THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

The German campaign of frightfulness against Britain took another form on Tuesday evening, when a U-boat appeared off Scarborough and shelled the town for about 10 minutes. Three persons were killed and five injured. The enemy took advantage of a thick mist for their attack on an open town. They fired some 30 rounds, but it was quite evident that they had no method in their attack, the firing being quite haphazard. The air raid on London was a most determined affair.

50 years ago

There were no banner-waving crowds to say goodbye when the B.L.Nairn was towed away downriver on her last journey to a breaker’s yard. Instead, a handful gathered to pay their last respects to the paddle ferry steamer that has served so long. The tug, Westsider from the Tyne, edged the paddler away from her berth in Victoria Dock, leaving behind only a stream of oily bubbles. At the last gate, the “old lady” showed her reluctance to leave, huddling into the harbour wall.

25 years ago

Tayside nurses are scrambling for jobs as a result of a sudden downturn in the number of vacancies. Tayside Health Board confirm that staff turnover in nursing has fallen dramatically in a short space of time to an extent which had not been predicted. A spokesman said the drop in vacancies appeared to be due to external factors including the level of unemployment and the general economic situation. The downturn had been experienced nationally and was not a local phenomenon.

One year ago

A predator that ruled the seas 170 million years ago has finally been unveiled by scientists half a century after it was discovered. The fossilised skeleton of the dolphin-like animal – named the Storr Lochs monster – was found on the Isle of Skye in 1966. It had been preserved in National Museums Scotland’s storage facility for 50 years but the fossil has now been extracted from the rock, creating a clearer picture of the dinosaur. Experts say the fossil is from the ichthyosaurs group.