WE have some wonderful old postcards of York for you this week, thanks to the collection of the late and much missed York historian Hugh Murray.

Hugh's wife Jill kindly allowed Yesterday Once More to have a look through Hugh's card albums to choose a selection.

Without the city's finest historian here to give the historical background to the photos, we don't have that much information about some of them. But perhaps readers can supply more?

The first postcard shows the 'enthronement of the Archbishop of York' in 1909. The Archbishop in question would have been Cosmo Gordon Lang, who held office from 1909 until 1928.

The first Archbishop ever to have a motor car, he went on to become Archbishop of Canterbury and confirmed the young Princess Elizabeth.

The photograph looks as though it was taken at the entrance to Tower Gardens, though why the Archbishop and his retinue should have passed through there we're not sure. 'The Bishop's Procession', says the notice attached to the railings.

Next up is a postcard bearing the caption York Assizes, 1913. From the late 1700s onwards, the Assizes for the whole county were held in John Carr's elegant court house in the Eye of York.

We assume, therefore, that this photo was taken at the Eye of York. That may be the old York prison we can see in the background. A greater puzzle is why the people in the photograph are dressed in such antiquated clothes.

York Press:

The man sitting on top of the horse-drawn carriage is actually wearing a three-cornered hat: long out of date by 1913, surely? So was this a reenactment? Or a bit of legal pomp and circumstance? Answers, please, if you have them...

Third is a photograph of a harvest festival in 1915, which appears to have been taken in Exhibition Square.

York Press:

There's a rather apocryphal tone to the placards, exhorting people to 'prepare to meet thy God' - but that is perhaps due to the fact the country was at war.

Next up, a wonderful old photograph taken somewhere in York - we know this, because it says 'York, 1905' on the postcard - showing members of the 18th Hussars, the winners of the 1905 Regimental Push Ball competition.

York Press:

The Hussars we presume were members of the 18th Mounted Brigade, which were based at Northern Command. P

ush Ball was a game actually invented in the United States, in which two teams had to try to push a giant pull through their opponents' goal. Push Ball on horseback was introduced in 1902, and was played in military tournaments in England.

Our next photograph is a rather spooky one, taken during the second world war, showing members of the ARP rescue squad in York in 1940.

York Press:

All are wearing gas masks, so it is not possible to identify anyone. Do any readers know more about this photograph, or about any of the people in it?

And finally: a wonderfully evocative postcard showing children seated on a bench around the base of a tree in front of what looks suspiciously like York Minster. To the left of the photograph, a girl pushes a pram while a younger girl peers inquisitively at the baby inside.

York Press:

Unfortunately, we know nothing about why this photograph was taken, or when. It looks as though it could be the 1940s, judging by the children's clothes. Any ideas, anyone?