Z1849/4

Misc/General Ephemera (includes War Memorabilia)

1864-1963

From: 1864 To: 1963

Material created by Alderman and Mayor Richard Turner (1881-1982) deposited by his grandson Nicholas Turner. Includes newspaper clippings and photographs relating to his career in service for the county and his work with the Eastern Gas Board and his wartime service. "Born in Bedford, Alderman Turner worked for the Bedford and District Gas Company, and was later chairman of the Eastern Area Consultative Council following Nationalisation. He was much active in local politics and was elected to the Bedford Town Council in 1945 as Conservative member for Queen's Park. In 1948 he was elected to the County Council, and chaired the town's planning committee in the post-war years. He was Mayor of Bedford in 1950-1 and was granted the Honorary Freedom of the Borough in 1962. He played a key role in the establishment of the Cecil Higgins Museum in Bedford, founded on the bequest to the corporation of the collection of glass and porcelain assembled by a local brewer, Mr Cecil Higgins. The museum opened to the public in 1949 and two years later, thanks to the advocacy of Alderman Turner, the trustees made funds available for the purchase of English watercolours, another of his passionate interests." Biography by Nicholas Turner

sub-fonds

Eastern Gas Board, Mayor