RED RUM’S fitness or otherwise to run in the Grand National that Saturday dominated the national news this week in 1978.

The legendary and much-loved horse had won in 1973, 1974 and 1977 and come second in 1975 and 1976, but a hairline leg fracture put a 1978 start in doubt.

As things turned out ‘Rummy’ didn’t race but instead began a contented 17-year retirement.

The Swindon Advertiser, in the best local newspaper tradition, managed to find a decent local angle.

Retired jockey Bill Balfe, who lived in Draycot Close, had ridden in the 1946 National.

The day before the 1978 race he predicted a win for Churchtown Boy, second for Irish horse So and third for Red Rum, assuming Red Rum was deemed fit to take part.

Mr Balfe had earned an unusual place in the history of the event. Although he was a respected jockey his National ride, Elsich, is still regarded by the event’s historians as one of the most unlikely ever.

Qualifying by coming third in a three-horse race at Worcester, Elsich managed not a single victory in 50 starts, but had a reputation for unseating riders which wouldn’t have shamed a rodeo bull.

Mr Balfe recalled looking forward to the Aintree race, only for Elsich to fall in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and lie completely still for 15 minutes.

He said: “I thought, ‘There goes my National ride’ and with that the bugger jumped up and ran off.”

True to form, Elsich fell at the first fence in the 1946 National.

Sadly for Mr Balfe, neither of the two starters he tipped for the 1978 race finished.

We also ran a story involving Diane Cilento, the film star and former wife of Sean Connery, who lived on a farm near Malmesbury. While working in London for a few months, she lent it to an organisation called the College of Continuous Education.

“An exclusive college is thriving on a remote Wiltshire farm,” we said.

“An earnest 24 students are paying £1,200 each for a nine-month course in ‘seeking the truth.’ “They feed pigs, grow crops, improve the farm buildings and hold discussion groups.

“The students come from all over the world – and the college is having to turn away applicants.”

Director of studies John Wilkinson, 48, said: “Modern education is all about academic studies. But it doesn’t teach the students about themselves or how to cope with life.

“It doesn’t teach them about truth – and that’s what we set out to do.”

Back in Swindon, the Wolfman was prowling the Lawn in Old Town and Count Dracula was looking for a quiet mansion in which to park his casket for a while. There were other unusual visitors.

We explained: “Frankenstein’s monster is making a special appearance in Swindon, along with pals Dracula, Wolfman and the Mummy.

“They are all appearing in a movie written and produced by a group of amateur film enthusiasts.

“It’s a spoof horror with Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson up against Franky, Dracula and chums. The makers hope to enter it for a worldwide amateur film competition.”

The 12-person crew, led by 24-year-old director Nigel Hocking, had already filmed some scenes at the Lawn and were on the lookout for a house to double as a sinister old mansion.

Nigel had a great deal of praise for the make-up artists. “Although it’s a comedy,” he said, “we want the make-up just right, so the monsters resemble the originals but don’t look exactly like them.”

Can anybody tell us more about the project, and whether copies of the film survive?

Another of our stories that week 39 years ago was about a water-divining South West Gas employee called Ron Wade, who was walking along and near St Margaret’s Road, metal rods in hand.

We said: “He is water divining for broken stopcocks and quite unofficially saving South West Gas a lot of time and trouble.

“Ron, a haulage contractor, is officially employed by South West Gas to take rubble away from the road while a new gas main is being laid.

“Unofficially, he is divining for broken stopcocks so Gas people don’t fracture or cover them while the new main is going in.”

A trip to Swindon Town by Oxford United for an Easter derby match saw visiting thugs rampage through the town centre in the wake of a 3-2 defeat.

Many people assumed such scenes, common in and around grounds up and down the country at the time, were a modern phenomenon, but a local business showed us an old postcard suggesting otherwise.

The caption said “After the Match at Swindon” but “at Swindon” appeared in a panel clearly designed to accommodate just about any club name with a few adjustments of the printing press.

The image was of a young man or boy festooned with bandages, covered with bruises and with his clothes torn.

It was among the stock of Swindon and Kennet Stamps, which was based in Commercial Road.

Similar ones can readily be found for sale online from vendors all over the world, bearing a multitude of team names.