THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

The War Office announces that since the date of the armistice the following numbers have been discharged or demobilised to noon on Thursday. Officers demobilised, 34,175; other ranks demobilised, 1,163,447. Discharged medically unfit, 69,963; discharged from Classes W.W. (T.) P. and P. (T.) of the Reserve, 144,351. Total officers, 34,175; other ranks, 1,377,761. The demobilisation of officers from the armies abroad and at home has hitherto not been proportionately so rapid as that of the other ranks.

50 years ago

Immediately after Mr Earl Dryburgh, Newbigging, had finished addressing the haggis at the Tam O’Shanter Burns Club supper in the Commercial Hotel, Montrose, last night, it burst in his face. Pieces of haggis shot to all corners of the room, spraying the 70 guests with small fragments. After the gales of laughter had subsided there was enough of the chieftain o’ the puddin’ race left on the plate to allow the meal to continue as planned. Mr Dryburgh said: “I must have stuck the dirk in too hard.”

25 years ago

Dundee could lose up to 150 jobs over the next three years under a plan to restructure British Gas into five business units, all of which would be based in England. News of the shake-up, announced yesterday, provoked a political storm with Scottish politicians outraged that gas from the North Sea will be under entirely English control while up to 1,500 jobs are cut north of the Border. The company currently has more than 500 staff at its district office in Dundee.

One year ago

Campaigners fighting to save the Montrose RBS branch from closure were yesterday told it is a pointless exercise. Mairi Gougeon, SNP MSP for Angus North and Mearns, Montrose SNP councillor Bill Duff and Mearns SNP councillor Leigh Wilson held crunch talks with senior RBS officials. At the meeting RBS confirmed there will be no U-turn and the Montrose High Street bank will shut as planned on June 6 to be replaced by a mobile van scheduled to visit Montrose twice a week for two one-hour slots.