Monday, September 19

1950: More than 70 decorated vehicles, with bands and pedestrians dressed as various characters, took part in the traditional Pewsey Festival and Carnival Procession. Thousands joined in the merriment and for the occasion the village was brightly illuminated. The procession was lead by the Carnival Queen Rosemary Tandy and her attendants.

1960: Miss Maureen Black, 17 a typist from Moredon Road, was chosen as Swindon Jubilee Carnival Queen at a crowded opening carnival night dance at McIlroys restaurant. Her prize is a Yeomans Miller week's holiday for two in the French capital. One of the judges was singing star Elizabeth Paddy Larner.

1970: York Trailer Company of Cory in Northants took an order for 60 trailers worth £91,000 on the first day of the Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court. The order was placed by Mr E C Morris managing director of Howard Tenens Services of Swindon. He also ordered 22 Guy Tractor units. The trailers were for use on a two-way Cross Channel Continental Service which his firm is inaugurating from Swindon.

Tuesday September 20

1950: The black and silver Supermarine S.6 Seaplane, which won the Schneider Trophy in 1931, was assembled behind Swindon Town Hall in Regent Circus. It will remain on show until the end of the town's Jubilee Industrial Exhibition.

1960: There was a record number of entries and competition was keen at the British Railways Staff Association (WR Swindon Division) Crysanthemum, Dahlia, fruit and vegetable show. The judges were Messrs Field, W Wintle, F Ward and M G Fisher. The Mayor of Swindon Miss E C M Millin visited the show.

1970: An Hercules aircraft lifted off from RAF Fairford loaded with mercy supplies bound for Jordan. On board the Hercules from 47 Squadron was a field surgical team and part of a field ambulance unit. Another Hercules also delivering supplies took off from RAF Lyneham. Jordan's civil war has already claimed more than 6,000 lives.

Wednesday Sept 21

1950: An object floating in the air over Swindon attracted the attention of thousands on their way to work. It was described by some as a para-balloon drifting along at a height of about 5,000 feet. An officer at an RAF station in the neighbourhood said it was unlikely to be anything more than a meteorological balloon 1950: The programme of events for Princes Elizabeth's visit to Swindon have been sent for her approval. She has requested, like her grandfather, the late King George V, to be allowed to drive an engine when she visits the Swindon Railway Works. She will start her visit at a reception at the Civic offices and then she will open the Garden of Remembrance followed by a dedication service, before dropping in to the railway works.

1960: There will be three supermarkets instead of one in Swindon's new £1m traffic-free shopping centre, set to occupy the site that on one side adjoins Regent Street, and on the other Fleming Way dual carriage way, which will form part of the main road in to the town. In addition to the supermarkets the centre will include a department store topped by a six-storey office block, 28 shops, an hotel, and a two-storey car park for 140 vehicles.

1960: The appointment of Squadron Leader John Sanderson DFC as the new Secretary of the Swindon Branch of the National Farmers' Union will not be such a radical change for the former RAF pilot. Sqd Ldr Sanderson, the only son of a well known livestock dealer, was brought up on a farm and lived their until he was 20.

1970: The Pied Piper of Marlborough, Coun Bill Gordon is expecting 2-300 people to follow him in Beating the Bounds of the town. The boundary is 12 miles around and the Mayor, Coun Gordon,will lead the way. Each walker will be sponsored for each mile they cover and between them they hope to raise £500 for the new youth centre.

1970: A party of pupils from Richard Jefferies and Hreod Burma Schools in Swindon spent time with one of the cavalry regiments of Third Division of the Army Strategic Command. With B Squadron the Royal Hussars as their hosts the children had a first hand look at the Squadron's mighty Centurian tanks. They even got to ride in the tanks.

Thursday Sept 22

1950: A full size model of the old broad-gauge locomotive, North Star, was brought out of Swindon Railway Works and placed on a stand in front of Swindon Town Hall for the forthcoming Swindon Industrial Exhibition. The locomotive was carried in by a lorry from the Swindon works.

1950: One of the many activities planned by Rodbourne Community Centre is a Crazy Night. This popular form of entertainment in Scotland means that Messrs W Berry and B Parker will argue in comedy fashion, about which dance to announce, the Quickstep or the Foxtrot, and when they decide the band will start to play a waltz! If one of the dancers asks for a cup of coffee from the canteen the chances are they will get tea - it will be a crazy night full of surprises.

1960: A large pumpkin was among the produce brought by pupils of Penhill Infant School, Swindon, for their harvest festival celebrations. Parents were to see the results of the 580 children's labours when two harvest festivals were held. The fruit and vegetables would be distributed to the old people in Penhill.

