This photo , courtesy of the Highbridge History Project, shows the musical War Masque.

IN 1916 to town presented the Town Hall with a musical War Masque, called “The Empire's Honour'. It appears from the programme that many who took part were business people and local people of note, including Hilda Knight. The programme said the show presented an “allegorical form of the fundamental issues of the war.” Scene I started with the outbreak of war in 1914, first showing Britannia on her throne in perfect peace.

FIVE YEARS AGO August 23, 2006 CASH point crooks stung a Burnham supermarket using hi-tech equipment to copy cards to rip money from oblivious account holders.

Town police revealed they had a number of reported incidents at machines at Love Lane's Tesco store.

But the store gave assurances since that any security issues were to be dealt with within days.

KING Alfred students collected their A-level results, with the school achieving a pass rate of 93 per cent - just short of the national average of 96.6 per cent.

Bright sparks Laura Sealey and Lisa Hardy, both 18, came top of the class and bagged six grades at A-level and an A and B grade at AS-levels between them.

15 YEARS AGO August 16, 1996 COUNCIL officers were this week remaining tight-lipped about the future of the under-used Oxford Street car park following the decision by Sedgemoor planners not to approve permission for a Lidl supermarket to be built on the site.

Sedgemoor's principal valuer Martin Roberts told the Weekly News on the Wednesday that he had to discuss the decision with planning chiefs and the applicants Scotfield Ltd before commenting on what would happen to the council-owned land.

STAFF and students at King Alfred School in Highbridge were celebrating success this week after achieving an 81 per cent pass rate in this year's examinations.

In seven subjects - art, biology, chemistry, environmental science, French, physics and theatre studies - students pulled out all the stops to notch up 100 per cent success.

About two thirds of the students were set to go to university.

30 YEARS AGO August 18, 1981.

A DECISION by the Court of Appeal was set to leave most retirement homes in the Burnham area being given 100 per cent rate relief this week.

There were some 29 nursing and retirement homes in the area and if all were granted exemption under the Rating (Disablement Persons) Act of 1978, the loss on those premises alone to Sedgemoor District Council could have totalled £50,000.

John Dunbar, clerk to Burnham and Highbridge Town Council, said the ruling could adversely affect the product of a penny rate in the two towns.

DESPITE the difficult growing season there were almost 1,000 entries for the 15th annual show of Burnham and District Horticultural Society, held at La Retraite Convent School, Burnham, on Friday and Saturday.

There were just under 130 exhibitors. Entries came from a wide area of Somerset and part of Avon.