April 29, 1953

The 5th (Newark) Battalion Home Guard co-operated with the police in a two-day escape exercise at the weekend. Units of the RAF Regiment and the Military Police also took part.

More than 100 evaders were given the task of escaping from an area which included much of Nottinghamshire.

o-o-o-O-o-o-o

This year's Boy Scout Bob-a-Job week in Newark made £87 for Scout funds, £10 more than in any previous year.

Mrs S. J. Rendall, district commissioner, appealed for more Scoutmasters at a meeting in Newark Town Hall.

"To revive the 2nd Newark (Parish Church) troop and adequately staff the 11 groups in existence we need not 26 but 60 Scouters," he said.

"There must be in Newark many men who, in their youth, had much fun and gained great benefit from the work of Scouters or other youth leaders."

o-o-o-O-o-o-o

A lantern clock which is the earliest Newark made clock so far known, is now on exhibition at Newark Museum.

This has been made possible through the generosity of Scarborough Corporation, whose museum committee has kindly lent the clock to the museum.

This particular clock was made between 1680 and 1700, and must have been one of many made in Newark by Owen Gascoyne.

Mr Gascoyne was born at Newark in 1647. He came from a Newark clock-making family of some repute; his father and his son - both named William - were clockmakers in the town.

Owen's father carried out repairs on the clock and chimes of the Parish Church between 1646 and 1674 and Owen himself did similar repairs between 1679 and 1715.

April 22, 1953

Balderton Old Boys A (under-18s) were crowned the 1952-53 champions of the Newark Minor League. The trophy was presented prior to the final match against Collingham Juniors.

o-o-o-O-o-o-o

Neighbours in Staunton Road, Newark, will long remember the courage of 33-year-old Mr Tom Wilson. But for him two homes would probably have burned to the ground on Thursday.

When fire broke out in the roof of another home in Staunton Road, Mr Wilson clambered through a window, climbed into the attic and kept the flames under control until the fire brigade came.

To get to the roof Mr Wilson improvised a ladder from a chair and a crutch, for he only has one leg. He has walked with a crutch since he lost his left leg in a car accident 15 years ago.

o-o-o-O-o-o-o

The days when a home in Newark catered for unmarried mothers and girls in moral danger by training them for domestic work are gone.

Today, a proportion of the girls taken into St Catherine's House, Newark have had a university education and come from good homes. Domestic work would be a waste of their talent.

The changes which have taken place in the last 39 years were outlined at the annual meeting on Thursday of the Southwell Diocesan Association for moral Welfare work by Dr Mary Collis, medical adviser and the chairman of the association.

April 15, 1953

Five-year-old Nadine Robb, of Bell's Row, Lover's Lane, Newark, walked on to the stage at Newark's Savoy Cinema on Saturday, curtsied and handed a bouquet to the mayoress, who presented prizes to the 20 winners of a pets competition run by the cinema's Young Citizens Matinee Club and the RSPCA.

Nadine had two reasons to be on stage, she was chosen from 2,000 members of the club to present the bouquet on their behalf, and she was also the winner in the competition - she took a first with her pet rabbit.

o-o-o-O-o-o-o

The referee of the Ransome and Marles versus Coalville Town football match at Elm Avenue, Newark, had to halt the game for a few minutes while remonstrating with a section of the crowd responsible for a prolonged booing session.

Also that Saturday a spectator chased one of the Worthington Simpson forwards following a few incidents on the field.

The same day Balderton Old Boys argued with the referee when he prevented them marking a man each during a free-kick awarded to their opponents.

o-o-o-O-o-o-o

Newark Corporation cattle market's £8,000 attested stock section will be opened by Mr Godfrey Baseley, BBC agricultural expert and editor of The Archers programme.

The importance of this new department of the market was emphasised by Mr D. P. Blatherwick who said attracting farmers to Newark market meant more trade for Newark businessmen.

He said the town council was convinced that the prosperity of Newark as a trading centre was linked with the prosperity of agriculture.

April 8, 1953

For the first time ever a woman will lead the procession from the Town Hall to Newark Parish Church on Sunday morning for the annual tradesmen's Sunday service.

She will be Mrs D. E. Holden, first woman president of Newark Tradesmen's Association.

o-o-o-O-o-o-o

Collingham Farmers' Club lost £150 on their 1951 show, but last year's show was more successful financially and the loss on the event was down to about £30.

Reporting this to the annual meeting of the club at the Grey Horse, North Collingham, tonight, Mr C. S. Smith, the secretary, will explain that one of the reasons for the show being more of a success financially was the introduction of a live-weight-guessing competition, which proved an attraction on the showground.

o-o-o-O-o-o-o

As part of the Easter festivities at Barnbygate Methodist Church there was a missionary meeting when medals were presented to all those who had collected £5 or more for the Overseas Missions during the year.

Among them was Gwen Barker of Balderton who in ten years has collected a total of approximately £70.

o-o-o-O-o-o-o

The highways committee of Newark Town Council should view Beacon Hill bridge as a danger spot, said Mr J. P. Flanagan at a meeting of Newark road safety committee.

Improved lighting was needed, he said.It was said that road users were dazzled when they passed from the powerful lighting at the entrance to Ransome and Marles into comparitive darkness on the bridge.
 

April 1, 1953

Newark Parish Church Choir can now hear themselves as others hear them. Tape recordings are made in church on Sundays and played back for 'inquests' at choir practices.

The records are made by Mr Alan Stone on his own tape recorder.

He fits up his microphone near the north transept and switches on for the anthem. Mr E. F. R. Woolley, master of the Song School, said: "A person singing a part in a choir has no idea what the general effect is like.

"He can hear only his own voice and those of his immediate neighbours."

o-o-o-O-o-o-o

One week of Newark's works holiday fortnight this summer will be outside the schools' holiday period because Nottinghamshire education committee will not allow the schools to break-up earlier.

Newark Chamber of Commerce sent a protest to the education authority calling on them to bear in mind Newark's special case - it is the only town in Nottinghamshire that has a special works' holiday, the town's principal factories all closing for the same fortnight.