Monday, January 23

1951: For three hours a Swindon audience was steeped in an atmosphere of spy and counter spy, created by a man who argued with MacArthur about the extent to which he had democratinised the Japanese, and discussed with Hitler the relative merits of short breeches for cycling. Mr Bernard Newman, a British agent in the First World War and author of many spy novels, told real life spy stories at a lecture, arranged by the Town Council Library, Museum, Arts and Music committee, at the Art Centre as part of the Heritage of Britain festival.

1961: The annual staff dance held by the Swindon branch of the RAF Association has just obtained another celebrity signature by enrolling Bud Flanagan as a member of the Friends of the Association. Some members went to see Bud in his show called the Crazy Gang, in Oxford. They met him afterwards in his dressing room. Last year they secured Bruce Forsyth.

1971: About £25 was raised for the Cricklade Community Centre funds at a children's concert, in the Town Hall. This was the first fund-raising activity of the new year. Cricklade Community Services Committee hopes to raise £12,000. More than 200 people watched the entertainment provided by children of St Sampson's Primary School.

Tuesday, January 24

1951: A programme of songs from opera and musical comedy and a concerted item called Post War Shopper was given by the Gay Cravats Concert Party at the Arts Centre, to help raise funds for the British Empire Cancer Campaign (Swindon branch). Taking part were Lorna Cantor, Gertie Badon, Raymond Hatherall, Jack Reason, Charles Dommett and Jack Winter.

1961: Grace, the latest pin-up of the General Post Office has come to Swindon. Her full name is Group Routing And Charging Equipment, and she is a robot that takes the place of human operators in Britain's spreading system of Subscriber Trunk Dialling. It is the job of this machine to interpret the instructions given by the subscribers.

1971: Roger Collett of Vastern Farm, Wootton Bassett, at only 18-years-old has already forged a thriving business for himself - literally - as a travelling blacksmith. He said he is a throwback to his great great grandfather who was also a blacksmith. Roger has had great success in show jumping, and open class competitions against such names as Alan Oliver, as well as competing in gymkhanas.

Wednesday, January 25

1951: Members of the Fred Pearce Lodge RAOB in Wootton Bassett entertained wives and children to tea. A Punch and Judy Show performed by the Wootton Bassett Girls Guides, and a ventriloquist act by Harry Radford were among the entertainments. Bertie Brooks arranged some games and Mr J Day KOM Lodge Primo welcomed the guests.

1951: The recently formed Pelpup Club, for owners of puppets made at the Marlborough Pelham factory, has just published its first monthly magazine. Although it has been in existence for only a short time the club already has members all over the world.

1961: Swindon Town Hall clock's attack of dropped pendulum was the first re-occurence of the complaint in 20 years. The spring from which the mechanism's pendulum hangs snapped. So, men from the Borough Architect's Department and the Transport Department, which is responsible for winding the clock, sent an urgent message to a London firm for a new spring which arrived the following day, and 45 minutes of repair work later mean't the clock was going again.

1961: Michael Cullimore, a student of the art school at Goldsmith's College, London, and son of Mr R C Cullimore of the Cross Keys, Wood Street, Swindon, has been awarded joint third prize of £10 in the 1960 art competition, organised by the British Ropes Ltd. His futuristic interpretation of a mono rail over a bridge was displayed at a Doncaster Art Gallery.

1971: A spate of accidents hit Drove Evening Centre when someone in the Home Economics room knocked over a pan of boiling water burning their arm and leg, one of the members of the Drove School Drama Group fell off the stage and broke her wrist, and another stabbed himself with a dagger, while a third fainted with the shock of it all. First aiders from various youth groups dealt with all the staged accidents as part of a First Aid Competition organised by the Swindon Youth Service.

1971: Production was back to normal at the Stratton St Margaret Pressed Steel Plant, with the exception of the Triumph 2000 assembly line where 70 men are still laid off following a dispute at Triumph's Coventry assembly plant where no more bodies can be accepted until the labour trouble there is resolved.

Thursday, January 26

1951: The meat ration is to be reduced again from 10 pennyworth to eight pennyworth. Supplementary issue of two pennyworth of Corned Beef will continue, but the issue of manufactured meats has been reduced by about a third, and control of fish and rabbits may return.

1951: Ways and means of reaching their target of £200, decided upon as Swindon's contribution towards the special jubilee efforts of the National Canine Defence League, were discussed at a committee meeting in the Town Hall. It was proposed that the League's trained team of dogs should give a display before a collection is taken, and that a Canine Defence film would be shown at local theatres.

