Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-10-17
By George Porter.
IN A LITERAL hands-across-the-
sea gesture, the mayor Of VIM

IN A LITERAL hands-across-the-
sea gesture, the mayor Of Win
chester, Va, is paying visit to
i Winchester, England.
As one of the principal actors in
this modern tale Of two cities. DR..
Charles r. Anderson, first citizen" of
the Virginia town. was received with
old world pomp and splendor in Merrie
England. He and Mr.. A. T. Edmonds
mayor of the British corporation, trod
streets that have in centuries past
echoed to the hoofs of horses bearing
famous English monarchs.
The two exchanged gifts Of historic
significance.
DR.. Anderson received model of
King Arthur's round table, the orig
inal of which is in Winchester Castle.
The remains of this Norman castle are
embodied in the county hall and the
round table that is kept in it is sup
posed to date from the time Of King
Stephen, who died in 1854.
The Virginia mayor, in turn, pre-
sented as his good will tokens. a silken
flag of his city. scroll of fluctuations
adopted by the Old Dominion city's
town council and some books on the
Virginia Winchester's history.
DR.. Anderson's trip abroad has two
principal purposes-the official task of
further cementing the ties of friend
ship between the two Winchesters, and
the private purpose of visiting his
mothers birthplace in Ireland.
The presents he carried returned, In
q way, favors which the English VIM
chester sent his town some years ago
Mayor J. r. Ward. They consisted
Of an old Guild Hall flag and some
historical books and souvenirs which
are displayed in the Handley Library.
A BOUT year ago, Mayor Alnder-
= son received an official invitation
to visit Winchester, England, when
ever he might be abroad. This gesture
Of friendship, following the gifts from
the English city. led the American
mayor to decide to combine his visit to
Ireland with one to Winchester, Eng
land, this Summer.
He might have made the trip on
the liner Queen Mary, as officials of
all American cities and towns with
English names received invitations to
use the giant ship to visit the Old
World communities just before the
vessels maiden voyage, but he had
previously engaged passage on Bal
timore Mail Line steamer.
A physician and native Of Frederick
County, Va, of which Winchester Is
the county seat, Mayor Anderson is
accompanied on the voyage by his
wife and daughter Sue, his secretary,
Miss Riley, and personal friend, Ross
M. Swimley.
His visit is the latest manifestation
of the friendly feeling in existence
between the two towns almost con-
tinuously since the Virginia settle
ment was laid out 200 yearse ago by
Col. James Wood, who acted for Lord
Fairfax, at that time proprietor of
the northern neck Of Virginia." and
who named the town after his native
city, Winchester, England.
While friendliness of the two towns
was more or less intangible for years.
there have been definite oyertures Of
neighborliness recently. In late sea-
sons, British apple merchants, who
buy heavily in Virginia. have visited
Winchester, center of the great Shen-
andoah apple-growing area, and estab-
lished social and business friendships.
WHEN the Shenandoah apple-blos-
w som festivals were inaugurated
at Winchester, 1t was only logical,
after q few years, to crown q VIM
chester. England. girl queen Of the
fete. She was Miss Patricia Dacre
Morton, daughter of the late Gen.
Morton of 'the Royal Marines. who
crossed the ocean for the ceremonies.
The Virginia Winchester flag
which Mayor Anderson left in Eng
land Is in some respects similar to .
British nag. It carries lion and also
embodies features Of the town seal,