100 years ago

Mr Handel Booth, MP for Pontefract, and Mr J Hastings Duncan, MP for Otley, were to engage shortly in a pigeon-flying contest from Palace Yard, Westminster.

The previous year Mr Handel Booth had beaten Mr Percy Illingworth, the Chief Government Whip, in a similar event, and Mr Duncan had then challenged the winner on behalf of his constituents. It was hoped that the Speaker of the House of Commons would release the birds, but if he could not fulfil the engagement his place would be taken by the Deputy-Speaker.

Mr Booth and Mr Duncan had put up side stakes of £25 each, and Mr Booth would give 10s for each bird which raced him to Pontefract. He would motor from Palace Yard, after the start, to King’s Cross, take the train to Doncaster, and then motor from Doncaster to Pontefract.

 

50 years ago

Beatle Paul McCartney was 22 today and a rollicking midnight to early-morning champagne party was planned to celebrate. Seventeen lucky girls in Sydney, Australia, would be there, plus the musicians in the Beatles’ troupe and two or three older people - to keep an eye on things.

There would be a 50lb birthday cake. “Champagne will flow, but no whisky or gin,” said Mr Leicester Warburton, chief organiser. The afternoon newspaper Daily Mirror had offered to put on a party for Paul, and the Beatle had accepted. The newspaper then organised a competition to select 17 girls for the party.

Girls were required to send in a recent picture and to write in 50 words: “Why I would like to be a guest at a Beatle’s birthday party.” The response had been amazing. There had been 10,000 entries in two days.

 

25 years ago

Smoking was to be banned on 1,100 buses in Yorkshire. Yorkshire Rider - West Yorkshire’s biggest bus operator – said the decision was in response to the wishes of a majority of passengers who voted 400-14 in favour of a ban.

The marketing manager, Jayne Beecham, said: “We have no objection to people smoking. We would just prefer them not to do it on our buses.” York City and District Travel revealed that it would consider a similar ban if passengers requested it.

Mr Peter Dew, the commercial manager, said: “This is something happening in bus companies throughout the country and we will be looking seriously at it. If it is what the majority of our customers want, we will give it to them. But we will not be slapping an immediate ban on smoking without taking the opinion of our passengers first.”