Fewer centenarians ‘due to First World War’
The number of people aged over 90 has risen slightly, but fewer are living to 100 or beyond, figures suggest.
100 years
Remembrance: Lest we forget – commemorating Armistice
Remembrance, inexorably linked with the annual commemoration of Armistice and the red Flanders poppy, is still an integral part of our national character. Poignant sentiments expressed in November 1918 are, for so many, similarly relevant today.
November 2 1916: VC hero’s wife meets the King
Major William La Touche Congreve was married for just seven weeks before he was killed in battle.
November 1 1916: Horse shot after being hit by car
A horse pulling a Dundee bus had its leg nearly severed after being hit by a car. The driver of the bus was thrown from the vehicle by the impact. Traffic was also held up as the animal was lying across the tram tracks.
October 31 1916: Financial woes hit Arbroath harbour
Financial worries over Arbroath Harbour saw trustees ponder where to find funds for urgent repairs. A Chamber of Commerce meeting heard that it was hoped a meeting between the council and the harbour board would find a solution to the cash crisis.
October 30 1916: Army chief made rector of St Andrews University
St Andrews University has had a number of famous rectors over the years. Those who have held the post include playwright JM Barrie and Monty Python star John Cleese. In 1916 Sir Douglas Haig, commander of the British Army during the Battle of the Somme, was awarded the honour.
October 28 1916: Dundee Dental School poised to become top training centre
The president of the recently-founded Dundee Dental School vowed to make it the foremost training centre for the profession. The dental school had for the past year been treating soldiers returning from the trenches. Degrees at the facility were handed out from the University of St Andrews.
October 26 1916: Shipping canal proposed
A shipping canal linking the Firth of Forth and Firth of Clyde was proposed. Naval bosses considered a link to be of vital strategic importance.
October 25 1916: Revolutionary medical equipment brought to Perthshire
A specialist ambulance named in honour of an executed nurse was brought to Auchterarder. the vehicle, which contained an x-ray machine, was touring Scotland. It was named after Edith Cavell, a London-trained nurse who helped Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium.
October 24 1916: Call for censorship to curb juvenile crime
Government officials looked at ways to curb crime rates among the young. Among the factors blamed for the surge was the cinema and it was proposed that the films and their posters be censored.