GLAMOUR descended on Highworth from the sky 49 years ago today.

We wrote: “Everyone looked up and thought, ‘No, it can’t be.’

“But it was. A helicopter was landing at a garage forecourt in Highworth yesterday – to fill up with fuel.

“A somewhat staggered petrol pump attendant at Roger Simpson’s garage in Swindon Road could hardly believe his eyes.

“After quite a tight squeeze the machine landed and out jumped the pilot asking for 20 gallons of petrol.

"Should he have been on a horse and not in a flying machine, amazed onlookers were asking. Not surprising, perhaps, when he was dressed in riding breeches and boots.

“Taking Highworth very much by surprise was Mr Sebastian de Ferranti, of the electronics firm, who had run short of fuel on his way to play polo for Cheshire at Cirencester Park.”

We ran a photo taken by a local, and it couldn’t be more redolent of the era were there an E-Type Jaguar and a Beatle in the frame.

Sebastian de Ferranti died last year, aged 88.

Something else closely associated with the time was illicit drug use. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band had been released the previous month and Britain was in the midst of what is now called The Summer of Love.

Thousands of young people had recently demonstrated in London for the legalisation of cannabis. The Adver weighed in with an editorial against the idea and a reader replied on our letters page. Many of the debating points are still raised nearly half a century later.

We said, for example: “A favourite theme of the speakers was that ‘soft’ drugs are no more harmful than drink or tobacco. It is an argument that is all too readily accepted.

“Even if it were true it would be a poor argument for legalising additional harmful habits, but it is not true.”

Our unnamed letter writer countered that cannabis was neither harmful nor addictive, and added: “One heard glib talk of the ‘escalation from soft drugs to hard’ as though it were as logical as progression from beer to spirits. Cannabis is as unlike morphine, say, as lightbulbs are to ashtrays.”

Yet another thing associated with the 1960s is adverts which seem strange by modern standards.

One appeared that week in 1967, and featured a mock news story with sinister image of a man, his face half hidden in shadow, brandishing an unknown object. It was headlined: “Night Prowlers Raid Swindon Homes.”

Closer inspection revealed that the man was holding something caked a Great Shakes milk shake container. The Great Shakes gimmick was that the powdered milk shake mix came with its own lidded shaker. This saved people the trouble of getting a cup from the cupboard and stirring with a spoon.

The advert said: “Complaints from local housewives of midnight milk thefts have proved true.

“The thieves turned out to be members of their own family – mostly their husbands.”

Connoisseurs of 1960s commercials will find a selection of Great Shakes adverts on YouTube.

The week also saw us invited to Swindon’s best known swimming pool, not to record races or exercise classes but rather something spiritual.

“Splash!” we said, “A few breathless gasps and another Jehovah’s Witness has been baptised.

“At the Milton Road Swimming Baths today 23 new Witnesses from the South West of England were immersed into the faith.

“The baptism was quite without ceremony. Earlier more than 500 people had gathered at the County Ground to hear Mr JE Williams, a circuit minister, explain the meaning of baptism.

“Most of the 500 men with briefcases and Bibles and women minding playful children nursing dolls were already witnesses.

“There was no emotional haranguing – just a half-hour sermon by a neat figure in grey.”

The Mayor and Mayoress of Swindon, Harold and Gwendoline Lewis, were photographed outside Buckingham Palace, where they’d been invited by the Queen to attend a garden party.

Mrs Lewis pronounced the proceedings “very delightful” and added: “The Mayor and I saw the Queen – she looked charming in pink – and Prince Philip and several other distinguished guests, including Edward Heath, George Brown and Patrick Gordon Walker.”

Heath was Leader of the Opposition at the time, while George Brown was the famously drunken Deputy Prime Minister. Patrick Gordon Walker was the Secretary of State for Education.

Mrs Lewis added: “It was all very colourful. A beautiful, sunny day but none of us too hot as there was a breeze.

“There were police everywhere and it was quite difficult finding our way to the entrance.

“I enjoyed walking around the gardens. It was not as tiring as expected, as there were plenty of seats and I could sit down when I wanted to.”

Other mayors and mayoresses invited to the garden party were those of Chippenham and Calne.