ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 20 JULY 1894

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LORD JOHN SANGER AND SON’S ROYAL CIRCUS, Hippodrome and Menagerie.

THE LARGEST AND GRANDEST SHOW IN THE WORLD (Established 1832). WOLVERDENE, ANDOVER, FRIDAY, JULY 27th.

A GRAND MILITATY SPECTACLE, THE WAR IN MATABELAND, Employing over 300 Men and Horses, and introducing several striking and sensational incidents of the recent campaign.

The Greatest Company of Riders, Acrobats, Gymnasts, Equilibrists, Fancy Skaters, Bicycle Riders, Variety Artists, Campanologists, ever amalgamated.

The Finest STUD of EDUCATED HORSES and PONIES ever presented to the Public, number over 300.

THE HERD OF ELEPHANTS, THE TEAM OF CAMELS, THE FLOCK OF LLAMAS, BRAHMIN BULLS, TAPIRS, LEOPARDS, PANTHERS, and THE GROUP OF FOREST-BRED LIONS,

The whole forming one of the Greatest Entertainments ever witnessed, and as presented to Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle by special command on July 13th, 1892.

THE GRAND PROCESSION takes place at One o’clock.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO — 18 JULY 1919

PEACE CELEBRATIONS — ANDOVER

At Andover the proceedings commence with a procession in which decorated vehicles will be one of the features, and prizes are offered for the most effective designs. The Mayor and Corporation will lead in State attire, and friendly societies, trade unions, and other organisations are taking part. The music for the march will be supplied by four bands, and the route will be from the Junction Station to the corner of East Street. From there the march will be to the Recreation Ground, then down the High Street to the bottom, turning back to the Market Place, where the Mayor will preside over an interesting little ceremony, and the massed bands will play the National Anthem. All who took part in the War from Andover will be entertained by the burgesses at the Drill Hall, and a number of ladies have kindly volunteered to super8intend the tables at this function. Next the children under 14 will form up in the Recreation Ground, and march to the Walled Meadow, where a programme of military and juvenile sports will be carried out. Tea will be provided for all the children to be followed by a tea for all the residents in the Borough who were born previous to 1859. After the teas there will be dancing to the music of a military band, and in addition to tea, fruit, and mineral waters there will be various stalls, swings, shies and roundabouts. At sunset a torchlight procession will leave the meadow headed by the Municipal Band, and march to the bonfire which will be lighted to signal to the others in the district, and help form the chain of light that will mark the close of the long hoped for day in England.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 21 JULY 1944

FLYING BOMB HITS SOUTHERN VILLAGE

Six people were killed and several injured, some only slightly, when a flying bomb exploded in a garden of s southern village early on Saturday morning. The explosion and blast damaged a number of houses, including a licensed house, and all along the street, one, two, and perhaps three windows were shattered in houses. Some only lost a pane of glass, but the shock of the explosion was made more horrible for the majority of the villagers who were resting in their beds when the bomb was overhead, because of the flying glass all around.

Compiler’s note: Due to wartime restrictions the actual location could not be reported in the press at the time. The location was Goodworth Clatford. The licensed house was the Royal Oak for which today’s building was an entire rebuild after the war.

FIFTY YEARS AGO — 18 JULY 1969

CALLING ALL CHILDREN

The answer to last week’s code question is Coombe Gibbet. This is situated on top of Inkpen Beacon and the Gibbet was used to hang people who had broken the law. In those days, people could be hung for sheep stealing or any form of poaching and often a body would be left hanging from the gibbet to act as a reminder to anybody else who was thinking of poaching from “The Squires” land in the future.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 22 JULY 1994

750 DEFENCE JOBS FACE AXE

Up to 750 jobs are on the line in the Andover area after the announcement that two Army establishments are set to close and a big question mark hangs over the future of flying at Middle Wallop.

On Thursday afternoon workers at Ludgershall’s biggest employer, the Army Vehicle Sub-Depot (AVSD), were given the shock news that it is proposed to close the depot by March 1997, with the loss of 183 military and 54 military jobs.

A ‘handful’ of jobs are also set to go when the Army Ordnance Supply unit at Weyhill is closed by the end of March 1996.

If the plans go ahead the establishments are likely to reduce slowly and redundancies will be filtered through, with some of the civil servants being redeployed.

Meanwhile the future of Middle Wallop as an Army flying base is in the balance.

An in-depth study is currently being carried out on the siting of a new tri-service helicopter training school.

The all or nothing choice is between Middle Wallop — the home of the Army Air Corps — and RAF Shawberry in Shropshire.

The station deemed the winner — the most efficient, cost effective and suitable — takes all, more investment and some new jobs. The others will close.

In Wallops case this could mean 350 civil servants and 200 civilian flying contractors would lose their jobs.

Only the Museum of Army Fling would remain there, reducing Middle Wallop to a virtual ghost town.