Leeds nostalgia: Whitby schoolchildren dub Leeds '˜dirty and depressing'

Leeds is a terrible place and very depressing - that was the verdict of Whitby children who came to the city for a brief visit.

It was the grime of the city which drove them to that opinion.

Meanwhile, other children who had been staying over in Huddersfield, described factory visits as ‘wizard’. They said the textile mills were “marvellous” and that a tour of an engineering works was “super”.

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Mary Hunter, 14, of Abbey Bungalow, East Cliff, said she would like to live in the town because there was so much to do and so many different places to see. Her ambition before she left for home was to listen to Huddersfield Choral Society.

Meanwhile, John Kendall, also 14, of Park Terrace, Whitby, disagreed and said he preferred home because he liked the sea and the air was fresher.

Mr F B White, Whitby schoolmaster, said he was pleased with the results of the venture, adding: “We want our children to see how the other half of the world lives.”

Nationally, a debate was going on over whether to keep capital punishment, namely hanging.

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The Tory party had indicated it would get rid of it and although the annual conference of the Chief Constable Association in Scarborough was not due to discuss the matter, most were said to have strong views, mainly in favour of keeping it.

J W Barnett, chief constable of Leeds, said the group’s collective viewpoint would command considerable weight but he would not be drawn on his own view.

His colleague, F E Pritchard, chief constable of Dewsbury, said: “I am strongly in favour of retaining the death penalty. Fear of hanging is a deterrent.”

Almost everyone else agreed with that view at the time.