100 years ago

The German Zeppelin which had raided Antwerp had evidently taken advantage of it being very dark that night and, therefore, suitable for making a sudden raid.

One bomb, which had fallen in the Rue des Naves had made a hole 6ft 6in in diameter, and 22in deep. It had probably been filled with shot; for all the houses in the neighbourhood looked as if they had been shot at. One would, in fact, imagine that a battle had taken place, all the doors and windows being broken and the ceilings having fallen in.

The street was covered with dust half an inch thick. Three men were walking through the Rue de la Corne when the bomb fell. One was killed and the other two were mortally wounded, while another passer-by had a leg blown off. Terrible panic prevailed, people rushing into the street shouting and weeping, but assistance was soon forthcoming.

A married couple who were sitting at the window of their house were both killed, the woman having her head blown off, and even several people in the house itself were injured. Considerable damage was done in various other parts of the town.

 

50 years ago

‘’Why not become a two-set home?’’ suggested Lord Hill of Luton, chairman of Independent Television Authority, when he opened the television and radio show at Earls Court. “Then there need been none of those heated domestic arguments about choice on programmes,” he said.

Lord Hill announced that a recent opinion survey conducted for the Independent Television Authority showed that between 75 and 80 per cent of viewers rated as “good” or “very good” BBC and Independent Television programmes. Only four per cent rated them as “poor” or “very poor”. As yet only three households in a hundred had two sets.

Lord Hill said: “Britain is now a nation of television viewers – over 45million of us in over 14million households. Nearly 40 per cent of viewers said that television was their main or only form of relaxation. Six out of ten watched on six or seven days a week. These figures show the magnitude of this new factor in our daily lives and they also show the magnitude of the task facing the television industry.”

 

25 years ago

A stream of cars had signalled a return to normality for the riverside community of Cawood, near Selby. At 5pm precisely the first vehicles for three months were driven across the Victorian swing bridge over the River Ouse, which had been closed for urgent repairs. Heading the convoy was the chairman of the county highways committee, Councillor Anthony Chisenhale-Marsh, who was welcomed at the other side by a crowd of villagers who had gathered to watch the opening ceremony.