125 Years Ago – 1891

Yeadon gamblers are having a time of it. Five of them were hauled up at the West Riding Police Court on Tuesday week, and fined 40s. If they offend again “prison” is foreshadowed. This Sunday gambling has been a dark spot on the fair name of Yeadon for many years, and no decent-minded person will be sorry that this little exploit has cost the quintette £10. There is the additional disgrace of having their names bruited about as “Sunday gamblers”.

Three Otley individuals were brought up at the court on Friday last for robbing an orchard of Mr John Mudd’s, and Mr Groom, the solicitor, stated that “Otley had got an unenviable notoriety for the number of its robberies from orchards.” Market gardeners are repeatedly robbed in this locality; the robbers require teaching a lesson and should be severely dealt with.

100 Years Ago – 1916

An Otley man, writing from the front to a friend, remarks that in the accomplishment of the recent interesting work his battalion took a prominent part. “Since coming out I have heard some wonderful stories – I am told that even before out fellows got over the Germans came in dozens to give themselves up. When our men were coming across 'no man’s land' they were shouting 'mercy comrades etc'. They emptied their pockets of watches or any other article of value, and gave them away, saying ‘souvenir comrade.’ Doesn’t sound as if they have much fighting in them. They willingly gave themselves up and were glad to assist our fellows to carry the wounded. I saw hundreds of German prisoners coming down, what a mess they were. Altogether ugly, thick jaws, and big ugly faces, they really looked brutish.”

Pte. Reg. Crook, a Guiseley man who is in the Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, returned home last Thursday night on a week’s furlough, the proud wearer of a ribbon which indicates that he had been awarded the Military Medal. One of five brothers who are wearing His Majesty’s uniform, Pte. Crook, went out to France on April 14th, 1915. Latterly he has taken his part in the big push of the Battle of the Somme, without sustaining a scratch.

75 Years Ago – 1941

The first distribution of priority oranges to children under six years of age will be made during the next few days in a number of selected areas to holders of a child’s ration book and the yellow Supplementary Book. Further areas will get supplies as they become available.Application for these oranges should be made as soon as possible.

The Horsforth community feeding centre, to be known as The Woolpack British Restaurant, is to be opened about the middle of this month. The chairman, Mr W. Walker, and members of the Communal Feeding Committee, met voluntary helpers at the restaurant nearing completion on Monday, when duties were outlined and a general survey made of the premises. It is hoped to feed 250 people daily.

50 Years Ago – 1966

Mr Eric Cowling, the Otley historian, has a rockery in the back garden of his home in Queen’s Place, which is unique – certainly few people could claim that ancient Britons of about 2,000 years ago had given them a helping hand. Mr Cowling has gathered together a remarkable collection of hand-millstones ranging from pre-Roman to Anglian times, and troughs of varying dates, all from the Otley area. They have been given a utilitarian purpose by the planting in them of rockery plants.

The history of the line which runs from Bramhope to Arthington dates back to the middle of the last century and and its construction included some remarkable feats of engineering, one of which was the erection of a 21-arch viaduct across the Wharfe. During the war German bombers made an attempt to destroy the viaduct but without success. A fragment of one of the bombs was recovered by the late Mr R. T. A. Renton, wartime Commander of the local Civil Defence Forces, and is still in use in this office as a paper weight.

25 Years Ago - 1991

They came in their thousands to cram into Otley RUFC’s ground for the World Cup match between Italy and the United States, and some took to the trees to ensure they got a bird’s eye view of proceedings. “The event has put Otley on the sporting map,”said Coun Hindle.

A telephone kiosk in the tiny village of Hawksworth, near Guiseley, has been added to the list of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. The list, updated and issued by the Department of the Environment, now includes the type K6 cast iron kiosk designed in 1935 by Sir Gilbert Scott, and sited in Hawksworth Main Street.