1960: The Toc H Broadcasting Unit, working in conjunction with the League of Friends of Swindon Hospitals, will broadcast a full commentary of Swindon Carnival Procession to the patients of the Victoria Isolation Hospital, the St Margaret's Hospital and Elm Court, Stratton St Margaret. A team of four commentators, using three microphones, will endeavour to bring the spirit of carnival to the patients.

1970: All Saints Church, Swindon had a harvest festival with a difference. Instead of traditional hymns and sermon, the whole service was arranged and conducted by the London folk group Focus. The Vicar of All Saints the Rev N J Monk said the service was the finale to the harvest weekend, and the folk group had been to attract people who had gone away from conventional worship.

1970: The Highworth Good Neighbour Scheme open meeting at St Michael's Hall was attended by more than 40 residents. Dr R Cocks, the chairman, said the scheme existed to establish contact between those who needed help and the helpers. Volunteers offer to help in one of 11 different ways from transport to cooking and in an emergency there is an index of those on call who can respond immediately.

Friday Sept 23

1950: An exhibition displaying farm life was opened at the Regent Cinema in Swindon. The exhibition is a co-operative effort between the Wiltshire Herald, the Evening Advertiser, Mr E F Boulton of Oxleaze Farm and the Regent Cinema. It explains the farmers' true position regarding townsfolk and on show will be machinery, produce, a scale map for the farm and a live calf called Regent.

1950: A Swindon committee of the British Empire Cancer Campaign has been formed with Mrs II J McDermott as chairman and Mrs E E Humphreys as vice chairman. The committee will aim to raise funds for campaigning by arranging dances and whist drivers. Mrs Edith Ward is patrons and publicity secretary.

1960: Mrs E Hulbert of Cricklade Road, Swindon was driving to Ramsbury Pottery, between two and three in the afternoon, when she saw a lady dressed all in blue riding a white horse down a green slope. When she looked again the horse and rider had disappeared, and Mrs Hulbert's companion in the car had not seen her at all. Mrs Hulbert later read Alasdair McGregory's book Phantom Footsteps, which mentions sightings of a woman on a horse in unsubstantial form, by people living in that area.

1960: The Ministry of Education has approved projects for the building of seven new schools in town, Swindon Education Committee heard. Six are to be included in the 1962 to 1964 building programme and the seventh the following year. They are Park South Infants, Park South Juniors, Park North Secondary Modern, Penhill South Infants, Penhill South Juniors, and a Roman Catholic Secondary Modern to serve the north of the town.

1970: A Swindon boy, Simon Stanley, 10, of Beverstone Grove has spent part of his summer holiday at a music camp for children. He is the son of music advisor for Swindon schools, Geoffrey Stanley, Simon has inherited his father's musical talent and plays the cello. The camp in Buckinghamshire was the dream project of Avril Dankworth, sister of jazz saxophonist John Dankworth.

1970: Plans for a twenty three and three quarter million pound Cricklade Road relief road were approved by Swindon Borough Council, after several heated exchanges, with solid opposition from the Labour benches. The proposed starting date for work on the 7 mile-long dual carriageway is 1973. Opposing the plan was Coun A J Masters who had concerns about the costs, the 180 houses that would be destroyed and the effects on the environment. The votes were 22 to 15 in favour of the relief road.

Sat Sept 24

1950: Joplin Missouri, USA will be the future home of Miss Teresa Morrison, of Fairholme, Wanborough Road, Stratton St Margaret, who married Billy Gene Powers of Main Street, Joplin at St Margaret's Church, Stratton St Margaret in Swindon.

1950: Sidney Dye, who addressed the meeting of the Upper Stratton labour party, was once a farm worker in the South West Division of Norfolk, which he now represents in parliament. He studied at Ruskin College in Oxford and he became Labour agent in 1924. He broke his journey at Swindon on his way home from a meeting in South Wales.

1960: Two choir boys of St Augustus Church, Swindon have been invited to take part in the St Paul's Cathedral Festival. Frank Fricker and Tony Wilson met the other choir boys when they took part in a practice at Bristol Cathedral.

1960: The first head of the Jiving Competition attracted nearly 500 dancers at the Locarno Ballroom Swindon. The three couples who will go forward to the finals were chosen by Paul Henry, the Swindon band leader.

1970: A Swindon woman is to lead a car pilgrimage to Rome for the canonisation of the 40 English Catholic martyrs at St Peter's. Miss Pamela Newman has written a play about the martyrs. She works as a local government officer in London, and is a former Headlands and Commonweal school pupil. Her father and brother still live in Swindon.

1970: Avebury Congregational Church, originally one of the outlawed Five Mile Churches has celebrated its 300 anniversary. The church was set up in 1670 after Parliament passed the Five Mile Act which prevented free church ministers preaching within five mile of any town, city or borough. Avebury was the ideal sanctuary. The church, sitting within the famous stone circle, celebrated with two services instead of one.