100 Years Ago – 1918

At short notice it had been announced the most important man in London was planning to make a visit to Bradford, to advise city folk on the best way to care and preserve their sight. Regarded as the most important news “ever” for wearers of glasses living in Bradford thousands of workers had descended to the Church Institute to catch a glimpse of one Mr. Winston’s demonstrations. Mr. Winston, with no disclosed first name, had been described as a “remarkable personality.” The dispute between the Bradford Food Control Committee and milk dealers continued after a private meeting to discuss the pricing system and the blocking of distribution had ended with no adequate solution. And Sir Douglas Haig reported that the British troops had attacked the L'empire-Epehy sector. Despite considerable opposition and in the face of heavy artillery and machine-gun fire, valuable progress had been made to a depth of over a mile.

85 Years Ago – 1933

Free flights had been offered to 20 lucky readers at the British Hospitals Air Pageant in Yeadon. Creating wide spread interest, hundreds of coupons poured into the T&A offices. As a bonus, the first coupon pulled out of a hat would also receive an additional reward of a flying lesson in the famous record-breaking machine in which Charles Scott flew from England to Australia. Bradford City had announced two changes to their team which was ready to oppose Notts County at Valley Parade. One was the introduction of Wallbanks, left-back, and the other the return of McLaren to centre-half. And one of the most reassuring sentences in the treatment of cancer had been issued in a report by Bradford’s Medical Officer, Dr. J. J. Buchan. With a hope of finding a cure for cancer, he had stated that, “No fewer than 581 patients who had undergone treatment in Bradford in recent years were still alive by the end of the year.”

60 Years Ago – 1958

A small crowd had gathered round a tarpaulin-covered building site in Buttershaw to watch the Bishop

of Bradford, Dr. Donald Coggan, lay the foundation stone of a new £31,000 church and Sunday school which would serve the new estate. During a service at Reevey Hill School, the Bishop also announced that it wouldn’t be long before the half-way mark of £250,000 would be reached. Meanwhile, it had been a busy weekend for two of Bradford’s leading motor clubs. Airedale and Pennine MCC were busy with their 3rd annual White Horse Rally and Bradford Vagabonds had been engaged on a three-centre event, the Yorkshire Grand National, at a venue near Denholme.

50 Years Ago - 1968

A ban on feeding pigeons at the new Norfolk Gardens had caused a huge debate in Bradford, after a very public arrest of the bird loving Miss Hannah May Dumville. The city’s magistrates had decided that Miss Dumville, had not committed any offence by throwing lettuce leaves on the lawns because the gardens were not “enclosed,” but the debate continued, as members of the public refused to see what all the fuss was about. “Maybe it was the threat of flat-footed pigeons wearing out the grass, “wrote one reporter.

Hundreds of parishioners had braved the cold in 1968, to catch a glimpse of the Bishop of Leeds, the Rt. Rev. William Gordon Wheeler, conduct the centenary celebrations at St. Joseph’s RC Church, Pakington Street, Bradford. Alongside 16 other priests the open-air mass was celebrated at the side of a specially-erected altar in the playground of the church’s new infants’ school.

35 Years Ago – 1983

Furious farm union officials had lambasted Bradford Council health experts for “deliberate scaremongering,” accusing the authority of whipping up public fears to strengthen their campaign to get sales of green-top milk banned. National Farmers Union West Riding County branch chairman Mr. Richard Harrison claimed health officials had used a salmonella outbreak at Thornton to further tarnish the image of green-top milk. And a Bradford councillor was at the centre of a storm after calling for seconds thoughts on a plan to save crumbling homes in historic Hanover Square, Manningham. Angry residents said they deplored a move by Councillor Danny Coughlin to have the proposals put on ice for further investigations.