Bad beer
At 9.10pm on an otherwise quiet night, a man walked into Margate police station with a pint of brown and mild he had bought from a seaside bar, complaining it smelled peculiar and tasted bad. What were the police going to do about it? They suggested he contacted weights and measures.
Died through stockings
At Maidstone, two children (a boy and a girl) are said to have lost their lives through blood poisoning arising from wearing coloured stockings.
A pint for Elizabeth
Film stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were in Canterbury. They had dinner at the Falstaff Hotel – built in 1403 – and Miss Taylor later drank a pint of bitter in the hotel bar.
Won without competing
After weeks of intesive training, Margate Boy’s Brigade won the East Kent Battalion PT contest – without competeing for it. Out of ten teams, all except Margate pulled out a few days before the event. Captain Kennett was disappointed that the Margate lads didn’t have a chance to prove themselves.
Say it with flowers
Each of 1,700 Rovex employees at Margate and Cantterbury received a bunch of tulips and personal thanks from the directors after turning round a £1 million company loss to a £300K profit in a year. Tulips were chosen as a nod to Britain’s new membership of the EEC.
No more X ray units
Ashford recieved its last visit from a mobile mass X ray unit as the service is scrapped across the county. As TB rates have fallen, the service is proving costly, and delivers 5 times the radiation of more modern equipment. GPs will now refer straight to hospitals.
In case of nuclear alert…
Nuclear alert signs appeared in Wittersham, advising villagers what to do in case of attack. Put cats and dogs in the freezer, deposit valuables at the Post Office, undress and go to the village hall for a communal bath in Jeyes Fluid. Girl Guides would then issue uniforms.
Apology – 55 years on
Former Hurricane pilot Alex Hurry wrote to the Faversham News apologising for his bad manners and swearing in front of children when he crash landed in 1940. Clambering from the cockpit, he had asked onlookers “What the bloody hell are you lot staring at?”
Lost teeth recovered
A holidaymaker staying at Margate’s George Hotel lost his dentures down the toilet while sneezing. He called the engineering department, and by slim chance, they were found in a blockage in a manhole. The grateful owner gave them a good scrub, and ate a hearty lunch.
Hercules loses his head
The head of Hercules and two whale bones were stolen from the boathouse on the Henry VIII pier at Broadstairs. Fortuntely police recovered the items the next day. Savaged by the elements since it was salvaged from a wreck in 1844, the head of Hercules will require careful restoration. The bones came from a 70 ton whale washed up in 1762.