THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

The Rev R Cleghorn Thomson, minister-elect of Wallacetown Parish Church, Dundee, died with tragic suddenness on Sunday. Intimation was received on Saturday evening by Mr J A Rollo, session clerk of Wallacetown Church, that Mr Thomson was seriously ill with influenza. Yesterday morning came news that Mr Thomson had passed away. The deceased, who was 38, had been almost unanimously elected minister by the congregation. He had been but two days ill.

50 years ago

Commander Thomas Ouchterlony of the Guynd, near Carmyllie, has already chosen his 80th birthday present – a swimming pool near the drawing-room of his house. But the commander’s plan to plunge into the pool on his birthday on October 23rd have foundered. Instead he will have to be content with looking at the excavations. “There were objections but these have been overcome,” he said. The objections, from his wife and two sons, were heard at Angus Landward Buildings Authority.

25 years ago

The relative of a Scots tourist stabbed by knife-wielding muggers on a Florida beach said he was “lucky to get away with his life.” Donny MacLeod, 26, from the Isle of Skye, needed 56 stitches after becoming the latest British victim in a spate of attacks on holidaymakers in America’s “Sunshine State”, where a £20 billion industry is now under threat. Mr MacLeod, a builder, was strolling through Fort Lauderdale Beach at 2am local time when he was confronted by the robbers.

One year ago

A shortage of GPs is forcing sick patients to queue in the early hours outside Dundee surgeries. Lines of patients start forming from 7am as people eschew the traditional phone appointment lottery to grab a scarce appointment in person. Dr Andrew Cowie, a Dundee GP and vice-chairman of the local medical committee, said queuing for appointments is commonplace in Tayside. He said: “There is a mismatch between patient demand and GP numbers. The queues are for appointments.”