100 years ago

Six alien enemies were charged at Newport for attempting to leave the port contrary to the Aliens Restriction Order. Five men were of German origin and one Austrian.

Local cinemas were being encouraged to aid Lord Kitchener's appeal to raise the number of men to serve in the army by showing a recruitment film. Local defence committees were being asked to arrange for local bands to play appropriate music, and arrange for speakers to attend the cinema showings.

Newport gave an enthusiastic send off to a batch of recruits numbering 100. They marched from Lime Street drill station to the railway station en route to the South Wales Borderers at Brecon Barracks.

They halted in Westgate Square where The Lord Lieutenant addressed them. The Tramway and Cadet bands played them off and arrangements have been made for the band to do this every day.

The county was again praised for it's recruiting ability and men were being signed of for Lord Kitchener's army at the rate of 32 an hour.

50 years ago

A walk out by 65 operatives brought production to a halt in a key area at the British Nylon Spinners plant in Pontypool.

The dispute arose over disagreement over the rate of pay Trade through Newport docks was reported as running at a post war record level with traffic through the port more than three quarters of a million tons up on the previous year Work was expect to start on the widening to dual carriageway standard, a 513 yard section on Wharf Road, Newport.

A grant of £507,088 towards the £676,117 estimated cost of the scheme was made by the ministry of transport.

Monmouthshire was one of only three areas in the South western division of the National Coal Board to have made a profit in the last fifteen months.

25 years ago

Even though more job losses in the county were on the horizon, the CBI claimed that an economic slump was definitely not on the cards.

It was officially announced that Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips were to be legally a separated, but the break up of their marriage was friendly. There were no divorce proceedings planned at this time Miners at Oakdale colliery were claiming that private mining group Ryan International knew that the pit was to close weeks before any official announcement was made.

Euro MP Llewelyn Smith pledged to use his European parliamentary privilege to publicise facts contained in a report on Rechem after the company won a High Court injunction preventing the local council divulging the findings.