ON THIS DAY FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE

MARCH 8, 1939

FRAu Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, mother of six, Herr Hitler’s idea of ‘the perfect Nazi woman’, sat down to dinner last night with ‘England’s perfect woman’ — Lady David Douglas-Hamilton, leader of the Women’s League of Health and Beauty.

Both were guests of the Anglo-German Fellowship at Claridge’s.

MARCH 8, 1968

HouSE-HuNTERS viewing Fanny Cradock’s home in London’s Blackheath — on the market for £17,000 — have been rather surprised by the contents of this cookery expert’s store cupboards.

There are 60 wholesalesized packets of cornflakes in one and tins of sardines in the other. Mrs Cradock (pictured) says: ‘The cornflakes are devoured by one of my house-boys, who gets through two-thirds of a packet each breakfast, while one of my favourite snacks is made up of crushed sardines, mixed up with crumbled brown bread and soft boiled eggs.’ She calls it ‘the dog’s dinner’.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

GyLES BRANDRETH, 71. The author and broadcaster, a former Tory MP, is best remembered by some for the novelty knitwear he wore on TV-am, but says: ‘I’ve not worn one in public since 1989 and I cannot go on the underground without someone saying to me: “Where’s your jumper?” ’ GARy NuMAN, 61. The London-born singer-songwriter has had hits with Cars and Are ‘ Friends’ Electric?. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome aged 14. He said he finds eye contact ‘incredibly difficult’: ‘I count all the time when I’m talking to someone to make sure I do it right.’

BORN ON THIS DAY

CLAIRE TREVoR (19102000). The oscar and Emmywinning American actress (right) appeared in almost 70 films including Key Largo and Stagecoach, specialising, according to an obituary, in ‘reporters, gun molls, saloon entertainers and trollops’. She was known as the ‘queen of the Bs’, for regular appearances in B movies. KENNETH GRAHAME (1859-1932). The author from Edinburgh wrote The Wind In The Willows while having a successful career in finance, becoming secretary of the Bank of England. He survived a shooting at the Bank a year before he wrote his seminal book, after ‘socialist lunatic’ George Robinson fired three shots at him and missed.

ON MARCH 8…

IN 1910, Raymonde de Laroche, from France, became the first woman in the world to receive a pilot’s licence. IN 1983, u.S. President Ronald Reagan used a speech in Florida to call the Soviet union an ‘evil empire’. IN 2007, Are you Being Served? actor John Inman died, aged 71.

WORD WIZARDRY

GUESS THE DEFINITION: Jorts (2011) A) Shorts made of denim. B) Humorous times. C) Snacks. Answer below

PHRASE EXPLAINED

Swanning around: Wandering aimlessly or idly, being irresponsible or carefree; the phrase alludes to swans, who glide through water without any apparent effort.

QUOTE FOR TODAY

WITH charm you’ve got to get up close to see it; style slaps you in the face. John Cooper Clarke, English poet

JOKE OF THE DAY

WHAT did the shy pebble say? I wish I were a little boulder. Guess The Definition answer: A.