From our archives:

85 years ago

Lord Bolton opened the new extensions to the Rutson Hospital, Northallerton, built at a cost of more than £7,000.

The new hospital with its remodelled old front building, had some extra additions including some of the most up-to-date equipment in the country.

In addition to the general lighting of the wards, each patient had a separate bed lamp, with provisions been made for wireless headphones.

The Elizabethan Fair in connection with the 21st birthday of the Malton Grammar School was reopened yesterday by Mr R H Turton MP.

The occasion was however marred by showery weather.

“Parents’ Days” at Poppleton Road School, York, had once again drawn a large attendance and pea picking was now in full swing at Hambleton, Selby.

50 years ago

Polish Roman Catholics living in the North of England had attended a rally in Ampleforth to mark the start of their second millennium.

York however was in mourning at the death of a former Rowntree director Mr C W Gilderdale who died suddenly at his home in Strensall.

Joining Rowntree and Co in 1909 Mr Gilderdale was in charge of many developments in the inter-war period and during the post-war expansions of the company as well as being the company’s representative on the Grand Council of the Federation of British Industries.

The Queen and Prince Philip had flown into London’s Heathrow Airport within minutes of each other.

The Queen arrived in a Queen's flight Andover from Lossiemouth, in Scotland while Prince Philip had flown in on a scheduled Air Canada jet from Winnipeg, where he had opened the Pan American games.

Prince Philip after shaking hands with senior airport officials, took the wheel of his green Alvis convertible asking his chauffeur: “How do I get out of here?”

20 years ago

Members of a Ryedale band hit a high note after revealing they had scooped a National Lottery grant of almost £30,000.

The windfall would be spent on expanding Swinton and District Excelsior Band’s meeting rooms, as new recruits were currently banished to the toilet and kitchen to practice.

Organisers of the Boroughbridge’s 85th annual show declared the event would go on, despite the weather and Andrew Cunanan, the alleged killer of fashion designer Gianni Versace, had been reported to have taken his own life after police cornered him at a houseboat on Miami Beach.