Issue No. 40 July – November 2005

FREE

Produced by Wigan Heritage Service

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All comments and correspondence shouldbe addressed to:

Editor, ‘Past Forward’,History Shop, Library Street,

Wigan WN1 1NUEmail: heritage@wlct.org

COPY DEADLINEPlease note that the copydeadline for issue no 41

of Past Forward is 16 September 2005.

CCoovveerr:: This photograph has baffled me for many years. It appeared way back inissue 10, on the ‘Who? Where? page, when any suggestions received were tentative,to say the least. So I thought, for my last issue, I would try again - can any readeridentify this intriguing photograph? Ed.

THIS edition of Past Forward issignificant in two ways. Firstly, we havereached the milestone of no. 40, whichI find absolutely amazing – it certainlydoes not seem 14 years since theappearance of no. 1, way back in 1991.Today, the magazine has a worldwidecirculation of 10,000, and is alsoavailable on cassette tape and now theinternet.

Time certainly marches on, whichbrings me onto a personal note – thiswill be my last issue as Editor of PastForward. An opportunity has arisen forme to take early retirement (very early,of course!). Not that that is any badthing for the magazine. I have had thepleasure and privilege to edit it from thevery beginning, and while it hasunquestionably proved an outstandingsuccess – far in excess of my wildestdreams – that is not to say that it willnot benefit from a change in direction.

During recent discussions with staffabout the future direction of theHeritage Service in general, it was verynoticeable that the concern which wasraised most of all was for the future ofPast Forward. The staff, as well as youthe readers, care passionately about it– they are proud of it, and see it assomething unique to Wigan. They aredetermined that it will continue, and Ican assure all readers that it will, underthe able guidance of a small editorialteam from the Heritage Service.

I’ve lost count how many favourablecomments have been made about themagazine (these were summarised inthe last issue). The only criticism, infact, has been that there are only threeissues a year! How often has thecomment been made, “how I wish mylocal service had such a publication”. Apoem has even been written in praise ofPast Forward! (see p27). It has broughtfamilies and friends together from allover the world, even reuniting old warcomrades who had not seen each otherfor over half a century.

In saying goodbye, I am consciousthat I have so many people to thank fortheir help and support on what hasbeen such an exciting and successfuladventure. Where do I begin? Perhapswith my good friend Alan Roby, whoshared my vision back in 1991 for alocal history newsletter; Alan at the timehad a small printing business, and thusbegan Past Forward – a humble eightpage effort which we cobbled together,more in hope than anything else.

Little did we know what we werebeginning! Within only a few weeks ofpublication, I had received more thanenough contributions for the next issue.And since then, I have always beenspoilt for choice for material for everysingle issue, and the magazine hasgrown and grown, from that humbleeight pages to the present 44!

So my sincere thanks to Alan for hishelp and support in these early daysand indeed over many issues, untilpersonal commitments meant he couldno longer devote the time needed.Douglas Printers in Wigan, who hadalready worked on the production of themagazine, then became increasinglyinvolved, and thus began an excellentworking relationship over recent yearswith Steve and Cyril, two of the mostpleasant and co-operative people it hasbeen my pleasure to work with.

Thanks also to Mitchell & Wright ofSouthport who have printed most issuesof the magazine, and made amarvellous job of it too. My thanks inparticular to Keith Mitchell for all hiskindness and support.

For the past few years, Past Forwardhas also been available on tape for thevisually impaired. For help with thisservice, I am indebted to a splendidgroup of people at ‘Making WavesRadio’ in Leigh, led by Dave Rigby, oneof the bravest people it has been myprivilege to know and to work with.

Not forgetting Andrew Busby of theTrust’s IT section, for his help in gettingPast Forward on the internet - anddoesn’t it look great!

Then there are the many contributorsto the magazine. One of the greatestsources of pride and satisfaction for meis that Past Forward has enabled somany readers, not just locally, or evennationally, but internationally, to put pento paper and write an article which theywould probably never otherwise havedone. It is always dangerous, and eveninvidious, to single out individuals, butone person I would like to mention inparticular is Irene Roberts, whosedelightfully unique style of writing hascaptivated so many; and there is furtherevidence of Irene’s talents, and of howmuch they are appreciated, in this issue.

