100 years ago

THE 1st Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment had left York the previous night, amid scenes of unparalleled enthusiasm.

They had left on very short notice, and their destination was being kept secret.

The regiment had not received the order to prepare until ten minutes to nine, and soon after every man was ready and served out with ammunition, and the regiment was moving out of barracks.

The route to the station sidings where the troops entrained was along Fulford Road to Nessgate, Low Ousegate, Railway Street, Station Road, Blossom Street, Holgate Road, and Watson Street.

All the way the pavements were lined with people, who cheered the men again and again. Everyone, including women and girls, joined in the cheering, and the troops were not slow to respond.

They lustily shouted, “Are we downhearted? No!”. A favourite song of the soldiers, The Army of Today is All Right, was sung with enthusiasm, and many of the onlookers joined in the singing. It was nearly midnight when the special trains left the sidings, conveying the entire battalion and reserves, numbering about 700 men.


50 years ago

The Manchester United plane crash at Munich in 1958 looked like being in the news again soon.

The Royal Aircraft Establishment had been doing slush trials with the same sort of aircraft involved in the accident – an Elizabethan – and its report was expected to be ready about the middle of the month.

According to Mr Neil Marten, parliamentary secretary, Ministry of Aviation, the results of these trials had been sent to the German authorities, “so that they may consider the effect of the information on the findings of their original inquiry into the Munich accident”.

This sounded very much like a diplomatic way of saying that the facts found by the RAE should cause the Germans to alter their ideas about the cause of the accident.

At the time, the German inquiry decided that ice on the Elizabethan’s wings prevented its take-off and led to the crash. But the plane’s pilot always claimed that slush on the runway was the cause of the disaster.


25 years ago

A priceless collection of furniture at Lotherton Hall near South Milford was being eaten away by woodworm.

Experts had been called in to deal with the infestation, which had also attacked Chippendale pieces at Temple Newsam in Leeds.

The woodworm was discovered during recent surveys by specialists from the Leeds Museum Service, who had warned that unless action was taken soon valuable items could turn to dust.

Surveys would continue to assess the extent of the infestation, but experts admitted they had a real problem on their hands.