100 years ago
May 18, 1918

A NEWPORT man, held as a prisoner of war at Afion-Kara-Hissar, Turkey, wrote to his mother to reassure her of his wellbeing.
Cpl P. Brading, of Caesars Road, said he was receiving five parcels a week from the Kut Relief Fund for POWs. He passed on his thanks to all those supporting him on the Island

75 years ago
May 15, 1943

Mr and Mrs Minns had the joy of welcoming home their daughter, Gladys, after six years abroad.
She had been working as a member of the Foreign Office in Bucharest, Romania and Budapest, Hungary. Miss Minns said she was evacuated to Moscow and then Tokyo when the Germans invaded, before being moved to East Africa when Japan entered the war.

50 years ago
May 11, 1968

A Ventnor student passed his prestigious LRAM music examination and was accepted by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London.
Richard Studt started playing violin at the age of four. The Bembridge School student hoped to become a London Mozart Player.

25 years ago
May 14, 1993

Pensioner Harry Wheeler got the shock of his life when he received a centenarian’s message from the Queen, just after celebrating what he thought was his 90th birthday.
At some point in his life, the Newport resident had come to believe he was ten years younger than he was.
It was only when social services called to arrange a message from the Queen, and a nurse checked the country registrar, his true date of birth came to light.

10 years ago
May 16, 2008

An East Cowes shopkeeper was targeted by racist vandals, who daubed a swastika on his shop window.
Thugs carried out the attack on the Orient Store, the Island’s only eastern European supermarket, in Meadow Row.
Owner John Dunford said it was very offensive to everyone who came into contact with the store.
Police branded the attack ‘idiotic’.