As we enter the middle of June, we’ve cast our beady eye through Northamptonshire’s newspaper archives for some flashing headlines covering this week in past decades.
From miserly farmers watering down milk during the ration years of the Second World War, to upmarket restaurants shutting down with rat infestations, to the town’s first gas lamps 200 years ago, Northampton has always been at the forefront of hard-hitting news.
So step into our time machine as we bring you the headlines for the middle of June from our vaults...
5. Daily Echo, Northampton - June 12, 1924
The Daily Echo of June 12, 1924, reports the sad story of a baby's body found by a policeman wrapped in a parcel in a fishing pond in Long Buckby. Needless to say, words like 'sensation' would never be used in the headlines of modern journalism for such a tragic story. Photo: British Library
6. Mercury & Herald, Northampton - June 14, 1944
The Mercury & Herald of June 14, 1944, reported the case of farmer Philip Percival Penn, 32, of Wootton Hill Farm in Wootton, who was fined over £60 after 11 samples of milk from his farm were found to have been watered down. The case occurred amid tight rationing in Britain, with access to basic food supplies already very restricted for most people. Photo: British Library
7. Northampton Mercury & Herald - June 11, 1954
The Northampton Mercury & Herald of June 11, 1954, reported a story first featured in The Times that new housing estates being built in the post-war town of Corby were of an inferior standard. Corby had been a village prior to 1939, and its population massively increased over ensuing decades. Photo: British Library
8. Northampton Chronicle & Echo - June 14, 1994
30 years ago... The Chronicle & Echo reported the shocking story of a seriously injured accident victim turned away from Northampton General Hospital due to a lack of beds, who instead had to be transported to Kettering Hospital. Photo: National World