Friday August 19  

1950: Old and bedridden folk who cannot get to Swindon public libraries and have no messenger available may soon have books brought to them at home. It is likely that the members of Toc H, always ready to assist in moves to make the town's people's lives better, may work the service which has been suggested by Harold Jolliffe the chief librarian.

1950: 18-year-old Arthur Frank Nash, son of Mr and Mrs F H Nash of Birch Street, Swindon and former pupil of Commonweath School has won a state scholarship. Arthur, who has already registered for military service, hopes to continue his studies at Oxford University.

1960: All the activities of the Swindon and District Road Club were connected with the Western Time Trials Association Open 12-hour event. A club record was created by having eight members running in it. All those who were left had to marshall the usual extensive area of the course, provide checkers, and take food and drink to various points of the competition.

1960: When Caroline Wheeler, 16-year-old shorthand typist of Caulfield Road, Swindon, heard that her 13-year-old sister had entered her for the Miss Gorse Hill contest she was horrified. Caroline's horror turned to delight when the judges voted her Miss Gorse Hill 1960. She beat off 10 other girls and now has the chance to enter the Miss Swindon competition.

1970: A general paid a flying visit to Swindon. General Sir John Moss flew his own helicopter to South Marston and was then taken by car to the Army Career office in Faringdon, near Swindon where five recruits were waiting to be sworn in. One of the new lads in khaki was Douglas Bunce, 16, who is following in his brother's footsteps by joining the Royal Engineers. Douglas was a former pupil of Park Senior High School.

1970: A 26-year-old student Gamini Gunasekera from Wootton Bassett has entered on the first stage of his journey home to Ceylon. He is travelling in his red Cortina with Andrew Palfreyman of Leicester. Andrew read of Gamini's trip in the Evening Advertiser, a copy of which had been taken to his Leicester factory by a lorry driver, who had bought it when he had a break in Swindon.

Saturday August 20

1950: Approximately £15 was raised by the Marlborough Junior Sports Club Flower and Produce Show held at Marlborough Town Hall. After the show a dance was attended by about 200 people. Music was played by the Embassy Dance Band from Swindon.

1950: The Jo-Ne, a homemade cabin cruiser which two brothers, both in their 70s, have sailed down the Thames from Lechlade to Southend, has broken its rudder. The cruiser had to run through a gale, running in at Southend and the Jo-Ne dragged the anchor and ran aground. Fishermen helped beach her, said the skipper William Thomas, and a new rudder will have to be built.

1960: The second inter-club angling match of the season for the Swindon area took place at Radcot when 96 members of the Swindon and District Amalgamated Anglers Association fished for the Arkell's Cup. Fishes were off their feed so sizeable fish were entirely scarce.

1960: Prints and locomotive models insured for £20,000 were on show in Swindon's Mechanic's Institute. The weekend was part of a hobbies exhibition staged by the Railway Works Boiler Makers. The museum pieces, normally kept at Paddington, were brought to Swindon by the Western Region's Model Engineer Jock Robinson, a Swindon man who's job it was to safeguard them.

1970: One of Marlborough's three traditional annual fairs the Great Sheep Fair has been cancelled due to dwindling support. Organiser Dennis Pocock said that more people had gone out of sheep rearing in the area. Only 2,000 were sold last year compared with 25,000 when the fair was in its hey day. The fair is believed to date back 700 years.

1970: The Two ancient beam engines at Crofton pump houses which used to maintain the levels of the Kennet and Avon Canal have been finally restored and will be on show again in working order to the public. The pumping station was opened by Sir John Betjeman. It was built 160 years ago by engineer John Rennie.

Monday August 22

1950: Highworth and Stratton Labour parties joined forces in a fete held in Chapel Field, Lower Stratton, where the programme included sports, a baby show, ankle competition and a cycle speedway match.

1960: Three young ballet students from Swindon and Marlborough have spent a week at a summer school for ballet, organised by the Association of Ballet Clubs at Headington in Oxford, with Beryl Grey, the famous dancer. The girls were Sandra Tanner, Susan Peters and Margaret Gough all from Tanwood Dance Studios in Swindon.

1970: Norman Passant of Carlisle Avenue, Swindon, is this year's winner of the W Ibberson-Jones Trophy for his poem The Creative. The trophy was presented by Mrs E J Jones in memory of her late husband Mr W Ibberston-Jones. Writers of poetry who live in Swindon or a 20-mile radius are eligible to enter the competition. More than 150 entries were reviewed.