Swindon

1951: Swindon Corporation was revealed as the culprit after Highworth had no water for a day. Highworth Rural District Council learned that the corporation had been pumping water from the Ogbourne source to Blunsdon Reservoir, and that although this should not have affected the supply to Highworth the mains there had run dry. Members of the public reported that people were obliged to go to work without so much as a cup of tea or being able to wash their faces.

 

1951: Swindon bus drivers and bus conductors were praised at the annual general meeting of the Wiltshire County Association for the Care of the Blind. Swindon branch president Coun AJE Beck said bus crews could always be relied on to do all they could to help blind passengers and make them feel comfortable.

1961: Edward P Hardy, an accomplished organist who lived in Raleigh Avenue, Walcot, played his 1,000th organ. The instrument was the three-manual organ at St Mark’s Church in Swindon, which had recently been renovated. He had played his 500th, the Willis Organ at St George’s Hall in Liverpool, only three years earlier, and had also played instruments at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, the Tower of London and Blenheim Palace.

1961: Seven years had passed since Ernest Camden of Raglan Close in Swindon had become the first student of law at The College. He was now about to become a barrister, having been called to the Bar at London’s Inner Temple. Mr Camden, 24, was the only son of Coun and Mrs AE Camden, and was a former pupil of Sanford Street Secondary Modern School.

1971: A large crowd turned out to support the Wootton Bassett RSPCA pet show and fete at the town’s Memorial Hall. A young dog owner, Stanley Spears, won two cups with his retriever, 18-month-old Sandy. These were the Phil Boulter Memorial Cup for the best animal in the show and the trophy for best entry in the dog section.

1971: The chairman of Die Laienberg, an art group from Swindon’s twin town, Salzgitter, arrived unexpectedly in Swindon for the opening of his group’s exhibition at the art gallery. Herr Karl Pallad would have made the trip earlier had he not been holidaying in Paris.

The world

1675: The foundation stone of Sir Christopher Wren’s new St Paul’s Cathedral was laid, facing the church burned in the Great Fire of London of 1666.

1796: Scottish explorer Mungo Park reached the River Niger.

1890: Unlucky matador Luis Freg was born. The Mexican gained the dubious distinction of being injured more often than any other bullfighter. In addition to being gored 57 times, he was given the Last Rites five times, but always went back for more. He quit the ring in one piece, but drowned two years later.

1919: German sailors scuttled their fleet of warships at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys.

1937: Lawn tennis at Wimbledon was televised for the first time.

1942: Tobruk fell to Rommel with the capture of 25,000 Allied troops.

1948: The first successfully produced long-playing (microgroove) records were unveiled by Dr Peter Goldmark of Columbia Records.

1970: Tony Jacklin became the first British golfer to win the US Open for 50 years, and with his British Open victory 11 months earlier, became only the third golfer to accomplish this double within a 12-month period.

1978: The Lloyd Webber/Rice musical Evita opened at the Prince Edward Theatre, London.

Birthdays Sir Bernard Ingham, former Downing Street press secretary, 85; Sir Ray Davies, rock singer (The Kinks), 73; Kate Hoey, Labour MP, 71; Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former foreign secretary, 71; Ian McEwan, novelist, 69; Juliette Lewis, actress, 44; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, 35; Edward Snowden, American whistle-blower, 34; Lana Del Rey, singer, 32.