FROM this newspaper 100 years ago.

Eaglescliffe Harriers: After the weekly run on Tuesday night a smoker was held at Mr Chesney's Pot and Glass Inn, at which there was a good company present. Mr C E Faber, president of the club, presided and presented the prizes to the successful competitors in the New Year's Day handicap. He was pleased to see they had run such a good race with their neighbours, the Yarm club, who were only one point in front (a voice: According to the papers). He would not discuss the question, but it was satisfactory that they had three men in the first six. He hoped all present would bear in mind to follow the sport without any semblance of rowdyism, and that the club would be carried on in an English-like manner, doing everything in a fair and proper way.

FROM this newspaper 50 years ago. - Mr Alexander Roy, of Over Dinsdale, had a narrow escape when a Meteor aircraft crashed within 50 yards of him, killing the pilot, at Over Dinsdale on Monday. Mr Roy heard a spluttering noise from one of several aircraft overhead and saw it coming straight at him in a nosedive.

He threw himself to the ground and the aircraft hit the ground and exploded. It broke a telegraph pole and burst into flames which prevented any attempt to rescue the pilot.

FROM this newspaper 25 years ago. - Guisborough town councillor, Bob Hoggarth, is in trouble with the TV Licensing Centre at Bristol because he does not have a television licence, though he has been reminded on three separate occasions by the centre's costly computer system...

Coun Hoggarth has no television set , he has never owned one, and he has no intention of ever having one.

"I suppose it is amusing, in that these people obviously believe that I have a TV," he said. "I am a little annoyed because of the waste of money involved, however."

"When I received the first reminder, I simply put it down to a mistake by bumbledom and thought they would eventually realise their mistake, I therefore ignored it. When the second reminder came, I was mildly irritated, but again I thought that this would be the end of the matter and that missive was also ignored.

"When the third and final reminder arrived, I began to think that this was a waste of public money, and as a councillor I could be a party to that, so I wrote to the centre suggesting they should cease to waste public money forthwith."