A 10FT wall, which had stood for more than 200 years, was in danger of disappearing completely in 1985, because it had been hit by vehicles so many times.

The wall, in Middle Green, Langley, had been hit by three cars in one month and workmen had become too afraid of constantly repairing the structure, for fear of being hit themselves.

The wall’s owner, Jim Allgrove, told the Observer: “The last car, which crashed into my wall, landed on its roof, the silly thing is that the council bought the land opposite 10 years ago and we are still waiting for them to do it.”

Engineer Leslie Lees, from Burnham, certainly pulled more than his own weight 35 years ago, when he prepared to drag a car down the A4 Bath Road for charity.

For ten hours he would be pulling the 1,687lb vehicle to raise money for the Tina Morris Fund, which pays for the daily needs of babies born with no arms or legs.

Young Carl Markwick made sure the Queen’s birthday went off with a bang, as he was given the honour of firing a birthday salute gun.

Carl, aged seven, was allowed to set off the eleventh miniature gun on The Long Walk close to Windsor Castle.

Three Langley police officers took part in a charity bike ride to raise money for Wexham Park Hospital’s Hydro-therapy pool by riding to Land’s End.

Sgt, Bob Strong, DC Nigel Pain and PC Nick Sherwood were aiming to reach their finish line in two days- a distance of 300 miles.

All three officers had been in training for the marathon ride and Sgt. Bob Strong told the Observer: “I’m doing between 10 and 25 miles a day, as well as some running, and soon we will be going on a training ride to the coast.”

“Once a Guide always a Guide” was the sentiment of 80-year-old Blanche Medhurst, of Springfield Road, Windsor as she, and thousands of fellow guiders, celebrated the movements 75th birthday in 1985.

Enrolling in 1920, Blanche admitted that she still sticks firmly to their principles, telling the Observer: “I will be a Guider to the day I die, it is something you never get out of your system.”

Two young footballers from Slough were very unhappy at being barred from playing the ‘beautiful game’, because they were female.

Kelly Clements and Kay Woodhouse, both aged 11, had been informed that the Slough Boys Soccer Combination do not allow girls to compete.

The ‘football crazy’ pair were undaunted and had recently found that they could play in six-a-side competitions.