SWINDON

1951: At the meeting of Louise Silver Threads at the St John’s Hall, Aylesbury Street, Swindon, the chairman Mr Cox asked members to stand in silence as an expression of sympathy for the Marine Cadets who lost their lives in the bus accident at Gillingham. Afterwards entertainment was provided by Mesdames Cook and Barratt, Cooke and Bardenhall singing duets, Miss Sealey sang comic songs and Mrs Pinnegar was on the piano. The evening ended with choral singing of Abide With Me.

1951: Mrs M L Gooding of Florence Street, Swindon, won a consolation prize of £1 in a £1,000 knitting, crochet and rug-making contest. Her entry was a white silk, crochet skirt and pinafore top. Hers and other winning entries were on show at a London store.

1961: Wootton Bassett Parish Council meeting was told by the General Manager of the British Rail (Western Region) that the curtailment of railway services and the possible closure of Wootton Bassett station was always under review. The chairman of the parish council, Mr B A S Loveday, was concerned at this lack of information, saying the statement was non-committal.

1961: About 300 pupils of junior and secondary modern schools in Swindon took part in the Swindon Schools Music Association Festival of Carols in Central Hall, Swindon. The festival, which attracted an audience of more than 500, included items from the orchestra, conducted by Mr F De Turbeville, a recorder group, and a school choir accompanied by Mrs F Lloyd at the piano 1971: England’s oldest bridegroom, 98-year-old Edmond Simpson, married 82-year-old Eva Midwinter at Christ Church in Swindon. The couple met at the Westlecot Home For The Blind 10 months ago. They are both almost blind. The bride was given away by the Mayor of Swindon Coun Arthur Palmer and the maid of honour was matron of the home, Georgina Conolly.

1971: A Fabian Group was formed in Swindon at a public meeting in The College. Chairman of the defunct Marlborough Fabian Society, Mr F D Shirrett suggested the formation of the new group. After discussion of the constitution and suggestions for the programme a committee was elected.

THE WORLD

43 BC: Cicero (Marcus Tullius), the great Roman orator, was executed for a series of attacks on Mark Antony.

1732: The original Covent Garden Opera House opened with Way Of The World, by William Congreve.

1783: William Pitt the Younger became the youngest of Britain’s prime ministers - he was 24.

1815: Marshal Ney, Napoleon’s most famous general, was executed for supporting Napoleon at Waterloo when he was ordered by the Allies to arrest him.

1817: Captain Bligh, captain of mutiny ship The Bounty, died in London.

1941: The Japanese attacked the US fleet in Pearl Harbour in Hawaii.

1982: Charles Brooks Jnr, a prisoner at Fort Worth, was executed by a lethal injection, the first to die by this method in the US.

1988: Peter Langan, restaurateur, co-owner with Michael Caine of the famous London brasserie Langan’s, died in a fire at his home.

2016: Actor Ryan Gosling said he’d feared the days of old Hollywood musicals were over before he made his Oscar-tipped new film La La Land.

BIRTHDAYS Sue Johnston, actress, 74; Rosalind Ayres, actress, 71; Tom Waits, singer/songwriter, 68; Colin Hendry, former footballer, 52; Damien Rice, singer/songwriter, 44; John Terry, footballer, 37; Emily Browning, actress, 29; Nicholas Hoult, actor, 28.