REWIND: Remember when a nation mourned... tribute to the Queen Mother

At about 6pm on Saturday, March 30, 2002, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen Mother had died in the afternoon at Royal Lodge, Windsor.

She was 101 years old and had been ill for some months.

We reported: "A shadow of sombre remembrance was cast over the Easter celebrations in Swindon as people paid their respects to the Queen Mother, who died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday.

"Prayers were said at services across the town."

Bishop of Swindon Michael Doe said: "Her life spanned the last century: born in the very different age of empire and deference, living through two world wars, playing a major role in the second to maintain the spirit of the nation, and having to come to terms in more recent years with the changed role of the Royal Family.

"Through all of this, she maintained her strong commitment to public responsibility, and in this she was nourished by her deep Christian faith."

We recalled the Queen Mother's only known visit to Swindon, when she came Westlea to open the headquarters of the Bible Society.

"It was a joyous occasion," we said, "with crowds lining the streets and children from Westlea Primary School presenting her with masses of daffodils.

"Accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, she met leading officers of the society and left with specially-bound Bibles for her great-grandchildren."

Adver reader Mike Shewry, 52, a forklift driver from Rodbourne Cheney, revealed that meeting the Queen Mother in 1966 had inspired him to join the Royal Navy.

Mr Shewry had been a 15-year-old sea cadet when he took part in a guard of honour as Her Majesty launched nuclear submarine HMS Resolution in Barrow-in-Furness.

He said: "She was chatty and didn't have that air of aloofness about her that some members of the Royal Family do.

"It was almost like speaking to your grandmother. I remember I was quite relaxed."

Swindon police motorcyclist George Wheeler was one of two local officers called to act as outriders for VIPs' cars during the funeral preparations.

"It is a piece of history and I am honoured to play a part," he said.

The late Queen Mother dominated the headlines, but there were plenty of other stories on our inside pages that week.

The search for missing Swindon College lecturer Linda Razzell continued. She had been seen a little over a fortnight earlier, parking her car in Alvescot Road, Old Walcot, while on her way to work.

Police officers had been carrying out extensive searches of lakes in Queens Park, but to no avail.

In November of the following year, Linda's estranged husband, Glyn, would be convicted of her murder and jailed for life. Linda's blood was found in a car he had been driving.

Glyn Razzell remains in prison and still protests his innocence.

We also ran a feature about a former Adver journalist who planned to sell memorabilia from more than 20 years of friendship with the Krays.

Robin McGibbon worked in Swindon during the early 1960s before moving to Fleet Street.

He later became publisher and ghost writer for Charlie Kray, elder brother of the notorious twins, and eventually befriended all three brothers.

The memorabilia he planned to sell at Dominic Winter Book Auctions - then based in Maxwell Street - included 80 letters from the twins and a photo of all three brothers with Hollywood tough gut George Raft.

Adding extra local interest was an image of Diana Dors showing a copy of her autobiography to Charlie Kray and his parents, watched by husband Alan Lake.

Mr McGibbon said: "The era has been eventful, but it's over - they're all dead now.

"I don't see any point in keeping these things in the loft."

In spite of the sadness of the Queen Mother's death, we found space for some light-heartedness.

Our April Fool's Day story was about a new landmark supposedly being planned for the town.

We said: "Swindon may get its own Angel of the North - in the form of a new chalk carving in the hills along the M4 corridor.

"Dubbed the shrub of the South, it would be in the shape of the borough's logo, a tree incorporating the letter S.

"The idea has been dreamed up by a group of historians who believe Swindon needs a boost following its failure to secure city status..."

Swindon may have failed to become a city, but it was shortlisted for another honour thanks to council chief executive Paul Doherty.

One of his pronouncements, a letter to head teachers, was so unfathomable that the Campaign for Plain English nominated it for the so-called Oscars of Gobbledegook, the Golden Bull awards.

Doherty's deathless prose included: "...it is clear to me that our historic practices of 'being helpful' have sometimes led to confusion about 'doing things properly'. As a result, many schools are no longer clear about what is and what isn't the proper way of doing things.'

Andrew Nye, chairman of the Swindon Association of Primary Headteachers, said he had received more than 20 calls from other heads asking what the letter meant.

MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2002

"PARENTS in West Swindon are campaigning for more secondary school places so their children do not have to be bussed to other areas of Swindon. The group, Parents Improving Education, has been collecting signatures for a petition to the council after 143 pupils were turned away from Bradon Forest School in Purton and Ridgeway School in Wroughton. Greendown School, which would normally take pupils from the area, is nearing its full capacity of 240 places. Rebecca Martin, 10, who goes to Brookfield Primary and has not been given a place at Bradon Forest School, said: "I'm upset because I'm probably not going to the same school as my friends."

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2002

"PROTESTERS have continued their campaign against Swindon Council's plans to improve Barbury Castle. The Friends of the Ridgeway collected signatures for a petition asking the council to leave Barbury Castle alone. It plans changes to the area around the Ridgeway Farm, developing a new refreshment facility and eventually moving the toilet clock away from the car park. But protesters fear it could ruin the area, turning Barbury Castle into a major tourist attraction."

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2002

"SWINDON Council is on the verge of finding an external partner to help salvage its failing education department. It is currently considering proposals from five different organisations that have applied to take control of the top tiers of management at the local education authority. The Education Partnership Group - which comprises council representatives, Government officials, local head teachers, governors and union leaders - will interview all five on April 12. A recommendation will then be made to the Education Secretary, Estelle Morris, and a final decision will be made at a full council meeting on April 25."

THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2002

"MASSIVE investment is needed to upgrade the Great Western Rail network to prevent the system lapsing into decline, according to a report published today. The investigation into First Great Western trains was carried out jointly by statutory watchdogs the Rail Passengers' Committee Wales, the Rail Passengers' Committee Western England and the London Transport Users' Committee, with the support of the national Rail Passengers' Council. The investigation concluded that 30 years' lack of investment has left the Great Western rail network in a desperate condition, and that millions of pounds is urgently needed to go into track, rolling stock, signalling, staff and stations."

FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2002

"A CONTEST for the post of Wootton Bassett Deputy Town Crier will be organised at a community civic reception on Friday, April 26, in place of an old-style mayoral ball. Larger than life Fred 'Boots' Deacon, the Town Crier of Wootton Bassett, is looking for a deputy to shoulder some of the workload. The 69-year-old, of Fairfield, Wootton Bassett, has been town crier since 1976. The Mayor and Mayoress of Wootton Bassett, Percy and Sally Miles, have invited representatives from sections of the community to join them at Wootton Bassett School, where the event is being partly sponsored by Group 4."