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Exhibition of headline stories at County Hall
The assassination of Mahatma Ghandi in 1948 remains one of the most famous tragedies of the 20th century.
What is not so well known is that a young woman from Abbots Langley was present when the worshipped Indian equal rights campaigner's life was cut short by three bullets on January 30, that year.
Peggy Cocks, was 24 at the time and was present in New Delhi to witness first-hand the shooting of the man who Indians still call the
'father of the nation'.
Peggy had gone along to Gandhi's place of worship to see him at prayer, but ended up being witness to the 78-year-old's death at the hands of fellow Hindu, Nathuram Godse.
Peggy's story was documented by local press at the time and now sits
alongside other historic stories at Hertfordshire County Hall for the remainder of April.
It is part of a collection of front-page pieces, which span nearly 70 years, now on display in Hertford. They include articles documenting the visit of Russian President Mikhael Gorbachev to Watford in 1989 and the Buncefield explosion in Hemel Hempstead in 2005.
Dr Jill Barber, head of heritage services, said: "It's always fascinating to see how events in Hertfordshire have made national as well as local news headlines.
"Here at Hertfordshire archives we keep original and microfilm copies of local papers dating back to 1772 and they are an invaluable source of reference for anybody interested in the county's past."
The exhibition can be seen for free during normal opening hours at Hertfordshire Archives at the registry block, County Hall, Hertford.
For more information visit www.hertsdirect.org/hals
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