100 years ago

Some of the members of the military division of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families' Association had invited the wives of all the men currently serving their country, and currently residing in York, to tea at the Exhibition Buildings, on the 19th of November, at 2.30.

The organisers hoped they had invited everyone eligible to attend, but should the wife of any soldier or sailor not have received an invitation they hoped they would attend. All would receive a warm welcome.

Owing to the limited space no children, only babies in arms, could be admitted.

With reference to the recruiting procession and demonstration which was shortly to be held at Selby, Mrs William Liversidge had received a message from Buckingham Palace which read: “Her Majesty Queen Alexandra hears with interest of the recruiting procession which Mr William Liversedge has organised, and trusts that his patriotic efforts will meet with every success.”

A very large attendance at the procession was assured, and it was hoped that many recruits would be enrolled.
 

50 years ago

“One-Stop Shopping” was the idea behind the large new supermarket opening shortly by Elmo Stores in Goodramgate, York.

In the bright and spacious store, customers could buy anything from butchery to buckets, tinned foods to toiletries, clothes to Continental delicacies.

In fact, a spokesman for the firm said it was selling well over 3000 items of groceries and general merchandise. Prices were competitive, and there would be hundreds of cut-price offers every day.

The frozen food cabinet was of the latest design and the first of its kind in York.

Instead of being merely a deep trough, it had a range of shelves enabling customers to reach packages easily.

Wide aisles in which to manoeuvre wheeled shopping baskets (designed to carry a toddler as well as the groceries) made shopping a pleasurable outing.
 

25 years ago

Scarborough councillors were calling for a new policy to block the conversion of hotels into flats in a bid to save the town's tourist industry.

The move, by the Council's Development Services Committee, came after owners of two hotels, the 34-bedroom Bay Hotel on The Esplanade, and the 50-plus bedroom Hotel Richmond in North Marine Road, sought permission to convert them.

Scarborough's Hotels Association, in a report to the committee said it was worried that the resort's tourist and conference industry could be hit if action was not taken to preserve tourist areas.

The committee had asked for a report with a view to making a policy on hotel conversions, and in the meantime had decided to defer decisions on the future of both hotels.