100 years ago

The King and Queen had left Buckingham Palace and driven to King's Cross in an open carriage. They left for Doncaster en route for Wentworth Woodhouse, the residence of the Earl and Countess Fitzwilliam.

During their stay in Yorkshire their Majesties were to visit some of the most important industrial centres.

On arrival at Doncaster the King and Queen drove in their motor car through the principal streets of the town, and then left for Wentworth Woodhouse.

The following day the King and Queen would pay a visit to the coal mining area around Rotherham and Barnsley, going to Elsecar Colliery, where it was proposed that the King would see the underground arrangements for getting the coal.

The Queen it was understood, would not accompany the King underground, but would go straight on to Wentworth.

50 years ago

East German authorities were stepping up work on building a second wall behind the current border wall through Berlin, reported allied officials in Berlin.

The second wall was to stop possible refugees getting close to the border, thereby reducing the danger of gun battles with West Berlin police.

Allied officials said they believed the Soviet authorities were aware of the serious consequences that could result from further gun battles between East German and West Berlin border police similar to that of May 23, when an East German corporal was killed and another seriously wounded.

The new wall was not a second concrete wall running parallel with the current wall, but consisted of fences, zig-zag obstacles, barbed wire fences and stretches of concrete slabs, 50 yards to 100 yards inside East Berlin.

East German border guards patrolled this No Man's Land to prevent would-be refugees from getting so close to the border that West Berlin police might be induced to give them “protective firing cover” for an escape to the west.

25 years ago

Transport chiefs were set to take the first steps towards giving York its dream of a combined bus and train station to take the city into the 21st century.

The man masterminding the city's transport future called on British Rail and the private bus companies to get down to some serious talking to make the dream come true.

Deputy council leader Councillor Albert Cowen revealed that proposals for a bus and coach centre in the city were already in the pipeline and would be discussed at the forthcoming Transport Consultative Committee.

If the scheme got off the drawing board it could mark the beginning of an integrated transport system for the city with a joint train and bus terminus becoming the centrepiece.

It was a dream that had already been well documented in the city Council's revolutionary Visitor Strategy.