Memory Lane

IN the Worcestershire and War section it was reported a Wildmoor man had been killed in action.

Lance Corporal John Banner, of the 4th Worcesters, had been with the colours five years, two spent in India.

He had died in Dardenelles where he was instantly killed by a bullet wound.

Before his death the 21-year-old had written a letter to his sister in which he wrote that if he should be killed he would like his photo in the Messenger.

It was also reported that at the same time two of his school friends, Private W Wilkes and Private A Kings, both from Catshill, had been wounded.

An extract from a letter by Private Richard Williams, a Stoke Works man who had been with the British Expeditionary Force since the beginning of the war, was also published.

He wrote: “The devils won’t fight fair, its a pity we cannot do the same.

“But victory will rest with the Allies in time, and I sincerely hope I shall have the good luck to come through it quite safe.”

AT Bromsgrove Petty Sessions George Herbert Leek, of Great House, Worcester, appeared charged with driving a motor tri-car at a dangerous speed in Birmingham Road, Lickey End.

PC Stafford said he saw the defendant driving a speed of at least 35mph, and slowed down to 30mph near All Saints Vicarage, where there were a lot of children about.

Leek was fined 20s and 2s 6d.

May 21, 1965.

PLANS had been unveiled for the new Charford County Secretary School.

The Messenger included a drawing of what the new school’s main entrance would look like, from across the Lint Will pond.

The school was expected to open in the summer of 1967.

THE offices of the Magistrates Court had been moved, now being based in Stourbridge Road at the former premises of the East Worcestershire Waterworks Company.

BROMSGROVE MP James Dance made a passionate plea for better treatment of the drink trade during a debate at the House of Commons.

The MP urged the Chancellor not to price the ordinary dealers out of the trade, and said tax increases had, had an effect.

Mr Dance said that he had recently visited a steelworks and the employees there were worried about the price of beer increasing.

Mr Dance said: “If its price was forced up anyone working in heavy industry might have the right to say ‘we want a bit more money to cover the increased cost’.”

May 24, 1990.

CCTV cameras were to be installed in Bromsgrove town centre in a bid to reduce crime by 70 per cent.

Police, councillors and the town’s Chamber of Trade were joining forces to raise enough money to get them installed as soon as possible.

The cameras, which cost £16,000 each, were to be strategically placed covering the whole of the pedestrianised High Street and part of Worcester Road.

The move to CCTV was happening after a particularly bad year in which there had been two armed robberies, while three vehicles drove into shop windows with valuable items stolen.

THE County Youth Sailing Centre had been forced to close indefinitely after high levels of algae, believed to kill animals, had been found in a centre pool.

The pool was used by 300 people a week and a council spokesman said as it was not known what effect Blue Green Algae had on the human body, it had been decided to close the centre down.

DETERIORATING conditions at a Droitwich indoor swimming pool had put pressure on council bosses to speed up proposals for a new pool complex.

The lack of council funds had stopped a £2 million improvement plan for the Lido Park indoor pool, although it was hoped the project would be ready by late 1991.

However a report had revealed an existing pool would not be able to remain operational for that long, due to a long list of problems.

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.