100 years ago

MR Herbert Samuel, president of the Local Government Board, had made an appeal to those local representative committees formed to deal with the prevention and relief of distress which were situated in the many districts where exceptional distress was still happily absent, to come to the assistance – if they had not already done so – of the Belgian refugees.

Mr Samuel pointed out that some of our great cities had offered general hospitality to very large numbers. If other cities, towns and countries would undertake the care of parties of 50, 100 or more they would meet a most pressing need.

He further appealed to individuals throughout the country to communicate to the mayor of the town, to the chairman of the council of the county the offer of such hospitality as they might be able to give. In addition to the large number already in England, 7,000 more Belgian refugees were expected very soon.

 

50 years ago

MARY Rand, a Henley-on-Thames housewife, had leaped into sporting history when she won the women’s long-jump gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo today.

This was the first gold medal Britain had won in women’s athletics – and Mrs Rand had achieved it with the greatest individual performance seen in the Games so far, a world-record 22ft 2ins. It was a victory of utter confidence as she led from start to finish. She needed just one jump, an Olympic record of 21ft 4¾ins to head the qualifiers.

This was her testing moment. She had been in exactly the same position in the Rome Olympic Games four years before, but then her nerve failed under the pressure. Today she ruthlessly suppressed that memory with her very first jump of the final. It was 21ft 7¼ins – and again she hoisted the Olympic record. But still the great moment was to come, with her fifth jump she jumped 22ft 2ins – a world record by 2¼ins.

 

25 years ago

PRIVATE contractors were being hired to clean warships, confirmed the Ministry of Defence. The move would free crews from the drudgery of routine tasks and give them more time for professional activities, said a MoD spokesman.

“Our aim is to make maximum use of these arrangements to reduce this sort of work for sailors in what is a tight manpower situation,” he said. “It is an important initiative for us which will improve retention and recruitment of staff.”

The spokesman said contracts to clean ships at Royal Navy bases in Devonport, Portsmouth and Rosyth had already been agreed. Contractors, whose tasks would include cleaning and painting, would begin work later in the month.