1941: On this day, 814 20-year-old city girls responded to their call-up papers - although some forgot their registration card! Many of the girls had come with their mothers, while others had their boyfriends for company. Some are described as arriving 'with an army escort on either side'. Quite a few perambulators are also recorded as being parked outside the building. (Gray, David, Peterborough at War 1939-1945, David Gray, 2011)
Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.
Humans have kept dogs as pets for centuries, but information about the type of dogs can be difficult to find. A dig at Bottle Bridge off Oundle Road found the bones of several dogs who had lived at the site. The dogs ranged from small to large, just like today, with one skeleton standing out from the rest. This skeleton, dating from 1350-1500 AD appears to be from an English Mastiff, a breed that nearly died out in the 20th Century. The mastiff was used in medieval times as a hunting and fighting dog due to its enormous size and strength. They also made excellent guard dogs and were often used by rich people to protect their homes and as a status symbol.
References: P. Spoerry and Rob Atkins, A Late Saxon Village and Medieval Manor: Excavations at Botolph Bridge, Orton Longueville, Peterborough, East Anglian Archaeology (Oxford Archaeology East: 153, 2015)
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay