25 years ago

A FAMILY managed to get to safety following an early-morning fire in their home, reported the East Lothian Courier on December 1, 1995.

A teenager rescued his family from their smoke-logged home in Tranent in the early hours of Tuesday morning as fire raged in their lounge.

Gareth Johnston, 17, stopped his terrified sister Kerry, 16, from leaping out of the bedroom window and led her and his mum Jackie to safety with clothes thrown over their heads as protection against the fumes.

When the family had escaped down the narrow stairway and were out of their home in Fa’side Crescent, Gareth returned to save Gem, their pet Jack Russell, who was trapped in the kitchen at the back of the house.

Yesterday (Thursday), Jackie spoke of the family’s ordeal and said that they probably owed their lives to Gareth’s prompt action.

“We were lucky to escape,” she said.

50 years ago

EAST Lothian residents were happy about the scrapping of British Standard Time – a three-year experiment of the country staying on British Summer Time all year round – as reported in The Haddingtonshire Courier on December 4, 1970.

Farmers and building workers in East Lothian heaved a sigh of relief this week when the decision to return to Greenwich Mean Time was announced.

Parents and schoolteachers too were equally jubilant about a change which will eliminate many road hazards for young children.

The decision to reject British Standard Time after a three-year experimental period was the result of a free vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

In its later stages, the debate was largely dominated by Scots members, most of whom were strongly opposed to its retention.

100 years ago

‘WIVES Fall Out’ was a headline in The Haddingtonshire Courier on December 3, 1920.

In Haddington Sheriff Court, on Friday, Ann Robertson or Black, wife of John Black, miner, Prestonpans, was charged with having, on 8th October, in Pyper’s Wynd, assaulted Jessie Mackenzie or Moody, wife of Robert Moody, miner.

An agent, in tendering a plea of guilty, stated that the complainer had unjustly accused his client of having removed some clothes from a rope, and that this was the cause of the quarrel.

The result was that she had given Mrs Moody a slap on the face.

The Fiscal said he did not think the assault was of a serious nature, and, perhaps, as the agent had suggested, it might not be necessary to impose any penalty.