Local Resident Pat Davies Awarded Freedom Of The Borough
Large turnout at Chiswick Town Hall as the 96-year-old receives honour
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Chiswick resident and former 'Bletchley Girl' Pat Davies, was granted the Freedom of Hounslow at a ceremony in Chiswick Town hall on Tuesday (12 November).
There was a large attendance of friends, neighbours, and local dignatories at the event.
Pat was presented with her honour by the Mayor of Hounslow, Cllr Tony Louki.
A contingent of the local Chiswick Sea Cadets, of which she is a patron, also attended. Cllr Sam Hearn commented: "It was wonderful to see local resident Patricia Davies honoured in this way for her important wartime work at the vital coastal listening stations that intercepted secret German military messages. It was appropriate that Pat was whistled into the ceremony by a detachment of Chiswick Sea Cadets. She is the President of this succesful local group."
The Freedom of the Borough is the highest honour that a Council can bestow and the tradition is maintained as a means whereby public recognition is given to the recipients as an expression of the highest esteem in which they are held by the Council and people of the Borough.
In June, 96-year-old Pat received the Legion D'Honneur for her work as a Royal Navy Wren, when she was responsible for interpreting intercepted German Naval messages which were then passed onto the code-breaking operation.
She learned to speak German from the cook at her grandfather's house.
(l-r) Cllr Sam Hearn, Pat Davies, and the Mayor of Hounslow
Pat, who is a long time resident of Grove Park, was one of thousands of women whose story featured in The Bletchley Girls, which documents the lives of fifteen women who worked at Bletchley Park - it is thought that up to 7,000 women known as Bletchleyettes, worked at the secret codebreaking HQ during the war.
Pat with some of the Chiswick Sea Cadets of which she is a patron
Two years ago, Pat and her sister Jean Argles collaborated on 1,000 Days On the River Kwai, the story of their father, Colonel Cary Owtram OBE, who kept a secret diary during his years as camp Commandant at Chungkai. The infamous camp was one of the largest POW camps during the Japanese occupation and the construction of the infamous Burma Railway during which several thousands British and Allied prisoners died.
Pat, who is a popular member of the community in Grove Park, has become a local celebrity in later life and is regularly asked to speak at schools and public events. She recently became one of the oldest participants in the Chiswick Book Festival.
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November 14, 2019
