April 8

The inmates of the Sculcoates Workhouse, at Hull, had presented a petition to the Guardians at their meeting that they should have fish on Good Friday instead of meat.

An amusing discussion ensued. Mr Eastman, a Socialist member, pointed out that salmon was not asked for, only the cheaper kind of fish.

There was no religious significance.

Mr Bulay, another member, offered to bear any extra cost. Other members, however, pointed out that sections of the inmates would be dictating what the menu should be, and would probably be asking for chicken. The inmates’ request was refused.

50 years ago

World Health Day, observed the previous day, marked the anniversary of the coming into force of the constitution of the World Health Organisation in 1948.

The theme chosen for 1964 was No Truce For Tuberculosis, and the object of World Health Day was to warn Governments and people about the continuing widespread dangers from tuberculosis, and tell them what modern control methods could do to combat this ever-present scourge.

It was felt that tuberculosis could not be considered to be eliminated as a public health problem unless the number of children who became infected before the age of 14 years fell below one per cent.

Not a single country in the entire world currently satisfied this condition. Yet for the first time in man’s history, we now possessed effective weapons with which to fight tuberculosis.

Vaccination could protect large segments of any public from the risks of infection to which it was exposed by tuberculosis sufferers in its midst. Treatment with modern drugs could render patients non-infectious and cure the disease.

25 years ago

The Yorkshire Evening Press was right on track... in more ways than one. For the full British Rail board had agreed to name an InterCity 125 locomotive after the Evening Press in the run-up to our historic move to the new £10 million premises at Walmgate in York.

The final decision to put our name on the train had been taken at a top-level meeting of the British Railways Board in London. A special naming ceremony had been arranged for May 15, just minutes before The Yorkshire Evening Press made its inaugural trip.

The locomotive would haul early morning passengers on the new York to London commuter service at 6am.

The Duke of Atholl, chairman of the Evening Press’ parent company Westminster Press, would carry out an unveiling ceremony, with the assistance of our newly-announced Young Citizen of the Year, Emily Story.

Evening Press assistant editor, Nigel Pickover said: “We are honoured and thrilled that British Rail, at the very highest level, have approved the naming of an InterCity 125 power car, ‘The Yorkshire Evening Press’.”