‘Sensation’ caused as man attempts to commit suicide by slitting his throat (From Ilkley Gazette)

Looking back with the Ilkley Gazette and the Wharfedale Observer

4:19pm Thursday 21st June 2012 in Features

125 Years Ago – 1887

Favoured with beautiful weather, the Queen’s Jubilee was most successfully observed in Ilkley on Tuesday last. From an early hour the inhabitants were astir and preparations were extensively made for the holding of the festivities. Flags were hoisted from most of the principal establishments and houses. Some of the tradesmen had displayed considerable taste in the decoration of their premises. Large numbers of visitors made Ilkley their depot for the day, and consequently the town was thronged. The procession proceeded along The Grove, Bolton Bridge Road, Addingham Road, Church Street and Leeds Road to the field near the top of Cemetery Road.

The response to the appeal which was originally made with the object of erecting a cottage hospital and providing a recreation ground for Otley having fallen far below what was anticipated, the committee vested with the management of the jubilee celebration solicited subscriptions for the erection of a drinking fountain, and for providing commemorative medals for all the children, and entertaining young and old to free teas and entertainments.

100 Years Ago – 1912

The Public Health and Housing Committee of the West Riding County Council have declined to grant the Ilkley tradesmen seasonal exemption from weekly half-day closing. The refusal has come as a big surprise to all concerned. Out of 164 tradesmen, 85 wanted the exemption, 35 were against, 65 were neutral and 29 were by the Council exempt. There seemed very little doubt that the exemption would be granted, more especially as the Act would appear to indicate that all shops in a holiday resort may obtain exemption from weekly half-day closing if a majority of shopkeepers desire it.

A sensation was caused in King Street, Yeadon, on Sunday evening, by an attempt by one of the residents of that locality to commit suicide by cutting his throat with a bread knife. The regrettable occurance took place in the man’s bedroom, the windpipe being partially severed. Dr Smith was called in, and after giving temporary attention to the man’s wounds, dispatched Myers in a cab to the Leeds Infirmary, where on the whole he passed a good night, and has since progressed satisfactorily.

75 Years Ago – 1937

A prominent Jew spoke on the problems of his own people when Prof-essor Brodetsky, of the University of Leeds, addressed a meeting arranged jointly by the Otley WEA and the League of Nations Union in the Wharfedale Cafe on Tuesday evening. Professor Brodetsky has had an adventurous life. At the age of five his family left his native Russia because of persecution and travelled through Poland and Germany to this country, where they settled in the Whitechapel district of London. He said anti-Semitism was a form of lunacy that overtook people when lunacy was a relief.

Owing to the continued absence of rain the Wharfe continues to be very clear. Few but the very skilled anglers have met with much success during the week and even they have had to fish for all they were worth. Up to 4 1/2 brace have fallen to the bait fishers, who will do better after a couple of days’ rain. Flies now on the water include the brown owl, green owl, red spinney, stone midge, snipe bloa and sea swallow.

50 Years Ago – 1962

At Otley Magistrates’ Court on Friday a Bramhope company director told how he had left his house for seven hours on Saturday, June 2, and returned to find it ransacked and property valued at £1,751 missing. Before the court was a salesman from Leeds, charged with housebreaking and larceny of the property. He was committed for trial at the West Riding Quarter Sessions.

A woman from Menston was fined 5s for being the owner of a pony found straying on the highway. Chief Insp RL Crowcroft said PC Coulson was on duty on Bradford Road, Menston, at 10.50am on May 2, when he saw the pony gallop out of Station Road and turn right into Bradford Road. The pony was captured. In a letter to the court the defendant wrote the pony was adventurous and quick to escape. Most of its friends were at a farm to which it was escaping.

25 Years Ago – 1987

Pressure from the Wharfedale Rail Users’ Group has resulted in the promise that two busy trains are to be enlarged “in the near future”. Last month WRUG wrote to the Passenger Transport Executive about the unacceptable levels of overcrowding, giving details of how the available train units could be redeployed to upgrade busy services to four coaches.

Medical instruments and a prescription pad were stolen from a doctor’s car at Newlay Lane, Horsforth, on Friday night. The Austin Montego were broken into between 11.30pm on Friday and 9am on Saturday. The pad and instruments were in the doctor’s medical bag which was stolen. Their value was said to be in the region of £200.