THERE was only one policeman for Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Menston and Askwith in 1875. Ilkley Local Board decided to seek the advice of the police superintendent about an application for more policemen. They needed two or three men taking into account the number of working men they had now in the village, said Mr J Beanlands. The Chairman, Mr J Milner, thought the position was absolutely disgraceful in view of the number of things that were lying about, such as building materials. They were not safe with one man, he said.

THE first meeting of the Ilkley Vocal Society was held in the National School in Leeds Road when more than 60 members enrolled. It was hoped that it would not be long before they would be seen 'in public and performing some of the best selections of the day'.

SATISFACTORY progress continued to be made in November, 1900, with the construction of the Yorkshire Dales Railway, a single line eight and a half miles long to connect Grassington with the Midland Railway at a point midway between Skipton and Embsay, on the Bolton Abbey branch. It was hoped the line would be open for traffic by the latter part of the following summer.

ILKLEY Congregationalists had a scheme in hand for the erection of an Institute or Mission Room in the vicinity of Ash Grove. Land at the corner of Dean Street and Leeds Road had already been secured for this purpose but until the scheme was brought to fruition, a large house at the end of Ashland Terrace had been rented for social and religious work.

THE hand of winter was visible when the hilltops surrounding Ilkley were blanched with snow, said the Ilkley Gazette.

THE Yorkshire Penny Bank opened its Ilkley branch at 9 and 11 The Grove.

WHARFEDALE was favoured with brilliant November sunshine under a clear blue sky with a touch of white frost still lingering in the shadows for Services of Remembrance in 1925. At Ilkley red poppies were worn by everyone and in a little group gathered around the War Memorial, a party of schoolgirls, wore red caps which appeared in the distance like a bunch of red poppies themselves. The solemn tolling of the bell of St Margaret's Church, followed by the striking of a clock accompanied by the raucous note of the fire alarm warned all of the coming of the llth hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. Heads bowed before the flower bedecked memorial - sounds fell to silence. Ben Rhydding Hydropathic Establishment celebrated Armistice Day with a dinner and Cinderella dance. At the dinner the tables were profusely decorated with poppies.

ILKLEY had mornings of white frost giving it an appearance of a snowbound landscape. Some of the frost remained throughout the day and the temperature dropped to 22 degrees Fahrenheit. People were inquiring as to the skating prospects on the Tarn as it was almost completely frozen over.

A LARGE crowd gathered at the town hall to see the beginning of the parade for the Remembrance Service in Ilkley Parish Church which was packed to its capacity in 1950. The parade was headed by Burley and Ilkley Prize Band and the service was conducted by the Vicar, the Rev E C Cook. Despite heavy rain and cold weather large crowds gathered inside and outside the grounds of the Cenotaph.

THE Post Office proposed to introduce the '999' scheme for emergency calls in the Burley-in-Wharfedale exchange area. The scheme would enable the caller, by dialling '999' instead of 'O' to secure the special attention of the Bradford exchange operator for emergency calls to the Fire, Ambulance and Police services.

AMONG those playing for Ilkley British Legion Football Club during the 1950-51 season were: A Gell, R Pearce, A Thompson, W Dobson, N Dixon, C Aldridge, B Lambert, J Lambert, W Robshaw, W White and A Spivey.

A DISTURBING decrease in members, by as many as 30, was reported at the annual meeting of Addingham British Legion. Mr W Clarkson said there were 400 ex-servicemen in the village and they had only 96 in the branch.

WORK on Menston's new council houses, held up owing to a shortage of cement, was resumed.

THE Bradford-Ilkley-Leeds railway service was one of ten services about which the West Yorkshire County Council had not reached a decision. The county council had 14 local services in its area but it was likely to take over in January only four of them which together were running at a loss of £1m. Although the county council's Passenger Transport Committee had considered subsidising all 14 local rail services, it was understood to have supported only those four selected by the county Council.

AFTER seeking legal advice, Ilkley Parish Council decided not to take any steps to bring about an injunction to halt work on a £2.5m housing development at Rose Bank in Bradford Road, Burley-in-Wharfedale. Councillors had been concerned because the plans had been approved by Bradford Council without reference to them.

The Ilkley Gazette recorded the death of Eddie Kingswell who had been manager in the grocery department of the Co-operative Society in Leeds Road, Ilkley, from 1948 until his retirement in 1962.

THE West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council appointed James A Turnbull, of Ilkley, as the new Coroner for Bradford and Calderdale.