Aviation Veterans Take Seats in Council

Two new faces will take seats in Wokingham Borough Council's chamber this week, both with aviation links.

Cllr David Bragg - Conservative

David Bragg is new to the borough council but well known in Woodley after a year as mayor of Woodley Town Council. On May 7 he won Loddon ward with 908 votes, ahead of Reform UK on 664 and Rona Noble for Labour on 580, despite Labour having taken all three seats there in 2024.

He said: "I was quietly confident but it still came as a pleasant surprise when I got elected."

"I wanted to stand and be elected having lived in Woodley for so long. I'm passionate about what happens here."

Retired for 12 years, he started as a baker in Woodley before moving into finance. He remembers the town's aviation heritage and its historic airfield. "I had a fantastic time at the airfield as a boy. It was not unusual for me to cycle down perimeter road and have to duck as the planes flew over the end of the runway." His favourite aircraft to watch was the Dart Herald.

His final engagement as town mayor saw him visit Buckingham Palace on May 8 with his youngest daughter, Jacqueline. He added: "I would dearly like to thank all the residents of Loddon who came out and voted for me."

Cllr Chris Johnson - Liberal Democrat

Chris Johnson, 70, returns to the council after serving from 2022 to 2024. He was elected for Spencer's Wood and Swallowfield by 20 votes - 1,072 to Conservative Anthony Pollock's 1,052.

He worked in electrical engineering specialising in telecoms and is particularly proud of his RAF service. At the start of the Falklands War he was called into active duty to help convert the cruise liner SS Canberra into a military vessel.

"You're going to put a load of equipment on board."

Flown out to the ship, he spent three and a half months at sea overseeing installation of communications systems and watching icebergs go by. "My son was 10 days old."

The cruise ship underwent significant modifications, including build a flight deck above the swimming pool. When the work was complete, he was told: "You're staying on board. You're coming with us."

Reflecting on the conflict, he said the Falklands "looked like the Highlands of Scotland", adding: "It was six hours on, six hours off. I had the luxury of being on duty as everyone else was asleep when we sailed into San Carlos."

During his previous time on the council, Cllr Johnson chaired the community and corporate overview and scrutiny committee and supported the transfer of St Crispin's Leisure Centre to the Circle Trust which runs the adjoining school. He now returns to the chamber after a two-year gap.

Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter