Friday June 3

1949: Presiding over Chiseldon Parish Church for the first time, the new Chairman, the Rev P Anderson, was sorely tempted when a member suggested the meeting be adjourned to listen to the broadcast commentary of the Woodcock-Mills fight. He said: "There's nothing I should like better except to see the fight.'' But Mr H A Martin, clerk, drew the attention of the chairman to the large pile of unanswered correspondence awaiting the council's attention, so the vicar ruled that to adjourn would be impossible.

1949: Nine local infant schools took part in the third and final section of the Swindon Schools Music Association Festival at Drove Hall, Swindon. Each school gave a five minute programme which included rhythmic movement, singing and dancing.

1959: Never in living memory, has Cricklade had a recreation ground. Now after 15 years of attempts a site has been bought, but there is not enough money to finish the job of developing it properly. The history of attempts to get a playing field go back to the 1939-45 war. Unfortunately, people are using the new playing field, which still needs bulldozing and levelling, as a footpath.

1959: After a deputation, accompanied by Francis Noel-Baker MP for Swindon, had met him at the House of Commons, Ernest Marples, the Post Master General, has written to Sir Arthur Ford, chairman of the BBC about the bad TV reception in Swindon.

1979: Dave Mutlow failed by 34 and a half inches to get a hole-in-one at the Par 3 11th at Broome Manor Golf Course. He worked out afterwards that it cost him somewhere in the region of £300 per inch, for if it had gone down the shot would have won him the sponsored car in the Sankey Tournament.

1979: A cinema clown literally stopped the show by ordering the entire audience out of the Big Top. Rocco's Mini Circus had just begun its two day run when some children started shouting out loud at the quality of the acts, saying that it was the worst circus they had ever seen. The clown, one of a family of six who run the circus, appeared in the ring and order everyone out. As the 100-strong crowd trooped out of the circus at the Pitts Estate in Faringdon, they were handed tickets for the following day but not the children who had shouted.The next night the police were called because a hail of stones was thrown at the tent as the performance was going on.

Saturday June 4

1949: Visiting Swindon on holiday is Mr W E Fisher, son of Mr and Mrs George Fisher of Hyde Road, Swindon. He has been in Uganda for the past 20 years holding an appointment in the colonial office as Superintendent of Technical Education. He was educated in Swindon under the late Mr W D Bavin.

1949: The charity commissioners have agreed to allow Faringdon Parish Council to sell the old recreation field for £1,000 provided £500 of the price is used for the development of a new site, and the rest in invested. It was reported at the Parish Council meeting.

1959: A Stratton St Margaret exhibitor, Mr J Blackwell of Kingsdown Nurseries, won a gold medal for fuchsias at the Bath and West Show. In a new class for Galloway Cattle, Andros Estates Ltd of Stork House, Lambourn, were reserve champions and won the Mackintosh Perpetual Challenge Trophy for best exhibit owned and bred by the Southern Galloway Cattle Association.

1959: Two Quaker brothers and their families left the shores of England in 1686 bound for a new land and another life in America. By a trick of fate a descendant discovered that her courageous forefathers were natives of Wiltshire. She finally tracked down Jesse Chandler, the Marlborough saddler. It turns out Jessie is the four times removed great grandson of George Chandler who died on the voyage to America. The whole family are descended from him as his widow and children continued to the new world and his brother never had children.

1979: The Swindon Space Satellite, UK 6, has been successfully blasted in to orbit around the world. The £9m satellite was launched from Virginia, USA but it was designed and built by the Swindon-based Science Research Council UK. It is designed to orbit the earth for two years. The council based at North Star Avenue has spent four years on the project.

1979: Swindon's Old Town station site is to be bought by the borough council for more than £100,000. A recommendation by Thamesdown director of development and housing, Gerry Blythe, is expected to approve at a meeting of the development sub committee. But before the civic chiefs enter into final negotiations with British Rail a soil survey is to be carried out to make sure it is suitable for housing and light industry.

Monday June 6

1949: The camp chief for the first Wiltshire County Boy Scouts Jamboree was Mr F G Sheldon of Swindon. The jamboree was held at Corsham Court and more than 2,000 scouts attended on Lord Methuen's estate for three days from Saturday until today. Lord Rowalla, chief scout, inspected a guard of first class boy scouts, there was a camp fire celebration and a scouts church service over the weekend.

1959: Cockneys from West Ham crowded into a small hall to sing their hearts out in real Old Kent Road style. But they weren't in London, they were in the common room at Walcot, Swindon, where a concert was given to aid a newly formed youth club. Eight housewives from West Ham, now living in Swindon, provided the Cockney flavour.

1979: Fred Ferris is one of four Bristol bus drivers who have qualified for Southern Divisional final of this year's Bus Driver Of the Year competition. Fred, 47, Branch Secretary of the T and GW Union, works from the Swindon depot. Fred will receive his cup from Bristol Bus Company general manager Kenneth Wellman.

Tuesday June 7

1949: On June 10 Corporal S Hume, who is serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps in Malaya, will have served 13 years. He will be returning to England where he stays with his friend Tommy Shuie of Kingsdown Road, Stratton St Margaret, Swindon. Corporal Hume, 35, is serving at the British Military Hospital in Kuala Lumpur. He previously spent five years with No 33 General Hospital in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.

1959: The mouse which caused a stir in the Bell Hotel, Swindon, was finally run to ground. A building worker spotted it darting across the saloon bar. He grabbed it and gave it to the landlord, Edwin Walker. The publican then took the mouse to a field where he released it. He said: "I was a Prisoner of War in Germany, so I know how it feels to be chased from pillar to post.''

1979: Three cadets from Swindon have just spent two weeks with the Regular Army in Germany. Lance Corporal Ian Omerod, Lance Cpl Ivan Tracey and Lance Cpl Andrew Joseph are all members of the Swindon Detachment of the Royal Green Jackets ACF. They were in Germany as guests of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards near Hanover.