Other regular and faithful contributorsinclude Ernie Taberner (long-standingreaders will remember his splendid ‘IRemember When ……’ articles), HaroldSmith, Neil Cain, Fred Holcroft, HaroldKnowles (see p3 for a tribute to Harold),James Fairhurst and, of course, GeraldRickards, whose centrespreads havebeen a regular feature for many issues.To them, and the many, many otherswhom I do not have space to mention,my sincere thanks for helping to makethis venture so exciting and successful.

Finally, my thanks to all the HeritageService staff for their help and support.All of them, in different ways, have hadan important part to play in the successof Past Forward.

I have many happy memories of mytime with Wigan Heritage Service. TheHistory Shop, for example, was, and stillis, an exciting development with lots ofpotential; also the Parish Map, theWickham story, Wigan’s 750th Chartercelebrations - and all of these havefeatured prominently in Past Forward.But it is the magazine itself which Iwould like to think of as my legacy.

Thanks to all those who have joinedme on this memorable adventure.Please give Carole, my successor ashead of the Heritage Service, and thenew editorial team, all the friendshipand support you have given me - thatway Past Forward, and the HeritageService, will continue to go fromstrength to strength.

Farewellfrom theEditor

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I FELL under the spell of Chat Mosson my very first journey over it fromKenyon Junction to ManchesterExchange. I was a young schoolboyat the time and it seemed like a vastalluring wilderness. Fortunately,before I left Leigh about 15 yearslater, I had been able to spendenough time exploring the mosses -with permission where necessary -to get a good knowledge of theirinteresting flora and fauna,especially the rarities like long-eared owls, nightjars and visitingharriers.

I was permitted vehicular accessfrom the north west through WindyBank to Red House on BedfordMoss by the railway. From there Iused to roam eastwards throughbirchwood scrub and over heatherand moor grass to or beyond Astleysignal box to where Rindle Roadfrom Astley Green crossed the line.Astley Green colliery lay a mile ormore to the north on the far side ofthe Bridgewater Canal and a mineral

line from the colliery joined themain railway line not far beyond theRindle Road crossing.

It was this well-rememberedscene that came back to mind inmost unexpected circumstances. Forlight reading I had borrowed alibrary book with a rather intriguingtitle. It was Mysterious RailwayStories edited by William Pattrick(W H Allen, 1984), and it included astory 'The Lost Special' by SirArthur Conan Doyle. This is not aSherlock Holmes mystery in the fog-ridden, dimly lit streets of oldLondon but a Victorian melodramawhich tests credulity - as the authorintended. The main action involvesa journey from Liverpool toManchester across the Moss.

I will not venture further into theplot but will leave it for the reader to

follow, for I concluded that ConanDoyle must have made the journeyhimself sometime and this pleasedme as much as it would havepleased the school boy of 1936. Theeditor points out that Doyle was anardent railway buff, as is obviousfrom his other well-known stories,and the actual place names in thisstory are given from west to east -St Helens, Earlestown, Newton,Kenyon Junction etc.

However, the essence of the storylies east of Glazebury - a body wasleft near Windy Bank - but that is allI am telling you! On first reading thestory, I decided that Doyle musthave had Astley Green Colliery inhis scenario but that was not so -Conan Doyle wrote 'The LostSpecial' in 1898 and construction ofAstley Green colliery only began in1908.

Tom EdmondsonChesterEmail:

Sjedmondson@btinternet.com

Murder On TheMoss

Harold Knowles1926 - 2005

IT IS with great sadness that I have to inform readersof my father’s sudden death in March this year. Hehad written several articles for Past Forward abouthis time as a young boy in Ashton-in-Makerfield. Onbehalf of my family, I would like to write a shortarticle in his honour.

Harold Knowles was born on 18 September 1926 inAshton-in-Makerfield, the first child of Harry andLilian Knowles. From what my father told me hegrew up to be quite an independent sort of boy,always willing to work hard, taking on odd jobs,such as a delivery boy for one of the local grocersand helping his Auntie Maggie collect payment forher window cleaning round.

