compiled by:

NEVILLE ASHBY

I am grateful to Neville Ashby for allowing me to include the following ‘snippets’ which he has collected. Nev is a local historian and amateur archaeologist; his interest starting when, as a young boy searching with his metal detector, he found some antique bottles in local fields He has been ‘digging’ ever since. (Hence his nickname ‘Digger’!). He has spent many hours gathering information from local history books, Ossett Library, the internet and other resources. He has an impressive collection of local artefacts and other material – postcards, images etc. which he scours the internet for. He was educated at Ossett School, and is now fully self-employed doing traditional stained glass work and dealing in antique books & small antiques.

OSSETT SNIPPETS 1865 – 1949 

Following is an interesting miscellany of news, events and anecdotes as reported in the local press between 1865 and 1949. They are reported events which help paint a colourful picture of Ossett’s past. Many would not today be particularly remarkable, but in the context of the era in which they were recorded they would certainly have been spoken about in the pubs, workplaces and on street corners. The dates are the actual dates of the newspapers in which they were announced.

March 4th 1865: A party of men from Holmfirth have been preparing a cricket ground in Ossett for the reception in the summer of the All England Eleven. The sods have been taken up in an area 150 feet by 90 feet. The end nearest the railway bridge, which was considerably the highest, has been lowered, while the opposite end has been raised 12″. It has now a fine tabular appearance.

August 19th 1865: Eliza and Edward Dews of Ossett Common were charged with threatening to shoot John Harrison of the same place. Joseph Dews was charged with doing wilful damage to three apple trees.

August 26th 1865: Last Friday a dog chased a cat, which jumped into the town’s well. People were put to great inconvenience as the water was made undrinkable. Its body wasn’t recovered until Saturday.

February 6th 1875: A woman was found drowned in a well at the top of Healey Lane. A couple of days later a man was found drowned in the dam at Healey Low Mill.

May 15th 1875: Owing to the weather the springs in the public wells are becoming lower, and if things don’t change soon the local authority will have to stop people from taking water for things other than domestic use.

August 7th 1875: A local institution dropped into disuse. We allude to the mail cart driven by Mr John Horner by which the Ossett & Horbury letter bags were hitherto brought from Wakefield to the respective post offices of the district. They will now be brought by rail in the morning as well as the afternoon.

August 14th 1875: A mushroom weighing nearly 13oz and 9 inches across was gathered at Pildacre by Mr George Schofield last Saturday.

January 29th 1876: The farm building erected at Flushdyke by Mr Joseph Jagger, contrary to the byelaws, was pulled down last week, by the instructions of the surveyor to the Local Board. We believe this is the first time the board has used its powers as such.

September 9th 1876: Shortly after 11:00am on Thursday morning a young girl fell down the New Well, Dale Street. She had been trying to reach the chain and fell. When the girl was discovered she was standing in 2 feet of water in the bottom. But for the fact that the well was nearly empty she must have been drowned, and as it was she fell to a depth of some fourteen or fifteen feet.

September 30th 1876: Towards the end of last week many complaints were made about the quality of the gas, which smelt offensively when burnt in rooms. A slight defect was found in a meter at the Healey Lane gasworks, which was remedied.

May 26th 1877: The Red Lion Inn was sold for £1,000, with butcher’s shop and land adjoining.

September 1st 1877:A milkman was summoned for driving a horse and cart furiously through Ossett market place – he had been travelling at 9 miles per hour. He was fined ten shillings and costs.

May 25th 1878: On Saturday morning a large quantity of rain fell at Ossett, and in the afternoon there was a violent thunderstorm, accompanied with hail and rain. Four men in Manor Road were struck by lightning, two of them being thrown against a wall, but none were seriously injured. A large tree was struck and shattered. At the house of Scott Wilby, manufacturer, Low Common, Mrs Wilby and her three sons being in the house at the time, the lightning struck the pots on two chimneys, passing down the kitchen chimney, and struck Mrs Wilby, who fell upon the fender, and by the fall was slightly hurt on the leg and head. It also went down the chamber chimney, tore down a mantel piece, smashed a set of drawers, tore off a large portion of the plaster ceiling and struck a bayonet belonging to one of the young men, who is a Rifle Volunteer. The scabbard was split from top to bottom, and the brass at the end, as it were, was completely soldered or annealed to the bayonet point. Some pictures were also damaged. The electric fluid made its exit through the chamber window, breaking all the glass.

June 1st 1878: Carts have been employed this week in removing some of the accumulations of refuse. We understand that from one ash midden 19 cartloads of refuse were taken away.

June 15th 1878: The surveyor of the Local Board was instructed to remove the chain from the West Well, because a local had complained of the nuisance of children playing with it.

July 6th 1878: It is said that the handloom weavers of the town are better employed at present than they have been for some time past. The crops of hay in the district are said to be heavy, and the beautifully fine weather has allowed the owners to secure it in good condition at a small cost.

July 13th 1878: At an Ossett Local Board meeting Mr J. W. Greenwood passed around a bottle of water, and they all agreed it smelled awful. He said it was taken from a jug placed on a table for the children’s dinner at one of the houses in Pildacre. Their only supply was from rainwater collected in tubs.

February 22nd 1879: A local walked 29 times around Teall Street, Manor Road and South Parade on Monday for a wager. He had seven hours to complete the task, and did it with twenty minutes to spare.

August 16th 1879: Shocking suicide on railway by an Ossett platelayer between Ossett town and Flushdyke railway stations: The first passenger train from Wakefield, due at Flushdyke at 6:19am, had just left the station, and was scarcely at full speed, when the driver observed a man come from a platelayer’s cabin by the downside of the line. The man went to the rails and placed his head on the outer rail, about 6 or 7 yards in front of the engine. The driver stopped the train as quickly as possible but not in time. His head was struck by one of the “life guards” and his body thrown clear. It was readily identified as that of Henry Richards, 59, of South Parade. It was said at the inquest that the train was moving at 10 or 12 mph.

January 3rd 1880: The Calder overflowed on Wednesday. The Old Mill and New Mill at Healey ‘set down’ and a few hours later were completely surrounded by water. The river was set to have risen 4 yards.

May 15th 1880: At 10:00am on Monday morning a strange and somewhat unpleasant incident occurred near Savile Mill, a woman giving birth to a child in the open street.

May 29th 1880: A man died last Saturday from Hydrophobia.

