100 years ago

DURING the latest bombardment of Bethune a shell had fallen upon the Tax Receiver’s Offices in the Rue de l’Université.

At the time there had been over 20 people waiting in the vestibule to see M. Zodelle, the Receiver. M. Zodelle was sitting behind a guichet in his little room at the end of the corridor. A shell burst in the middle of the building and shot scattered in all directions. It fell among the people of the vestibule and grazed the head of a woman who was at the moment paying over money to the Receiver.

Business, however, went on as usual, and not a single person left the building without having first, in his or her proper turn, seen M. Zodelle in the accustomed way.

 

50 years ago

NORWAY was interested in Scarborough’s plans to celebrate, the following year, the founding of the town 1000 years before by two Norwegian invaders.

A working party of the town’s special Millennium Committee might, it was suggested, visit Norway to discuss detailed plans for the celebrations. At a meeting of the Norwegian Ambassador and the Mayor, the Director of Publicity, Mr Fewster, and the Mayor’s secretary, Mr George Robertson, the Ambassador explained he had considered their proposition very carefully.

After consultation with his Government departments it had been agreed that his country would give Scarborough every possible help and cooperation in the Millennium Festival. It was agreed at the discussion the recruitment of a number of groups of costumed dancers would present no difficulty.

The Norwegian cheese industry had several groups of young women suitably costumed. It was also thought it would not be difficult to arrange a visit of one of Norway’s sailing ships probably crewed by naval cadets.

 

25 years ago

A SOUND and light exhibition telling the story of York might be created at the city’s Georgian Assembly Rooms, it was suggested. But much depended on how York councillors were impressed by the technology involved on a visit to Chorley in Lancashire.

The council was having talks with Cheshire company Norwest Holst Leisure about the radical plan for the grade one listed building. York City Council was faced with a £850,000 bill for essential work to stop the building falling down and needed to think of ways of paying for it. Community users such as blood donor sessions, book fairs and charity sales would have to find other venues if the scheme went ahead.

The idea was given a guarded welcome by John Shannon, chairman of York Civic trust: “Any set-up should not destroy the visual architecture of the place. It therefore requires very great care in deciding what the use should be.”