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Here'a an article on fudbook from John (Tommo) Thomson ex 9 Sqn on the bar.
In view of the chat about local Aldershot pubs, I did write an article I researched on the Pegasus.
The Pegasus Bar (Aldershot)
John (Tommo) Thompson
In 1850 the then War Department purchased a large tract of land adjacent to the small village of Aldershot. There were very few buildings, but like any village in the land there were a couple of pubs, the Beehive and the Red Lion were already located there. In no time the military had moved in and it became a vast tented camp. Apart from a few huts to house the Royal Engineers who were building the infrastructure. Would you believe it was called “The Camp” More affectionately called these days “The Shot.” The only building standing out among the heather and gorse was Union Buildings? Used then as a union school for the children of paupers. A bleak and lonely building!
Before the military moved in it was an overnight stop on the way out of or into London. The Farnborough Road (A325) was the road into London and frequented by two notorious highway men Dick Turpin and “Spring Heeled Jack.” No doubt they dropped into Aldershot for a drop of ale on their way to rob a stage coach as they had their headquarters between Aldershot and Farnborough
As the village became much larger and became known as Aldershot Town. Home to the British Army! On every corner there was a pub. At one stage there were 49 pubs in the small area of the town. A lot of the then pubs were not as we know licensed pubs. Most of them started off as bakeries, small shops etc. which provided drinks over the counter.
The Pegasus had a very chequered career actually starting off as a bakery until it became managed by a family called the Dibdens. This was in 1906 when it sold refreshments and then gained its license for alcoholic drinks. It has been said that it provided refreshments for respectable ladies, quite often behind a curtain soft giggling was heard throughout the day?
It was then taken over by the brewers Ind Coope & Co who increased the sale of spirits under the license. It became known as the “Widows Retreat.” Apparently woman who had lost their husbands in the various conflicts the British Army were involved in at that time, would frequent Dibdens in search of a new husband. Most of these women would parade behind the Regiment, Battalion, Company who were going off to war in the hope that they would be chosen to go to war with their husbands. An officer would walk along the line, and point to the ones he thought should join their husbands. These woman would work as cleaners and cooks for the officers in the duration of the conflict.
During this period they held the first big military parade on a square made ready by the Engineers. Apparently a very high ranking officer arrived late and stopped a sapper asking “How can I find where Lord Wilson is soldier.” The soldier replied, “Sorry Sir I’m tee total, better ask Sergeant O, Kane he is a drinking man!”
The pub changed hands in 1949 as a part of the Courage Group and was renamed the Pegasus more in line with soldiers who frequented the pub from the Airborne, The Pegasus symbol, named after a mythical winged horse, was worn by the 1st Division and 6th Airborne Division during the D-Day Airborne landings and apparently was chosen by the wartime Paras leader General Frederick “Boy” Browning. As the years past various Battalions ensconced themselves, and it became their pub. Accordingly mainly used as a drinking hole for Sergeants of the varying Battalions.
The Squadron in the early days used Aldershot NAFFI club as their drinking hole, but an odd body would be found wandering into the Royal Military affectionately called the “Rat Pit” because of the sport of “Ratting” held in the back of the pub. As a matter of interest a 196 rats were killed in ten minutes by a dog called the Aldershot Terrier. I assure you it was not a 9 Squadron guy!
Other pubs in the town became home to the 1st Battalion who frequented the Havelock. The 2nd Battalion was more likely to be found in the Trafalgar. 3 Para seemed to be the tramps of the Brigade and would be found wandering in other watering holes like the Globe or the George. The town was now throbbing with life!
The Pegasus was primarily a Battalion pub until the 2nd and 3rd Bn’s were relocated to Colchester in Essex in June 2000 to become a part of the new 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Squadron moved slowly into the Pegasus from varying water holes around town, the main one being the Wine Bar.
Slowly pictures of the Regiment were moved and replaced with many pictures of the Squadron. In June 2006 after a last drop in Hankley Common the Squadron moved to its new home in Woodbridge.
That started the slow demise of the Pegasus pub.
Mark the then licensee, apparently an ex-boxer, told me he was finding it very difficult to make a go of the pub once 9 Squadron had left Aldershot. He reckoned the landlord had raised the rent extensively, and the pub was not paying its way. Soon after I heard it was closing but was being renamed the European Wine Bar, very adequate for a cosmopolitan town like Aldershot? Mark and a Bosnian named Pepsi had gone into partnership with the wine bar. I happened to be walking past the pub before the final closing only to see two guys with hard hats up a ladder removing the swinging Pegasus sign. Taking another look, I recognised two ex-Parachute Regiment guys I knew well. When I questioned as to what they were doing, my mate P….. Said, with a wry grin, “We are nicking the sign!” Just then a car came screaming up with Mark and Pepsi inside. After a short altercation between Mark and P it was decided that they would give the sign to the Parachute Regiment Association after the local papers had taken pictures that day.
However the sign mysteriously disappeared?
The European Wine Bar was very short lived and in no time the shutters were up again. The “For Sale” sign went up and lots of rumours of it being turned into flats.
