25 years ago

AN HISTORIC moment in the county took place, reported the East Lothian Courier on November 22, 1996.

The balloon went up on the new dual carriageway from Tranent to Haddington on Monday as Scottish Office Minister Lord James Douglas-Hamilton opened the road in spectacular style.

Lord James rounded off the opening ceremony when he took the wheel of a JCB and used the digger to cut loose 1,000 colourful balloons attached to a rope.

As the balloons floated off into the clear blue sky, Lord James and other dignitaries boarded a vintage bus for a tour of the new road.

The charabanc, on loan from a transport museum in Dunfermline, was the first vehicle, apart from those belonging to the contractors, to drive on the new road.

Others on board included East Lothian MP John Home Robertson, the Lord Lieutenant of East Lothian, Sir Hew Dalrymple, and assistant chief constable Tom Wood of Lothian and Borders Police.

50 years ago

THE thespian talents of an East Lothian newsagent and his troupe were featured in The Haddingtonshire Courier on November 26, 1971.

When local newsagent Mr Alex Grandison took on the role of stage producer during Tranent Civic Week, the antics of his talented company, the Bankton Players, had the audience rolling in the aisles during the Late Nite Revue.

It was then forecast that Tranent would likely want to see a lot more of them – resulting in a lot of hard work during the winter evenings.

The prediction has almost been realised, for this week Mr Grandison admitted that he had chosen a play for his enthusiastic troupe.

The play?

“I’m not letting the cat out of the bag,” said Mr Grandison.

“And that’s not the name of the play.”

100 years ago

A FIRE at a farm in Elphinstone was reported on in The Haddingtonshire Courier on November 25, 1921.

An outbreak of fire occurred in the stackyard of North Elphinstone farm, on Monday afternoon, due to some children playing with matches.

Mr Brooks at once telephoned for Haddington brigade.

Some delay was experienced in obtaining horses to draw the steam fire engine and, before the brigade had got out of Haddington, its services were countermanded, as there as no ware on the farm.

Fortunately, the fire by this time had been subdued by the farm servants by means of water buckets.

A quantity of wheat was somewhat damaged.