25 YEARS AGO

TEENAGERS swelled Britain's dole queue to over 1,250,000 this month . and the North West was one of the blackest spots. The national jobless, including 165,623 school leavers, is the worst since the war.

CLEANING woman Mrs Geraldine Hill goes to her work at a Belmont pub in style ... in a roomy one-horse power vehicle. She clip-clops along in splendour in a 100-year-old milk float pulled by Kitty, a nine-years-old Dales mare. Says Geraldine, who lives in Astley Bridge: 'It's cheaper than going by bus, and it's very healthy'.

BOBBY Charlton has resigned as manager of Preston North End. He did so today as a protest against the decision of the board to proceed with the transfer of centre-back John Bird.

50 YEARS AGO

BOLTON people are now accustomed to the roar of jet planes, but when a mighty roar was heard at about 6pm on Saturday, thousands of people turned their eyes to the skies. The plane was, in fact, the De Havilland Comet, the world's first jet airliner. For some months it had been planned that when a suitable opportunity arose, the Comet would make a flight over Bolton and the Lostock works of De Havilland, where many parts for this new plane, Britain's supremacy in the air, have been made.

HASSAN Abdel Rehim, 41-years-old Egyptian Army officer, landed two miles from Dover this afternoon, landing the Channel crossing record and winning for himself the £1,000 international contest. Only 12 competitors in the race were left of the 24 who started from Cap Griz Nez at 2.36am today.

125 YEARS AGO

TODAY the annual exhibition of the Bolton Floral and Horticultural Society was opened in the usual quarters set apart for the show - the spacious field on the Chorley New-road, opposite Elizabeth-street. The first requisite for the success of a flower show would seem to be fine and glorious weather, with the sun high in the heavens, accompanied by a mild and balmy breeze wafting the perfume of the flowers assembled in their richness and profusion in the marquees. This quality for success promised early this morning to be altogether absent, for a steady continuous drizzling rain, so well known to the inhabitants of Bolton, fell, and showed no sign of abatement, the rain being attended, as though to make the prospects of the show still more unpromising, with a closeness and oppressiveness of atmosphere far from comfortable. However, as the day progressed, the rain abated, and the weather became as acceptable as the most inveterate attender of flower shows could wish.