THIS WEEK IN 1991:

BBC Hereford and Worcester and the commercial local radio stations in the county are pulling the plug on a wide range of favourite songs and record hits for the duration of the Gulf War. They are doing so as defensive action to avoid upsetting relatives of servicemen and women but are nevertheless being accused by some of “taking things too far.” In all, 67 records are believed to be on the blacklist including Fields of Fire, Walk Like an Egyptian, The Israelites, Brothers in Arms, Light My Fire, Don’t Be A Hero, Tears for Fears and Everybody Wants to Rule the World.

THIS WEEK IN 1981:

PRINCE Charles is coming to Worcester in June and will be spending two days in the city.

Buckingham Palace has announced that on June 2 the prince will unveil the £25,000 Elgar Statue in High Street and will be guest of honour at a special concert of Elgar’s music in the cathedral. It will be the 124th anniversary of Elgar’s birth. The next morning the prince, as patron of the International Year of Disabled People.

THIS WEEK IN 1971:

WORST ever fowl pest kills thousands. Confirmed outbreaks of fowl pest in Worcestershire every day during the last week have brought the total number of cases in the county to 33.

Over the country as a whole there are now more than 3,500 cases, making the present epidemic the worst ever recorded. Thousands of laying birds and broilers have fallen victim where new outbreaks have occurred in this county. On Tuesday, 85,000 broilers were involved in a case at Beckford, near Evesham, and another 15,000 at Ashton-under-Hill. Other outbreaks have hit farms in Upton-upon-Severn, Ripple, Birtsmorton, Ham Green, Bromsgrove and Dodford. A Ministry of Agriculture spokesman said: “The disease is pretty general throughout Worcestershire and there is no accounting for where the next case might be.”

THIS WEEK IN 1961:

JOHN Stallard, Britain’s oldest solicitor, has died at his home in Colwall, aged 103. He was three times Mayor of Worcester and a member of a very old, long established and well-known family in the county. He was the oldest solicitor in practice in the country and the oldest member of the Law Society.

His father and grandfather lived in Worcester and he himself lived in St John’s for many years before moving on health grounds to live in the shadow of the Malvern Hills. For 70 years he played a conspicuous part in the public and business life of Worcester where he was a large property owner. He served his articles as a solicitor with his father’s Worcester firm. Up to his 100th birthday, Mr Stallard travelled regularly from his Colwall home to his offices in Pierpoint Street, Worcester.