Swindon

1951: Western area officer, Sea Cadets Commander, RQ Kilroy, RN, inspected Swindon Sea Cadets when he visited their headquarters to tell them of his voyage in a Chinese junk-type boat built under his supervision.

1951: Nearly 1,000 sorties, an average of 50 a day against enemy targets in the Korean War zone have been flown by naval aircraft from HMS Glory, a light fleet carrier which relieved HMS Theseus. Lt Commander F A Swanton of Manningford Abbots, near Marlborough made the 2,000th landing of the 14th Carrier Air Group, since they left England in January.

1961: The senior public health inspector, Mr A S Underwood, reported on milk sampling of 23 dairies and milk machines at a meeting of the Highworth Rural Council. All except two milk machines had passed, and they were in Wroughton and Stratton St Margaret. Mr Underwood assured councillors that the milk from the machines was the same as in the dairies.

1961: Dexter Doughty, 18, of Cunningham Road, Pinehurst, Swindon, has been awarded a plaque as the HMS Raleigh’s best recruit of 1961. He had just completed his first six months training on HMS Raleigh and the former Pinehurst Secondary Modern School pupil, who signed on for nine years, was studying anti submarine weapons.

1971: Mr Peter Walker, Secretary of State for the Environment, presented Coun J Masters of Swindon with the urban conservation group one award. Swindon gained the award form the Borough Council’s modernisation scheme of the Railway Village. The award was presented at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Conservation Awards Ceremony in the offices of The Times newspaper in London.

1971: In its eighth year of existence the Swindon Good Companions can claim credit for no less than 27 marriages. In fact the chairman Mr Jack Shield met his wife Kathleen at the social club for middle aged people.

The world

1377: Richard II inherited the English throne, aged 10.

1757: George Vancouver, the explorer after whom Vancouver Island and Vancouver are named, was born.

1814: MCC beat Hertfordshire in the first major cricket match played on the present Lord’s cricket ground in St John’s Wood.

1896: Marconi patented his invention of the ‘wireless’.

1937: Joe Louis won the world heavyweight boxing title by knocking out James J Braddock in Chicago. He successfully defended the crown 25 times before announcing his retirement on March 1, 1949.

1940: France capitulated and accepted the armistice terms of Germany.

1941: The German Army invaded Russia.

1969: Singer Judy Garland was found dead in her flat in London, aged 47.

1987: Fred Astaire, American actor and dancer, died aged 88.

Birthdays Prunella Scales, actress, 85; Kris Kristofferson, singer/actor, 81; Esther Rantzen, TV presenter, 77; Meryl Streep, actress, 68; Lindsay Wagner, actress, 68; Alastair Stewart, newscaster, 65; Danny Baker, DJ and presenter, 60; Jimmy Somerville, singer, 56; Dan Brown, author, 53.