THE Daily Echo takes another trip back through time - this week to March 1969.

It was the month when Richard Block and David Quayle opened the first B&Q store in Portswood, Southampton. They gradually grew to become one of the biggest DIY chains in Europe.

Daily Echo:

Grocers dinner - picture taken March 1969

Dinner dances were hugely popular at the time - they seemed to have almost every group of people catered for - as can be seen in these pictures. There were grocers, the Irish Society, transport police, the Round Table and more.

While locals were busy socialising and partaking in DIY, these events were occurring on the national stage:

March 2

The maiden flight of Concorde took place from Toulouse. It first went supersonic on October 1.

March 4

Both Ronnie and Reggie were found guilty of murder. They were sentenced to life imprisonment the following day.

Daily Echo:

Romsey dog show - picture taken in March 1969

March 7

The Queen opened The London Underground Victoria line. The track runs between Brixton in South London and Walthamstow Central in the north-east.

March 12

Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman married at Marylebone register office in London. John Lennon and Yoko Ono married in Gibralter later in the month on March 25.

Daily Echo:

Elephants at Southampton's docks - picture taken in March 1969

March 29

Lulu shared first place in the Eurovision Song Contest with France, Spain and the Netherlands. The song was Boom Bang-a-Bang.

See more pictures taken locally in March 1969 in the gallery above.