ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 13 JUNE 1862
COUNTY POLICE
Many of our readers will regret to learn that they are about to lose the valuable services of Superintendent Wedge, who is to be removed to another division.
Mr Wedge has acted as superintendent of the district for about 11 years, and has given ample proofs of zeal and intelligence, his conduct giving unqualified satisfaction.
For our own part, we much regret that a chief constable should have power to remove an officer of the police force without consulting the ratepayers of the district, as some time must elapse before any new superintendent can become thoroughly acquainted with the district and ‘incorrigibles’ can consequently, at least for a time, get away with their crimes being undetected, to the detriment of the public.
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 14 JUNE 1901
SLEEPING OUT
On Monday morning, John Gamester was brought up in custody at the Town Hall before the mayor, Mr C J Phillips, charged with sleeping in the open air without visible means of subsistence on 9 May.
PC Wedge said that at 1am on the previous morning he found prisoner asleep in a WC at the back of Marlborough Street, and as he could give no account of himself, he locked him up.
PS Gregory said that from complaints received from prisoner’s mother that he came home on the previous Thursday drunk and smashed the furniture, he told the constable to look around the premises, and it was in his mother’s WC that he was found.
She had turned him out and did not want him near the place.
He promised that if he was let off this time he would keep away from his mother’s and on that he was discharged.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 11 JUNE 1926#
CHUTE – A DELIGHTFUL GAME
There is nothing more the villagers enjoy than a game of cricket and an opportunity was given on Saturday for the second team to show off its paces against the newly-formed Biddesden club.
In the score book, the name of Robb takes a prominent part and one wonders if at some future time an ingenious person will invest the club with a mascot to take the form of a set of bagpipes.
Anyhow the game was a delightful one and going in first, the home side was far from happy with the bowling of Stagg and Streeter, particularly the former, for the whole total was 32.
But if Chute’s innings was not a total to call for much comment, the Biddesden one would have been a procession to the pavilion only there did not happen to be a pavilion.
It was a joy day for Reeves and Humber, the bowlers, and enough to drive the visiting umpire to the local hostelry.
The total was eight. Chute secured 23 in their second innings of which D Robb got ten and it is only fair to Biddesden to add that it put up a reputable score during their second period at the wickets, for 26 were recorded.
WALLOP CRICKET FESTIVAL
Mr Fred Shadwell annually arranges a cricket festival for the benefit of the Wallops, and the one which took place on Wednesday, in which several of the Hampshire professionals took a part, was as jolly as any of them.
The match was styled ‘F C Shadwell’s XI versus the Pick of the District,’ and so great was the attraction that a very large crowd gathered and enjoyed the game immensely.
The brilliancy of the weather was an important factor in its success.
The District side which fielded 13 men, went as far afield as Tidworth and Tytherley for players and included ‘Dick’ Rowley.
Mr Shadwell’s side comprised four Wallop cricketers, six of the Hampshire eleven and George Goss, secretary of Southampton Football Club.
Newman had a very bright innings of 52; it included a six which sent the ball over the trees by the side of the ground.
Mead was bowled by a shooter from Muspratt when he was shaping to cut a ball which he expected to rise to a normal height.
After cricket there was a dance, which proved thoroughly enjoyable, and the proceeds of the day’s events are to be given to Wallop Nursing Association.
Those who deserve special congratulation on the success with which the arrangements were carried through are Mrs John Clark, Nurse Allin, Mrs Allin, Messrs J Clark, F C Shadwell and Greenfield.
SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 15 JUNE 1951
SHOULD THE CARNIVAL QUEEN BE ELECTED?
Whether Andover’s Carnival Queen should be nominated by the mayor or elected by popular vote was discussed at the meeting of the executive committee and the various organisers of carnival events last Thursday night.
Both the current mayor, Cllr W J Ponting, and the 1949 mayor, Cllr R J Harvey, spoke strongly in favour of the mayor’s nomination but the deputy mayor, Cllr S E Vincent, who held the post of mayor in 1950, favoured election by the public.
As an interim solution, he proposed that the Queen should be elected by the general committee – carried by 10 votes to eight.
Of the events, one innovation this year is that of a motor treasure hunt, to be organised by Andover Round Table on the Sunday before Carnival week.
The mayor said he did not like the idea of having the hunt on a Sunday but the organisers say that it would be difficult to ensure its success on any other day.
FORTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 15 JUNE 1979
STEAM GIANTS GATHER AT ANDOVER
The gentle noise of steam, the musical magic of fair organs and the waspish crackle of motor-cycle engines all contributed to the success of the 27th Andover Steam Rally over the weekend.
Balksbury Hill was an excellent site for this popular and well-attended event that produced shining, hissing engines with lovely-sounding names like ‘Boxer’s Beauty and the ‘Little Giant.’
An innovation this year was a programme put on by Salisbury Youth Grass Track Division, including riders of under eight.
There was an excellent model engineering show put on by Andover and District Model Engineering Society, a caged bird show, preservation stands and a country craft tent.
In the craft exhibits, Mr John Akers, from Wantage, collected an ever-constant crowd with his demonstrations of blowing hot glass into horses and many other shapes.
Equally intriguing were the Victorian exhibits of Daisy and Arthur Kent from Parkstone, Dorset.
‘A bit of old England’ was how Arthur regarded his fully-operative brass-bedecked mobile knife grinder, on which he earned a living in younger days.
Now he tours fetes with the apparatus.
‘We couldn’t bear to see them go out of existence,’ said his wife Daisy as she coaxed a tune out of the old street barrel organ.
The field for the rally was made available by Messrs Swatton while the rally organising committee consisted of Derek and Sandra Marder, Malcolm Randall, Adrian Moores, Dennis Randall, Ricky Edwards, Francis Stapleton, Barry Randall, Don Aspinall, Eric and Monica Best, Arthur Kyte and Ernie Holland.
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