Mods, rockers and sporting memories - Shropshire Star's year in 1965

Shropshire's youngsters had some far-reaching decisions to make in 1965. Were they Mods (scooters, parkas...)? Or were they Rockers (motorcycles, leathers...)?

Get it wrong, and there could be trouble. Which is why when a new Mod club, The Top 20, opened in Castle Gates, Shrewsbury in November, police were on standby.

About 30 Rockers stood in a line outside the door but were denied entry by the director, Dave Stock. "I've learned from past experience that they're troublemakers," he said.

American blues singer John Lee Hooker was on the bill for the opening days but had his work permit withdrawn and was replaced by the Pretty Things.

It was a great time to be a Shrewsbury Town fan as these were glory days which were marked by a sparkling run in the FA Cup, when an FA Cup run really meant something. The Gay Meadow men came back from being a goal down in only 15 minutes to conquer Millwall and take them to the fifth round of the competition for the first time in their history.

With it being played at The Den, it is perhaps not unexpected that there was a big fight on the terraces at half time. Alas, all good things have to come to an end, and Shrewsbury's progress was halted at Elland Road on February 20, when Leeds United beat them 2-0.

There was an abdication. King Arthur, the goalscoring machine for Town, with a left foot which fired off cannonball shots, stepped down.

During a 19-year playing career, Arthur Rowley, a burly inside forward, was destined to hit the net 434 times in 619 league games, including 152 in his seven-year playing stint at Shrewsbury.

His testimonial match at the Gay Meadow on October 27 drew a crowd of 7,743. Unfortunately Arthur was unable to play as he had just recovered from illness.

Shropshire was trying to hang on to another bright light which meant much to Salopians, in the form of the Wrekin Beacon. It had been put on top of the landmark hill during the war to stop aircraft crashing into it, but in 1964 it had been announced that it was to be turned off as it was no longer needed.

But over the years the flashing light had become more than a functional beacon to Salopians. It had become an iconic symbol, welcoming us home from travels far and wide, and there were protests which led to the light being given a stay of execution while a local trust was set up to keep it going.

The upshot was that at the stroke of the New Year, the Wrekin Beacon was switched off, but then at Easter 1965 it was ceremonially switched on again thanks to money raised by a group of sand and gravel contractors.

By October there was a further appeal to try to keep the Wrekin Beacon going but it seems that the money ran out.

Higher up in the sky, the young Shropshire Star, thanks to its cutting edge printing technology, enjoyed an out-of-this-world scoop, when it became the first British newspaper to carry a colour picture of the first American spacewalk.

This being the 1960s, there was that out-with-the-old attitude in which old buildings and "slums" were being cleared away as towns confidently embarked on redevelopments.

On paper, east Shropshire was in line for major changes following the creation of Dawley New Town in 1963, although in practice nothing happened until November 15, 1965, when work on the new town officially began, at Tweedale industrial estate.

Only around a month later came signs that Dawley New Town was destined to have a relatively brief life. Housing minister Richard Crossman announced he was tasking a consultant to draw up a plan for a bigger new town, including Wellington and Oakengates as well as Dawley. As a result of this announcement Dawley Development Corporation said it was taking no more action in drawing up a master plan.

There was some uplifting news for Whitchurch where a new Silhouette factory was completed to make bras. The first 100 girls had moved in at the end of March.

The face of education was changing in Shropshire too. The old technical college buildings in Shrewsbury became the Wakeman School, and Market Drayton's Grove School was formed by the amalgamation of the town's grammar and modern schools.

Abraham Darby School was created, the first comprehensive in Shropshire, as a result of the amalgamation of Madeley Modern School and Coalbrookdale High School.

The Severn Valley Railway Society was formed in July, and 4,500 acres of the Long Mynd became the property of the National Trust.

In a sign of things to come, a pipeline scheme to bring "high speed gas" to Shropshire was under way, and construction was proceeding on the new Ironbridge Power Station. The collapse in November of three cooling towers in high winds at Ferrybridge power station resulted in the walls of the cooling towers at Ironbridge being made thicker than had originally been envisaged.

Britain went into mourning in January with the death of Sir Winston Churchill. Millions watched the funeral procession at home and abroad as television pictures were beamed from 40 BBC cameras placed along the route.

Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were arrested and charged in relation to the Moors Murders which convulsed and horrified the nation. Their appearance in court coincided almost exactly with the suspension of capital punishment by Parliament, meaning they werespared the gallows.

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