OWNERS of unlicensed television sets in 1961 were being warned that detector vans would be in Bracknell and Wokingham to root out owners of sets who can’t be bothered to buy licences.
In an effort to see how easily the scheme would work the Bracknell News went on a test run with Assistant Head Postmaster Leslie Howden who explained: “We are not anxious to prosecute people-we just want them to buy their TV licence.”
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It was time for the only public clock in Bracknell High Street to get a bit of ‘TLC’ and Gordon Thake, the former chairman of the Rural District Council, had the faces of the iconic landmark repainted and re-hung outside his shop.
Many new businesses were setting up in the Bracknell area 59 years ago and the Co-operative Laundry had a whole page of information to highlight its services.
For 5d (old pence) you could have your vests, pants or knickers cleaned and a grubby boiler suit could be cleaned and starched for 1s and 9d.
The Western Industrial Area was given the chance to blow its own trumpet with an eight-page special supplement in the News in 1961 along with a birds eye photo of the whole estate.
Many well-known companies were featured, including Racal Electronics, Hunter Chenille, Extrudex, Premier Precision and Secomastic, who all got the chance to tell their stories.
Although some of the ‘Churchillian’ editorial left a bit to be desired, an example being:” the men (the brains behind these factories) are sensational men, who have for the most part-made their mark in the world by genius, sheer hard work and guts.”
One of Bracknell’s newest clubs, the Sperry Aeronautical Club, was formed in 1961, open to anyone over the age of 13 with an interest in model aircraft.
The newly formed members posed proudly with their miniature aircraft for the News photographer after they held their first competition.
Although many of their models were gliders, there was an impressive collection of Spitfires and biplanes.
In an attempt to ‘get down with the kids’, the News had started a special two-page feature called “Meet the Teenagers” and seventeen-year-old Carole Lombard was featured in 1966.
Carole, who when speaking to the News described herself as one of the town’s busiest girls, listed her hobbies as netball, dancing and jazz singing and after (hopefully) passing her “A” levels was hoping to go on and be accepted as a Civil Servant.
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