Birthdays and Anniversaries

Birthdays

Mr John Ambler, vice-president, Texaco, 62; Mr Robert Bauman, chairman, British Aerospace, 65; Baroness Blatch, Minister of State, Home Office, 59; Mr Julian Brazier MP, 43; Sir Trevor Chinn, chairman and chief executive, Lex Service, 61; Mr Robin Cutler, Director-General, Forestry Commission, 62; Lord Digby, Lord-Lieutenant for Dorset, 72; Mr Robert Farnon, composer, 80; Sir Edward Ford, secretary and registrar, the Order of Merit, 86; Professor Derek Fraser, Vice-Chancellor, Teesside University, 56; Lord Hambro, chairman, Hambros, 66; Mr James Hele, former High Master, St Paul's School, 70; Mr Wilfred Josephs, composer, 69; Vice-Admiral Sir David Loram, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, 72; Mr Edwin Mirvish, proprietor, the Old Vic, 82; Mr Les Reed, songwriter, 61; Mr Christopher Smith MP, 45; Sir Colin Southgate, chairman, Thorn EMI and PowerGen, 58; Professor Frank Thistlethwaite, founding Vice-Chancellor, East Anglia University, 81; Mr Peter Yates, film director and producer, 67.

Anniversaries

Births: Alexandre Dumas pere, author, 1802; Edward Frederic Benson, novelist, 1867; Amelia Earhart, aviator, 1898. Deaths: Captain Matthew Webb, cross- Channel swimmer, 1883; Peter Sellers, actor, 1980. On this day: James VI acceded to the Scottish throne, 1567; the first greetings telegram was sent in Britain, 1935. Today is the Feast Day of St Boris or Romanus, St Christina of Bolsena, St Christina the Astonishing, St Declan, St Gleb or David and St Lewinna.