August 25, 1954

The last Naval wings day parade at RAF Syerston took place on Friday morning when 12 Naval officers were presented with their pilots' wings by the Fifth Sea Lord, Rear Admiral A. N. C. Bingley.

In future, Fleet Air Arm trainees will receive only basic flying instruction at Syerston before taking a course in jet aircraft in Anglesey.

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But for the prompt action of two young Newark men on holiday in Cornwall, the honeymoon of a Lancashire couple might have ended in tragedy only two days after their wedding.

The honeymoon husband, unconscious after diving from a high board into too shallow water; was dragged from the sea at St Ives by Mr James Woodman and given artificial respiration by Mr Graham Brown.

He was taken to hospital, where he was found to have dislocated his neck. Latest reports were that he was recovering, but it was feared he might be paralysed from the waist down.

The two young Newarkers are now back at work - Mr Woodman with his father's firm, Woodman's Automobile Engineers, Lombard Street, and Mr Brown with William Saunders and Partners, architects of Castlegate.

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After one of the worst summers in living memory, a storm-lashed weekend has brought Newark farmers to crisis point.

Only a fine dry spell starting immediately can now save the corn crops. If it does not come, even the later root crops may be jeopardised.

Already a vast proportion of the corn crop is ruined and even with improved weather now the shortening hours of daylight and the boggy ground will present problems that may be insuperable.

August 18 , 1954

Oh yes, the sun can shine in Newark. Out it came on Saturday, the temperature soared to 78 degrees and youngsters were quick to take a dip in Newark's swimming pool at Sherwood Avenue.

Nevertheless, on Saturday only 1,000 people visited the pool. In a normal summer such a day would have attracted 3,000.

But this is no normal summer. If only there had been a warm May and June to start the summer off, they would be flocking to the baths now, even when the temperature is low, said Mr Gadd, deputy superintendent, yesterday.

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Civil Defence recruitment in Newark is standing still. No new volunteers have come forward during July or August and the only change in contingent strength has been through resignations.

But Newark defence officials are unperturbed by the lack of fresh support. At present there are 56 men and 75 women in the borough defence contingent. They form invaluable hard core.

Mr. J. W. Kitchen (Newark contingent leader) said last week: "If disaster struck, we would get crowds of people asking to help. But during the first chaotic stages it would be our 131 who would count."

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Newark brothers-in-law saved two children from drowning in the sea at Mablethorpe on Sunday.

Police Constable Kenneth Woolridge, of Lime Grove, Newark, and Mr Stanley Parker, of Fleming Drive, Newark, were sunbathing on Mablethorpe beach when they heard cries for help. Pc Woolridge dashed into the sea.

The officer found a boy and a girl in difficulties. He kept them afloat until Mr Parker arrived and between them they brought the children ashore.

August 11 1954

The annual show and fete organised by the Long Bennington Village Produce Association was held in St James' Hall and grounds.

The quantity and quality of the exhibits was good, especially the flowers, peas, onions and potatoes, which attracted large entries.

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 Back on their benches with memories of coffee on the boulevards are 14 employees of Ransome and Marles who, with friends, spent 11 days of their holiday fortnight in Paris.

"The tour was voted a great success," the personnel manger, Mr H. H. Blockley who led the party, told the Advertiser.

"It is hoped to repeat the experiment next year."

It was a crowded 11 days and to give it a busman's holiday aspect it included two industrial visits, one of which, of course, was to a ball bearing factory.

The other was to the Renault factory, where the party saw cars leaving the production line at the rate of one every 90 seconds.

While in Paris, the Newarkers probably saw more of the city than the average Parisian does in a year but they found plenty of time to watch the time go by - even at two o'clock in the morning - from boulevard cafés.

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Nine years ago, five-year-old Barry King was given three peaches to eat on the train bringing him back to Newark from the holiday in the Isle of Wight.

"I am going to save these stones and put them in the garden," he declared.

This week, Barry - now 14 - and his family are eating peaches from a tree that grew from one of the stones.

August 4, 1954

Horse racing in harness made its first appearance in the district when 18 American-type trotters raced at Elston Towers in a £150 handicap meeting.

More than 2,000 people watched the racing. The events were each more than a mile long and were raced round a homemade track in the grounds of Elston Towers, the home of the organiser, Mr Hugh Morton.

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The new bells in Newark Parish Church throw sound waves upwards and outwards.

The result is that they fall more lightly in the immediate vicinity of the church, and sound with greater beauty at distances further afield.

The bells are sending their messages to places where they have never been noticed before.

The remark has been heard in the countryside: "Listen, those are Newark bells."

The lofty spire of the parish church has always been a landmark, seen from miles around, and it's good to know that the bells have a more far-reaching voice.

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Regret that grammar school headmasters no longer have any say in the selection of their pupils - not even the chance to interview them beforehand - was expressed by Dr N. Clayton, headmaster of the Magnus School, when he addressed Newark Rotary Club, of which he is a member.

"Nowadays we have no feepayers and all boys come to me as a result of an examination taken in another school," he said.

"I have no influence over that examination whatever, and no say in whether they should come to my school.

"At the beginning of the year I get a mixed bag. I know them only by name - and by the marks which they happen to have got in a wretched intelligence test or in what are called arithmetic tests or English tests."