100 years ago

The railway union branches desired to have included in the new national programme of the National Union of Railwaymen various demands for changes in the existing uniforms supplied to the men.

One North Eastern branch disliked the cut of the waistcoats; another branch, in Manchester, criticised the quality of the material used for the clothes.

A third branch disliked the style of the caps, claiming that they made the men look like prison wardens.

A Midland branch complained that the trousers were so badly made that they “bagged” at the knees readily, and a smart crease could not be obtained.

Several branches suggested, apparently in all seriousness, that the demand for smarter clothes should be made part of any programme worth fighting for.


50 years ago

Artists and technicians were working full-out putting the finishing touches to the Shakespeare exhibition, for the Duke of Edinburgh.

He was visiting Stratford-upon- Avon for the celebration to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth.

The exhibition, on the banks of the Avon opposite the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, cost £250,000 to stage and would cost another £1,000 a week to run. Many of the rooms in the huge pavilions were still incomplete and carpenters continued sawing and painters painting as the Press party had made its way round the previous day.

The exhibition takes the form of a recreation of the various events in Shakespeare’s life, which were presented in chronological order, with various scenes depicting the life of the period and the production of his plays. Ambassadors and diplomatic representatives from a record 115 countries, and other distinguished guests, had gathered to pay homage to Shakespeare.


25 years ago

Smacking children was a “shortcut to nowhere”, claimed a new organisation which had just launched a campaign for a law to forbid all physical punishment of youngsters.

Launching EPOCH, End Physical Punishment of Children, child psychologist Penelope Leach said: “We have to learn to discipline children with our heads and hearts rather than our hands and slippers.

There’s a very thin line between ‘ordinary’ smacking and cruel abuse and wherever you choose to draw that line, it’s easy to cross it. That’s why any hitting at all causes dangerous confusion.”

EPOCH planned to campaign for a new law to be introduced on the lines of those in force in five European countries, including Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Austria.

Mr Peter Newell, EPOCH’s co-ordinator, said: “Children are the only people in our society who can be legally hit. EPOCH believes that the law should protect children from violence just as it protects the rest of us.”