1961: Recently returned to Swindon after an eight year absence was the well known blind pianist Dennis Hunt, whom listeners know from his performances on the BBC Light Programme in the show called Piano Time. Former member of Harry Smith's Swindon Band, Mr Hunt has appeared on ATV television 20 times.

1961: Exiles from North of the border celebrated Burns Night in true Scottish style, in Swindon. The Mayor of Swindon, Coun E C M Millin, responded to the toast: The Land We Live In, at the dinner dance arranged by the Swindon and District Caledonian Society. The toast was made to the immortal memory of Robert Burns and the haggis was played in by Piper Tom Underwood. George Cameron recited Tam O Shanter.

1971: More than 9,000 signatures have been collected by Swindon pensioners in their petition asking for an immediate rise in the basic old age pension. Mr J Poole, secretary of the Swindon branch of the National Federation of Old Age Pensioners Association, organised the petition and a delegation of 16 members will go to London to present it to David Stoddart MP.

1971: Piper Charlie Mackenzie played in the Mayor and Mayoress of Swindon, Alderman and Mrs J Pass and Dr Donald Cameron, president, at the Swindon and District Caledonian Society Burns Night dinner held at the Goddard Arms Hotel.

Friday, January 27

1951: Chairman of the Swindon branch of the United Commercial Travellers Association for more than 40 years, Mr Louis Sargent, became a life vice-president at the first post-war dinner of the branch. Mr R C Dickens, vice chairman, presented Mr Sargent with an Association badge on a ribbon for his invaluable service.

1951: The increasing growth of telephone communications is reflected in the installation of a new and larger switchboard at Swindon Telephone Exchange. It accommodates four operators, four times as many as were on staff in 1937 when the old exchange was introduced for the dialling system.

1961: One of the 50 British air stewardesses recently chosen by Pan American Airways from 1,000 applicants was Mary Colman, 21, of The White House, Upper Wanborough. Mary can speak French and German and has been picked for a six week training course in New York before her two year contract with the airline begins. She was formerly a Commonweal Grammar School pupil.

1961: A man who for three years lived in a converted mill on the River Ouse, and was tutor and companion to the late Aly Khan reminisced to Swindon Rotarians of those years in the 1920s. After the 1914-18 war and Oxford University, Kenneth Knapp of Manor House, Rodbourne Cheney, set up as private tutor and was commended by the Ago Khan as a likely tutor for his son. Kenneth remembers teaching Aly Khan while punting on the river, and also winning on the horses as his charge was good at picking winners at the bookies.

1971: Nearly 100 people in the Swindon district have joined sub committees of the Royal National Life Boat Institute since it was reorganised. The smaller sub committees are being formed to arrange house to house collections and the Flag Day. An inaugural meeting was held in Cricklade when Mr J Clover was appointed chairman.

1971: A new magazine, Community, has been launched in Wootton Bassett with free distribution to every household. The new quarterly, published by a joint committee from the town's four churches, Anglican, Congregational, Methodist and Roman Catholic carries messages from the clergy and the parish council.

Saturday, January 28

1951: Swindon and District Local Savings Committee has made a considerable success in its drive for new groups. Since last April 43 groups have been formed to bring the total number of groups in the committee's area to 567.

1951: The choir of St Augustine's Church under its organist and choir master Mr Clayton G West with Mrs Irene Hayward as assistant organist visited the Wesley Methodist Church, Faringdon Road, Swindon. They gave a programme of musical items that began with an organ recital played by Mr West. The congregation numbered more than 100.

1961: While most of Swindon slept, 400 jazz fans enjoyed an all-night traditional jazz session at the Locarno Ballroom. The session was presented by the Swindon Trad Jazz Club. The six-hours of jazz opened with the Ray River jazz Band led by John Cole, trumpeter and band leader.

1961: Swindon Town Football Club Supporters' Club, in an effort to raise money to pay for the £15,000 floodlights at the County Ground, Swindon, held a dance at McIlroy's Ballroom. Dr Crock and the Crackpots played music for the dancing. Local band Christopher Paul's also played on the night.

1971: Mrs Sheila Harrod principal of the Kentwood School of Music made a presentation to her father, Mr George Snook, well known as leader of the Salvation Band. The presentation was made at the Kentwood School of Music's annual dinner held at the Co-op Restaurant.