Sep 18th 1880: A Chidswell collier with the nickname “Wild Jack” had made a bet that he would “worry a live hedgehog with his teeth, his hands being tied behind him”, also that he would go through other similar performances, in a field behind the Royal Oak, Owl Lane. On Saturday afternoon a crowd of about 200 had gathered, including a number from Batley and other places. A man was also in attendance with a bag containing the hedgehog. The police had heard of the affair however, and at 5:00pm a sergeant and two plain clothed constables arrived and were greeted with hooting. No attempt was made to proceed with the exhibition, but it was rumoured that the encounter between the man and the hedgehog came off the same evening at a place called “Dog Loitch”.

Jul 16th 1881: A hen belonging to a man living in Back Lane hatched a brood of nine chicks, one of which has four legs.

Sep 3rd 1881: A man getting stone from the quarry near Healey Old Mill was killed when part of the top fell in. The quarry depth was eight or nine yards. Other people also used the quarry for getting stone.

Dec 3rd 1881: Pew rents have been abolished at South Ossett Church, sittings now being free and open.

Nov 25th 1882: During the last few days the National Telephone Company have been engaged in erecting a line of posts along the main thoroughfares. We hear that Messrs Smith and Townend, mungo manufacturers, Healey Low Mill, will be the first firm in Ossett to have telephonic communication with their premises.

Dec 9th 1882: A severe snowstorm on Wednesday brought down many of the new telephone wires.

Aug 25th 1883: Terrible fall down a pit shaft: Last Saturday morning. Two seams are worked, the lower one about 143 yards deep. Preparations are being made to reach another seam 74 yards deeper. The man was prising bricks out of a wall underground, when they gave way. He stepped back, stumbled, and had just time to let out one terrified scream before falling down the shaft.

Dec 15th 1883: During the night of Tuesday this week severe gales blew across the town.

The grandstand of Ossett Football Club, a large wooden structure seating several hundred, was destroyed. The wind turned it over.

Jul 26th 1884: A duckling was hatched the other day at Mr Frank Thorpe’s, Gawthorpe, having three legs and four feet. Many people have been to look at it.

May 9th 1885: A pig belonging to J.Wray of Park Square had a litter of nine, one of which had two bodies and two sets of legs, but only one head. It did not live very long.

Dec 26th 1885: It was decided to put up six lamp pillars at Storrs Hill Road and fit them with oil lamps. The hospital caretaker at Storrs Hill is to light them in winter.

Mar 19th 1887: On Wednesday morning it was reported to police that the body of a recently – born male child was found on a narrow strip of vacant land at the side of a warehouse occupied by Mr W. Hemingway, mungo merchant, at the bottom of Intake Lane. A brick wall divides this land from the footpath which leads from Intake Lane to the Green, and on the opposite side of the footpath is the coal siding of Mr T. Whitworth, coal merchant, at the Great Northern Railway Station. The body, which was wrapped in an old newspaper, could not be seen from footpath, and might have remained there undiscovered, but for the accident of a young man named Ellis getting over the wall. There are no gas lamps on the path, and it is immediately adjacent to the fields. An inquest was held at the Coopers Arms Inn the next morning. The verdict was ‘Wilful murder” against some person or persons unknown. George Ellis, journeyman painter, of Wilson’s Row, Town End, said:- “On Tuesday evening, between half past six and seven o clock, I was returning from my work. I was walking on the footpath leading from the Green, alongside the railway, to the bottom of Intake Lane. On reaching the warehouse occupied by Mr W. Hemingway, I got over the wall between the warehouse and the footpath, for a certain purpose. The wall is about 5 feet high, and there is a slip of land about a yard wide by the side of the warehouse, which is two storeyed with windows looking out over the footpath. On getting over the wall to the footpath again my foot kicked against a paper parcel which had been covered with snow, but it was too dark to see what it was, and I did not attempt to examine it. Yesterday morning I was going to work, about 8 o’ clock, and I thought I would see what the parcel was. I got over the wall and saw that the parcel was loosely wrapped in a copy of a newspaper (Wakefield Express, dated October 30th 1886), it contained the body of a child”. On seeing this he left it and reported it to police.

Mar 31st 1887: On Monday morning an explosion of gas at Shaw Cross colliery killed one man and three had an almost miraculous escape.

Mav 5th 1888: A porter at the Great Northern Railway station, Alfred Smith, was looking across some vacant land to the south west of the station, and there he noticed some object in the water in a disused clay pit. The object was a child, so he ran to and jumped in the pit to save the child. The water was 4 feet 6 inches deep, with considerable mud below. The boy’s name was William Smith. He was six years old and lived at the Green, not far away.

Mav 12th 1888: People have been stopped from crossing over the river at Healey via the Railway Bridge, and now have to walk around Horbury Bridge. The people believed they had a claim on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company as their works had destroyed the ford, which was connected with an ancient bridle road.

Sep 8th 1888: Ossett Local Board are at the moment actively involved in the widening of Healey Lane. The lane is being made three to four yards wider, it is being made into a road 36 feet wide throughout. The levels will be improved at certain points, and in addition to a flagged causeway on one side, there will be a curbed footpath and channelling laid on the other. The widening is being done mainly on the west side of the lane, and within the last few days an old building nearest the Green end, formerly used as a smithy, has been pulled down for the purpose.

Sept 15th 1888: For Sale: The New Inn, Prospect Road, with stabling, outbuildings, and adjacent ground. The property is well and substantially built of stone, and adjoins the station road now being constructed.

Jul 27th 1889: We regret to record another fire, attended by a serious destruction of property. It occurred on Monday morning last at Temperance Mill on Church Street. A large four storey building of brick, said to be between 30 and 40 years old, stood with one end to the street. The flames and smoke rendered the street impassable for a time, and the roof of the Holy Trinity School, across the road, was covered with sparks and burning embers. The building was practically gutted within hours of discovery, and the damage was estimated at £3,100. The tenant’s losses were all uninsured. Several mungo manufacturers rented parts of the property where they did rag grinding.

Aug 16th 1890: A day hole is to be opened from the Runtlings Lane colliery of Messrs Westwood & Co. to Healey. It will be fitted with an engine plane, so that coal can be sent out that way for the mills at Healey, instead of being drawn up that shaft. The object is to save the expense of carting coal down into the valley.

Preparations are being made for the reception of the Charter which will declare Ossett to be a Borough. The football field adjoining the railway station and the other field beside Station Road have been made into one. Two marquees, each 140 feet by 40 feet, were erected there on Thursday evening, but the wind blew quite a gale yesterday morning and levelled them both by 7 o clock. They have since been re-erected. A large gas device with motto has also been erected there.

