100 years ago

A large and enthusiastic meeting at Newport town hall followed the national call to arms appeal The assembly room was packed even before proceedings were due to take place with several hundred men unable to gain admission.

Lord Tredegar's yacht had been accepted by the Admiralty for services as a hospital ship, and Lord Tredegar himself made a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve in order to command the vessel himself.

A notice was posted at Orb works to say that Mr W R Lysaght would give every unmarried employee who joins Lord Kitchener's force the sum of £2 and the wife of any reservist called up would receive 10shillings per week until the conclusion of war. Furthermore he pledged to keep their jobs open for them on their return. 300 of his workmen had already joined up.

The Newport Branch of the Red Cross Society made an urgent appeal for money to meet the necessities of the voluntary aid detachments which had so far been funded from private sources.

50 years ago

Newport fire brigade issued a warning against heating paraffin following a house fire at The Gaer in which the paraffin had combined with the other air in the house and made an explosion.

Complaints of 'cabbage water' coming from the taps of houses in Alway and Lliswerry were due to an abnormal growth of algae in Talybont reservoir.

It was stated that new housing developments planned for crossway Green and Bulwark, Chepstow would need four new schools to deal with the estimated increase in population.

Monmouthshire continued to play a big part in the upward swing in steel output with figures showing that the regional level was 21,000 tons above the 1963 figure.

25 years ago

More than 500 Torfaen residents voted against the shipment of Canadian toxic waste to local firm Rechem, claiming they would picket the gates of the firm and blockade ports if necessary.

A refuge worker claimed that Gwent Women's Aid refuges were in crisis and women and children in need were being forced to travel to Scotland to find safe houses following an upturn in domestic violence through the summer.

Latest Welsh figures revealed that hospital waiting lists in Gwent were the highest in Wales with an increase of 695 patients waiting for in patient treatment compared to the previous year.

Protestors threatened to block a road in a campaign to prevent waste material being stored at the Wistech plant near the Ebbw Vale National Garden festival site