Leeds nostalgia: Mayor bemoans '˜deplorable' youth

Seventy years ago, the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Alderman G Brett, weighed in on the ‘youth of today’, lambasting them for spending their free time “in a deplorable way”.

An article from the time relates: “They could occupy their time far better in the country… He did not ask people to give up all their time to walking but some of it and then less would be heard of some of the things that were heard about.”

It went on: “Young people could not do better than get into the country and join an organisation that made provision for holidays under ideal conditions.”

It added the Co-operative Holidays Association was experimenting with the idea of offering free family holidays.

Over on the east coast, there were calls for urgent action to tackle erosion of the coastline, with authorities in Filey and Bridlington pressing the government to pick up the £50,000-a-mile cost.

Erosion was said to be happening at a rate of 15ft a year south of Hornsea and 6ft a year north of Bridlington.

The affected coastline was said to be in the region of 45 miles in length. George Wadsworth (MP for Buckrose) said: “Rural areas cannot possibly afford to build and maintain sea walls. At Withernsea they have to embark on a scheme costing £130,000 and a penny rate produces £100. It is impossible for the coast to be protected unless there are 100 per cent grants from the Government.”

Also on this day in 1949, Lucie Hammer, a former secretary of Goebbels, was given six months hard labour (suspended) for being part of the Nazi war machine at the Ludwigsburg de-Nazification tribunal in Stuttgart.

A man who scaled the Eros statue in London, was set free by the Home Office. William Painter, 39, a plumber, was originally dealt with by a court of summary justice, when his case ought to have gone to trial. He had been sentenced to three months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay £48 damages.