THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

Lieutenant Douglas S Muir, RNR, son of Mr Allan Muir, Saxon, Wormit, has been honoured by the King of Italy decorating him with a bronze medal for military valour. Previous to the outbreak of war Lieutenant Muir was in the merchant shipping service, being engaged by the Bell Line, Glasgow. Joining the Navy in June 1915, he proceeded to the Dardanelles and took part in the bombardment of several forts and also assisted at the evacuation of the troops from the peninsula.

50 years ago

For the second time in two days Mr Norman de Johns, president of the National Federation of Licensed Victuallers, has taken an experimental anti-breathalyser pill. He claimed it had proved “effective within certain limits”. In the public house he keeps near Long Eaton, he drank four pints of beer and then gave himself a breathalyser test. This showed a reading just on the line. He took two tablets and waited 20 minutes before taking a second reading – well below the danger mark.

25 years ago

Motorists are being forced to negotiate a dangerous obstacle course of ridges, potholes and raised sections of road, sometimes in the dark, in King Street, Dundee, as a result of work being carried out in the latest section of the new ring road. The road has been reduced to one lane while construction work goes on. The remaining lane is a mass of holes and uneven surfaces caused by the removal of the top section. A Stobswell resident described the route as a “nightmare”.

One year ago

Council parking fines in Dundee have increased by almost 70% in the last four years, according to new figures. There were 31,236 fines dished out in the most recent financial year, having risen by 12,565 compared to 2012-13. Fines have increased every year since then, and already this year almost 15,000 have been issued, meaning they are on course to remain at a similar level. The increase represents a value of £393,360. Calls have been made for more liberal parking arrangements.