Monday, May 23

1949: Nearly 300 Legionnaires of No 3 Group British Legion attended the Empire Day Rally at Stratton St Margaret when a service at St Phillips's Church was followed by a march past at which the salute was taken by Brigadier E H Kelly DSO MC.

1958: All overtime at Swindon Railway Works is to stop after Whitsun holiday. This will be the first effect in Swindon of the economies made throughout the country, by the British Transport Commission, to meet the cost of the recently announced pay increases. A railway spokesman said he had not heard anything of a suggestion that men over 65 would be declared redundant, or that the number of new apprentices would be reduced.

1979: A Rolling Stone rolled in to Swindon to appear alongside some local music legends. Charlie Watts, drummer with the Stones, plays at the Swindon Arts Centre for the third time in two years. The super star tax exile flies in from his home in France to appear in a band led by Swindon piano wizard Bob Hall.

Tuesday, May 24

1949: At a Swindon Town Council annual meeting today, Coun F E Akers was elected Mayor of Swindon. In the election of Aldermen the Independents group used its recently won majority to elect six of its members. The Labour group put forward only one nomination. All the by election seats except one will be in the safe Independent wards of South and East.

1958: Almost half a century of preparing to get the news to the public comes to an end for Charles Morris at Newspaper House. After helping to get out the final edition of the Evening Advertiser, the lino type operator shut down his machine for the last time. He has been at Newspaper House for more than 40 years. He was presented with a smart green portable radio by general manager and director of Wiltshire Newspapers Mr S Clayton.

1979: Swindon has its foot in space. For from the offices of the Science and Research Council in Polaris House, North Stara, the countdown on a £9m space launch has begun. The craft is a Scout and is to be launched from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration site of Wallops Island, Virginia. The Scout, code named Ariel V1, will orbit the Earth examining black holes.

Wednesday, May 25

1949: Five chairmanships of Swindon Town Council committees, held by members of the Labour Group, were taken over by members of the Independent party. The election of chairman and vice chairman took place at a special meeting of all the committees after prior agreement had been reached between the two groups.

1949: A pupil of Mr and Mrs E G Widdowson's Marlborough School of Music, 13-year-old Rosemary Skittrall of Marlborough, has passed her Grade 5 pianoforte examinations at the Royal College of Music. The examination is accepted by the Universities in lieu of one of the music papers of the School Certificate.

1958: Upper Stratton Silver Threads was entertained at their weekly meeting in the Women's Institute Hall in Lechlade by a choir and a skiffle groups made up of members of the Lechlade Silver Threads. They were conducted by the vicar the Rev C Gurnhill. ABout 120 members attended.

1958: Wootton Bassett's new County Secondary Modern School was officially opened by Sir David Eccles, president of the Board of Trade. In his speech Sir David said that two thirds of the 13 schools need in Wiltshire to complete the rural reorganisation were complete or under way.

1979: Roy Carter, the 24-year-old Swindon soccer ace is on the ball. For Roy has been voted the Team Player of the Year by Swindon Adver readers. It is an amazing turn around for the midfielder who, when he came from Hereford for £22,000, was given a hard time by many fans.

1979: When Linda Skull moved from Swindon to train as a nurse she had no idea she would land on top of a 90ft water tower. She was told a patient of hers was threatening to jump off the top of the tower in Chelmsford, so she rushed to the rescue, and despite the rickety state of the tower and the wet she climbed up and stayed until her patient agreed to come down. Her parents from Park South in Swindon will be travelling to Chelmsford to see their daughter receive the Queen's Award for Bravery.

Thursday, May 26

1949: Certificates awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture were presented to two of the members of Swindon and District Gardeners and Allotments Association at their monthly meeting. Mr J W Smith received a first class certificate of merit for cultivated plot for food production in 1948 and Mr G Reeves received a second class certificate of merit.

1949: There was a good attendance at the meeting of Lower Stratton Women's Institute, held at the Institute. Mrs Miller the president was in the chair at which resolutions for the forthcoming annual general meeting were discussed. It was decided that the parcel of tinned food sent from Australia will be held over for use at the annual social. There was also a demonstration on smocking and a game about advertisements.

1958: The pride of her family this Whitsun is a 19-year-old Highworth girl, Barbara Humphries. Barbara delivered her new baby brother, Mark Antony when he was born four weeks before he was expected. Her mother was alone in the house until her other daughter Jacqueline, 11, came in and summoned her sister. Barbara came home and found herself delivering the baby. She said it all happened so quickly she didn't have time to think, she just did it.

