Continuing our series of stories about our archive of historical newspapers, Beverly Abbs speaks to Brian and John Hewlett, of St John's, Worcester, about what June 1936 means the them, while Jo Brookes, of Kempsey, near, Worcester, talks about August 1968

BRIAN and John Hewlett wanted the June 1936 bound volume as that was the month they were born.

The identical twins – who will be 80 years old on June 16 this year – were born in a sweet shop run by their grandmother at 25 Friar Street, Worcester. It was almost opposite what is now the Tudor House Museum.

Their mother, Edna, and father, Edward, were living there at the time, and Brian was born 15 minutes before John.

Brian said: "Our births weren't recorded in the Worcester Evening News, but there were not many births in at that time.

"However, it has been really interesting reading the papers and looking at things such as the price of cars in those days – £200 for a new Ford, not bad, eh?

"Or a gold ring from H Samuels for £4, and a house at Grove Farm estate, Bromyard Road, for £525.

"And they were still hanging people then, or giving them hard labour for stealing milk from a doorstep!"

Over the years the brothers have stayed close, with many similar interests such as motorcycles. They were both road racing fanatics and road race scrutineers.

 

Jo Brookes, of Kempsey, near Worcester, August 1968

JO Brookes gave her youngest son Phillip a wonderful surprise for Christmas – the August 1968 bound volumes of the Evening News as he was born on August 25, 1968.

She said: "I thought it would be amazing for him to look at the adverts and see the prices of things in those days and what was happening in the news at that time.

"I wrapped the edition up and he hadn't any idea what the present was but he was really chuffed to bits with it."