Birthdays

TODAY: Mr David Astor, former Chairman, Council for the Protection of Rural England, 54; Mr Ernest Beaumont, former chairman, Bunzl, 76; Sir Philip Beck, president, John Mowlem, 63; Mr Mervyn Bourdillon, Lord- Lieutenant of Powys, 73; The Right Rev Colin Buchanan, former Bishop of Aston, 63; Professor Elizabeth Cutter, botanist, 68; Mr Tam Dalyell MP, 65; Baroness Denington, former teacher and journalist, 90; Captain Colin Farquharson of Whitehouse, Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, 74; Miss Whitney Houston, singer, 34; Sir Alistair Hunter, chairman, British American Chamber of Commerce of London, 61; Sir Christophor Laidlaw, former chairman, Bridon, 75; Mr Rod Laver, tennis player, 59; Mrs Jackie Lawrence MP, 49; Sir Frank Layfield QC, 76; Mr Robert Malpas, chairman, Cookson Group, 70; Mr James Naughtie, broadcaster, 46; Mr John Simpson, foreign affairs editor, BBC, 53; Professor Kevin Thompson, Principal of Dartington College of Arts, 45; Dr George Turner MP, 57; Dr David VanderLinde, Vice-Chancellor, Bath University, 55; Sir Mark Weinberg, chairman, J. Rothschild Assurance, 66; Lord Young of Dartington, Director, Institute of Community Studies, 82.

TOMORROW: John Alldis, conductor, 68; Dame Gillian Brown, former diplomat, 74; Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, a Lord Justice of Appeal, 64; Sir Lawrence Byford, management consultant, 72; Mrs Leila Campbell, former Chairman, ILEA, 86; General Sir George Cooper, former Chief Royal Engineer, 72; Mr Eddie Fisher, singer, 69; Miss Rhonda Fleming, actress, 74; Professor Alexander Goehr, composer, 65; Sir Alan Hardcastle, chairman, Lloyds Regulatory Board, 64; Professor Adrian Harris, clinical oncologist, 47; Mr Roy Keane, footballer, 26; Mr Leonard Lickorish, former Director-General, British Travel Association, 76; Mrs Barbara Mills QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, 57; Miss Kate O'Mara, actress, 58; Mr David Rowland, chairman of Lloyd's, 64; Lord Stewartby, former government minister, 62; Mrs Elizabeth Thomas, literary consultant, 78; Mr Richard Unsworth, novelist, 67; Mr Richard Wells, Chief Constable, South Yorkshire, 57; Ms Rosa Winterton MP, 39; Miss Jane Wyatt, actress, 86.