THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

THRILLING NEWS comes from the North Sea. A strong force of British destroyers and cruisers attacked a number of German war vessels in Heligoland Bight. The daring of the British commanders was rewarded with great success. The German destroyers and two cruisers were sunk, while a third cruiser disappeared on fire and in a sinking condition. All the British vessels are afloat and only two were slightly damaged. The loss of life on the British side is not heavy. HMS Liverpool is proceeding to Britain with nine German officers and 81 men prisoners.

50 years ago

A CUPAR Boy Scout has won a Duke of Edinburgh gold award. It is believed to be the first gold award received in Cupar. After nearly two years’ work, 17-year-old Henry Roan Rutherford, known as Ronnie, has received confirmation of the honour. He will be presented with the award by the Duke at a ceremony later this year. Early this year, Ronnie became a Queen’s Scout. He intends to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an architect. He has now left Bell Baxter and this autumn starts at the Edinburgh College of Art.

25 years ago

A 14-YEAR-OLD Liff boy has won a place in the Scottish junior team which will take part in an obedience show at Cruft’s next February. Jason Wood said he first became interested in dog-handling when his father started training his cocker spaniel in road safety techniques. “Then he got a border collie and trained that in road safety and agility,” said Jason. “It had a litter of dogs and we kept one bitch, Piko, which is my dog.” Piko is now just 18 months old but she and Jason have already proved themselves a successful team, coming second in the Kennel Club Junior Organisation Show at Ingliston.

1 year ago

EFFORTS HAVE begun to provide a fitting gravestone for an artist who lived most of his life in an Angus asylum. Sculptor and “outsider artist” Adam Christie died at Sunnyside Hospital in Montrose in 1950 – having lived there for 49 years since the age of 32 – and was buried locally in a pauper’s grave. Local enthusiasts have called for Christie to be afforded a proper grave marker, and a fundraising CD was launched at Montrose Museum, where his work is being displayed. The story of Christie was researched by the late Ken Keddie, a consultant psychiatrist at Sunnyside in the 1970s.