THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

The railway strike is ended; the men are to return to work this morning. An agreement was reached after a five-hour conference yesterday between Mr Lloyd George and Mr Bonar Law and the Negotiating Committee. The chief points of the settlement are that the Government has extended its undertaking as to wages from the end of March to the end of September and that certain classes of railwaymen whose pre-war wages were below 18s are to receive a minimum of 51s.

50 years ago

Leven Lifeguard Club was officially launched yesterday and the man behind the scheme is 60-year-old Mr George Davidson, Glenrothes. The club, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Scottish Midlands branch of the Royal Life-Saving Society, is to have lifeguard beach patrols on duty at Leven during the summer season. But Mr Davidson’s ambitions do not stop there. “I’m going to recruit and train men and women to form lifeguard teams for every principal beach along the Fife coast,” he said.

25 years ago

A radiant Princess of Wales stepped out confidently in public yesterday and shrugged off claims of an affair with former Life Guards officer James Hewitt. In her first official engagement since publication of the book Princess in Love, she gave no sign of inner turmoil. She appeared totally at ease, laughing and joking with streetwise youngsters and army officers as she launched an army-led expedition to Africa at Kensington Palace. Friends of the princess said she had brushed off allegations.

One year ago

Plans to charge visitors to Perth and Kinross an additional £1 a night to pay for services in tourism hotspots have met with a furious response from the industry. Backers say at least £1 million could be raised locally to protect services in areas popular with visitors, such as Loch Leven, Pitlochry and Dunkeld, and provide much-needed maintenance of popular attractions. The hospitality industry has written off the idea, likening it to “killing the goose that laid the golden egg.”