1952: A reduction in the labour demand of two Swindon clothing factories resulted in the tightening of belts. The Cellular Clothing Co Ltd introduced a three-day week for its 180 women and girl hands, although the 10 men employed were not affected. Mr W C Brown, manager of Nicholson’s Raincoat Co, said 20 part time employees had been dismissed because of the fall in trade.

1952: Superb lighting effects in the Nativity were presented at St Augustine’s Church, Swindon, to create the right sort of atmosphere. The simple story was told in 10 scenes. The play was composed by taking readings from the Scriptures and piecing them together to create the story, from when Mary was a child through to the birth of Christ. The Vicar Rev A G Ringwood gave a blessing.

1962: The Vickers Armstrong works in South Marston, which had been engaged in specialised design and manufacture for nuclear projects at home and overseas, had taken over the management of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority factory at West Howe.

1972: A touring version of the Westward TV Open Art Exhibition, which featured 30 paintings, sculptures and drawings, went on show at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery in Old Town. The exhibition was first on show at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery in Exeter. The exhibition included many well known artists’ works and was the basis of a television documentary Something I’ve Got To Do.

1972: Malcolm Bacchus of Marlborough Road, Swindon had been awarded a place at New College, Oxford to study natural sciences. Fellow student at Commonweal School, Swindon, Clive Rowland of St Margaret’s Road, Swindon, had been accepted for Officer Cadetship at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth

the world

1567: The first state lottery was held in England - 40,000 lots at 10 shillings

each were available from St Paul’s Cathedral.

1753: Sir Hans Sloane, British physician and naturalist, whose collection formed the nucleus of the British Museum, died.

1857: Fred Archer, champion jockey who had 2,748 wins including five Derbys,

was born.

1858: H Gordon Selfridge, founder of the London Department Store, was born in Ripon, Wisconsin.

1917: A patriotic appeal was launched for the nation to subscribe to the new War Loan, to finance the staggering cost of the conflict (#5.7 million a day).

1922: Insulin was first used successfully in the treatment of diabetes.

1928: Thomas Hardy, English poet and novelist, died in his native Dorset aged 87.

1973: The Open University awarded its first degrees.

1974: The first surviving sextuplets were born in South Africa.

1989: The second Battle of Naseby was lost when judges refused to halt the M1-A1 link across a field where Cromwell was defeated by Royalists in 1645.

1993: Richard Branson won a legal victory after British Airways apologised for a “dirty tricks campaign” against Virgin Atlantic Airways.

BIRTHDAYS

Arthur Scargill, former mineworkers’ union leader, 80; Anna Calder-Marshall, actress, 71; Ben Crenshaw, golfer, 66; John Sessions, comic/actor, 65; Phyllis Logan, actress, 62; Bryan Robson, football manager, 61; Jason Connery, actor, 55; Mary J Blige, rap singer, 47; Emile Heskey, footballer, 40.