Two very different road accidents happily resulted in no injuries for anyone involved in 1966, but the photographs taken by the Reading Chronicle’s photographers left many readers wondering how on earth they weren’t more serious.

Shortly after pupils had arrived at Alfred Sutton Boys’ School in Wokingham Road a Thames Valley bus mounted the pavement outside, ploughing through a concrete shelter before crashing into a brick wall.

None of the 20-odd passengers were hurt, and within a few minutes they were transferred to another bus to continue their journey into the town centre.

Another lucky escape was witnessed on the A4 Bath Road, near Beenham, when motorist Edward O’Brien, from Middlesex, escaped with no injuries as his car finished upside down in a muddy ditch.

The accident occurred after Mr. O’Brien swerved to avoid oncoming traffic and struck the verge and toppled over, but his only complaint was that his coat was covered in mud.

Residents of Brookside Walk, Tadley were raising concerns that their children in danger from a nearby stream 53 years ago.

They were asking for fencing of the brook as many of the local youngsters had already fallen into the water, which was very close to their front doors.

But the local council, Kingsclere RDC, had ‘floated the idea’ that it was Berkshire County Council’s responsibility, as the brook had been ‘streamed’ in their recent booklet on open plan developments.

Henley Arts and Crafts Guild invited entries to their art exhibition from all over Berkshire in 1966, with many paintings coming from Bracknell, Wokingham and Marlow.

Some of the fifty exhibitors included works from local schools and the Chronicle was on hand to photograph the show secretary, Max Marschner, with committee members N. Steward and T. Cotes lending a hand in Henley Town Hall.

William Tell- famous for shooting an apple off the top of his son’s head- seemed like the perfect subject for Basildon School’s play five decades ago.

But they soon discovered that balancing the fruit on someone’s head was easier said than done.

Luckily, when posing for the publicity photo, Anne-Marie Konig (William Tell) kept her hand firmly on the apple placed on Guy Worsfield’s head.

The Reading Chronicle extolled the delights of caravanning in a four-page special spread in 1966, to coincide with the International Caravan Exhibition at Olympia, London.

With many new drivers heading off on a touring holiday, the editorial highlighted some essentials tips on safety.

In the 1960s the maximum speed for a towing vehicle was 40mph and the fitting of an extended rear-view mirror was compulsory.

Finally, there was a word to the wise on handling about twice the length and weight, stressing that drivers should concentrate and be ‘particularly courteous’.