To coincide with its arrival in 1979, the Chronicle offered six copies of the new album “Voulez Vous” from Swedish superstars ABBA, as prizes in their easy to enter competition.

The two simple questions were as follows: “Name one previous album released by Abba and two singles that have entered the top 50 charts”. Here at Bygones HQ- we presume that all our beloved readers will know the answers- so there is no need to “Ring Ring”.

“Voulez Vous” had entered the charts at number one, and many singles were taken off the album, such as, “Chiquitita” and “Does Your Mother Know.”

Many of Reading’s buildings had ‘met their Waterloo’ in the 1970’s and the Chronicle threw light on the work of the demolition teams who were implementing new Health and Safety rules.

A recent study had underlined the greater chance of death and injury in the construction trade than any other profession.

Foreman at the Foster Wheeler site in Valpy Street, Peter Francis, told the Chronicle: “In my 30 years as a manager I’ve witnessed four deaths, it is a dangerous way of life, but we accept that.”

Fourteen “Dancing Queens’ from the Jeannine Greville Dancing Academies of Woodley and Tilehurst won 25 first places in the Arts All England dancing competition 39 years ago.

After six months of hard work, plus numerous other qualifying ‘dance-offs’, they succeeded at the biggest competition yet in the Commonwealth Theatre in London.

A very surprised nineteen-year-old, Debbie Jones, was crowned ‘Caribbean Queen’ as Reading prepared for its annual parade of sound, movement and colourful costumes.

Debbie, an accounts clerk, won her title at a pre-carnival dance at The Hexagon told the Chron: “I entered the competition just for fun, and I didn’t really think I would win!”

The Berkshire Shakespeare Players were rehearsing in the ruins of Reading Abbey for their upcoming production of “As You Like It” and the Chronicle pictured them practising in the dramatic setting.

Touchstone the clown (Marcus Watney) played opposite Rosalind (Lesley Hendy) and Orlando (Colin Wakefield) is being chastised for carving messages on trees.

The very last tram in Reading left the Oxford Road terminus in May 1939, but the spirit of the tramcar was being kept alive by local enthusiasts.

The group travelled to Crich Tramway Museum in 1979, to celebrate the anniversary, and a former tramway driver Midge Cullingham, drove a 1903 Southampton car along the museum’s mile-long tramline.