Sep 27th 1890: On an early hour of Tuesday morning, two men working at the Low Laithes colliery, which will soon employ many men, died. The colliery company are widening a shaft from 8 feet 10 inches to 13 feet 3 inches. They fell down the shaft they were in, 45 yards.

Nov 15th 1890: Mr Edward Clay, the newly-elected first Mayor of Ossett, is one of the youngest members of the new Town Council. He was a long standing member of the now- defunct Ossett Local Board.

Mar 19th 1892: Councillor Eli Townend proposed to build a new hospital at Storrs Hill of stone or brick. The motion was carried at eight votes to seven against.

Jul 21st 1894: Terrible explosion on Monday on the premises of Messrs Crossley & Lamb, machine makers, Dewsbury Road. They were repairing a ram (a part of a steam pump), belonging to Pildacre colliery. There was a cavity in the lower part, about a gallon volume, surrounded by an inch of thick metal. They were used to handling this type of machinery, and were trying to loosen a rod which was screwed to the lower part of the ram. It was put on a fire to expand and loosen the metal, when it exploded. The bang was heard three quarters of a mile away. Fragments flew in all directions and through the roof, one being picked up in an open yard nearly twenty yards away. Another piece, weighing 13lbs, hit Mr Crossley in the face, killing him instantly. The solid part of the ram, with the rod still in, flew half a dozen yards across the smith’s shop. It demolished the hearth and scattered the ashes of the fire over a Mr Clarke, who was burned on the face and body besides receiving a cut on the arm. Part of the slated roof was blown off, and the windows broke. Other windows in the vicinity were broken. It is thought that some water must have got into the cavity. The explosion blew Clarke off his feet into a slack trough a couple of yards away.

Aug 25th 1894; Incident at the Miller’s Arms, Healey. The landlord, Mr Archer, was shot at by his brother-in-law. About 10:15pm on Thursday night he entered the front door of the Miller’s Arms. The landlord was just coming into the passage from the tap room, when he was met by his visitor. The latter pulled out the revolver, a formidable looking weapon, and calling his brother-in-law a foul name, expressed his intention to “do for him”. Mr Archer drew back into the tap room, but as he did so his assailant fired at him from a distance of only a few feet. Fortunately he missed his aim and Mr Archer shut the tap room door in his face. He endeavoured to push the door open in spite of the resistance offered by Mr Archer and a man named Ellis who was also in the room. By a violent effort he contrived to open the door sufficiently to insert the muzzle of the revolver and fired another shot. Fortunately this did not injure anybody, but the bullet struck the long seating. He then went outside and fired at the window, which was marked by pellets of shot. As he made off it is alleged he fired a fourth shot at a man near the railway siding.

Aug 10th 1895: Ossett Town Council are about to widen out Sowood Lane, and thereby furnish the long promised extension of Station Road.

Oct 5th 1895: Disappearance of an Ossett Police sergeant: The news of the disappearance of Sgt. Benjamin Wilcock, the resident officer in charge of Ossett’s police arrangements, has gradually leaked out. We believe he was first stationed in Ossett in 1879. After moving to Heckmondwike and Batley he came back here as a sergeant, six or seven years ago, residing at the police station, Town End. He has disappeared with twenty pounds, a sum received by him as licensing fees. A warrant is out for his arrest and he is discharged from the force.

Aug 15th 1896: Four of the carved stone figures on the Hannah Pickard memorial fountain have had their noses broken off this week by mischief.

Sep 12th 1896: A serious charge of cruelty to children is to be brought before the Borough Court from Bennett’s Buildings, Owl Lane. A Husband, wife and two children occupied one of the cellars, and the only furniture is said to have been a sewing machine stand, which served as a table, and an earthenware bowl. The place was swarming with vermin, and the children were in a filthy and pitiable condition.

Nov 27th 1897: Due to the mildness of the weather, a yellow moth or butterfly was noticed in the Ossett garden of councillor W. France at the Green.

Dec 17th 1898: On Saturday evening an interesting gathering took place at the Temperance Hall, to celebrate the completion of fifty years of total abstinence from alcohol by two old and well known inhabitants, Mr Jack Rhodes of Town End, and Mr Thomas Whitehead of Dearden Street. A celebration dinner took place.

Jan 28th 1899: Mr George E. Craven, umbrella maker, tobacconist &c, Station Road, is advertising “150 umbrellas (lost luggage on the railways) to be sold. Suitable for every day wear for man, woman and child. Price from 1/3 each”.

Apr 22nd 1899: Among a brood of chickens recently hatched by Mr David Ellis, of Feamside Terrace, Healey, there was one with four legs. The freak has been sent to a naturalist to be preserved.

May 13th 1899: The formal opening of the Ossett Free Library took place on Monday evening in the lecture room, where a gathering of about 60 ladies and gentlemen assembled. The ceremony was to be performed by the Mayor, Councillor F. L. Fothergill, who was however in London, so Alderman A. Mitchell took his place. The library contains 816 books, of fiction, 351 of history, 156 of arts and 123 of general literature, making a total of 1,446. Of those there were 510 which were new books, a good number having been presented to the library.

Jan 3rd 1900: Just before 10:00pm on Wednesday evening a man crossing Victoria Square, South Ossett, noticed a hole three yards in diameter. Because he and a neighbour couldn’t barricade the hole, they guarded it for the whole night. It appears it was a disused well, covered about twenty years ago, but the covering has given way. It was replaced.

Apr 6th 1901: The Yorkshire Electric Power Company’s parliamentary bill proposes to establish a power generating station at Thornhill, as well as other places, and to acquire powers of supply to about 1,800 square miles. One of the main cables, it is proposed, shall pass through Ossett, at Streetside.

Oct 12th 1901: A local firm has adopted the use of a motor wagon for the carrying of bricks. Messrs Fitton’s Brick & Tile Company, Pildacre.

Jun 6th 1903: Last Saturday a walking competition to Morley and back, promoted by Booth’s Drug Stores, New Street, commenced at 4:00pm. The winner, Mr M. Oldroyd, covered the distance in 1 hour 59 minutes. He won ten shillings.

Aug 29th 1903: Five or six weeks ago a handbill was distributed, stating that a newspaper was going to begin publication, called the “Ossett Press And Horbury Press“, containing “complete and exclusive information”, and “distinguished for its novel features”. A slight variation to the title, “Ossett Times and Horbury Times” was subsequently posted on walls and distributed from house to house. The date mentioned arrived and passed, without sign of the new paper. The person alleged to be responsible has quitted the town after a brief sojourn in it. The incident has been a common topic of conversation and amusement.

