Friday July 8

1950: Behind the tower, built before the last war by the late Lord Berners on Folly Hill, Faringdon and marked by a high bank of sand, work is in progress on a new reservoir, part of a £500,000 water scheme for the rural district of Faringdon.

1950: Thriving under the Southern Cross, half the world distant, are a few pioneers developing a great country out of the wilderness in Australia. Among these people are Moonrakers with a Wiltshire accent, known as the Bryant family, who now live in Melbourne. Mrs Bryant was a Clifton Street School teacher and her husband gave up his job on the Carriage and Wagon side of the Swindon Rail Works before embarking for Australia. Their home now is a half way house called Swindon Villa open to emigrants from their home town.

1961: Fresh from their success at the Moscow Trade Fair, Pelham Puppets from Marlborough, are now sending 70 giant dwarf puppets to Germany while Robert Pelham is putting the finishing touches to a number of giants which are destined for France.

1961: The pupils of Wootton Bassett Secondary Modern School are fast putting right the state of the old grey mare which is the Broad Town horse, dug out of the Wiltshire countryside on the edge of the Down. The horse has been neglected and deteriorated so Mr S E Spark chairman of the school's Parent Teacher's Association suggested that the school pupils should give the horse a facelift.

1970: The idea of a block of flats on their doorsteps horrified some Old Town residents. Nearly 50 of them from Mill Lane, and Field Rise area decided on a campaign of action in a bid to get the scheme scrapped. Bradleys, the developers, have won planning permission to put up three four-storey blocks in Mill Lane and residents are fighting to get this permission revoked.

1970: The Plessey company is planning to move two of its divisions out of Swindon. They are the resistor and connections divisions which are going to the Northampton area as part of a rationalisation scheme which the company says is logical.

Saturday July 9

1950: St Mark's Church in Swindon will welcome a new priest, the Rev W L Spencer, a graduate of Keble College, Oxford. He is at present on the staff of St Aldhelm's Bedminster, Bristol, Mr Spencer is hoping to join the Universities Mission to Central Africa so will not be in Swindon long.

1950: Tenants at Lydiard Park Estate feel they have been somewhat isolated from normal entertainments such as cinemas, theatres and dancing so they have started their own social club on the estate. They are using the the estate headquarters which used to be officers' mess when the estate was used as an army camp. There will also be a playroom for children.

1961: The organ, which will be played at the consecration of the Church of St John the Baptist, Park, Swindon, has been made in a shed at the home of the church organist. Rev K Dinolene asked his friend, the Western Supermare organist, about having a temporary organ. He was invited to meet the Swindon organist Mr R Ferris and they decided to build a new organ together for the service.

1961: Around 450 members of the Swindon and Wootton Bassett Young Farmers club attended a barn dance and barbecue at Upper Herdswick Farm, Wroughton. Music for dancing was provided by the Ray Rivers Jazz Band.

1970: One of Swindon's busiest shopping streets was closed today when a large gas main was smashed. Police and firemen threw a cordon around Fleet Street when a lorry slipped into road excavations and crushed a main. Shops were emptied and asked to be ready for evacuation while the fire brigade stood by in case of an explosion.

1970: Work has effectively begun on Swindon Town's new stand at the County Ground today when the club president Mr W J Castle cut the first turf. The mayor of Swindon Ald John Pass was at the ceremony. the first stage of the building, the shell and seating should be completed by the start of the 1971-1972 season. It will provide an extra 5,000 seats.

Monday, July 11

1950: Join the Navy to see the world - Lofty Rogers of Cheney Manor Road, Swindon, knows all about life at sea having spent 25 years in the service. Chief Officer Charles Rogers served on 30 ships including the HMS Li Wo, a river steamer that steamed into the path of a large and heavily armoured Japanese convoy during the war. Only eight sailors survived out of 84 following the battle, including Lofty. He was released from prisoner of war camp in 1945 and returned home. He has been stationed at various naval bases ever since.

