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

25 years ago

BABY Ruairidh made quite the entrance into the world, reported the East Lothian Courier on October 8, 1999.

While most people would rush into a police station to report a crime – Paula Hart of Viewforth Terrace, Tranent, rushed in to announce that she was about to give birth!

Paula, 33, was being driven by her husband to Simpson’s Memorial Maternity Pavilion in Edinburgh but, after getting caught-up in traffic, she realised the baby was not prepared to wait any longer.

The couple pulled off the road at the city’s St Leonard’s Police Station, where officers provided a vacant interview room, and little Ruairidh entered the world just ten minutes later at 9.25am on Tuesday.

Mrs Hart had originally planned to have a home birth but, because the baby was large, midwife Babs McDonald suggested a ‘domino birth’, which meant Mrs Hart would remain at home for the first stages of labour before going to hospital for the birth itself.

50 years ago

DAMAGED boats due to heavy seas made headlines in the East Lothian Courier on October 11, 1974.

Gale force winds swept the seas off Dunbar on Thursday evening last, causing boats inside the harbour to overturn and sink.

The northerly force-nine gales lashed the heavy seas over the harbour wall, filling up pleasure boats and sinking dinghies.

Two large launches were filled with water, overturned and are now potential write-offs.

A wooden boat which was smashed during the storm was found in pieces on the rocks next morning.

Five small dinghies were overturned and sunk but these were made of fibreglass and were recovered.

A spokesman for the Coastguard Service estimated that the amount of damage caused to boats by the storm could be as high as £2,000.

100 years ago

EAST Linton residents’ pride in their ‘Auld Brig’ was hard to miss, told The Haddingtonshire Courier on October 10, 1924.

If the scheme for constructing a new road bridge over the Tyne at or near East Linton is carried out, it will not be because there is any doubt as to the stability of the “Auld Brig”.

East Linton folks have always been proud of the veteran and will not have it decried.

An incident of the great flood of September 1846 is recalled when the railway bridge was totally carried away.

One of the Bailies, a great angler, was standing on the brig – as anglers will on occasions of great waters – watching the raging torrent dashing over the Linn.

Some one called to him to come off the bridge, as it would come down.

“Linton Brig fa’ doun, ye idiot,” he answered; “Linton Brig will stand for evermore.”