When Hannah Newton was a little girl the Council opened a bank account for her with the gift of a shilling to mark the King's jubilee.

Sixty-eight years later, Mrs Newton found herself in a battle with the bank because it wouldn't let her have her 'bob' back.

The 76-year-old was not fighting only on her own behalf.

She was just one of 232,000 children given the money - 5p in today's coinage - in 1935.

It was a gift to mark George V's 25th year on the throne and a way of encouraging the youngsters to start saving.

The snag was that there was a condition: the children were not allowed to draw out and spend the shilling until they were 16.

That meant that, like Mrs Newton, who now lives at Hampton Place, Idle, many of them would have forgotten about the money and left it sitting in the vaults.

A shilling was worth something in 1935, when Hannah was eight. With a bob burning your pocket, you and a pal could go and see Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in The Gay Divorce at the Tatler, share a bag of humbugs AND have enough for ice-creams.

These days you wouldn't get much change from £20 at a multiplex.

The savings stunt was dreamed up by Viscount Halifax, then Leader of the House of Lords. He doled out the shillings via local councils and banks all over England.

As the Telegraph & Argus reported on Tuesday, May 7, 1935:

"A telegram from the King and Queen to the chairman of the West Riding was received at County Hall, Wakefield, today.

"On Friday last a message of loyal congratulations on behalf of West Riding school children was sent to their Majesties when the scheme of giving 232,000 school children souvenir bank pass books each with a deposit of 1s., was inaugurated by Viscount Halifax. The message from their Majesties read: 'Chairman of County Council, West Riding of Yorkshire, Wakefield - The King and Queen warmly thank the children in the elementary schools in the West Riding of Yorkshire for their kind Jubilee greetings. Their Majesties are interested and pleased to hear of the presents they received."

Hannah's account was opened at the Shipley branch of the Yorkshire Penny Bank, which later dropped the "Penny" from its name.

She used it for four or five years, but always, of course, leaving the account at least 12d in credit, because she wasn't allowed to spend that royal shilling.

Eventually, as she got older, the bank book lay unused in a drawer. And there it stayed until about ten years ago.

"I found the book and took it to the Idle branch of the Yorkshire, which was the nearest," said Hannah. "I also discovered my late husband Stanley's book and his sister Barbara's. But the bank said they didn't know anything about the Jubilee Shilling and the account was too old now. They said they couldn't give me the money. It's not about the money, it's the principle."

However, the Telegraph & Argus has some good news for Mrs Newton and anyone else in the same situation.

Alerted by us, a Yorkshire Bank spokesman at the Leeds head office went away to check out the problem. And now he has called us to say it had been solved.

"We do have a policy on such accounts," he said. "And people can get their money back. After five years, unused accounts are strictly 'dormant' and are closed after another five years or so. But in cases like this, where someone has a precious pass book which they've kept for so long, if they bring it in we will give them any money in the account.

"And, if the book has sentimental value they can keep it. What's more, we'll give them a Yorkshire Bank pen!"

The bad news for Mrs Newton, though, is that her shilling won't have earned any interest over the years. "Sorry, but we don't pay interest on amounts under a pound," the spokesman said.