100 years ago

Our men had made themselves fairly comfortable in the trenches in the numerous quarries, and in the picturesque villages whose steep streets and red-tiled roofs climbed the slopes and peeked out amid the green and the russet of the woods.

In the firing-line the men slept and obtained shelter in the dug-outs they had hollowed or “undercut” in the sides of the trenches.

These refuges were slightly raised above the bottom of the trench so as to remain dry in wet weather. The floor of the trench was also sloped for purposes of drainage.

Some trenches were provided with head cover and others with overhead cover, the latter, of course, giving protection from the weather as well as from shrapnel balls and the splinters of shell. Considerable ingenuity had been exercised in naming the shelters.

Amongst others favourites were: The Hotel Cecil, The Ritz, Hotel Billet Doux, Hotel Rue Dormir, etc. On the road barricades, also were to be found boards bearing the notice, “This way to the Prussians.”


50 years ago

As the results of the General Election emerged it looked like Labour could be returned with a majority over all parties of as little as two or three seats.

There was no doubt that Labour had won, but their majority could not be more than about ten.

This afternoon Mr Harold Wilson said: “We just have a bare majority.”

At that time the state of the parties was given as Conservatives 299, Labour 312, Liberal 5. Gains and losses were: C gains 5, losses 58, Lab gains 60, losses 5, Lib gains 1, losses 2. Others gains nil losses 1. As the results continued to come in, it was the 1950 General Election all over again, when Labour held on to power by a margin of six seats.


25 years ago

Museums worldwide had asked Castle Howard for first refusal if the costume gallery was disbanded. The catalogue of 18,000 items was said to be worth several million pounds.

Mr Richard Robson, gallery curator, said he was opposed to any dispersal of the costumes.

Directors of Castle Howard, who had revealed the stately home faced a multi-million restoration bill, had begun feasibility studies to see if the cash flow could be improved.

One of the areas under review was the costume gallery. But Mr Robson said it would be wrong to break up the collection.

One of the many possibilities considered by Mr Simon Howard was for an exhibition area where there could be a display of a small number of costumes. But this would be minimal compared with the collection built up over the previous 25 years.