WE TAKE a look at the stories making headlines in East Lothian 25, 50 and 100 years ago.

25 years ago

‘POLICE hunt pignap gang after raid’ was front-page news in the East Lothian Courier of April 18, 1997.

Police have launched a pig-hunt after 30 prime porkers were stolen from a farm near Whitekirk.

The animals, worth £2,500, were taken at the weekend from David and Christine Miller’s 700-acre farm, which suffered two cases of rustling in autumn and winter last year.

Police believe the free-range pigs, each weighing over 150lbs, may have been spirited away on a large trailer or a small stock lorry.

Mrs Miller, 39, fears for their immediate welfare.

“These people have taken animals they don’t care about,” she said.

“If we are sending them for butchering, we look after them.

“The pigs are sent away under good conditions so that they arrive at the abattoir safely, where they are killed and butchered humanely.

“But stolen pigs are likely to be butchered horribly,” said Mrs Miller.

50 years ago

‘THE day the janitor had to look after class…’ was a headline in the East Lothian Courier on April 21, 1972.

Because of difficulties in recruiting staff at St. Gabriel’s R.C School in Prestonpans, the janitor had to look after a class on one occasion, members of East Lothian Education Committee heard on Tuesday.

The staffing difficulties were spotlighted by committee member Mr Thomas Gunn, of Prestonpans, who said parents had constantly been asking him about the matter.

He said that because of the shortage of teachers, two parish priests had been taking classes at the school.

Mr C.A.F. Pert, Director of Education, said two vacancies had existed at the school for a long time and, although he had advertised regularly, he had not got any applications.

100 years ago

AN ‘EXTRAORDINARY occurrence’ on a train from Dunbar was reported on in The Haddingtonshire Courier on April 21, 1922.

While travelling between Grantshouse and Cockburnspath, on Saturday, a woman in one of the compartments took fright on seeing a pedlar stropping a razor on the carriage window strap.

She at once pulled the communication cord and stopped the train.

The officials placed her in another compartment and on the train arriving at Dunbar, the police instituted an inquiry into the circumstances, from which it was found that the pedlar was an ex-soldier with a good war record, who had simply availed himself of the opportunity of sharpening up his razor, which had caused the woman to take a fright.