THE daily newspaper The Morning Leader carried a picture of a lad from Wychbold, one Master Sproaten, whom it described as a "giant." The boy, aged five weighed a massive 9stones 4lbs.

AN inquest jury sitting at Bromsgrove Police Court returned an accidental death verdict on George Gettins, a 41-year-old stonemason who died while working on the new county asylum at Barnsley Hall in the town. A large piece of stone had fallen on him fracturing his skull. This was the second fatality to a workman since the work began two years ago. Mr Gettings lived with his wife and five children in Birmingham Road. Members of the jury pitying his widow, donate their fees to her.

CONSIDERABLE interest was aroused in Bromsgrove on Saturday when two large balloons which had set off from Birmingham passed over the town. It prompted several motorists to jump into their vehicles and follow their progress. They eventually landed in Ross and Monmouth.

A VERY serious road accident occurred when Charles, the 13-year-old son of Samuel Tilt, from Norton, in Bromsgrove, was returning home from work at the bottom of Forest Hill. The lad tried to hitch a lift on a passing motor lorry but was struck by a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction. He was taken to the Cottage Hospital where he was operated on for a compressed skull. At first he was not expected to live, but has since been said to be "going on nicely."

THE Messenger took up the cause of the serious shortage of public playing fields which had resulted in several local football teams having to disband and criticisms that people nowadays were more content to be spectators rather than take part in sport. Few private landowners were prepared to rent pitches to clubs because of the rowdy element that football especially, seemed to attract now.