1961: A Commonweal School, Swindon, maths teacher, Cynthia Beswick, 26, of Ashford Road, Swindon, and a former Commonweal school pupil, Terry Lloyd, 21, are getting married in Northumberland. Terry is all set for a job with Rolls Royce in Derby. They say they hardly knew each other at school.

1970: Swindon MP David Stoddart wants to know if the Government plans to go ahead with the Swindon expansion plan. He is going to put down a question for the Minister of Housing, Mr Peter Walker.

Tuesday July 12

1950: The youngest speedway rider in the country will wear Swindon colours in the next outing. He is Ray Downton, 16, brother of Robins' Bill Downton. Ray will be given the chance to show his skill in public during the second half of the programme.

1961: Ernest Parker of Malvern Road, Swindon, who served on the Wiltshire Police Force for 25 years has been nominated for a seat on the Board of Swindon Town Football Club. He has always taken an interest in the Swindon club. He was born in Devizes and retired from the police 13 months ago. He rarely misses a match.

1970: A fine evening made a success of the fete at Crowdys Hill School, Swindon. On the playing fields horses, dogs, sideshows and the Lion's train had the crowds enthralled. the school's third fete is providing funds for petrol for the school mini coach which takes children on educational experience outings.

Wednesday, July 13

1950: Vanda Dorsett, six, of Exmouth Street, Swindon, took part in the semi-finals of the All England Sunshine Competition. She entered the ballet, modern musical and character dance classes and ended with honours in each.

1950: A Tiger Moth training plane from Maintenance Unit in Lyneham was forced to land in a 40-acre field at Hook, near Wootton Bassett. The plane was piloted by Flt Lt Youngs and as it landed 30 steers and three horses in the field stampeded. When the plane came to a halt the animals returned to gaze at the aircraft.

1960: More children than ever before have won places from Wroughton Primary School to grammar schools this year, parents were told at the annual open day. Wing Commander H A Langton a member of the Wiltshire County Council was welcomed by the head teacher Mr W J Mackanan-Jones.

1961: A new £180,000 dining hall is rising in the picturesque court yard of Marlborough College to replace the hall that was built more than a century ago as a temporary measure. The new building will seat 1,000 boys and is 145ft long by 69ft wide, longer than the width of the famous Marlborough High Street.

1970: The first aerobatic championships held in Britain were opened by the Secretary of Defence, Air Anthony Lambton. After the opening ceremony at RAF Hullavington, Mr Lambton, and Col Gough accompanied by the station commander Wing Commander E H Coombes and senior RAF officers inspected the teams who have flown in from all over the world. Britain has entered five pilots.

1970: More than 30 people with disabilities from various parts of Wiltshire were guests of the village of Brinkworth. they were given tea and took part in a British Legion drumhead service held in a field next to the parish hall. Music was provided by the Wroughton Silver Band and there was a march past by former servicemen.

Thursday July 14

1950: Visiting Swindon after 30 years in Queensland, Australia, is an old Swindonian, Mrs E King. She and her husband moved to Australia after the first world war. She is staying in the home of Mr and Mrs J Smith of Edinburgh Street and visiting all the places she once knew. Two of her sons run a pineapple farm and her husband works for the Forestry Commission. She said that one snag in Australia is housing but this can be overcome by building your own home.

1950: Mr A Higgins, baker and confectioner, of Chiseldon and Broad Street, Swindon, has been awarded a diploma in a national competition organised by a firm of millers. There were 840 entrants; seven won prizes and 13 were awarded diplomas.

1961: Work is almost on schedule for the new Purton Secondary Modern School. It is urgently needed as the present school is one of the few still catering for 408 children aged from five to 15-years-old. The new school will be on a 17-acre site and cater for 400 children. The recreational fields will have two Association or rugby football pitches, two hockey pitches, a cricket square, a running track, three tennis courts and a swimming pool.

