March 28 to April 4 (From Worcester News)

March 28 to April 4

12:55pm Monday 30th March 2009 in

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THIS WEEK IN 1959:

THE legendary Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery paid an official visit to Norton Barracks, near Worcester, this week as Colonel of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

He attended a farewell parade of the regiment’s First Battalion which is being posted to Aden next month.

The field marshal inspected the parade, accompanied by the commanding officer, Lt-Col.

M Ryan, and afterwards took the salute at a march past.

Later, chatting informally to a gathering of the officers, men and their families, ‘Monty’ revealed that he had been a life-long supporter of Aston Villa and had placed “a small bet” on the team winning the 1959 FA Cup Final.

● Preparation and planning work on the Bristol- Birmingham Motorway through Worcestershire has been speeded up with the result that construction work on the 28 miles through the county may start in the autumn, several months earlier than was expected.

In order to absorb as little agricultural land as possible and for reasons of economy, land acquisition is being restricted to what is barely sufficient to accommodate the motorway within fences 88ft apart

THIS WEEK IN 1969:

LIONS International intends to launch a branch in Worcester in the near future. The International Association of Lions Clubs was founded in the United States in 1917 and the first club in England was established in 1950.

This has since grown to more than 200 clubs in the British Isles. The varied voluntary work tackled by the Lions is intended to help the less fortunate members of the community. Those interested in the formation of a Worcester Lions Club are invited to an evening meeting at the Star Hotel in The Foregate on Wednesday.

● The famous Second World War flying ace, Group Captain Douglas Bader was the guest speaker at a dinner for 200 guests at the Abbey Hotel, Malvern, arranged by Sir Gerald Nabarro, the MP for South Worcestershire.

Douglas Bader lost his legs in an accident in 1933 but conquered well nigh insuperable odds to rejoin the RAF in 1939 and gain fame as a fighter pilot.

He is now managing director of Shell Aircraft.

THIS WEEK IN 1979:

THE savage weather, which has blanketed Worcestershire with snow on several occasions this winter, is expected to cost the county ratepayers about £1 million. Driving in icy conditions was made even more hazardous by the sudden appearance of large potholes in the county’s 4,437 miles of roads. It will cost at least £1 million to remedy the damage and not only do the roads have to be patched up but some gritting machines and other equipment, which were put under heavy strain, have worn out more quickly than usual and need replacing.

A County Hall spokesman said: “It’s been the most severe winter for 16 years.”

Many motorists also face repair bills to rectify salt corrosion to their cars.

● Midland Red is warning that it will be involved in increased costs of between £100,000 and £150,000 if buses are banned from Worcester High Street as a result of pedestrianisatian plans. The company says that re-routing of services and detours and the need to maintain timetables will mean bringing in eight or 12 new buses costing £15,000 each a year to operate.

THIS WEEK IN 1989:

Worcester’s potentially booming economy, with prospects of a huge jobs bonanza, is being strangled by developers and landowners who are sitting on and refusing to release desperately needed land for new factories, especially in “boom town” Warndon.

Owners of sites are waiting for depressed land prices to shoot up again, but city councillors are furious with these landowners for dragging their heels and holding back Worcester’s continuing fortunes as firms queue up to expand and others wait in the wings to move into the city.