Anniversaries

Forthcoming Marriages

Mr V. R. Golding and Miss V. E. Heller

The engagement is announced between Vincent, elder son of Mr and Mrs E. Golding, of Canterbury, and Vivienne, elder daughter of Mr G. Heller, of Winchester, and Mrs S. Heller, of Southampton.

Mr M. J. Tomlinson and Miss F. V. Mynors

The engagement is announced between Michael, elder son of Dr Howard and Dr Heather Tomlinson, of Harley Court, Hereford, and Frances, second daughter of Sir Richard and Lady Mynors, of Treago, St Weonards, Herefordshire.

Birthdays

Dr Jack Birks, former managing director of BP, 79; Mr Alister Campbell, rugby player, 39; Lord Colwyn, dental surgeon and jazz trumpeter, 57; Miss Valentina Cortese, actress, 75; Mrs Christine Crawley, MEP, 49; Mr Richard Gibson, actor, 44; Lord Kingsland QC, former MEP, 57; Baroness Lloyd of Highbury, paediatrician, 71; Sir Albert McQuarrie, former MP, 80; Miss Zena Marshall, actress, 72; Dr James Merriman, former Chairman, National Computing Centre, 84; Mr James Moorhouse, MEP, 75; Col Patrick Porteous VC, 81; Mr Lawrence Rowe, cricketer, 50; Mr J. D. Salinger, writer, 80; Lord Swansea, marksman, 74.

Births: Lorenzo de Medici, statesman, 1449; Maria Edgeworth, novelist, 1767; Arthur Hugh Clough, poet, 1819; Sir James George Frazer, anthropologist, 1854; Edward Morgan Forster, novelist, 1879; Joe Orton (John Kingsley Orton), playwright, 1933. Deaths: Johann Christian Bach, composer, 1782; Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, architect, 1944; Maurice Chevalier, entertainer, 1972; Lord David Cecil, writer, 1986; Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (L. Ron Hubbard), propounder of Scientology, 1986. On this day: the importation of slaves into the US was forbidden, 1808; Britain proclaimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, 1833; London was divided into 10 postal districts, 1858; Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India, 1877; the first postal orders were issued in Great Britain, 1881; in Britain, people of 70 and over became eligible for old age pensions, 1909; Labour exchanges came into operation, 1910; the British Board of Film Censors was given powers to operate, 1913; the Soviet Union was established, 1923; British railways were nationalised, 1948; the European Economic Community came into being, 1958; Great Britain, the Irish Republic and Denmark joined the EEC, 1973. Today is New Year's Day and the Feast Day of St Almachius or Telemachus, St Clarus, St Concordius of Spoleto, St Eugendus or Oyend, St Euphrosyne, St Felix of Bourges, St Fulgentius of Ruspe, St Mochua or Cuan, St Odilo, St Peter of Atroa and St William of Saint Benignus.