October 18-24

MAJOR Herbert James who had the distinction of winning the first Victoria Cross awarded to a member of the Worcestershire Regiment, has died in London at the age of 68.

Distressingly, he was found gravely ill and starving in a cluttered room in Kensington, surrounded by 23 valuable oil paintings in gilt frames. He was a recluse and no one had been aware of his plight. As a subaltern at Gallipoli 43 years ago, he twice distinguished himself in bravery against the Turks and was twice wounded. His VC was awarded for holding a trench single-handed against a ferocious Turkish attack.

He was again in action on the Somme and was awarded the Military Cross for courage in 1916.

● Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, son of the Conservative Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin of the 1920s and 30s, has died at the age of 59.

Oliver Ridsdale Baldwin became the second earl on his father’s death in 1947. In direct contrast to Stanley Baldwin, the second earl was an avowed socialist and was Labour MP for Dudley from 1929 to 1933 and for Paisley from 1945 to 1947. He was governor of the Leeward Islands from 1948 until 1950.

THIS WEEK IN 1968:

Part-time pianists employed by Worcestershire Education Committee are set to get more for pounding the ivories.

They play for keep-fit classes, choral groups and the like in schools but last got a pay rise six years ago when their hourly rate went up to 10 shillings. The county education committee is being recommended next week to raise the rate to 14s.6d an hour.

● Worcester’s medical officer of health, Dr Godfrey O’Donnell has criticised television programmes which focus on adult enjoyment of life to the neglect of children.

He said: “I wish it was possible for television to put over that true and sustained happiness in life does not depend on material enjoyment but on a good family life where parents look after their children and subsequently the children look after their parents.

“Marriage and rearing a family is the most complex relationship you can have. It is far easier to run a large corporation or a big business.”

THIS WEEK IN 1978:

WORCESTER’S talking newspaper, known as the Listening Post, is about to be launched for the benefit of blind people. The plan is to record local news items, features, food guides and important local information on 90-minute cassette tapes which will be distributed free of charge by the post office to the city’s blind.

The talking newspaper is the brainchild of Colin Chance, chairman of the Worcester branch of the National Federation of the Blind, and his wife Beryl.

They started things off with a small group of enthusiasts who went on to form the Worcester News and Equipment Service for the Blind. The venture is to be manned by about 60 volunteers.

● Householders in Worcester are ignoring police appeals to lock their ground floor windows before going to bed at night. Since the warning advice was first issued last week, there has been a new wave of house breakings in the city, bringing the total to more than 30 during the past month.

THIS WEEK IN 1988:

HOLD on to your hats.

Worcester’s property boom could take off again. That’s the view of several city estate agents who say that despite a levelling off in house prices during recent months, the boom is far from over.

The city’s crazy house price spiral resulted in a 125 per cent rise in property values over the last two years.

Average house prices in Worcester are now about £60,000 to £70,000.

● One of the front runners in moves to crack down on late night violence as city centre night clubs at Worcester turn out up to 2,000 revellers is set to take an experimental bow this month.

Police chiefs have put forward the idea of temporary late night taxi ranks outside four of the city’s trouble-spot nightclubs in a bid to halt flare-ups near to the Broad Street taxi rank. However, city council leaders warn that the temporary ranks at Angel Place, the Butts, Bank Street and Lowesmoor will only be a success if they get the full cooperation of taxi owners, cabbies and night club proprietors.