THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

“I never intended to be a soldier and never will be a soldier,” was a reason given at Dunfermline City Police Court yesterday by William Bett Campbell, insurance agent, 12 Holyrood Place, Dunfermline for failing to report himself for military service. The accused, who was a conscientious objector, argued that the military authorities had no legal right to use the National Register for purposes of conscription. Bailie Wilson imposed a fine of £2 to be deducted from the accused’s military pay or 10 days in prison.

50 years ago

The Prime Minister was shouted down in scenes of extraordinary disorder which broke out during the Labour conference service in Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Brighton, when he went into the pulpit to read the second lesson. Hardly had Mr Wilson started when trouble began, geared, it seemed, to a prepared plan, as first one demonstrator then another, all of them young men and girls, leapt up and shouted out such phrases: “You hypocrite”. Police were hastily called.

25 years ago

The growing link between Tayside Aviation and the national airline of Cyprus was further strengthened when the first of the three Cypriot pilots presently in training at Dundee Airport successfully completed his general flight test. Christakis (Chris) Symeonides (22) had been in the city for three months gathering the necessary skills required for the commercial pilot’s licence which involves not only the passing of the flight test in a single engine Cessna, but also the attainment of Instrument Rating.

One year ago

Iconic children’s book character The Gruffalo has been given a Dundonian twang after a copy of the bedtime favourite was translated into the local dialect. Julia Donaldson’s book about a mouse that thinks its way out of danger has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide and has now been printed in Doric, Orkney Scots, Shetland Scots as well as the Dundonian dialect. The book was translated by Dundee poet and author Matthew Fitt, a co-founder of publishers Itchy Coo.