THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

The former Director of Recruiting, Sir Auckland Geddes, responded to claims that standards of physical fitness for men in the army had declined. The Grade 1 label, for men of normal fitness able to endure efforts appropriate to their age, was questioned by critics after complaints had come from all over the country regarding the poor fitness of soldiers. However, it was noted that the complaints made only amounted to one percent of the over one and a quarter million men who were medically assessed.

50 years ago

A young Dundee cyclist was spared from serious injury after flying through a shop window. 17-year old Kenneth Ogilvie was cycling down a steep part of the Hilltown when he lost control of his bike. Ogilvie, who tried to call for help, continued veering down on to busy traffic on Victoria Road but was fortunate enough to only suffer cuts and bruises after colliding into Dryden’s fruit shop window. The young boy was taken to the Royal Infirmary for treatment and kept under observation as a result.

25 years ago

An emotional reunion took place as two former prisoners of war met for the first time since 1944. The ex-comrades, Chic Stewart and Joe Gollaglee, who had both been held captive in Japanese prisoner of war camps, reconnected after both placing adverts in magazine Far East Prisoners of War Association, searching for survivors, which neither man knew the other had also done. Following a couple of months of letter correspondences, the war veterans met when Joe surprised Chic with a visit to Scotland.

One year ago

Local Scottish MP and MEP, Ian Duncan, received the title of Lord despite losing a 21-vote election in Perthshire. The Conservative Party member became Lord Duncan of Springbank after the area in which he grew up in and was appointed Scottish Secretary David Mundell’s representative in Whitehall. The move was a controversial one that benefited Lord Duncan over 12 of his Scottish Tory contemporaries who rightly won votes two years previously in the general election.