100 years ago

Even when the war had only lasted a couple of months, many Belgians had reported having seen numbers of young boys, mere children, in the ranks of the German Army.

Many thought this to be an invention, but advertisements in the German newspapers and the obituary notices published by the families of such boys killed in action had since proved this to be true. Recently there had been a notice in the Cologne Gazette to the following effect:

On September 30th, died a hero’s death in France our beloved son, brother, grandson, and nephew, Hans Joachini von M, captain of Life Guards (1st Grandducal regiment of Hesse), No.15, not yet seventeen years of age. Captain at the age of 16. According to later reports, boys of even 14 and 15 years were no rarity among the German soldiers. The most serious case, however, was the capture of some 30 German boy scouts by the Russians among whom were boys of hardly 13.

 

50 years ago

York Technical College’s Department of Commerce in Clifford Street presented a dingy Victorian appearance to the world; yet it was visited by educationists from all over Britain. The reason? Automation.

Shorthand and typing practice pieces had been recorded by the staff at varying speeds, and students could plug in and listen to them on eight channels. Although students started off level, discrepancies in shorthand and typing speeds soon developed in a class, but by using the recordings pupils could practise at the speed suited to them.

Students alternated between electric and manual typewriters, thus becoming expert on both; they typed from tapes (York students would be sitting the first ever RSA audio-typewriter examination this year).

 

25 years ago

Women in the Royal Navy were to go to sea with the surface fleet, ending centuries of tradition. The move was described as “realistic” by the commander of HMS York, Captain Tony McEwen.

In winding up a six-hour debate on the Royal Navy, Armed Forces Minister Archie Hamilton told the House: “Our aim is for the first of them to be embarked by the end of the year.” The decision that Wrens should join warships ended the long-standing ban on women in combat roles. It also ended a hard-fought argument within the Navy, the Ministry of Defence and the Women’s Royal Naval Service itself, as well as the ranks of Navy wives.

Initially women would be employed mainly as radio and radar operators, and on engineering work on aircraft. The Ministry of Defence insisted there were no plans to extend female combat roles to the Army and RAF.