READING University’s Rag Week was pronounced the ‘best ever’ in 1964, with the highlight of being a procession of lorries and floats winding their way through the town centre.

A total of 35,000 rag week magazines were sold and raised over £2,000, with students setting up ‘road-blocks’ on the outskirts of town and then waylaying anyone trying to enter.

The 26-vehicle procession, the largest for many years, had a medieval theme and included a horror chamber, Robin Hood and his Merry Men and ‘King Alfred’s Tarts.”

After the event was over, key members of the Rags Committee were spotted by the Chronicle photographer pushing a cart full of money back to their counting base in St Patrick’s Hall.

Ian Rangeley, the chairman, explained that they had probably received £5,000 in bucket collections and that after expenses had been paid, the profits would be in the region of £4,000.

The day’s activities finished with a Rag Rave held at the Olympia Ballroom, from which a profit of £120 was made.

Transporting a 120-ton transformer right through the streets of Reading town centre was impossible 56 years ago, but half of its journey to Earley Power Station was completed.

In the early sixties Reading had no Inner Distribution Road (IDR) and Berkshire was yet to get the M4 motorway, so all road traffic heading through the county had to travel via Reading, using the A4 Bath Road.

The load, accompanied by police cars, was moved by two heavy tractors through the narrow streets to the railway station’s goods yard to complete its journey by train.

“The Pulsators” a new ‘beat group’ posed for a publicity photo on Finchampstead Ridge 56 years ago, just as the swinging sixties music scene was about to take off.

The group, Pete Newel, Craig Stewart, Tony Wade and Johnny Faulkner, who were all aged sixteen at the time, told the Chronicle they hoped to turn professional when they had finished their exams.

Great Western Motors, of Reading, the local Jaguar distributors, took great delight in handing over the keys of a ‘E-type Jag’ to world champion motorcyclist, Mike Hailwood,

Sales manager, Roland Payne gave him the keys, with sales representative, Bill Hogg looking on.

The dumping of old cars was discussed at a Keep Britain Tidy conference in Reading in 1964, where it was revealed that discussions were already underway between the county councils of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

The ever-increasing problem had seen a big increase in older cars being deemed unfashionable and being dumped in local open spaces, causing damage and nuisance to local amenities.

Farmers representatives also voiced their concerns, pointing out that their land was also being used to dump rubbish, resulting in farm machinery being damaged during harvesting.