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The following article was kindly provided by Ron Bye. It was  first published in  a local News Paper in  1958. Ron was doing National Service at the time and it was he who sent the £1 postal order, not J. Gelling as stated in the article. £1 was a lot of money in those days especially when you consider Ron was earning about £5 per week

News and views from
Malmesbury

by J.R.G

This may take some believing, but pennies placed layer upon layer are reaching a height of just over five feet eight inches at The Star Inn. Hullavington. So that you don't just take my word for it, a photograph of the amazing pile is reproduced here.

There have been several efforts at this 'pint-pot pennies' in this neighbourhood. I remember one a couple of years ago in aid of the Malmesbury Carnival Fund. That was a valiant effort but it no­where reached the proportions of this Hullavington one.

It was landlord Mr. Andy McLean-remembered for his prowess on the Malmesbury football field- who first thought of this idea. To­gether with Mr. Ray Bye, who is a member of the crew of the Queen Elizabeth, and Mr. Leslie Mann, he began this pile at the end of Feb­ruary, Each of the trio gave. eight coins each and the race to reach six feet was on.

Many of these similar ‘pint-pot penny piles’ are for spastics but this at The Star is to give some small Christmas present to the pensioners of the village. It seems to be a gesture that is being much appreciated for one of the young men of the village who is serving in Hong Kong has sent a postal order for £1 towards the fund.

1 understand that there are about 28 people eligible to share in the pennies when the pile is dis­mantled at the beginning of next month. Everyone hopes that by then the six feet high mark will nave been passed.

Mr. A. McLean, of the Star Inn, Hullavington, pinning a postal order for twenty shillings to the pile of pennies mounted on a beer mug on his bar. The postal order was from Sgt. ("the Colonel") J. Gelling, of the Royal Air Forces Station, Kai-Tak, Hong Kong, who when stationed at RAF Station, Hullavington, was a keen con­tributor to, and collector for, the column of coppers.