Memory Lane

IN the Messenger's Worcestershire and the War section the Advertiser reported John Banner, of Santridge Lane, had been wounded and was in a hospital in Boulogne.

Lance Corporal Banner has served in the army for six years, being deployed to India and Egypt, but after coming home he returned to the front after the outbreak of war.

A MEETING was held at the Assembly Rooms in Bromsgrove where discussions were held about starting a branch of the Women’s Volunteer Reserve in the district.

The Vicar of Bromsgrove attended and presided over the meeting that had a large attendance of women and girls.

The Bromsgrove town band also attended and played selections of music.

During speeches it was said one of the munificent results of the war would be that women would come into their own, and would have a "better chance in life’s struggles".

AT Bromsgrove Petty Sessions Alfred Fisher, of Golden Cross Lane in Catshill, appeared to answer to a charge of being drunk near his home.

PC Stafford said the defendant told him he could not find his way home because it was so dark.

Fisher was fined 2s 6d and 5s 6d costs.

A MEETING was held to discuss continuing the Birmingham Football Combination league, which Bromsgrove Rovers were currently in.

Representatives from teams talked about the effect of the war on their teams, both financially and through loss of players due to enlistments.

A representative of the Birmingham Trams’ said if war did not finish by next season his club would not fulfil fixtures the following season.

All teams were to be consulted before a final decision was made.

March 26, 1965.

A CASE for retaining in their present use the railway stations between Bromsgrove and Barnt Green was submitted to the Ministry of Transport.

British Railways was pushing for the closure of the stations, but the Bromsgrove Passengers’ Action Committee launched a campaign to stop the move.

Among the points made was that the population of Bromsgrove was scheduled to increase from 37,000 to 50,000 by 1975, so a station would be needed.

IN a close finish Watt Close Secondary School progressed in the latest round of the inter town road safety quiz, held in Redditch.

Pupils managed to get through on the final round of questions to advance in the Freak Smith Cup.

Watt Close was to meet a school from Dudley in the next round.

THE £60,000 headquarters of Bromsgrove Rural District Council had been officially opened by the Lord Lieutenant Lord Cobham.

The authority had offices of their own for decades but had to hold their meetings in the old boardroom of the workhouse until the end of 1964, when they moved to the Birmingham Road building.

March 29, 1990.

ENVIRONMENT minister Chris Patten looked set to step into a row between the county and district council over a plan for a travellers site in the green belt.

At a district council meeting, councillors condemned county council plans to use the Stoke Prior land as a site for travellers.

A residents action group had also been formed to fight the plan.

If the dispute was not resolved, the Secretary of State would consider an appeal.

LICENSEES of Bromsgrove pubs attended a meeting where it was agreed anyone whose behaviour offends, would be banned from all public houses in the town.

The ban would be for life from the premises where the offence took place, and licensees would discuss at the meeting the length of time, in months and years, the offender was banned from other pubs.

COUNCIL flat tenants had been banned from installing and using satellite dishes until a survey was carried out.

Bromsgrove District Council’s housing and health committee had made the decision after a report suggested there maybe better methods of reception than 30 satellite dishes erected on one block.

STRIKE action by up to 140 teachers looked set to mean Bromsgrove children would be sent home from school on April 4.

Unions were striking over the Government-imposed pay award of 7.3 per cent over a full year.

Memory Lane is compiled from the papers dating back to the Messenger's first edition in 1860. The papers are free to view at Bromsgrove Library, in Stratford Road.

For more information call the library on 01905 822722.