Oct 3rd 1904: A slight commotion was caused in the neighbourhood of Intake Lane and Town End on Tuesday morning, by an incident which happened to a cow belonging to Messrs Lockwood & Sons, farmers &c. of Prospect Road. The animal, along with several others, was being taken to graze in a field near the “ten acres” at the bottom of Intake Lane, when it broke away from the rest. In its ramblings it trod on the wooden corner of a sump well (which had been dug to obtain water for gardening purposes), and the wood giving way, the animal fell into the well beneath. The latter was several feet in depth, and contained a quantity of water. Unable to get out itself, the assistance of several men was obtained, and with great difficulty the cow was extracted with ropes. Fortunately it is little or no worse for the incident.

Oct 1st 1904: There are now 17 patients under treatment for smallpox in the hospital at Storrs Hill. The corporation has purchased 80 gallons of disinfectant, and this is supplied free of charge to the public in application to the depot on Illingworth Street. As an added precaution they have ordered the fumigation of all schools in the borough.

Dec 31st 1904: Christmas passed over with its usual quietness in Ossett. Work was suspended at all the mills and factories from Saturday to Wednesday morning. The roads on Christmas night and Monday morning were covered over with ice, and the corporation workmen turned out and covered the centre of the roads with ashes. During the holidays the Ossett and Gawthorpe brass bands have followed their custom of playing the Christmas and other hymns in various parts of the town, and several of the choirs connected to the various churches have realised sums of money for various causes by carol singing.

May 20th 1905: Work on clearing the town hall site is progressing rapidly, a number of old buildings having been pulled down by the corporation, and the materials removed for the use of constructing a road from , to the refuse destructor. The slates, woodwork etc of the buildings already demolished were sold by auction on Monday and fetched good prices. Some of the standing buildings were sold whole, on the condition that the purchaser removes the buildings and materials within 14 days.

May 5th 1906: Sixty competitive plans have been received for a new elementary school, which will be built in Southdale Road.

Jul 28th 1906: Ossett Corporation gave instruction some time ago for experiment to be made in the treatment of a length of public road with one of the many dust-laying preparations which are on the market. What occurs when speed is excessive was seen in Dewsbury Road yesterday when a motor, travelling at a speed computed to be a little less than 40 miles per hour, raised a cloud of dust which obscured the whole road for two or three hundred yards in each direction.

Feb 2nd 1907: A man who fell from scaffold while working on the new town hall died from his injuries on Monday morning.

Mar 16th 1907: A short time ago a proposal to fix electrical wires in the under-construction town hall, so as to avoid heavy expenditure and damage to the walls, in the event of electricity being adopted as the illuminant, was rejected on the ground that the event, though possible, was improbable. On Monday at the town council’s meeting they decided to spend £30 to £50 on chandeliers, in order that they might be suitable for electric lighting, apparently on the ground that the adoption of electricity, though improbable, was possible.

Aug 24th 1907: A rather unusual incident transpired at South Ossett the other day. While a number of cattle were being driven along Horbury Road, a cow strayed from the rest, running up Albert Street and into a back yard. At the time the owner had temporarily left the house, leaving the back door wide open, and to escape its pursuers, the cow entered the house. Noticing where the cow had disappeared, the person who was chasing it immediately ran and opened the front door, and the cow was driven straight out of the house again by that way. Except that a clothes horse, on which some clothes were airing near a fire, was upset, nothing was disturbed in the house.

Nov 30th 1907: The first concert in Ossett Town Hall took place on Tuesday, given by Ossett Choral Society. It was a big success.

Dec 7th 1907: The death occurred on Tuesday, after a short illness, of Mr Augustus Cardwell, of 32 the Green. The deceased was formerly in business as a chemist and druggist in Dale Street, and when the Co-Operative Society started a drug store of its own, it took over Mr Cardwell’s business and stock, retaining him as manager. He held that position for nearly a quarter of a century until his death, and during that period was never absent from work on account of serious illness, when he contracted a cold and pneumonia set in, ending fatally.

Dec 14th 1907: During the early hours of Sunday morning the old iron bridge, belonging to the Great Northern Railway, spanning Queen Street, was dismantled and replaced by a new one. The old bridge, which was of a somewhat ancient type, was erected over forty years ago. The work of preparing for the construction of the new bridge was commenced some weeks since. Massive wooden supports were placed under the old bridge, a powerful steam crane fixed, and everything got in place for the dismantling of the old span, and the construction of the new one. This operation was carried out by a large body of men between midnight on Saturday, when the last train had left, and 8 o clock on Sunday morning, when the first train passed over. The bridge was lifted off in parts, and the new one placed into position by means of trolleys and the steam crane. The work was carried out under very unsatisfactory conditions, heavy rain falling during the night.

Feb 15th 1908: Strange to relate, a live fish was found swimming in a dye pan at the mill of Messrs E. Townend, Healey, on Tuesday. Almost stranger still is that the only place that it could have come from was the river Calder, which is the source of water, used in the mill. The water is pumped into a cistern, from which the supply for dyeing purposes is obtained, and the fish, a small one about two inches long, must have been drawn into the cistern, and passed through another pipe into the dye pan. It is probably many years since that there was evidence that fish could exist in the filthy Calder.

Aug 29th 1908: The new school at Southdale Road was opened last Saturday to replace the Wesleyan School, Wesley Street, which has been condemned by the Board of Education.

Oct 17th 1908: A consignment of electric cars for the Ossett – Dewsbury tramway has arrived at Ossett railway station.

May 22nd 1909; The Great Northern Railway has announced this week that on July 1 st the service trains between Ossett and Batley via Chickenley Heath will be dispensed with, and the Chickenley Heath station closed. This is unmistakedly a result of the Ossett and Dewsbury tramways. Recently there have only been two trains each way per day.

Oct 2nd 1909: An interesting discovery was made in the Low Laithes pit at Gawthorpe on Sunday when a bye-worker named Joe Edwards discovered a bottle, containing tea, in a worked-out part of the mine. Edwards, along with four other men, was making his way up No.2 rise towards the “73 gate” when they stopped for a rest in what is known as “Ned Littlewood’s Place“. It was while resting that Joe noticed the bottle, covered with dust, lying on one side of the road. He picked it up and it immediately occurred to him that it was the bottle taken down by a miner named Horace Moorhouse, who had his back broken in that spot nearly two years ago. Near at hand they also found Moorehouse’s “snap“. Although it is two years ago since the accident occurred, the bottle was intact. Shale had fallen from the roof around the bottle but had not touched it. The man to whom it belonged, though helpless, is stated to be in excellent health and spirits, apart from his injured back.