He attended the British School situated on WiganRoad in the town centre of Ashton-in-Makerfield,from where he passed his 11-plus and went on toAshton Grammar School.

My father left Ashton Grammar in the summer of1943 and started work as an articled pupil with Mr AK Dennis, Engineer and Surveyor to Ashton-in-Makerfied Urban District Council. However, abouttwo years later he was ‘called up’ into the army, andwent into the Royal Engineers. (I know from somepaperwork I recently found, that my father’s nextarticles for Past Forward were to be about his timein the army).

After being demobbed in 1948 my father found ajob as Assistant Engineer in the Borough ofFarnworth. During the next ten years or so he had

several similar roles indifferent UDCs, until in1960, he secured one ofhis ultimate goals,Engineer and Surveyorand Water Engineer ofStandish UDC. On localgovernmentreorganisation in 1974, hebecame Assistant Director of Works at StockportMBC. He retired in 1980.

During his retirement my father enjoyedswimming and listening to brass band music, andboth he and my mother also took great advantage ofbeing able to go on holiday several times a year! Hecertainly enjoyed his four granddaughters.

His death earlier this year from a stroke was verysudden and was a shock to the whole family. As weknew how much his background and early years inAshton meant to him, his funeral took place at StThomas’s Church, Ashton-in-Makerfield and hisashes are buried in the lower graveyard of thechurch.

I am immensely proud of what my father achieved;it must have taken great guts and determination toget where he did in his career, especially in his earlyyears, when life was hard there was not muchmoney about. The family miss him terribly but ourmemories of him will be with us forever.

Gillian Drummond

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RECENTLY my car brokedown and was towed to alocal garage on Coal PitLane, Atherton forrepairs. On collection ofmy car I was surprised tofind that the garage wassituated on the site ofGibfield colliery. Onentering the garage I wasastonished to find myselfactually standing insidethe original Gibfieldpithead baths. Lookingclosely around the insideof the building beyondthe garage equipment, Icould see the originalbath tiles on the wallsand the pulleys in theroof space which wereused for hanging theminers clothing on. Aftertalking to the garageowner I discovered thatthe pithead baths was theonly remaining buildingnow standing on thecolliery site; he showedme a tablet set into theoutside wall showing the

inscription ‘FletcherBurrows 1913’. Myinterest in local historyand mining inspired meto find out more aboutthe bath house.

The Opening

The pithead baths atGibfield were officiallyopened in October 1913.The press weresummoned to inspect thebuilding and miners werelined up for photographs.“The washed and theunwashed”, read thecaption in the ManchesterEvening News. Even thenthere was a murmur ofdissent from the minerwho preferred the tub infront of the fire at hometo wash off his pit dirt. “Ithowt as on’y as were‘enpecked at home wasusin’t’ baths,” he said.

The Coal Miners Act of1911 had ruled thatmanagement must

provide pithead baths if aballot of the work forceshowed that they werewanted. FletcherBurrows, the owner ofthe mine, however, didnot wait for a vote beforebuilding the baths.Representatives of thefirm visited similarinstallations in Franceand Belgium, but decidedthat the continental bathswere too lavish for theAtherton miners. MrClement Fletcher thoughtthey were fitted up with“quite unnecessaryluxuriousness.”

Neverthelss, the bathsat Gibfield were popularwith most of the men,and almost two thirds ofthe coal getters, datallers,surface men and boysused them. “It seems tomake our time aboveground two hourslonger”, one collier wasquoted as saying. Thepitmen would leave their

‘tommy tins’ on hooksnear the door. Theshower cubicles werealong side the buildingsand overhead were thepulleys and ropes onwhich the men hung theirchange of clothing. Theclothes were pulled up tothe ceiling and after eachshift had washed, all thewindows were closed andthe temperatures raisedto 100 degrees F so thatthe working clotheswould be dried for thenext day.

Not only were thebaths welcomed by mostof the men but they alsomade life easier for theirwives. In fact somewomen were quiteecstatic! In ‘Baths at thePithead’, a bookletproduced by the Women’sLeague, an article read:

“At Last! in England,now!

