THE son of America’s wartime president settled not half an hour from Swindon, a 300-year-old tree was no more and a man in Old Town was growing his own tobacco.

And as if that were not enough for one week, the Adver included what must surely rank as one of the most frightening photographs in our long history.

The image in question appeared exactly 39 years ago, as the great drought of 1976 wore on.

The costumes worn by two people at the Stratton junior six a side tournament were supposed to make them look like Wombles but instead were more like something from a horror story.

Four-year-old Serena Wiltshire was photographed with them and we noted that she seemed rather unimpressed. We should have given more credit where it was due, as she was clearly a very courageous child.

If Serena or the Wombles can get in touch to share their memories of the day, we’d be happy to hear from them.

That goes especially for the Wombles, as we’d like to reassure ourselves that there really were people inside the costumes...

Little Somerford near Brinkworth, meanwhile, had become home to one of the late President Franklin D Roosevelt’s children.

General Elliot Roosevelt and his wife, Patricia, were living in Hill House, which was previously occupied by Rhona Chamberlain, daughter-in-law of former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. The couple’s previous residence had been Highgrove House near Tetbury, which would later be home to the Prince of Wales.

The general told us: “My wife and I have a real love for this part of England.

“We particularly like this area on the Wiltshire-Gloucestershire border. The people are friendly and have treated us well.

“I have seen other parts of England but none I prefer to this. I spend a lot of time writing and live a quiet life with few outside interests.”

His fondness for the quiet life was understandable, as the five times married Roosevelt had frequently been at the centre of controversy.

A reconnaissance pilot in World War Two, he rose from captain to brigadier general in a little over four years, although US officials insisted this reflected his talents rather than his father’s title.

He was later accused of agreeing to purchase an aircraft for the military after being sumptuously wined, dined and provided with the company of glamorous young women by its manufacturer.

Most controversially of all, there was an incident in which ordinary American military personnel were ordered from a troop flight taking them home on leave, so as to make room for Roosevelt’s dog.

Roosevelt eventually returned to the US, and died, aged 80, in 1990.

Hill House is now a care home.

In Wroughton, the life of a much-admired resident was claimed by a plague.

The 200ft tree was one of the oldest victims of Dutch Elm Disease. The killer fungus changed the appearance of Britain’s woodlands and verges forever.

We said: “It has taken only four weeks for the virulent Dutch Elm Disease to kill this magnificent tree, although it has stood untouched since the reign of Charles II.

“It took specialist woodcutters six hours to hack down the tree, which stood at the bottom of Edward Johns’ back garden at Bassett Down Farm.”

The wood, we added, would be hauled away and turned into paper.

That year wasn’t a good one for elm trees, but in Old Town another plant entirely was doing very nicely.

Swindon College electronics lecturer and pipe smoker Alisdair Macdonald had taken to growing his own tobacco.

“Any average gardener can do it,” said Alisdair. “If you can grow tomatoes you can grow tobacco. They belong to the same family.

“The big headache is the effort of curing the leaves, but it’s no real problem.”

The key to success, he added, was making sure to pinch out any flowers appearing on the plants, in order to keep the strength in the leaves. The plants, he said, cost £3 for 48 from a specialist mail order firm.

“In September some of the lower leaves turn yellow and wilt a bit. I harvest these, make a hole and string them up in the garage, letting them dry out properly until they turn brown.

“You carry on harvesting until the frost, which ultimately kills the plant.”

In case any readers saw a potential business opportunity, we explained: “Customs regulations limit the amount of home-grown tobacco to 25lbs per person per year.

“Shredding your own for cigarettes presents a problem as the machines for doing it are difficult to find, but rolling your own cigars is a simple matter.”

Alistair said: “It’s like beer. A few years ago you were looked on as a crank if you brewed your own, and now it’s regarded as an respectable hobby.”