Way we were

100 years ago

With the opening of the month of May came the beginning of the Strensall camping season, and considerably over a thousand men were already to be found on the common. During the winter months a couple of companies of the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry had occupied the huts, but it was not until the cold winds were about spent and the trees and hedges tipped with green that this military centre began to display the activity which lasted throughout the summer months. The bell tent had its limitations, and a strong breeze or a soaking wet night usually found its weak places. The troops already quartered at Strensall included 23 officers and 570 men of the 18th Hussars along with others from the 2nd King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, the Royal Lancaster Regiment, and the Northern Command school of signalling. The operations of the "flag waggers" never ceased, and messages were flashed from all parts of the district, day and night. Occasionally York Minster tower was pressed into the service, and shafts of light appeared and disappeared in a way that aroused the curiosity of the casual visitor.

50 years ago

Eight hundred policemen, equipped with riot "water cannons," stood by for the arrival of Sir Winston Churchill at Aachen (Germany). Sir Winston Churchill flew to Germany to receive, at Aachen, the Charlemagne Prize awarded annually for services to Western unity in the political, economic or intellectual fields. Lady Churchill accompanied him. Refugee groups and Extreme Right Wing organisations had called meetings to protest against Sir Winston Churchill receiving the Charlemagne Prize on the grounds that he agreed to the division of Germany. Two people had been arrested and the police had removed anti-Churchill slogans from walls and pavements near Aachen Town Hall. Some slogans reading, "Churchill is not wanted," had been changed to read, "Churchill is wanted."

25 years ago

Crime in North Yorkshire fell the previous year for the third year in succession and was now lower than at any time since 1975. This was reported by the Chief Constable, Mr Kenneth Henshaw, in his annual report. Traffic accidents were also fewer the previous year, with fewer fatalities. But there was an increase in the number of children injured. Of 10 children killed on the roads, four were cyclists. "One aspect highlighted by my officers was the unroadworthy condition of children's cycles," reported the Chief Constable. "Even when presenting themselves for cycling proficiency tests, many had machines which were so badly maintained that the tests could not continue. I urge all parents to ensure that their children's cycles are correctly maintained -- their lives could depend on it."

Updated: 10:23 Tuesday, May 09, 2006