From our archives:

85 years ago

Alderman Henry Rhodes Brown had accepted the City’s invitation to become the next Lord Mayor of York.

Taking over from Alderman R H Vernon Wragge this was to be the second time Alderman had held the office of Chief Magistrate.

Alderman Brown with his strong views on the question of economy, had promised to be diligent in all his public duties.

Mr Winston Churchill’s health was reported as satisfactory after suffering a slight attack of paratyphoid whilst making historical studies in Germany.

Paratyphoid, according to Black’s Medical Dictionary, was a continued fever which closely resembled mild attacks of typhoid.

Infection was usually conveyed by a “carrier” or was due to contamination of water or food by flies or dust.

In India Mahatma Gandhi who was in Yeravda Prison had decided to go on hunger strike as a protest against the decision of the Government to set up separate electorates for the depressed classes.

50 years ago

Trains to and from York were cancelled when guards in the Manchester area failed to turn up for work on the third day of the dispute over ‘second man’ duties.

More trains in various parts of the country failed to run and there seemed a danger of further disruptions when freight shunters in the Manchester area refused duties in sympathy.

Mr Alan Corner was to become the new landlord of the York Hotel, Easingwold after leaving the Star Inn, Huby.

And Snaith couple Mr and Mrs Lazenby woke up to a nice surprise, a cheque for £3,072 which had come in the morning mail.

Mr Lazenby said “he had no idea he had a winning line on the football pools as he had not checked their coupon”.

20 years ago

A hooded robber burst into a Knaresborough post office brandishing a knife and threatening a member of staff before running off with hundreds of pounds from the till.

The robber, believed to be in his late teens or early 20s and wearing a balaclava, burst into Scriven post office at about 3.30pm.

Up to a million people had lined a three-mile route to honour Mother Teresa as she took her last journey.

The procession and two-and-a-half hour funeral was also broadcast to many millions more around the world who knew of the tiny saint of Calcutta’s slums.