Further day researching and writing about Little Paxton History after which I help Daniel with his homework and Di takes Debbie to Brownies as the Stock Exchange falls on insider-dealing worries, ‘Actione Direct’ kills Renault boss George Besse, Chinnok helicopters are grounded after the recent fatal crash and the Iranian Land Rover deal is denied
Slept well and dressed and showered in time for breakfast of wheat flakes and apple juice. Wore my older sports jacket and trousers for a day searching for local history. Some time at my desk ordering some paperwork and then telephoning several places with my intentions. Huntingdon Record Office this afternoon, St John’s College tomorrow, and also enquiring of Hertford Record Office certain information on my family history and it seems that I might have a few leads there. By 10 o’clock I had also reviewed the mail and it was time to leave for St Neots. Went up to the reference library and requested the two local history files on Lt Paxton and copied anything I did not have already. A long job that took me through until 3.00pm and, having missed lunch, I went to Tooks for a salad roll and pot of tea. Then to Huntingdon and the Record Office to see the actual original plan of the 1814 Little Paxton Enclosure Award. Also was guided to many other things for Little Paxton and was particularly taken with several excellent photographs of Little Paxton cottages etc., which will take pride of place in my eventual book.
The office closed at 5.30pm and so home to a late tea, having to warm it in the microwave, as Di was in the process of taking Debbie to Brownies. Helped Daniel with his homework and then spent the evening sorting out my new information, taping partial copies together, and then ordering the whole into sections and typing a contents page. Printed the whole out, and filed it and then turned wearily to prepare the house for the night. News today is of the French President of Renault (the state-owned car company) being shot dead by a man and woman team on a motor bike. They are thought to be from the French anarchist organisation – Action Directe – linked with the German Red Army Faction. I am sure if they really got to know industrialists, they would not use them as targets in this way. The Stock Exchange had a sharp fall as a result of the insider dealing scandals, but Wall Street, opening later, was a bit more settled. They may both still have a way to go. The driver of a coach that crashed, killing 13 people in a motorway pile up some time ago, was cleared of reckless driving and only convicted of careless driving and banned for three years. The fault in the crashed Chinook helicopter was found to be a bevel gear failure and all civilian Chinooks are grounded until cogs are changed. The Iranians have denied the prospect of a UK deal on Land Rovers and US President Reagan is insisting that no more arms shipments are planned.