SWINDON

1951: When about 60 members of the Chiseldon Silver Threads arrived for an outing at Bourton On The Water it was pouring with rain, so Mr A J Bassett, organiser, obtained the loan of the YMCA hut for the afternoon of community singing. The YMCA secretary jumped in to help by getting volunteers to provide tea for the Chiseldon visitors.

1951: Mr H Randall, of Poplar Avenue, Swindon who, with his Zulu witch doctor costume, is one of the best known figures in local carnival processions, has raised more than £1,000 for various charities since he first began dressing up in 1937. Lord Faringdon and Lord Carnarvon found it hard to believe that his costume was handmade when they met him in 1939.

1961: The Tottenham company of Hawley Productions Ltd that became fully operational in Swindon at their new premises in Rodbourne Cheney Industrial Estate in April, has had to employ more than the number of people formerly employed by the firm, because it has been so successful. The company manufacture moulded fibre products.

1961: Raymond Nash has been cast as King Lear in the annual Shakespeare production undertaken jointly by Swindon Town Council Library Committee and Swindon and District Theatre Guild. Vera Bennett plays Regan and David Wainwright the Duke of Cornwall.

1971: Lord Oaksey who as Lord Justice Lawrence presided over the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal after the 1939 to 1945 war died at his Wiltshire home. Lord Oaksey, 90, a former Vice Lieutenant of Wiltshire was formerly chairman of the Quarter Sessions Appeal Committee for Wiltshire. He died at Flintham Cottage in Oaksey.

1971: The bank holiday fete organised by Wootton Bassett Liberals attracted a crowd of around 1,800 people to Wootton Bassett showfield, in use for the last time before it becomes a housing development. The arrival by helicopter of Chippenham Liberal Prospective Parliamentary Candidate David Blackburn aroused a lot of interest and children were allowed to climb on board.

THE WORLD

1422: King Henry V of England died in Vincennes, France, struck down with dysentery. He was succeeded by his nine-month-old infant son, Henry VI.

1888: Mary Ann “Polly’’ Nichols, first victim of Jack the Ripper, was found mutilated in Buck’s Row in the East End of London.

1900: Coca-Cola first went on sale in Britain.

1908: At the age of 60, and after a career spanning 43 years, the legendary WG Grace retired from first-class cricket. He scored 54,896 runs (126 centuries), took 2,879 wickets and held 871 catches.

1936: Elizabeth Cowell, Britain’s first woman TV announcer, made her debut at Alexandra Palace.

1957: Malaya became independent. On this same day in 1962, Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies also became independent, having been a British possession since 1802.

1962: Chris Bonington and Ian Clough became the first Britons to conquer the north face of the Eiger.

1968: Gary Sobers (now Sir Garfield) of Nottinghamshire became the first cricketer to score six sixes off an over, at Swansea against Glamorgan. The hapless bowler was Malcolm Nash.

1969: Rocky Marciano, American world heavyweight boxing champion from 1952 to 1956, who retired undefeated, was killed in an air crash in Iowa.

1972: American swimmer Mark Spitz won his fifth gold medal at the Munich Olympics.

1997: Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in central Paris along with Dodi Fayed.

2012: The German manufacturer of anti-morning sickness drug thalidomide apologised for the thousands of children born without limbs as a result of its use.

BIRTHDAYS Martin Bell, former broadcaster and MP, 79; Clive Lloyd, former cricketer, 73; Van Morrison, singer, 72; Richard Gere, actor, 68; Edwin Moses, former athlete, 62; Glenn Tilbrook, rock musician (Squeeze), 60; Todd Carty, actor, 54; Debbie Gibson, singer, 47; Padraig Harrington, golfer, 46; Chris Tucker, actor, 46; Andrei Medvedev, former tennis player, 43; Ian Harte, former Leeds and Ireland footballer, 40.