100 years ago

The various regiments stationed in York were shortly to have an opportunity of showing their skill with the rifle, for a team competition had been arranged to take place at the Assembly Rooms range. The teams were to consist of six men, non-commissioned officers included.

Prizes would be given to each member of the winning team. Entries could be handed to the official in charge of the range. Information as to the time of the shoot and targets to be used would be given after the entries had been received.

The Aliens Concentration Camp, Leeman Road, had been disbanded. The camp had been built four months before to accommodate about 1500 prisoners, but on a recent official examination the accommodation was held to be insufficient for more than about 800 and it was not thought practical to retain the staff for that number.

The prisoners had been transferred to other camps, and the camp was to be utilised for the training of recruits.


50 years ago

Harry Corbett, in his opening patter at the Prince Charles Theatre, told the children how glad he was that they had come to see him, when a small voice had piped up: “I haven't come to see you, I have come to see Sooty.”

This sort of reaction from children was reassuring for Harry Corbett. It told him that, even in the 1960’s when sophistication showed itself at an increasingly early age, Sooty and Sweep were holding their places in the affections of young children as they had done ever since he bought a 7s 6d puppet in a Blackpool shop 13 years before and added it to his amateur conjuring act.


25 years ago

North Yorkshire trading standards officials had welcomed the Government's pledge for an extra £6 million for research into mad cow disease - but said their points had still not been answered.

The county's public protection committee had called for action a fortnight before, after officers reported seven infected cattle had been found on sale in North Yorkshire within nine months.

There were fears that the disease, which caused an animal's brain to disintegrate, had jumped species from sheep to cattle, and could now spread to humans. County trading standards officer Ed Chicken said: “We are quite pleased with the outcome, but it still does not answer the points we have raised.”

So far 272 cattle suffering from Mad Cow Disease had been slaughtered in North Yorkshire and infected animals had been found in 50 dairy herds and 13 non-dairy herds in North Yorkshire to the end of 1989.

The disease was only known in Britain and between 500 and 600 cases had been discovered each month since it had first been identified in 1986.