CONGRATULATIONS to the Gazette on achieving 125 years of publication in Dursley: the first edition appeared on October 19, 1878, under the direction of my great- grandfather, Frederick Bailey, and my grandfather, Albert who, at the time, was only 18 years old.

My grandfather died in 1922 and my father, another Frederick, at the age of only 22, took control of the company and continued to take an active part in the business until 1970, when he left the management in the hands of my brother Michael and myself.

In the early days typesetting was by hand and each sheet of paper was fed into the printing machine by hand. My earliest recollection goes back to 1934 when a Cossar Press, which could print and fold eight broadsheet pages in one go, was installed. Michael and I were taken to the works to see the first edition printed on this new machine. Many local people may remember walking up Kingshill Road and gazing in at the window to see the Dursley Gazette being printed on a Friday.

Another early recollection is of being taken, as a nine year old boy, to the celebration dinner at the Hare and Hounds, Westonbirt, to mark the 60th anniversary, when staff presented a silver salver to my grandmother, Elizabeth Bailey.

A photograph taken in 1938 shows a staff of 28 at the Gazette, but by 1944 this was reduced to 16, some had retired and younger people had been called to the forces during the Second World War. It meant 'all hands on deck' and I was allowed to help with proof reading in the holidays and in the evenings - it was a change from school homework!

The Gazette had no photographer during the war and most pictures were taken by my father, who was regularly out with his camera each weekend covering local events. At 15 I was given a press camera and told to have a go. One of my first jobs was to photograph the Americans marching through Dursley in 1944. Thereafter it was my regular Saturday work to cover local events or weddings. I used a plate camera with glass negatives which were hard to come by in those days. We could take a maximum of four different pictures at a wedding (brides today expect 50 or more, and in colour!).

At the outbreak of the war we turned one of the offices at the factory in Kingshill Road into an air raid shelter and filled sandbags to cover the windows. There was an ARP warden on duty each night.

On June 6, 1944 I remember seeing British aircraft in formation passing over Dursley on their way to the landings in Normandy. The first wave came over as dawn broke, pulling gliders and another wave followed an hour later - they had come from airfields in the Midlands.

The bitterly cold icy weather of 1939-1940 could not be mentioned in the Gazette; nor could the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to inspect our troops at Westonbirt in 1940, nor the visits of Queen Mary who visited local factories while staying at Badminton. No publicity could be given to the bombing of Yate; censorship during the war was very strict.

Newsprint rationing continued until the early 1950s so the size of the paper remained at about eight broadsheet pages. In due course extra production staff were taken on as the restrictions were lifted. By the early 1960s the site at Kingshill Road had outgrown itself and a move was contemplated. A site in Long Street, Reliance Works, formerly a carpet factory of J B Champion and Sons, was chosen. 21 buildings were demolished and a purpose-built factor took its place in 1966.

All the production machines were moved over the Easter weekend of that year, thanks to the dedication of our staff and work restarted on the Tuesday morning after the holiday.

The centenary of the Gazette was celebrated with an Open Day in June, 1978, and in October there was another celebration when the foundation stone of a new office block, adjacent to the production factory, was laid by Princess Anne.

It was under the chairmanship of my brother, Michael, that free sheets were introduced to the whole area and all printed at Dursley.

It was always the policy of the Gazette never to miss a publication in spite of all difficulties and I am glad to see that the Gazette has appeared on our streets every week for 125 years - a tribute to the loyalty of staff.