From our archives:

80 years ago

Reg Bolton, the popular Yorkshire comedian, was to return to the Empire Theatre, York, with his happy gang of Blackpool, radio and pantomime favourites, for an entirely new carnival of comedy, “Helter-Skelter.” According to the “Yorkshire Herald” his flair for good, clean and wholesome fun would certainly have the residents of York laughing in the aisles. Reg born in 1881, in Salford, was best known for his role in the drama musical Saturday Night Revue. And several of York’s civic heads had enrolled as air wardens. Both the Lord Mayor of York Alderman C T Hutchinson and the City Sheriff Councillor W Thompson paid a visit to the Air Raid Precautions office at the Guildhall and signed the necessary forms. Also doing his duty was the Lord Mayor’s brother, Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor T A Hutchinson. By April 1938, more than 1,000 volunteers had enrolled for the Air Raids Precautions service showing the country’s resilience to protect themselves from the bombs dropped by German aircraft.

50 years ago

The grilles had come down for an unscheduled hour between noon and 1pm as Post Offices around York staged a one-hour stoppage. The stoppage had also been repeated in 24 other cities in protest over pay grades. A top-level re-organisation of British Rail had brought an extra touch of glamour to the new Eastern Region headquarters in York, after 20-year-old Christine Parker had excepted the offer to become Eastern Region’s Miss Rail News. Moving up from London life in Yorkshire had one big advantage, an hour longer in bed in the morning. And to encourage swimming clubs to use the Pocklington pool more often, the management committee had reduced its room hire. The committee had decided that the fee of £2 10s, should be reduced by a whole £1 to help clubs return.

20 years ago

Firemen had been called to deal with an oil spillage in Terrington, near Malton, after 900 litres of domestic heating oil spilled out of a tank in a private garage and ran down the village main street. And the brother of Diana the Princess of Wales had written to every trustee of the Memorial Fund, telling them that the charity would now end. According to The Times, Earl Spencer had found the fundraising tasteless and degrading towards his sister’s memory.