50 years ago

1957 - June

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June 26, 1957

Newark's London Road carpark held three bands, nearly 2,000 Sunday School children and hundreds of spectators on Saturday afternoon, and all eyes were on the new Sunday School Queen — except those of her solemn young page.

The new queen, Miss Linda Harrop, of Charles Street Methodist Church, was crowned by her predecessor, Miss Gwendoline Barker, of Balderton Main Street Methodist Church.

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Exploding bullets handicapped firefighters from five fire stations and three RAF stations when grass blazed over two days in the middle of an RAF bomb disposal site at Spalford.

As firefighters fought the blazes with water jets at the edge of the burning area to prevent the flames from spreading, airmen helped to beat out the fire.

The frequent exploding of bullets prevented firefighters from getting close to the centre of the blaze.
An RAF spokesman said a routine investigation would probably take place into how the rounds came to be lying loose.

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A stone-lined well which is at least 150-years-old, and probably much older, has been discovered at 95 Barnbygate, Newark, by Mr J. L. Cragg.

The discovery was made when Mr Cragg was removing an old horse-trough from the yard at Widdison's, coal merchants.

The well, 23ft deep, is partly in the yard and partly under some outbuildings. There is about 4ft 6ins of water in it.
 

June 19, 1957

Heatwave weather calls for special measures. Young Robert Boyle, of Stephen Road, Newark, found his own splendid combination - sun-hat, ice-cream cornet, swimsuit and a seemingly limitless expanse of cool water.

Robert, who will be two on July 27, was taking his ease in the paddling pool at Newark Swimming Pool.

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More than 40 years ago, the name of Donald Wolfit was added to the honours board at Barnby Road School, Newark. Twenty years ago, that name was already being coupled with phrases like "the greatest actor since Irving."

Seven years ago, the honour CBE was added to the name. And now, at 55, Balderton-born Donald Wolfit has joined the tiny, select company of actor-knights with a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

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Newarkers whose children were born in 1955 and 1956 will be able soon to register them for inoculation against poliomyelitis.

And a speed-up in the anti-polio drive means that inoculations will go on in Newark throughout the summer - unless there is a bad outbreak of the disease in this area.

The decision means that a new age-group is brought into the protection scheme much sooner than was expected. But it also means that parents of 1947 to 1954-born children who did not register and have since changed their minds may now have lost the chance.
 

June 5, 1957

Urgent calls from Newark Hospital for an antidote to cyanide  - one of the fastest killing poisons known - sent chemists rushing to their dispensaries and police cars on a high-speed dash on Monday evening.

In the hospital was a patient thought to have taken some cyanide accidentally.

A series of telephone calls went out. One of the calls went to a Newark chemist who, although out of supplies, knew where he could obtain some. He put through a 999 call to Newark Police Station who connected him to the county police headquarters at Epperstone Manor. There it was arranged that police cars would rush the drug to Newark.

Objections to the proposals of Nottinghamshire Education Committee to close down five village schools near Newark have been lodged with the Minister of Education.

The schools affected are those run by the Church of England at Bleasby, Edingley, Morton, Rolleston and Thurgarton. Most of the pupils will go to new schools at Southwell.