Of poets and printers

In it, I mistakenly stated that William Bentley of the 11th Hussars was buried in Fulford Cemetery. In fact, his grave can be found at York Cemetery.

Hugh Murray, of York Cemetery Trust, said Bentley's is a non-consecrated grave near the chapel, and is included on a tour of military graves that visitors can undertake.

Historian David Poole also got in touch. He reveals an interesting connection with Alfred Tennyson, the poet laureate who wrote the poem Charge Of The Light Brigade.

Bentley, he writes, "along with William Pearson, James Bolton and John Hogan are all buried in York Cemetery, Bentley and Pearson having headstones which record their association with the Charge.

"There was a strange coincidence concerning the first of the four to die, James Bolton, who, after demob, had worked as a civilian at the Barracks.

"Bolton died on April 15, 1879, aged 67, and the service and interment was conducted by the Rev Eustace Tennyson D'Eyncourt Jesse, who was the son of Alfred Tennyson's younger sister Emily (ie Tennyson's nephew).

"This was a pure coincidence - the young Rev had recently graduated from Durham University in 1877, and was in his first position as curate in the parish of Fulford, where Bolton lived and died.

"The Rev moved on from Fulford in 1881, and was to become the father of the well known woman author F Tennyson Jesse (1888-1958)."

Moving back to an earlier Yesterday Once More photograph, we now have a name for at least one of the people pictured assessing the air raid damage on York Guildhall.

David Wilson rang to say the man on the left was his father William, better known as Jock, caretaker of the Guildhall and city sword bearer. Mr Wilson also believes that one of the other men pictured was Oscar Metcalfe, a joiner. More details came from Peter Jackson, of Elma Grove, York: William J Wilson, he writes, "was the mace bearer from 1921 to 1934, after that he was the sword bearer for the city.

"He retired from this office and his post of caretaker for the Guildhall in 1953.

"The main reason for the large amount of damage to the Guildhall was due to the fact that the scaffolding in the Guildhall had wooden planks laid on the top of it, the incendiary bombs came through the roof and set fire to the planks and spread to the roof.

"Had the planks not been there the bombs would have landed on the stone floor and may have caused less damage."

Staff at York City Archives are delighted with this information. They want to remind members of the public that anyone can just call into the archives, via the side entrance connected to York Art Gallery, between 9am and 1pm and 2pm and 5pm any week day (and to 7.30pm on Thursdays) - no appointment necessary.

More than 800 years of York people's history is stored there, right up to 1950s documents and photographs.

Finally, our look back at Yorkshire Printing Works mentioned a worker who celebrated half a century working there.

That man was Henry Edgar Coates, known as Harry. His grandson Ray Coates contacted us to say that family folklore has it that Harry joined the firm on New Year's Day 1905, five years earlier than we thought the works opened.

He didn't celebrate his 15th birthday until February 4 that year. So his 50 years anniversary was held back until that date in 1955. Harry was given a gold watch.

He retired at Christmas 1958, only to become caretaker of Heworth Church and then odd job man at a mother and baby home in Heworth. He gave up work for good in 1966, aged 76.

Ray, who was also in the printing business like his father and grandfather before him, said that Harry worked at the Hull Road plant throughout the Great War, helping to print army orders.

"He was called up into the army but they brought him back because they considered the work he did at the printing works to be war work.

"He considered himself very, very fortunate. A lot of people who volunteered at the same time as he did didn't come back."

Updated: 11:03 Monday, November 01, 2004