THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

Col. Sir Alex Sprot, MP, who has taken a deep interest in the 7th Battalion Black Watch (Fife’s Own), has received a letter from the secretary to the Secretary of State for War (Mr Winston Churchill), in which he states that there is every intention of retaining the unit as part of the Highland (51st) Division. “Should the 7th Battalion be allowed to remain as infantry,”the latter states, “the battalion would have to be relegated to army troops and the connection of the regiment with its fighting division would be severed.”

50 years ago

A fire caused a fair amount of damage to the constructional work of the new Carnoustie High School yesterday afternoon. Shortly after 2pm, a bitumen tank on the roof of the four-storey High School in Balmachie Road caught fire. This was almost immediately followed by the explosion of a large bottle of propane gas with a shattering bang that was heard all over the town. Fortunately all the workmen in the danger area had been able to disperse before the explosion and no one was hurt.

25 years ago

A former Dundee University professor has criticised the “macho culture” in Scottish schools. He believes they are failing by not cultivating caring and compassion. Professor Donald Bligh (59) was head of the university’s centre for continuing education for three years until 1989. After his years in Scotland – he was also assistant principal at Moray House College of Education in Edinburgh – he says pride in the Scots education system is misplaced. “The education of emotions should be the greatest priority,” he said.

One year ago

A Fife man has raised safety fears for pedestrians trying to cross roads near a busy Glenrothes roundabout. Osteoarthritis sufferer Ritchard Mckie said he has had many near misses on his mobility scooter as he tried to cross roads near the town’s Bankhead roundabout, on the A92, to visit shops and amenities. He fears the situation will be exacerbated with the opening of a new McDonald’s drive-thru in neighbouring Woodside Way. “Traffic is bad enough there right now but will get worse when it opens,” he said.