1958: One of Swindon's most colourful and controversial clerical personalities, the Rev C F Harman, former vicar of St Paul's and later South Marston, is returning to the district. He has been appointed Vicar of Froxfield and Little Bedwyn. He will be moving back from Doncaster. During his 20 years in Swindon district Rev Harman was always breaking into the headlines with his outspoken views delivered both inside and outside the pulpit.

1979: The massive Milk Race contingent of more than 200 riders, team officials and organisers will gather in Swindon in readiness for the second stage of Britain's premier cycle classic. The Swindon crowd will be part of the glamour and excitement of the Milk Marketing Board's event. The County Ground, more used to welcoming football teams, will be the starting point.

1979: All 400 people who are striking at Plessey Semi Conductors plant in Swindon have been called to a mass meeting. The call follows talks between the union and company officials. The strikers, mostly women, walked out over a pay dispute.

Friday, May 27

1949: Coun F J King of Broome Manor Lane, Swindon, who was a member of Wiltshire County Council for 10 years before being defeated in West Ward last month, has been adopted by the Labour party as candidate for the County Council by election in North Ward Labour Party.

1949: It is unfortunate that so many villages in the Swindon area will not be able to benefit from the new scheme for the provision of rural telephone kiosks, which are now to be free of costs to the locality, as many have been already installed at their own expense by the parish councils.

1958: A strike of 1,500 workers at the Pressed Steel Stratton plant, which has caused a crisis in the car industry is over. The men will be going back to work on what is considered to be fairly generous terms. After the mass meeting, held to consider the recommendation, the jubilant strikers sang a victory song, Keep Right On To The End Of The Road.

1958: A Whitsun Fair held at Lechlade is expected to produce more than £100 for the Memorial Hall. Attractions included a Six-Aside Football Tournament, won by Highworth Globe Trotters, motor driving trials, a cake competition and a dance at the Memorial Hall itself.

1978: Swindon bank employee, Karl Bushell, gives a good account of himself when it comes to winning table tennis trophies. And now Karl, 24, is adding a new cup to his tally. He has become the first winner of the Evening Advertiser Trophy for the player with the top average in Division 1 of the Swindon League.

1978: Thamesdown Council's general purposes committee are to hold a full debate on the very serious problem of availability or otherwise of drinks for members after their meetings. Chief Executive David Kent presented a report on reviving drinks for councillors. The £310 vending machine bought in 1974 has brought complaints that it is out of action or that the drinks coagulate. It is recommended that bigger operating instructions should be displayed and that members should get their drinks for free.

Saturday, May 28

1949: Complaints about a crowing cockrell, seven cats and three Alsatian dogs occupied the attention of the members of Cricklade and Wootton Bassett Rural Council at their meeting. The clerk Mr P D Sugars said that a woman had written that her sleep was being disturbed by a bantam cockrell. The tenant who owned the cockrell was told the bird had to go. The dogs from a nearby village were found not to be a danger so could stay and the complaint about the seven cats was dropped by the complainant.

1949: The BBC weekly programme Opportunity Knocks included a turn by a young impressionist Bunny Shayler and Jim Hancock from Park Road, Faringdon. Jim runs a popular concert party, which includes Bunny, but she is not his first discovery as his daughter, Pamela Day, is now appearing in Lilac Time at the Palace Theatre in London.

1958: Three assembly lines started production in the new assembly shop at Garrards Swindon factory. This brief announcement represents a considerable advance in the firm's comeback since the fire at the factory in March. In little over two months the concrete single storey building has been completed sufficiently for the three lines to be transferred from Rodbourne.

1958: A dog show with 10 classes was one of the highlights of the Swindon Conservative Association annual fete at the Polo Ground in Swindon. The show was judged by Dr W H Hardy.

1978: In between the storms Marlborough Carnival got off to a terrific start. There were children's sports afternoons, which had to be held in the youth centre, local entertainers at a variety night in the town hall, an open air civic and carnival service in the Priory Gardens, a gymkhana on the Common and 500 entries in the pet show.

1978: A tremendous last heat was won by skipper Martin Ashby, who claimed two more valuable points for Swindon Robbins in the Gulf British League at the Abbey Stadium in Blunsdon. It gave Martin a maximum of 15 points from five rides - 12 points scored with three bonuses for finishing second behind a team mate.