A note has been discovered hidden in the folds of a kilt destined for a soldier heading to the front in World War I.

Economic historian Dr Helen Paul, of the University of Southampton, found the hand-written message when she was removing the packing stitches from the kilt, which has been passed down her family over decades.

The message reads: “I hope your kilt will fit you well, & in it you will look a swell. If married never mind.

“If single drop a line. Wish you bags of luck, & a speedy return back to Blighty.” Underneath was the name of Helen Govan, of 49 Ardgowan Street in Glasgow.

Dr Paul is now hoping to find the descendants of the seamstress to uncover the story behind the note.

Vaccine against malaria is step closer

A British drug maker has come a step closer to making the world’s first malaria vaccine available for use.

GlaxoSmithKline has submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency, which will assess the medication.

The quality and safety of the immunisation will be considered in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), who have indicated it could recommend its use by the end of next year if the vaccine is given the green light by regulators.

Malaria is a tropical disease mainly spread by mosquitoes.

The latest WHO figures show there were about 207 million cases of malaria in 2012 and an estimated 627,000 deaths.

Tombstoning video sparks RNLI plea

Youngsters in Britain have been caught on video risking their lives by jumping from 35ft into shallow water covering jagged rocks.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has released the mobile phone footage of the incident at Old Portsmouth, Hampshire, as part of a safety plea.

Despite being a notorious tombstoning hotspot, the area is especially dangerous as the shallow water covers seabed in that area.

The beach at the Hot Walls is also not patrolled by RNLI lifeguards, who advise people to swim further along at beaches in Southsea where they have lifeguard stations.

According to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, there have been 20 deaths and 76 serious injuries caused by tombstoning in the UK since 2005.

Walking stick gun handed to police

A shotgun disguised as a walking stick has been handed in to British police. The .410 bore weapon appears to be a cane walking stick but has a shotgun concealed within the casing.

It was handed in to police during a “Give up the Gun” firearms amnesty being run by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) which has seen more than 150 weapons surrendered.

The walking stick is estimated to have been manufactured in the late 1800s.

Cane guns were commonly carried in the 19th and early 20th century by gentlemen to use on wild game within their grounds. Now, they are strictly prohibited weapons and are mostly held in private collections and museums.

Ancient finds from Crossrail scheme

Roman pottery and a 15th century courtyard are among the latest items discovered during work on the cross-London Crossrail scheme.

The finds are at the site of London’s 14th century Black Death burial ground in Charterhouse Square in the City of London. The courtyard is believed to have led to a 15th century chapel or meat kitchen and has been unearthed by more than 90 local volunteers working alongside archaeologists.

The burial ground was first discovered last year. A total of 25 skeletons were uncovered which provided the first physical ­evidence of one of two emergency burial grounds in London ­established in 1348 ahead of the arrival of the Black Death to ­England.