100 years ago

The Postal and Telegraph Record, the weekly organ of the Postal Telegraph Service, in its current issue made grave charges of mismanagement at the Central Telegraph Office due, it was alleged, to the “chaotic staffing arrangements and the penny wise and pound foolish policy maintained with extraordinary tenacity.”

“Among other illustrations given of the deplorable breakdown of the administration,” was the specific statement that “on the night of September 5th two men had been left in charge of the Admiralty wires where, previously, not less than six men had been in attendance all night.

As a result these two men had found it necessary, on many occasions, to leave the Admiralty service absolutely unattended in order to convey priority messages to various parts of the building.

Among these messages were urgent instructions to detain and search foreign trawlers suspected of mine-laying operations. They suffered delay in the Central Telegraph Office amounting, in some cases, to two hours and upwards.”
 

50 years ago

At Valletta, Malta, the Duke of Edinburgh handed over the constitutional instruments of Malta’s independence, and read a message from the Queen welcoming Malta to the Commonwealth and expressing hope that Anglo-Maltese friendship would grow and flourish.

The Duke said Malta had never been an outpost for aggression, and would continue to be a bastion for peace so long as Malta and Britain, at any rate, remained bound by a treaty willingly agreed.

He was speaking at the formal swearing-in ceremony of the Governor-General, Prime Minister and Ministers of the Government, on the first day of the island’s independence. In her message to the people of Malta the Queen praised the island’s “proud and gallant history” and “national heroism.”
 

25 years ago

‘Back in the big-time’ was the brash Bootham Crescent call to herald York City’s Littlewoods Cup clash against First Division Southampton.

It was not every day that footballers in the basement division got to sample the heady atmosphere of a David v Goliath conflict and the prized long-shot at killing off one of the giants of the game. But that was what would be on offer as the pedigree Saints came marching in at Bootham Crescent tonight for the first leg of a second round tie eagerly awaited by City players, officials, and supporters.

And those fans, who recalled with relish past stirring knockout showdowns with the likes of mighty Liverpool and Arsenal, would be praying for a repeat show from their City heroes. City Arena – hopefully packed ramjam full to the rafters with a roaring home support – posted as much potential as anywhere to be a graveyard for the Saints.