To those of us whohave been in at theagitation for ‘Baths atthe pit head’ from thestart and faceddiscouragement in somany forms, the newsseems almost too good tobe true. But there is noleast doubt about it.

“The bath house …….The white shining Temple

Gibfield Colliery Pithead Bathsstill open for business

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Pulleys in the roof space from which miners used to hang their clothesOriginal bath tiles still on

the walls

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of Health! …… whichwhen we first wroteabout it, was regarded asa sort of fantasticcelestial vision, as far asleast the miners of GreatBritain were concerned …that Bath House is here… nay, there are two ofthem on English soil … inthe Lancashire collieryvillage of Atherton, nearManchester. But not arethey finely outlined,substantial brickbuildings, but in spite ofall being used..…enthusiastically andincreasingly used by theminers.”

What the minersthought of such lyricalprose would be to easy toguess, particularly whenthe writer, Kathrine Bruce

Glasier, went on … “thered Ruabon tiles of thefloor of the dressing hallmade a picture which setone women at any ratelonging to dance a sort ofMiriam’ dance of triumphall down its aisles.”

Baths had been openedearlier in 1913 at HoweBridge and Chantersfollowed suit thefollowing year.

Conclusion

Gibfield colliery wasthe last Of Atherton'sdeep pits to be sunk, butlike other local minessuch as Chanters andHowe Bridge, it was ahistoric mining site andpits close to Gibfield areshown on the map of1793. There were

eventually three shaftssunk on the site, the OldGib, the Arley and a thirdshaft sunk in 1909. In1842 the Old Gib shaftwas extended so that coalcould be worked from theArley seam. Gibfieldcolliery closed in 1963.

The Fletcher BurrowsCo Ltd were owners of thecolliery and made manysteps to provide for theirworkers. For example,they had built houses fortheir workers at HoweBridge in 1875. In lateryears the company alsogave the colliers theopportunity to buy theirown homes. Over theyears a bowling green,tennis courts, footballpitch, cricket groundsand many other leisureactivities were enjoyed bythe pit workers ofAtherton.

I am amazed to findthat the Gibfield pit headbaths have survived and Iwonder if the buildingwill reach its 100thbirthday especially withall the development work

that is taking place at themoment around theGadbury Fold area. Ifound the pastphotographs of thepithead baths slightlyhaunting, but what agreat improvement itmust have been for theminers of Gibfield, whowere the first in Britainto have pit head baths.At the time miners allover the country stillwent home in their black.Miners at Gibfield couldnow have a hot showerand then get changedinto clean clothes. It musthave been more welcometo mothers and wives ofminers. No more fillingand emptying the tinbath. No more dirtyclothes having to bepicked up and bangedagainst the outside brickwall to rid them of coaldust. No need for the restof the family to scatterwhilst the miner had hisbath!

K WoodHindley and District

History Society

Gibfield Colliery Baths, 1913. “A white shiningtemple of health”

The Baths today

and as they used to be

Tablet commemorating the opening of the Bath, 1913

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Killed by electricityby

Michael FinneySOME time ago, whilst searching for a genealogical ‘missing link’ inthe burial ground of Saint James’ Roman Catholic Church in Orrell,near Wigan, I was distracted from my task by an inscription on a tallgranite memorial. It read as follows:-

Sacred Heart of Jesus have Mercy on the Soul of John T. Alker ofWinstanley. Killed by electricity June 24th 1898, Aged 21 years.

‘Killed by electricity.’ The starknessof the words was an uncommondeparture from the usual floridoutpourings of Victorian epitaphs. Myfirst thought was that theunfortunate young man may havebeen the victim of a lightning strike.I knew that electrical engineering wasrelatively well advanced at the time ofhis death, but I nonetheless thoughtit unlikely he had been the victim ofsome form of industrial accident.Curiosity prompted me to investigatethe matter further, revealing both atragic story, and a public official’sindignation at breaches of protocoland procedure .......

