125 Years Ago - 1893

At the Skipton Petty Sessions on Saturday last, Caroline Roe, Addingham, was summoned for not sending her child, Hilda, regularly to school. Sixty-four attendances had been made out of a possible 90. She was fined 5s. and costs.

On Friday evening last, when most of the residents in Otley would be enjoying themselves in the Licks, at the fair connected with the annual Statute Hirings, a sad tragedy was being enacted at the opposite end of the town, by which a boy aged three years was drowned by his own mother, she at the same time attempting self-destruction. The poor woman, against whom a verdict of “Wilful murder” has since been returned, is about 30 years of age, and the wife of Mr. Arthur Robinson, coal merchant, of Crow Lane. She has the character of being a highly respectable person, a good wife and an affectionate mother. Some six weeks ago however, she lost her baby boy, and this trouble seems to have preyed upon her mind and affected her health and spirits.

100 Years Ago - 1918

The services of thanksgiving for peace at Ilkley on Sunday included a United Service in St. Margaret’s Church. The congregation numbered about 1300.

In his address the Rev. S. Tonkin said: “It would ill become us as a Christian people to gloat to-day over the downfall of Germany and her cleverly engineered schemes of world domination, which have come tumbling to the ground. We have a far sublimer task set us - it is to contemplate, to think upon, to marvel at the power and the justice and the swift descending vengeance of an almighty and deeply injured God. The cry of an outraged humanity, of a world in agony, has entered into the ears of the Lord. Not the moan of an outraged woman, not the wail of an innocent little child done to death in this war, has escaped the ear of Almighty God. He has heard it all. He had answered every prayer.

75 Years Ago - 1943

News has been received that Pte. Leslie Coulthard (21), R.A.M.C., eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Coulthard, 5, Town Street, Guiseley, formerly a prisoner of war in Camp P.G. 70, Italy, has been transferred to Stalag 8b, Germany. It is believed that when many of his comrades escaped he may have elected to remain behind to look after the wounded. He was known to be happy in Italy, and had often played football and refereed matches.

A British aircraft which had flown very low over Otley on Tuesday morning, and which appeared to be in difficulties, landed in a field near Ashfield House. The ‘plane was damaged but the pilot appears to have escaped with only a slight injury.

50 Years Ago - 1968

The future of the Essoldo Cinema, Ilkley, is in the balance. An outline planning application for the redevelopment of the site as a supermarket has been made to the Ilkley Urban Council. The Essoldo Cinema is the last remaining cinema for a large area of Wharfedale. Established as the New Cinema it was opened in October 1928.

A proposal which caused some argument a few years ago and which was opposed by the County Education Committee has now been accepted with very little difficulty. The All Saints Junior Mixed School and the All Saints Infants School are to merge and Mr. A. C. Heslop, Headmaster of the Junior School is to be head of both.

25 Years Ago - 1993

A New branch of Greenpeace is to be formed in the new year. There are already about 70 subscribing members in Ilkley and plans to create a local support group have been approved by leaders of the international environmental pressure group.

Campaigners have failed in their battle against the permanent shutdown of Ilkley’s Grove Hospital as a convalescent unit. Junior health minister Tom Sackville approved the closure after meeting a deputation armed with about 6,000 signatures in support of the service.