In September 1943 President Beneš paid £150 for the building of a brick built bus shelter to be provided for the local communities of Wingrave and Aston Abbotts. This was was formally opened on 15th April 1944 and is located at Wingrave Cross on the A418, approximately half way between the two villages. It still stands there today.
During the Presidents stay, there had been no bus service to connect the two villages, and he had often seen people standing in the cold and wet weather at the open bus stop after having walked from one of the villages.
For a number of years the bus shelter had no identification to commemorate its donor, but this was eventually put right and there is now a plaque on the bus shelter.
On our visit on the 4th January 2004 I gave it a good clean with some metal polish.
The plaque reads:
This bus shelter was donated by President Beneš of Czechoslovakia to thank the people of Aston Abbotts & Wingrave whilst he and his cabinet were in exile here during World War II.
Strictly speaking, the plaque is in error here because the Cabinet didn't actually reside at Aston Abbotts or Wingrave.
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