100 years ago

Annie Constance Plumer wrote: “May I appeal through the columns of your newspaper to the women of the Empire residing in or about York to send socks or woollen belts to the soldiers at the front?

I know well how generously the citizens and residents of York have given, not only to the war fund, but have provided comforts for the recruits of the new Army. Still I feel there must be many women who, though they are unable to send a large consignment of socks and belts to Devonshire House, would like to give something to the men at the front.

I have been asked by the Queen’s command to collect socks and belts, and I will undertake that anything sent to me shall be delivered at Devonshire House, and Lord Kitchener has guaranteed that all the socks and belts sent to her Majesty shall reach the men. Money to buy socks and belts will be equally acceptable.” Note, - Socks would be best made in natural wool, size 10½, 11, and 11½ inches. Leg and foot the same length.

 

50 years ago

During the academic year 1962-63 there were 119,004 full-time students in Britain’s universities. This figure had just been given in a White Paper - returns from universities and university colleges in receipt of Exchequer grants.

In the pre-war year, 1938-39 there had been just over 50,000 full-time students in the universities. After the 1939-45 war the peak reached under the pressure of the ex-Service demand was 85,421 in 1949-50. The lowest point reached after that demand had worked itself out was 80,602 in 1953-54. Since then there had been a progressive increase.

Over the past ten years the tendency was for the proportion of those taking arts and social studies to increase only slightly. The percentage taking science however, had increased much more sharply, while the percentage reading medicine and dentistry had fallen from 21.8 per cent in 1953-54 to 14.5 per cent in 1962-63.

 

25 years ago

Two centuries after the first mail coach had arrived at Boroughbridge, surviving vehicles of the era were to make their way there from all over Britain.

The mail coaches would be the stars of a weekend of celebrations on October 14 and 15 when the town, which was a key staging-post on the national mail coach network, marked the bicentenary. The cavalcade would include the Mercury mail coach, built around 1840, once used on the London to Norwich route, which was the only one in Britain still licensed to carry Royal Mail.

The main sponsors of the celebrations, organised in aid of Riding for the Disabled, were the Royal Mail, whose own Yorkshire Flyer was to join the horse-drawn cavalcade.