It stood there forlorn and lonely with memories of a glorious past for a few months. Then I heard from a mate of mine it had opened up again as the Pegasus.
The two new licensees were a guy called Richard and his good lady Gill. I personally thought they were fighting a losing battle when he said he wanted to try to get it back as the original Pegasus bar. They set about asking for any pictures mainly from Squadron guys who dropped in to see how it was going. One guy came in one night and told Richard he had the old Pegasus sign in his garage, and that he was waiting to see how successful they were and he would let them have the sign back. He reckoned he was ex 9 Squadron? After a period of about one year they unfortunately had to admit defeat, and once again the shutters went up! Richard and Gill actually took over the Alexander.
This is an extract from the Aldershot News:
One of the symbols of the British Army in Aldershot could be redeveloped as flats. The now closed Pegasus pub in High Street, a popular paratrooper drinking hole, has been on the market since last year, but has failed to attract sufficient interest from potential landlords.
Property agency Paramount Investments has been instructed by owner Admiral Taverns to sell the building to the highest bidder, which has attracted local developers. Paramount Investments spokesman Andy Burnyeat said: “It’s in a good location and there has been a lot of interest from developers.
“I would have thought that a lot of money could be made by the person who buys it as we’ve been told to get a quick sale”. Mr Burnyeat said the building, which briefly reopened as Europa Bar in 2005 and then again as The Pegasus before shutting last year, could fetch £200,000 on the market. But Johanna Lance, part of the Aldershot Civic Society — a body concerned with preserving the history of the town — wants to see The Pegasus, known as Dibdens Bar until 1949, stay as a pub.
“First and foremost I would like it to remain as it is,” she said. “There is very little left of the military heritage in Aldershot. Many paratroopers have used The Pegasus and it’s a symbol of Army life.”
Two years ago The Pegasus was featured on Sky television programme Britain’s Hardest Pubs because of the antics of its clientele. However, many of the regular customers disappeared when the town’s Parachute Regiment units were relocated to Dover and Colchester eight years ago.
Then out of the blue it was reopened by an immigrant from Zimbabwe and re named the “Sahara.” In its early days it became more of a late night drinking bar but the clientele have expanded over the months. I went in and chatted to the new licensee, who told me that he had taken a lot of flack from ex airborne guys but then asked them if they would rather it was made into flats? They changed their attitude Not only has the bar changed but the whole of Aldershot is no more the home of the Airborne!
More lately I visited Aldershot to see the new bar has closed with a for sale sign there? The end of an era!
Utrinque Paratus ("Ready for Anything")
In view of the chat about local Aldershot pubs, I did write an article I researched on the Pegasus.
The Pegasus Bar (Aldershot)
John (Tommo) Thompson
In 1850 the then War Department purchased a large tract of land adjacent to the small village of Aldershot. There were very few buildings, but like any village in the land there were a couple of pubs, the Beehive and the Red Lion were already located there. In no time the military had moved in and it became a vast tented camp. Apart from a few huts to house the Royal Engineers who were building the infrastructure. Would you believe it was called “The Camp” More affectionately called these days “The Shot.” The only building standing out among the heather and gorse was Union Buildings? Used then as a union school for the children of paupers. A bleak and lonely building!
Before the military moved in it was an overnight stop on the way out of or into London. The Farnborough Road (A325) was the road into London and frequented by two notorious highway men Dick Turpin and “Spring Heeled Jack.” No doubt they dropped into Aldershot for a drop of ale on their way to rob a stage coach as they had their headquarters between Aldershot and Farnborough
As the village became much larger and became known as Aldershot Town. Home to the British Army! On every corner there was a pub. At one stage there were 49 pubs in the small area of the town. A lot of the then pubs were not as we know licensed pubs. Most of them started off as bakeries, small shops etc. which provided drinks over the counter.
The Pegasus had a very chequered career actually starting off as a bakery until it became managed by a family called the Dibdens. This was in 1906 when it sold refreshments and then gained its license for alcoholic drinks. It has been said that it provided refreshments for respectable ladies, quite often behind a curtain soft giggling was heard throughout the day?
It was then taken over by the brewers Ind Coope & Co who increased the sale of spirits under the license. It became known as the “Widows Retreat.” Apparently woman who had lost their husbands in the various conflicts the British Army were involved in at that time, would frequent Dibdens in search of a new husband. Most of these women would parade behind the Regiment, Battalion, Company who were going off to war in the hope that they would be chosen to go to war with their husbands. An officer would walk along the line, and point to the ones he thought should join their husbands. These woman would work as cleaners and cooks for the officers in the duration of the conflict.
During this period they held the first big military parade on a square made ready by the Engineers. Apparently a very high ranking officer arrived late and stopped a sapper asking “How can I find where Lord Wilson is soldier.” The soldier replied, “Sorry Sir I’m tee total, better ask Sergeant O, Kane he is a drinking man!”
