Daily Mirror dated Tuesday March 31st 1981
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Ronald Reagan had been a radio sports commentator, TV
presenter/actor and a film star before entering politics and becoming Governor
of California and finally the 40th President of the USA. Ironically
John Hinckley Jr, his would be assassin, was an avid film fan and it was his
obsession with the actress Jodie Foster and particularly her role in ‘Taxi
Driver’ that led him to try to kill the President.
Reagan was hit by one bullet in the chest, which narrowly missed
his heart. A policeman, a Secret Service agent and Reagan’s Press Secretary
were also hit. The latter was disabled for life. Reagan, despite being 70,
fully recovered.
Hinckley
was tried for attempted murder but was found to be insane.
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Was there a plot to overthrow the Labour
Government of Harold Wilson and install Lord Mountbatten as the head of a
Military regime? Was Wilson a KGB agent as suggested by Soviet defector
Anatoliy Golitsyn? Did the KGB murder Hugh Gaitskill? We mere mortals will
never know, but conspiracy theories sell books and newspapers.
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I suppose Belinda Wood (far right) might pass as Diana
Spencer on a foggy night, but the rest wouldn’t fool a blind man.
Lewis Collins, who along with Martin Shaw, starred in the TV
series ‘The Professionals’, seems to have had a passion for guns. He was
charged with firing a shotgun in his living room and was fined £300. Following
a tip-off in 2002 police found a collection of firearms, including machine guns
and ammunition, in a house owned by Collins but which he hadn’t occupied for
several years.
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16 year-old Lynn Siddons had been stabbed to
death in April 1978 while out walking with 14 year-old Fitzroy Brookes. He was
tried for the murder but acquitted. When evidence pointed to Michael Brookes
(Fitzroy’s stepfather) the police refused to re-open the case. It wasn’t until
1996, after an 18-year campaign by Lynn’s family and various national
newspapers, that Michael Brookes was finally tried and convicted of the murder.
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Bucks Fizz did win the 1981 Eurovision Song
Contest with ‘Making Your Mind Up’ and Oxford won the University Boat Race by 8
lengths coxed by Sue Brown, but Linda Sheedy failed to win the Grand National.
Her horse refused at the 19th fence.
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Jack Slipper’s autobiography ‘Slipper of the Yard’ can be
bought for as little as 62p (+ postage) at Abebooks.co.uk. (Other suppliers of
second-hand books are available)
Slipper died in 2005. Biggs finally returned to Britain in
2001, was re-arrested and jailed. In 2009 he was released on compassionate
grounds.
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ITV 10:30 The Academy Awards. Wrong! Due to Ronald Reagan’s
little troubles earlier in the day the Oscars were actually re-scheduled for
the following night. So the highlights of the evening were BBC2’s fascinating 2
and-a-bit hours of fishing, snooker and sheepdog trials. If there was ever a
cure for insomnia…
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The Trimphone dates back to the mid 1960’s when
it still featured the then familiar round dial rather than push button
dialling. If you’re really interested (or have no social life) take a look at
this site. Lots
of lovely colour pictures of phones. If there was ever a cure for insomnia…
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