A MIRACULOUS near-miss averted what could have been a disastrous crash between a packed passenger train and an RAF jet at Defford this week exactly half-a-century ago.

Berrow's Journal reported on the remarkable incident of May 1950: ''The driver and fireman of the 4.48 p.m Worcester-Gloucester passenger train were severely shaken when a Meteor jet plane almost struck them.

''The cab of the locomotive was hit by the landing wheels of the jet which was coming in to land on Defford airfield. The undercarriage of the aircraft was damaged, and the roof of the engine cab was dented by the impact. Many of the train passengers witnessed the incident with shock.

''Fortunately, however, the jet landed safely, and the train was soon able to continue on its journey.''

The same Journal edition of 50 years ago welcomed the revival, after a gap of several years, of the May Day festivities at Hallow. ''Maypole dancing preceded the crowning on the village green of the May Queen -- schoolgirl Hazel Birchley who wore a blue and white gown with a blue and silver train.

''Her attendants were Christine Morgan, Roye Williams, Betty Pratt, Pat Clegg and Pamela Dutson.''

In fairly stuffy terms, the Journal of 1950 also sang the praises of Worcester Shirehall. ''Worcester suffered less than other towns from the capacity, freely indulged in during the last century, of erecting dreadfully glum public buildings.

'One cannot help feeling that our Shirehall, built in 1834-35, is a particularly inspiring structure even though some may reckon it a comfortably solid specimen of its kind.''

These comments were prompted by the fact that the county council was about to spend a significant sum on a major spring clean and internal redecoration of the Shirehall, ''removing 15 years of dirt, dust and grime from the main hall and other parts of the interior.''

At this time in 1950, Worcester City Council dropped plans to re-locate the Cattle Market from the riverside at Dolday to Henwick, near the railway.

The Journal explained that the council was looking instead at a proposal to ''re-design the market on its present site with the addition of an abattoir on land adjacent, to the north.'' Clearly, this was the scheme that eventually went ahead.

Local markets were also very much on the mind of the city council this week a century ago!

Crowquill, in his Journal comment column explained: ''The proposal to hold the Worcester Cattle Market and Worcester Corn Market on the same day is being revived. It is urged that farmers cannot afford the time -- as time means money - to come in to market twice a week. The cattle market is usually over soon after midday, so the corn market could be held in the afternoon.

''The proposal seems reasonable, but whether it will find favour with Worcester tradespeople is another matter since they benefit from the market visits of farmers, often with their wives and families.''

The same Journal edition of 1900 revealed that ''an Irish lady has invented a knitted cover for soldiers' pillows which is entirely water-proof, even when placed on the ground for the whole night.

"However, being a careful woman, she first sent two pillows to be tested at the front in the present war in South Africa and waited for acknowledgement. Letters recently arrived back expressing the gratitude of the soldier recipients of these common-sense pillows. One wrote that he had placed a pillow on damp ground all night but found that the top of it, on which he had rested his head, was quite dry in the morning, even though rain had fallen all around.''