Oct 30th 1909: On Thursday evening a fire occurred at the No.2 Co-Operative stores in Manor Road. The fire caused quite an amount of damage. It had burned through the roof and set alight to the exterior woodwork of the clock tower.

May 7th 1910: A circus which had visited Ossett was preparing to go to Dewsbury when one of the camels escaped. It was re-captured in Greatfield Road, but as it was being led back to the circus it escaped again, this time running down Wakefield Road, with several mounted men in pursuit. It was eventually captured in Wakefield.

Sep 17 1910: A public footpath running from Park Square to South Parade, through Nook Ing fields. There was a proposal to lay a gas main and put three gas lamps on the path, but it was defeated at a council meeting by one vote. Between four and five hundred people use the path all hours of the day, many at night. It is used by miners on their way to Roundwood colliery, and the three places of worship and burial ground at South Parade. Last winter a person fell over some stakes which had been put across the path, while on other occasions a big snowball had been left in the middle of the path.

Jul 29th 1911: Aeroplanes: The first section of the Circuit Of Britain for the Daily Mail second £10,000 prize was contested last Saturday when seventeen of the thirty entrants completed the twenty mile journey from Brooklands to Hendon. Monday’s course extended from Brooklands to Edinburgh, a distance of 343 miles, and this – the longest flight in the race – was only surmounted by three of the seventeen contestants left after Saturday’s flight. Ossett and Horbury were not in direct line of the flight, and the inhabitants did not expect to see the spectacle of a flying machine passing over their heads, although a few persons stationed themselves at some of the higher points of the district, such as Lodge Hill, Roundwood etc, and armed with binoculars, remained on the look-out for several hours. It was stated during the day that several aeroplanes were seen, one so early as shortly after 6:00am in the morning, but these rumours do not appear to have solid foundation. There can be no doubt, however, about the flying machine which passed over about quarter past eight in the morning. It came over the centre of Horbury and took a straight course a few hundred yards to the east of Station Road in Ossett, crossing Dale Street, and passing slightly to the east of Holy Trinity parish church and over Gawthorpe. Its approach was heralded by the throbbing of the motor, and hundreds of persons witnessed its flight with a good deal of interest and not a little excitement. The aeroplane was of the bi-plane type, and was at so low an altitude – probably 300 to 400 feet – that its aviator could easily be seen, though no so easily enough to recognise him as Mr S. F. Cody, as he proved to be. The distinguishing number “20″ could plainly be seen. The low altitude of the machine was probably accounted for by his desire to find a suitable alighting place, for he came to earth soon after passing over Churwell, alighting at Churwell on account of a leaking petrol tank. Cody was in the race it appears.

Jul 13th 1912: On Wednesday the King and Queen visited Ossett and Horbury. A crowd of several thousands gathered in the market place, with people on rooftops as well. The car came up Station Road.

Oct 19th 1912: The offer of Alderman Marsden to erect a shelter at Storrs Hill was accepted, and the General Purposes committee undertook to keep it in repair. Alderman Marsden had, on his way to his works, seen a need for a shelter for the old people and the lame. He asked for the public’s help in keeping the shelter in good repair. It was said the shelter would commemorate the visit of the King.

Nov 30th 1912: The new methods of road making with tarmacadam which have been adopted in Ossett undoubtedly give a hard surface, but are not popular with drivers of horses.

Dec 27 1913: Ossett’s newly purchased fire engine has been put through public tests this week, before being handed over to the Corporation by the makers. Water was thrown well over the town hall clock tower. The machine is capable of travelling at 30 to 40 miles per hour.

Aug 8th 1914: Declaration of war: Royal proclamations which were issued during the week by King George V were read by the Mayor from the town hall steps. On Wednesday evening, when the first reading took place, the inhabitants were summoned by the ringing of the town hall bells. After the dozen or so proclamations were read to the crowd of several hundred, the National Anthem was sung. More proclamations were read on Thursday.

May 29th 1915: In a letter to his father, Mr G. H. Briggs of Green Mount, G. G. Briggs says: “I was awakened up at 3-o-clock yesterday morning to go out with the motor ambulances. We reached the place all right and the Germans had been using gas. I got some of it into me and it was absolutely awful. Anyway, we had to keep on working all day as there were such a lot of wounded and gassed coming in. About 8-o-clock, as we were getting down to sleep, four squads of stretcher-bearers were wanted to go up to the line; I was one. We went up in the cars and filled them with wounded. It wasn’t such a pleasant sensation, shells whizzing all around you, and worst of it was we had about a hour and a half walk back. I have had two or three hours sleep in thirty six, so am feeling fagged. I think it was a fairly hard Whit Monday”.

Jun 26th 1915: The other day a tarantula spider was found in a case of bananas received by a fruit merchant at Ossett railway station.

Jul 6th 1918: Ossett has not escaped the epidemic of influenza, known as the Spanish variety, but its ravages are not as serious as some places. The schools are affected considerably however, with 200 scholars – about a tenth of those on the books – absent from school.

Aug 24th 1918: An airman, said to be an American, with his machine alighted just outside the north boundary of the borough on Wednesday evening, and in attempting to rise again the machine fouled a wall and was badly damaged, but fortunately the airman escaped with slight injuries.

Nov 23rd 1918: A mild sensation was caused at Ossett on Tuesday afternoon by the movements and ultimate accident of an aeroplane, which came down in a field near the top of Wesley Street, and was partly wrecked. It passed over South Ossett at fairly low altitude, attracting attention to the unusual way it circled about. It passed over Ossett, barely missing the church steeple, and circling around within 20 to 30 feet of the ground, narrowly missed a collision with the houses at the end of Ryecroft Street. It finally crashed into a telephone post and came to grief in a field occupied by Mr White, farmer. The pilot was unhurt, but the right wing of the machine was torn off, and remained at the top of the telephone post like a flag. The propeller was smashed, and it came to rest with its tail high in the air. The pilot was taking the plane, a new one, from Doncaster to Newcastle, and lost his way in the fog.

May 1st 1920: On Monday afternoon a cow which was being driven through the town suddenly became wild and ran amok, eventually entering a furniture shop in Dale Street, where considerable damage was caused.