The pub changed hands in 1949 as a part of the Courage Group and was renamed the Pegasus more in line with soldiers who frequented the pub from the Airborne, The Pegasus symbol, named after a mythical winged horse, was worn by the 1st Division and 6th Airborne Division during the D-Day Airborne landings and apparently was chosen by the wartime Paras leader General Frederick “Boy” Browning. As the years past various Battalions ensconced themselves, and it became their pub. Accordingly mainly used as a drinking hole for Sergeants of the varying Battalions.
The Squadron in the early days used Aldershot NAFFI club as their drinking hole, but an odd body would be found wandering into the Royal Military affectionately called the “Rat Pit” because of the sport of “Ratting” held in the back of the pub. As a matter of interest a 196 rats were killed in ten minutes by a dog called the Aldershot Terrier. I assure you it was not a 9 Squadron guy!
Other pubs in the town became home to the 1st Battalion who frequented the Havelock. The 2nd Battalion was more likely to be found in the Trafalgar. 3 Para seemed to be the tramps of the Brigade and would be found wandering in other watering holes like the Globe or the George. The town was now throbbing with life!
The Pegasus was primarily a Battalion pub until the 2nd and 3rd Bn’s were relocated to Colchester in Essex in June 2000 to become a part of the new 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Squadron moved slowly into the Pegasus from varying water holes around town, the main one being the Wine Bar.
Slowly pictures of the Regiment were moved and replaced with many pictures of the Squadron. In June 2006 after a last drop in Hankley Common the Squadron moved to its new home in Woodbridge.
That started the slow demise of the Pegasus pub.
Mark the then licensee, apparently an ex-boxer, told me he was finding it very difficult to make a go of the pub once 9 Squadron had left Aldershot. He reckoned the landlord had raised the rent extensively, and the pub was not paying its way. Soon after I heard it was closing but was being renamed the European Wine Bar, very adequate for a cosmopolitan town like Aldershot? Mark and a Bosnian named Pepsi had gone into partnership with the wine bar. I happened to be walking past the pub before the final closing only to see two guys with hard hats up a ladder removing the swinging Pegasus sign. Taking another look, I recognised two ex-Parachute Regiment guys I knew well. When I questioned as to what they were doing, my mate P….. Said, with a wry grin, “We are nicking the sign!” Just then a car came screaming up with Mark and Pepsi inside. After a short altercation between Mark and P it was decided that they would give the sign to the Parachute Regiment Association after the local papers had taken pictures that day.
However the sign mysteriously disappeared?
The European Wine Bar was very short lived and in no time the shutters were up again. The “For Sale” sign went up and lots of rumours of it being turned into flats.
It stood there forlorn and lonely with memories of a glorious past for a few months. Then I heard from a mate of mine it had opened up again as the Pegasus.
The two new licensees were a guy called Richard and his good lady Gill. I personally thought they were fighting a losing battle when he said he wanted to try to get it back as the original Pegasus bar. They set about asking for any pictures mainly from Squadron guys who dropped in to see how it was going. One guy came in one night and told Richard he had the old Pegasus sign in his garage, and that he was waiting to see how successful they were and he would let them have the sign back. He reckoned he was ex 9 Squadron? After a period of about one year they unfortunately had to admit defeat, and once again the shutters went up! Richard and Gill actually took over the Alexander.
This is an extract from the Aldershot News:
One of the symbols of the British Army in Aldershot could be redeveloped as flats. The now closed Pegasus pub in High Street, a popular paratrooper drinking hole, has been on the market since last year, but has failed to attract sufficient interest from potential landlords.
Property agency Paramount Investments has been instructed by owner Admiral Taverns to sell the building to the highest bidder, which has attracted local developers. Paramount Investments spokesman Andy Burnyeat said: “It’s in a good location and there has been a lot of interest from developers.
“I would have thought that a lot of money could be made by the person who buys it as we’ve been told to get a quick sale”. Mr Burnyeat said the building, which briefly reopened as Europa Bar in 2005 and then again as The Pegasus before shutting last year, could fetch £200,000 on the market. But Johanna Lance, part of the Aldershot Civic Society — a body concerned with preserving the history of the town — wants to see The Pegasus, known as Dibdens Bar until 1949, stay as a pub.
“First and foremost I would like it to remain as it is,” she said. “There is very little left of the military heritage in Aldershot. Many paratroopers have used The Pegasus and it’s a symbol of Army life.”
Two years ago The Pegasus was featured on Sky television programme Britain’s Hardest Pubs because of the antics of its clientele. However, many of the regular customers disappeared when the town’s Parachute Regiment units were relocated to Dover and Colchester eight years ago.
Then out of the blue it was reopened by an immigrant from Zimbabwe and re named the “Sahara.” In its early days it became more of a late night drinking bar but the clientele have expanded over the months. I went in and chatted to the new licensee, who told me that he had taken a lot of flack from ex airborne guys but then asked them if they would rather it was made into flats? They changed their attitude Not only has the bar changed but the whole of Aldershot is no more the home of the Airborne!
More lately I visited Aldershot to see the new bar has closed with a for sale sign there? The end of an era!
Utrinque Paratus ("Ready for Anything")
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