September 26, 1951

More than 400 members of the fifth annual Anti Aircraft Group Workshop REME paraded to Newark Parish Church on Sunday morning to mark the ninth anniversary of the REME's formation.

After the service there was a march-past in Newark Market Place when the Mayor of the borough, Coun J. A. Markwick, took the salute.

With the Mayor was Lieut-Col. W. H. Bush who commands REME in Newark.

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Mrs W. Robb of Parliament Street Newark is 72, but she leaves England tomorrow - alone - for six months holiday in the USA and Canada.

Mrs Robb sails from Liverpool in the Cunard Ascania, and will be met by her sister who lives at Toronto and they will have three months together.

Then Mrs Robb will leave Canada and spend the rest of her holiday at Bloomfield, New Jersey, with her 28-year-old son Rex and his wife and three-year-old daughter, Audrey, whom she has never seen.

She has not seen Rex since he and his American bride were married at London Road Congregational, Newark, at Christmas, 1946.

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Glamorous grandma Mrs A. Hickson of Beacon Hill, Newark, came second in a competition for the most Glamorous Grandmother during carnival week at Mablethorpe last week.

Mrs Hickson, who is 62, has three children and five grandchildren.
 

September 19, 1951

Newark and district farmers will be glancing anxiously at the sky today. The big grain growers, especially, are facing disaster in the cornfields.

Rain and gale flattened corn is stopping harvest operations. The chief threat is to the big grain farmers who are trying to combine their corn and do not possess dryers for dealing with a wet harvest.

Mr C. J. Neale, of Kneeton, who has between 350 and 400 acres of corn this year says: "The days are getting so short that the ground seldom gets a chance to dry. Unless we get some sun the problem will be serious."

Mr M. C. Horner, chairman of the Newark branch NFU estimated that about two thirds of the corn had still to be gathered.

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Barnbygate Methodist Church, Newark, was the only European church in which the Rev Dr Merrill R. Abbey of Madison, USA, preached during his two-month tour of the continent and the British Isles.

Welcoming Dr Abbey to the afternoon service of Barnbygate Methodist Circuit Rally the superintendent minister, the Rev A. J. W. McKay, said he was one of the American delegates to the Methodist conference that had just finished at Oxford.

Dr Abbey said he had been in Newark under 24 hours, but he had seen something of what the Rev McKay called country Methodism and had been thrilled by it.
 

September 12, 1951

Members of the Ransome and Marles Works Band went to bed early on Monday night.

After playing at Stanhope (County Durham) Agricultural Show they arrived in Newark at 5am on Monday.

A day's work, then the bandsmen assembled in Newark Market Place at 6.30pm to give a concert at the invitation of the mayor, Coun J. A. Markwick, following their success in winning the 99th Belle Vue brass band contest.

The £2,000 gold shield and the other trophies were on view. Their programme on Monday night, heard by a big audience in the Market Place included the Belle Vue championship test piece.

The mayor said he counted it a great privilege to welcome the band who, by their prowess in the musical world, had brought honour to Newark.

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Two Newark Town bowlers, R. Stansall and E. R. Webber, with F. Oldershaw (Lincoln) as skip were in the winning treble at the Skegness Open Bowls Tournament last week.

It was an all-Newark final. The winners did not meet the other Newark treble Ñ J. H. Smith, E. Robb and F. Johnson (Brigg) until the final. Over 1,500 competitors took part in the tournament.

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Squadron Leader G. Atherton, from Newton RAF station was unable to perform aerobatics over Newark either on Monday or yesterday because the clouds were too low.

The display was to advertise Saturday's Battle of Britain Day at Newton. Newarkers would have been able to radio instructions to the pilot from a wireless van parked in the market place.

The van arrived on Monday but the display was cancelled after Squadron Leader Webb had been in touch with the pilot at Newton.
 

September 5, 1951

Children at the Festival Flower Show and Fete held last Saturday in the Scout Hall grounds, Balderton, were intent on fishing in the bran tub for prizes.

The competitors in the carnival parade walked through the village from Smith Street to the Scout Hall, where they were judged by Mr and Mrs A. A. Eddowes of Farndon, and Mr and Mrs Maurice Horner of East Stoke.

The winners of the fancy dress competition were: 1, Pamela, John and Ian Grandorge (Rudolph); 2, Raymond Wilson (village pump); 3, Joy Palmer (Hawaiian girl).

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Championship honours were won by Ransome and Marles Works Band on Saturday when they competed at the heart of the brass band world Belle Vue, Manchester.

They defeated 13 other bands in the 99th September Festival of Britain brass band contest. The Newark band were coached by Mr Eric Ball and their musical director was Mr David Aspinall.

The first prize comprised a gold challenge shield valued at £2,000, the Sunday Chronicle Challenge Cup, the Festival of Britain Cup, a cash prize of £75 and a special broadcast by the band on Saturday next.

It is the first occasion that the band has won this contest. Ransome and Marles Work Band will be competing with area champions and runners-up at a contest in the Royal Albert Hall, London, on October 27.