Jul 17th 1920: The newly-erected Healey Mission Room has cost about £750, and will comfortably seat 120. The dedication ceremony took place last Saturday.

May 14th 1921: Death of Mr Edward Clay last Sunday. He retired from public service about 15 years ago. He was the son of Mr Jacob Clay, who formerly kept the Carpenters Arms.

Oct 14th 1922: At Ossett Town Council meeting it was said that they had considered plans to construct a new road from Station Road to Roundwood. The Borough Surveyor had been instructed to prepare plans and an estimate of the cost. The road would open out a large area of building land and would greatly facilitate communication between the borough and Wakefield. It is proposed that the new road will start mid way between the Gables and the drill hall, pass through the 10 acre field, over the valley between Spring Mill and Haggs Hill, where a bridge will be erected, and out on the north side of Roundwood Colliery. Such a road was contemplated over twenty years ago.

Feb 17th 1923: At the licensing sessions on Monday the Springwell Brewery Company applied for sanction to alterations at the Horse & Jockey, Dale Street. Mr Stead, architect, in explaining the plans, said it was proposed to transfer the living accommodation to the upper floor and provide proper bedroom, bathroom and lavatory facilities. The bar would be put in the centre of the ground floor, and it would mean that the little shop at the corner would have to be done away with. Sanitary arrangements for the customers would be brought up to date. Sanction was given for the work to be carried out.

Jun 23rd 1923: One of the oldest buildings in the district is in the process of being demolished in order to make a much desired public improvement. It projects into the road at the end of High Street, Gawthorpe, and was kindly given to the corporation by the Mayor to enable the thoroughfare to be widened. It is said to be several hundred years old, and one of its features is the size and strength of the oak beams.

Nov 24th 1923: Ossett Cricket & Athletic Club have purchased outright the ground and pavilion which they had been leasing. The price was £850.

Jan 12th 1924: On Tuesday there was an explosion in a cottage in Town End. The explosion lifted several of the stone flags in the kitchen, together with a large flat stone weighing several hundredweight, which had previously been concealed. A deep hole was disclosed, which was found to be an old well, about three feet in diameter and eighteen feet in depth, containing six feet of water. A strong smell of gas indicated that the gas had escaped from a damaged main nearby, and had accumulated in the well. It had escaped from there and ignited in the kitchen fire. The house is a very old one, and the well was obviously from the days before the town’s water supply.

Jun 14th 1924: Councillor Illingworth informed the committee that he was prepared to give to the borough two fields in Manor Road, an area of 3.852 acres, for a recreation ground and public park. The offer was accepted.

Jun 28th 1924: A sow gave birth this week to a litter of eleven, one of the piglets having four ears, five feet, two tongues and two sets of teeth. It belongs to Mr George Milner.

Jul 26th 1924: The Low Laithes farm and land have been purchased, and a golf club is to be formed, known as the Ossett & District Golf Club. The course will be 18 holes and have a length of 6,640 yards. All the plans for the conversion of the house etc are prepared.

Apr 25th 1925: At Ossett Chamber of Commerce’s meeting at the town hall on Wednesday, when a member was making a speech he was interrupted by the antics of the high pressure gas lights. He said “I am very glad the corporation have at last decided to scrap these nasty, fizzing, bubbling things for electricity, and to clear the atmosphere of this room”.

Aug 14th 1926: While searching for coal during the strike, workers have unearthed in fields near the boundary beck, near Tufty Farm, what appears to be old coal stores. In field after field on the bottom side it was found that underneath about a foot of soil was a layer of small coal, varying in depth from one to two feet, and partitioned off every four or so by a narrow barrier of solid clay. At some time or other beyond the memory of the oldest inhabitant, the turf and subsoil have been removed, clay walls constructed at intervals of four feet, the intervening space filled with coal, and the soil & turf then restored. The theory put forward is that long ago – well over 100 years ago, it is thought – coal was worked extensively in this locality, and as it was used mostly for domestic purposes, the small coal, or slack, was practically valueless, and was disposed of in this way, either to level up undulating land, or to avoid the creation of unsightly spoil heaps. This would entail much labour, but labour was cheap in those days. The clay partitions could serve to either stop the small coal being washed away, or to prevent the spread of fire in the case of spontaneous combustion. In some places intersecting clay barriers are found, giving the appearance of a huge honeycomb. Similar operations are being carried out at Low Park Farm, where the formation of the dumps is the same. Here the coal is being got between two and two and a half feet thick. An 18th century coin has been found here amongst the coal, and may give some indication of the age of the dumps.

Aug 28th 1926: While digging a trench for laying the drainage pipes for the new road, in what is known as ‘White’s Field” near Gedham, just off the footpath from Wesley Street to Love Lane, a seam of coal was discovered, 7 feet down. It is two feet thick. Throughout the day people have been going to the spot, where they have been allowed to take the coal. The seam runs in a direct line with the trench, and twelve yards have been cleared, but it is beginning to dip, and may pass out of the radius of operations.

Mar 12th 1926: Names have been given to three of Ossett’s new roads. Kingsway, Queens Walk and Westwood Road were named at the council meeting on Monday.

Jul 23rd 1926: The Irish Free State has accepted the designs for a new set of coins prepared by Percy Metcalf, a native of Alverthorpe. He is only 30 years of age and in his boyhood he lived in Ossett.

Aug 20th 1926: A terrible explosion, resulting in three deaths, occurred shortly after 7-o-clock last Friday evening, on the premises of Messrs M. Riley & Sons, firework manufacturers, of Wakefield Road, Ossett. The explosion, the cause of which cannot be explained, took place in the chemical shed, one of the several detached buildings where the firm’s work is carried on. Four persons were working at the time, these being Messrs Arthur Victor Sheldon Riley (the proprietor), Fred Ward and F. Bottomley (employees), all married men and residing in Springstone Avenue, and Mr Harvey Sheldrake. Mr Riley was alive when picked up, but died before his removal. The two others were dead when found outside the building, which was completely shattered by the explosion. Mr Harvey Sheldrake was in an adjoining shed, and escaped personal injury, though he was obviously suffering from shock. The effects of the explosion were felt in various parts of the town, and windows were smashed in the Fern House Working Men’s Club in Wakefield Road, opposite the factory. We understand the injuries were of a terrible nature, two of the bodies (Ward and Bottomley) being practically dismembered. The explosion was so terrific that people in all parts of the town immediately rushed into the street to inquire the cause.

