Ten years ago: Youngsters at Gurnard Primary School took their centenary celebrations to a new height.
Their excitement took off when a helicopter from Cabair Heliphotos touched down on the school field having taken a series of aerial photographs of the school and the children who formed a giant number 100 on the ground.

100 Years Ago
May 26, 1917

A WARNING was issued to Island bakers by the Ministry of Food about the ingredients used in their loaves.
They were told the practice of using more than the imported amount of standard flour instead of millers’ flour would not be tolerated and the excuse of not being able to get hold of millers’ flour would not be accepted.
Suppliers of the correct flour were improving daily and bakers were advised to look further afield if they had trouble obtaining ingredients.

75 Years Ago
May 30, 1942
A German raider was shot down at Yaverland by Spitfires during an afternoon hit-and-run.
Taking advantage of the low cloud, the raider came in from the sea with the apparent object of attacking a ship.
A short dog-fight between the raider and several Spitfires ended with the German pilot bailing out of his machine, which fell in flames into a turnip field.
The pilot, who was adorned with an Iron Cross, landed near Yaverland church and was immediately taken prisoner.

50 Years Ago
May 26, 1967

Some 25 members and friends of the Unidentified Flying Object Society met for their annual dinner at the Wheatsheaf, Newport.
The guests of honour were Dr Geoffrey Doel and his wife. Dr Doel, chairman of the British UFO Research Association, outlined the current work of his organisation with emphasis on the newly acquired mobile investigation unit specifically equipped with such items as Geiger counters, UFO detectors, telescopes and radios.

25 Years Ago
May 29, 1992

Firms were lining up to look at Cowes student Mark Stewart’s award-winning Beam Music machine.
Only a month earlier, Mark, 17, had won the final of the Young Electronic Designer of the Award at the Science Museum, London.
Since then, eight companies had expressed an interest in producing it commercially, with an expected price tag of £200 (£379 in today’s money).
The invention, which was designed to help disabled children, allowed musical sounds to be activated by breaking a beam of light and could be adapted to control a mouse cursor on a computer screen.

10 Years Ago
May 25, 2007

Hundred of tons of rock crashed into the beach at Whitecliff Bay in the biggest landslide for more than five years. Whitecliff Bay was made a no-go area to the public by coastguards after a massive chunk of cliff plummeted to the foot of the Culver headland.
Eye witness Zoe Barker said: “The top half of the cliff started to peel away in a vast triangular chunk.
“It was an extraordinary and surreal sight and seemed to happen in slow motion.
“The chunk appeared to hover, with a crack of blue sky growing between it and the main cliff.
“Then it fell, shattering into thousands of pieces at the bottom, with an incredible roar.”