the late 19th century is also interesting. Thomas Westcott was clearly a very successful businessman, – although it is worth noting that prior to the blaze under discussion, that last major conflagration in Wokingham had been at the premises of Thomas Westcott in Peach Street around 1882, 12 years earlier. Also a month after the Emmbrook blaze, the brigade attended (promptly one must hope) at a fire at the home of Thomas Westcott, probably in Eversley, where a haystack caught fire spontaneously. But back to Thomas Westcott’s business, – we know he had a successful flour mill, and records show that in 1868 he sold this to his brothers, John and William, who converted the mill into a paper mill, and may, as stated earlier, have invented the first blotting paper, although this cannot be confirmed. Moving fast forward to 1895, at the bankruptcy proceedings against John and William Westcott. Their ages are given as 42 and 53, which would have made them 31 and 42 at the time of the fire, or 15 and 26 when they bought the business from their brother according to the earlier records. Unlikely, so had John and William passed the business to their sons of the same name? Again, unlikely, as none of those names are shown on the censuses. Circumstantial evidence from the Mills Archive (receipted accounts) would imply that it is the date that which Thomas passed on the business that incorrect. A sale in 1878, rather than 1868, would tie in better with John and William’s ages, but here the facts are being shaped to fit the story, so this remains disputable.
The tale becomes even more cloudy, when, after the bankruptcy, and a dispute with the mortgagees, the business is bought back by none other than Thomas Westcott himself for the sum of £1,500, and, with yet more gasps of astonishment, within three years he sells it back to John and William, but for use as a corn mill. This is either foolishness on an epic scale, – unlikely given Thomas’ previously shown business acumen, or forgiveness and brotherly love worthy of the Prodigal Son himself. Thomas Westcott alone comes out of this story with an enhanced reputation.
Some seven or eight years later, the business is bought for £2,350 by Frank Heelas, – the records saying from ‘Thomas’ Westcott, so whether he was keeping a weather-eye on his brothers’ business activities, or just safeguarding his investment, we do not know, but clearly ‘once bitten, twice shy’. Heelas continues to mill at Emmbrook until the 1920’s but then the mill is sold and becomes a hosiery factory, and then in 1936, a chemical works, producing sulphur. Production ceased at the start of World War II and the mill was pulled down to make way for the Woosehill Roundabout in the 1960’s.
Who are the winners, and who the losers from this tale? As ever, the working man is the main loser. We do not know what happened to the 50 or so employees at the paper mill at the time of the fire, some will have found employment elsewhere, some – office staff, maintenance personnel, and the like, may have been kept on. Some will have been re-employed when work recommenced, but we don’t know when this was. Then the bankruptcy, – all employees would have been laid off, and by the time the proceeding were ended, the new owner, Thomas would be looking for millers rather than employees accustomed to papermaking. We do not know what happened to the nightwatchman, Challis, but a William Challis of Wokingham, age 36, the son of Joseph Challis, was killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915, – is the same Joseph Challis? We don’t know, but far too great a price to pay for any parent.
The winners, in a way, were John and William, who were shown loyalty above and beyond by their brother, although we do not know if a price was extracted for this. But why did things go so wrong? John and William had everything going for them – an pre-established business, a reputable name, expanding markets and financial backing. A wholly speculative theory would simply concern sibling rivalry. Two brothers, employed by an elder, successful brother, envious of his authority and the regard in which he is held in the town, hearing of modern techniques and machines, possibly refused by their brother, then offer to buy the business, or to be bought out, and, seeing what they perceive as a glorious opportunity, investing heavily in modern plant. There’s nothing wrong with this, but with ever-accurate hindsight, we can see straws in the wind, – the haphazard book-keeping, the mortgaging via private individuals rather than banks, and, of course, the fire. Bad luck, or poor housekeeping? We’ll never know. Certainly, there is nothing to suggest foul play or other wrongdoing, but perhaps young men seeing opportunity and, with vaulting ambition, trying to run before they can walk. It has happened many times, and will happen again. In the North of England, there is a saying ‘Rags to rags in three generations’, often heard as the wool textile industry went into decline in the 1950’s and 60’s. In this case, in thirty years, rather than three generations.
There’s nothing left of the mill now. Woosehill roundabout and the car sales showrooms stand where the mill stood. On the Woosehill side of the roundabout, there is still evidence of the mill dam, and with vivid imagination, you can think of the water wheel powering the new machine, and the carts waiting to take away the rolls of finished paper. Was the fire the cause of the demise of John and William, or would their doubtful business acumen have brought them down eventually? Or would they have been a great success, and Wokingham grown quicker on the back of that success? A larger railway station, perhaps the line to Basingstoke built after all? If only, if only…
THE END