1961: Thirty Swindon school children, 26 from Park South Grammar School, returned home after 10 days in Germany. The children stayed at the Konigswinter on the River Rhein and the main object of the trip was to study the geography of the Rhein Gorge.

1970: Will Price, Secretary of the Swindon and District Welsh Society, has arranged two concerts in Swindon. One from the Ynysybwi Male Voice Choir and the other by the Royal Welsh Choir. The Ynysybwi Male Voice Choir have visited Swindon before in 1968 but there were a number of other events clashing on that date wo they have been invited back again.

1970: Fred Ford the Swindon Town manager is still hoping to sign Ian Ross, 22, versatile Liverpool player. Fred confirmed that he has been interested in this player since before the deadline of transfers. He had made an offer but Bill Shankly, Liverpool manager had second thoughts.

Friday, July 15

1950: A pinewood cross measuring 12ft by 8ft and weighing 157lb will be carried by relays of four men of a party from Swindon in a procession of pilgrims from the Roman Catholic CHurch in Glastonbury to Glastonbury Tor. The pilgrimage is organised by the Knights of Columba.

1950: Scouts from 3rd Swindon troop were well supplied with unrationed sweets when they returned from camp at Eire. They struck camp on the banks of the River Suir at Cahir, Tipperary. It was the scouts second trip to Eire and 31 scouts with scoutmaster A J Prosser enjoyed the trip.

1961: A new £70,000 extension to the Plessey Sports and Social club premises in Cricklade Road, Swindon was officially opened by Mr A E Underwood, the company's regional director. The extension included a central lounge and bar.

1961: Lechlade played host to the annual meeting of the Fairford, Faringdon, Filkins and Burford Ploughing Society. It was decided at the meeting that this year there would be no classes for the horse drawn ploughs in the ploughing match.

1970: The first flatlet homes project for elderly people in the Cricklade and Wootton Bassett district has been officially opened at Purton. The 24 homes are on Hooks Hill and are modern homes designed for the elderly to keep their independence.

1970: Cooper Swindon Ltd have installed new equipment to try to cut down the small from their Marshgate works, Swindon Borough Council heard. The firm is also trying to get some more equipment form the Continent to alleviate the problem. The question of That Smell was raised by the council's health and welfare committee.

Saturday July 16

1950: Mr L W Spragg, a Swindon man who is home on six months leave from Malaya, where he is a Railway Works Assistant in Kula Lumpur, says the standard of living has improved in England. He said it was an eye-opener to see all the fruit and flowers, but he said that the political tension in Malaya and other Far Eastern countries was a real threat to world peace.

1950: Alan K Loney, 33, eldest son of Marlborough Councillor Mr F J C Loney, of London Road, Marlborough has successfully taken his general subjects BA at Liverpool University. He began his education at Euclid School in Swindon.

1961: The children of Christ Church Sunday School attended the last Children's Service at which their organist Ronald Ferris would play. Mr Ferris has been playing for the monthly children's services for three and a half years. He is now to become the organist at the new St John the Baptist Church, Park.

1961: Pixie Charles, formerly of Beech Avenue, Pinehurst, Swindon, now lives in Canada. At a ceremony in Chrysler Farm, Ontario, two Swindon drummers belonging to the Duke of Edinburgh Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire) played in the band. They were Drummer Colin Price of Pinehurst and Drummer John Cox of Moredon. Mrs Charles said she was delighted to meet the drummers from her home town and wrote to her mother back in Swindon about it.

1970: Wootton Bassett Secondary School open day was attended by 500 parents. The open day displayed illustrated works of each department of the school and visitors were able to see pupils work, text books and practical activities. Outdoors was an inter-house cricket match and a gymnastic display.

1970: The headmaster of Southfields Primary School, Highworth, Arthur Burke Jones retires after 26 years. The head boy and head girl, Stuart Farmer and Amanda Rawlings presented him with a clock and an album signed by al the teachers and the pupils.