THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

The call for women volunteers for work in France resulted in busy scenes at the headquarters of the National Service Department in London yesterday. From an early hour there was a steady stream of applicants, which increased in volume until at noon the corridors were congested. Younger people predominated and all classes were included. The task of interviewing the applicants kept the officials of the Women’s Section of the Deparment working at high pressure throughout the entire day.

50 years ago

Claims that he is being thwarted by officialdom and regulations have been made by a clothing manufacturer who plans to open a factory employing 150-200 in Cowdenbeath. Mr Peter Moss, of P. Moss (Executive ladies Wear) Ltd, said that his plans to convert the former Palais de Danse in Cowdenbeath High Street into a clothing factory had received a setback that could jeopardise the project. The stringent requirements laid down by the local authorities-meant the cost had been pushed up to £18,000.

25 years ago

The newly-computerised facilities of the registrar’s office in Commerical Street, Dundee, were unveiled to an invited audience of MPs, regional councillors – and a young lady eager to note her recent entry into the world officially by receiving her birth certificate. Three-week-old Margaret Louise Nicoll of Broughty Ferry became the proud possessor of a new-style birth certificate printed out by a £16,000 computer system introduced to allow staff to provide a faster, more efficient service.

One year ago

The skies across eastern and northern Scotland lit up in spectacular fashion as a meteor broke up in the earth’s atmosphere. The phenomenon was visible across significant parts of the country with sightings reported in Tayside, Aberdeenshire and the Highlands. Those who saw the lights reported a range of sights and sounds, from simple bright flashes of white and eerie green light to fireballs and loud bangs. The Met Office swiftly confirmed the flashes of light were not weather related.