Sep 15th 1928: Visitors to Ossett parish church will be interested to see a historic tablet of stone which has recently been placed in the south porch. The stone slab covers more than a square yard, and was formerly part of the old parish church which stood in the market place. When the building was pulled down in the 1860′s some of the material was used in the erection of property in Horse & Jockey Yard, Dale Street, and at one time occupied by Messrs Cockburn & Son as printing works, the slab being fixed between two windows of the upper storey. Past vicars and officials have wished to annex the stone, but only recently has this been accomplished by the kindness of Mr E. Langley of Messrs Langley Brothers Ltd, owners of the property. The church authorities have borne the cost of the removal.

May 18 1929: At Sotherby’s on Monday an etching of “Ossett” by Mr Muirhead Bone was sold for £38.

Aug 17th 1929: A postal letterbox has been placed in Queens Drive, in the shop premises of Mr J. Gibson, who has taken out a stamp licence. It will be of great convenience to the new colony which has sprung up in that part of town.

Mar 12th 1932: Superintendent Cooke objected to the licence of the Cross Keys Inn, a fully licensed house. It was owned by Mr W. Oldroyd of Dewsbury, and was leased to Bentley’s Yorkshire Brewery. The licence dated back to 1869, since which time there have been 17 tenants, a number of which have left because the business didn’t pay. The objection was on the grounds that it was not needed, the district being thinly populated. The tenant tried to eke out a living by carrying on a business as a haulage contractor. Inspector Cockroft had visited the house on nine occasions, eight of which there was not a single customer, and on the one visit there were four. The house was tied for beer and spirits, and the present licensee had been there since March 1927. It was a brick building, and in a very bad and neglected state of repair. The accommodation consisted of a passage, tap room, smoke room, kitchen, private sitting room and serving bar, with cellars underneath, four bedrooms, a bathroom and a clubroom upstairs. The outbuildings included a disused brewhouse, a wash kitchen, stables (used by the tenant as a garage), cowshed and open cart shed. 17 acres of land were attached to the house, which were sub-let by the owner. All the rooms appeared to be damp, and the wallpaper was falling of in several places. According to a statement supplied, sales for 1931 were 38 barrels of beer, 4 dozen bottles of beer, 13 pints of spirits, 9 bottles of wine and 100 dozen bottles of mineral water. The house had not paid since 1927, and but for the haulage business the tenant could not have carried on. In former days the house was largely used by horse traffic, but with the changed conditions the custom had dwindled. The tenant had tried hard to make it pay, by engaging singers, establishing a Buffalo Lodge and providing meals, but without success. The tenant had regretted taking the house, and had been warned not to do so by the previous tenant. The house was referred to the Compensation Authority on the grounds of redundancy.

Jul 9th 1932: Sunday July 24th is the date fixed when the Ossett – Agbrigg trams will cease to run. Red double-decker buses will take their place the following day. They will travel the same route and charge the same prices on the same service. The time from Agbrigg to Ossett and back will be one hour, a saving of half hour.

Sep 23th 1933: An interesting discovery was made this week by workmen engaged on drainage excavations near the Old Masons Arms inn. One of a large number of flagstones pulled up was found to have an inscription in old English lettering on the underside, showing it to be the bottom part of a gravestone of considerable size, dating from the middle of the 18th century. The remaining inscription is as follows:”… also near this place lieth the body of Joseph Westerman, husband of the above said Martha Westerman, who departed this life April 6th 1756, in the 67th year of his age“, and a little lower down the stone “Samuel Westerman of Ossett, who departed this life 30th March 1783, aged 83 years”.

Apr 28th 1934: Demolition of Rowley’s old mill, Owl Lane. This week the removal of flagstones in the mill yard revealed a species of newt or lizard, varying in length from a half inch to five inches, with a yellow tail and vivid yellow spots on its stomach, the type being said to be unknown in this district.

Jun 2nd 1934: The chimney at Rowley’s mill, Owl Lane, was felled on Sunday at 1:10pm. There were no spectators, as it was thought it would be felled two hours later, but the thud, after it buckled in two places, was felt and heard all over the Gawthorpe district. The workmen engaged in demolishing the mill have found an old ledger used by the firm between 1847 and 1863, the entries being still decipherable, although most of the pages have faded badly. The ledger, which is four feet by three, is bound in strong leather, and contains over a thousand pages.

Apr 18th 1936: A brother and sister drowned in the Calder. They lived at Kings Yard, Healey. They were 7 and 9 respectively. They were reported missing on Thursday 9th, and their bodies were recovered on Sunday and Tuesday.

May 2nd 1936: Between 8:30 and 9:00pm last Saturday a rumour spread that an aeroplane had crashed and a large crowd of two to three hundred gathered near Lodge Hill, the place of the alleged crash. In fact a nine-seater mono-plane owned by North Eastern Airways Ltd had landed there due to failing light and lack of knowledge of the area. He landed alongside the footpath in the 12 acre field between Warneford Avenue and Gawthorpe. The aeroplane was bound for Yeadon, and was carrying films of the association football final at Wembley, for Leeds picture houses. These were taken to Leeds in a taxi so there was little or no delay. After a night’s rest, the pilot and his companion took off safely at 5:55am next day.

May 16th 1936: Contracts have this week been placed for the first of 28 houses on the Swithenbank estate.

Sep 26th 1936: Mr Cyril Jackson has discovered a new comet at the Union Observatory, Johannesburg. He has discovered before now “Comet Jackson 1935” and several minor planets. He was born at Intake Lane, Ossett, and received some of his early education at Southdale School before continuing his studies in Johannesburg.

Feb 6th 1937: In a Ministry Of Health inquiry connected with slum clearance in Ossett, Robinson’s Croft, Teall Street was described. The houses had no method of through ventilation, and were in a general state of disrepair, much of the stonework and brickwork having perished and decayed. Dampness was prevalent in most of the houses. Suitable washing accommodation was either absent or provision made for it in the living room, and provision for the accommodation of food was either lacking or unsuitable. The seven houses in Robinson’s Croft were occupied by twenty five people. They were constructed of stone with grey slate roofs, and were of a considerable age. Of the seven houses, five were ‘single’, of the back-to-back type, and the other two might be termed as back-to-back. In one case the bedroom ceiling was open to the slates. The woodwork was often perished and defective, and in some cases there were leaking sinks and waste pipes. The floors were of Yorkshire stone slabs.

Mar 13th 1937: Plans have been approved for the re-construction of the Malt Shovel, Roundwood. The present house is commodious, but not sufficient to meet present needs. It is intended to erect a new building, set back from the road.

