Tuesday, September 7, 2004

100 years ago: A correspondent sent a rhymed explanation of the Yorkshireman's coat-of-arms, which has for its subscription "Tak' hod an' sup, lad," and is the sign of The Black Swan at York. The rhyme was "A Flea, a Fly, a Magpie, an' Bacon Flitch; Is t'Yorkshireman's coit-of-arms; An' t'reasons they've chossen these things so rich; Is becoss they hev all speshal charms; A flea will bite whoivver it can; An' soa, my lads, will a Yorkshireman. A fly will sup with Dick, Tom, or Dan; An' soa, by Gow! will a Yorkshireman. A magpie can talk for a terrible span, An' soa, an' all, can a Yorkshireman. A flitch is no good whol it's hung, ye'll agree, No more is a Yorkshireman, don't ye see!"

50 years ago: The Spa at Scarborough had banned members of the Army below the rank of sergeant. They were refused admission, and "none too tactfully at that," because acts of vandalism had been committed at the Spa and junior NCOs and privates were blamed, regardless of who actually caused the damage. An ordinary citizen at Scarborough on his annual Territorial Army camp was turned away from the Spa although he was with two friends in their civvies. His comment was "such discrimination is most unfair and harmful...It is very much like the kind of prejudice one finds against coloured people..."

25 years ago: Resurfacing work in Piccadilly, York, created parking confusion outside the Social Services headquarters at Ryedale House. When the old road surface was cut off, the double yellow lines went with it and so drivers were parking there, one social worker returning to find a parking ticket on her windscreen. A spokesman for Ryedale House said: "it seems a dirty trick to send a yellow-banded wasp round here to book someone." However, on the following day two vans and two cars parked there without being ticketed by a traffic warden, who said he couldn't 'do' them as there were no yellow lines.

Updated: 15:38 Monday, September 06, 2004