The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
THE ARCHIVES
100 years ago
The inquest on the bodies of 58 victims of the Irish shipping disaster on the South Downs coast was held at Kilkeel. About 90 lives were lost in the catastrophe and the remainder of the bodies have not yet been recovered. A number it is believed are still submerged under the hulk of the Connemara. The chief testimony was given by James Boyle, a seaman on the Retriever, the sole survivor of both vessels. He is about 25 years of age. He came into court wrapped in a large overcoat. On taking his seat, he wept.
50 years ago
A stone coffin has been found in an Angus field. Coffins, or kists, have frequently been turning up in parts of Angus, and are almost 3,000 years old. This one has been found in a field near Forfar, but the exact location is not being given until an excavation team from Dundee Museum have begun work. Preliminary investigations were carried out after the capping stone had been caught by a plough. The stone was lifted to reveal one of the short kists where the body was buried with knees tucked up.
25 years ago
Soccer star Paul Gascoigne was accused of scruffiness, disrespect and a lack of style after wearing a tracksuit in court. The 24-year-old Tottenham and England player received a conditional discharge when he admitted assaulting a man who bumped into his teenage sister. His casual appearance then landed him in the latest controversy of a chequered career. Tony Rudin, secretary of the Magistrates’ Association, defended Gascoigne saying magistrates should be unaffected by what people wear. One year ago High winds and heavy rain heaped misery on Fife as property was damaged and transport links blocked. A Stagecoach bus carrying several passengers was blown over and crashed into a field while travelling on the B936, near Dunshalt. Nobody was injured but the road was closed briefly as recovery crews retrieved the bus. Four firefighters were taken to hospital after their engine crashed into a house in Anstruther’s High Street. The crew, from the St Monans fire station, were taken to hospital.