Feb 5th 1938: Representatives of a Leeds firm of auctioneers appeared at the Cock & Bottle on Tuesday night, to offer for sale by auction the freehold property formerly known as the Bulls Head. As nobody attended, the property had to be withdrawn.

Mar 19th 1938: New playing fields for Ossett Grammar School have been approved by the County Authority. An agreement has been reached to purchase from Mr Herbert Harrop, Green House, a site at the rear of Manor Road containing between seven and eight acres. The cost will be £1,824-9-6. A new senior school is intended to be built adjacent to Lime Street.

Jun 4th 1938: The licence of the Railway Tavern has been renewed. The turnover is small, only 38 barrels per year, equivalent to less than two gallons per day, and a dozen bottles per day. The tap room, which is the second largest in Ossett, is used as an aviary, and nobody is served from the bar, practically all the business being done in the kitchen. The turnover is so small that the landlord breeds budgerigars to help eke out a living. Part of the premises are used as a carpenter’s shop. The house has the only public bowling green in the town, at 2d per game.

Sep 3rd 1938: A few weeks ago a correspondent raised a question as to which is the oldest firm still trading in Ossett, and we have received several letters from readers. Mr Abraham Ward, of Albert Street, South Ossett, makes a claim which holds the field so far. The business of boot and shoe makers now carried on by him was, he says, founded nearly 150 years ago by his forefathers, probably in or about 1790, if not earlier. His grandfather, Abraham Ward, born in 1813, continued the business as shoemaker and farmer (this dual occupation quite common in the old days) in an old house at South Ossett, since demolished, called ‘Widdop’s Rest”, following his father, George Ward. The business was later moved to Ossett Common, then to a site where now stands the South Ossett Co-Operative stores, and from thence to the present shop where the business has been carried on for the past 83 years.

Dec 17th 1938: A number of buzzers, to be used in the event of impending air raids, have been fixed to various mills in the town, and two collieries.

Aug 12th 1939: Many residents of Ossett and Horbury were alarmed on Sunday afternoon by low flying RAF bombers which gave a demonstration over this part of the county. They seemed to be just above the trees and houses, and gave the impression of crashing. There was no warning given of the display.

Sep 2nd 1939: The following cellars in the town centre will be public shelters for the accommodation of those persons caught in the streets by an air raid: Public library, Liberal Club, Ossett Co-Operative (drapery department and furnishing department), Horse & Jockey hotel, Royal Hotel, Carpenters Arms, Cock & Bottle, Trades & Labour Club, George hotel, Great Northern hotel, Mr W. Lonsdale (Streetside), Ossett Co-Operative (Streetside), Flying Horse hotel, Red Lion inn, Commercial inn. The first warning of an impending air raid will be an intermittent blast sounded on the sirens in the town, which will no longer be used for industrial purposes. If gas is used, special warning will be given by the air raid wardens and special constables by the sounding of hand rattles. When the gas has cleared, hand bells will be sounded. When the raiders have passed, a continuous blast will be sounded on the sirens. When the sirens are sounded, all persons within five or ten minutes from their own homes are recommended to go there.

Dec 16th 1939: Mr John Garthwaite was knocked down and killed in Owl Lane on Friday 8th, as a direct result of the blackout. He lived in Soothill.

Jun 1st 1940: On Wednesday morning work began on removing the direction signs in the district, so they wouldn’t be able to aid any parachutists who landed in the area.

Feb 20th 1943: The removal of iron gates and railings in the borough has commenced this week. The work is being carried out by the appropriate ministry, and is out of the hands of the local authority. The only ironwork which will be allowed to remain will be that which protects the public from danger.

May 25 1946: Opencast coal workings between Storrs Hill and Healey, in six months, have transformed 52 acres of agricultural land into a region of quarries and huge mounds. Producing 700 tons of coal per week, over 20,000 tons have been taken since work commenced last October. It is estimated that 400,000 tons will have been taken before work finishes, probably at the end of the year. The site is between Storrs Hill Road and Healey gasworks. Two coal seams, each 3 feet thick, are being worked. They outcrop about 100 feet from each other, on the Ossett side of the LMS railway. Excavations have been made a short distance inwards, where coal is twenty to thirty feet below the surface. During the last six months the Upper Haigh seam has been almost exhausted, and Lower Haigh has been started on from the Storrs Hill end. Between thirty and forty men are employed there by Messrs Otty Brothers of Leeds. Old underground pit workings have been exposed by the work. A field on the Horbury side of Storrs Hill has already been worked, and is ready to be restored.

Sep 6th 1947: The Railway Hotel at Flushdyke has been propped up with beams since the end of the severe weather last winter. Subsidence of the land caused a huge crack in the front wall. None of the doors fit properly, and sometimes customers struggle to get in or out of the front door. The recess at the end of the bar, on the corner of the building, is so badly damaged that it has had to stop its use as a “jug and bottle”. It is impossible to open the door which gives access into the street. The sitting room on the first floor is also abandoned, the cracks between the window and the wall are three or four inches, and daylight can be seen through them. Mr H. Cudworth, licensee of the hotel for 23 years, is over 80 years of age. He wants to leave as the whole thing is making him ill, but the family cannot find a private house.

Jan 31st 1948: Names have been decided for the Airey house sites – St John’s Avenue and Headlands Avenue.

Feb 28th 1948: Jonas Woodhead & Sons Ltd have been allocated tenancy at Moorcroft Mills, and are expected to take residency shortly.

Jul 3rd 1948: A scheme has been prepared by the Borough Surveyor to convert the Storrs Hill hospital into three dwellings, and it has been put to the Health Committee. Alderman Moorhouse was satisfied with the plans, for two 2 bedroom and one 3 bedroom homes.

Sep 4th 1948: As a result of them joining the National Health scheme, which commenced July 5th, chemists in Ossett have found that their business has doubled, and in some cases trebled, mainly as a result of prescriptions for medicines for women and children not previously covered by health insurance.

Dec 18th 1948: Joe Davis, retired world snooker champion, took part in exhibition matches at the town hall, which closed last Saturday. The event raised over £200 towards the memorial community centre.

Jan 15th 1949: The Duke of Edinburgh passed through Ossett station on a train on Wednesday, at about 5:30pm.

Apr 9th 1949: The removal of lighting restrictions gave Ossett a much brighter appearance last Saturday night. Shop windows were lit up in Bank Street and other streets, and the town’s only neon sign that of the Palladium, in glowing red, was illuminated.