100 years ago

A correspondent in Northern France wrote: “The enemy's attack upon our lines at Ypres has been broken. About that there is no doubt.

"Their final and most desperate attack was delivered on Monday. The German infantry threw themselves at our trenches in great masses and for a time the position was critical.

"At one period our men maintained a constant fire, volley after volley, for three-quarters of an hour. It was an impassable barrier of lead, and the enemy could not approach within 100 yards. They were mowed down in hundreds at each volley.

"There were piles of dead and wounded Germans in front of us. At last the enemy recoiled before our fire and flew, leaving thousands of dead and wounded on the field. Our losses, too, where heavy, as was inevitable. We suffered most from shell and shrapnel. Even our stretcher bearers were fired upon.”


50 years ago

With Britain on the brink of abolishing the death penalty, it was vital that the public should feel that its removal did nothing to diminish the protection they were entitled to seek.

This point had been made by Dr Louis Blom-Cooper in his paper “Preventable Homicide” read at the conference of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Dr Blom-Cooper, a lecturer in crime and barrister-at-law, asked: “Even though, in a nation of 50m, all our murder victims in a year could be transported on three double-decker buses is there any ground for complacency? Just as motorways, vehicle testing and seat belts all help to save life, so an overhaul of the law and its enforcement relating to fire arms could save some lives every year. No citizen really needs to possess a revolver. Yet there are thousands in cupboards and drawers all over Britain.”

There was a case for limiting sporting guns to bone fide sportsmen, farmers and those who could establish that they were not irresponsible.


25 years ago

Open-top buses would not be able to compete with York's latest line in tourist transport - the tandem.

Deputy manager of the Swallow Chase Hotel, Rupert Hinde, would be donning his cycle clips to ferry guests into the city.

“It will save them having to wait for taxis or buses,” said Rupert, who was already getting into practice with his bicycle-made-for-two.

Staff at the hotel were also planning to take guests to the local to sample some of Yorkshire's best bitter, and to meet some native tykes. Their hospitality would even stretch to queuing up outside the Jorvik Centre for guests.

The Hotel expected American and Japanese tourists to be the first in line for their “designer sightseeing” holidays, which were planned for European Tourism Year 1990.