“Stuck fast with theelectricity”

The younger son of a well knownfarming family in the Winstanleydistrict of Orrell, John Thomas Alkerwas training as a mining student,under Messrs. J and R Stone at ParkCollieries, Garswood, Ashton-in-Makerfield, some four miles from hishome. On the morning of 24 June1898, he descended the shaft of thecolliery’s Number One Pit, in thecompany of mining surveyorFrederick McGill, and colliery firemenJohn Cunliffe and Joseph Smalls, inorder to carry out an inspection. Theyarrived at the ‘pit bottom’ shortlybefore 1O.45a.m., and in order toallow their eyes to becomeaccustomed to the brightness of theunderground electrical lighting whichhad only been installed two dayspreviously, all four men stepped intothe underlooker’s cabin, whichcontained the control panel for boththe lighting and the electricalpumping systems.

After about half an hour, McGill,Cunliffe and Smalls left the cabin, andstarted along the roadway. FindingJohn Alker was not with them, McGill

looked back to see what had becomeof him, and saw Alker’s head andshoulders leaning out of the cabindoorway. He appeared extremelydistressed, his face contorted withpain. McGill ran back to the cabinand, on entering, saw that Alker washolding one of the switches on theelectrical control panel.

Realising what had happened, heshouted to Cunliffe and Smalls thatAlker was “stuck fast with theelectricity”. Both men hurried back tothe cabin and, when Cunliffe threwthe main switch on the panel, thelifeless body of John Alker fell intothe arms of Joseph Small. The bodywas taken to the surface, and a doctorsummoned. When he pronounced lifeextinct, the police were sent for.Police Constable Grantham of Ashton-in-Makerfield attended the scene.

According to the accepted legalprocedure, the deceased should thenhave been conveyed to the nearestpublic house, and a Coroner’s jurysummoned to view the body.Arrangements would then be madefor an Inquest at a later date at thosepremises. This procedure, however,was not complied with. By this time,Robert Alker, the father of the

deceased had been informed, and hadmade his way to the colliery. Hedemanded that the body be takenhome without delay. PC Granthamwarned him that the body could notbe removed without the Coroner’sconsent and order, but Mr Alkerremained insistent and found supportin Mr Hilton, the colliery manager,who provided a horse-drawn brake totake the body home to Winstanley,despite PC Grantham’s warning.

Although Alker’s actions as agrieving parent were understandable,they did, nevertheless, complicatematters. The death of his son hadtaken place in the township ofAshton, and he had removed the bodyfrom that township prior to theCoroner being informed or a jurysummoned, and taken it to his hometownship, Orrell. This meant that theinquest would have to be held inOrrell, several miles from the scene ofdeath, and inquired into by an Orrelljury, who in all probability would notbe familiar with the colliery and itsenvirons. All in all, it was an irregularbusiness. Just how irregular, wouldsoon become apparent.

Inquest

Three days later, on the morning of27 June 1898 at the Railway Hotel,Orrell, the Coroner for South West

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Lancashire, Mr Samuel Brighouse,opened the inquest into the death ofJohn Thomas Alker. The father ofthe deceased, being unfit to attend,was represented by his son, Robertjunior. He testified that he had lastseen the deceased (his youngerbrother) at about 8 a. m. on the dayhe died, at which time he appeared tobe in good health. He went on to sayhe had been present when the bodywas brought home, some hours later.

These facts having beenestablished, an evidently irritated MrBrighouse called for PC Grantham,and addressed him:

“I want some explanation as to howit came about that the deceased’s bodyhas been removed out of the townshipof Ashton into the township of Orrellwithout my consent. I have been toldthat the deceased’s father insisted onremoving the body to Orrell. I havebeen informed that the collierymanager also approved of them beingremoved. What is the result? The bodywas removed into the township ofOrrell, and the gentlemen of thattownship have to inquire into thecause of death, when the jury ofAshton ought to have done so. All thisinconvenience has been caused by anillegal and irregular action. Theymight as well have removed the bodyto London. I quite appreciate andsympathise with the parents wishingthe body to be removed home, I wouldhave done so as well, but certainformalities have to be gone throughbefore that can be done, and theycould have removed the deceased thesame day, if they had communicatedwith me.”

No doubt taken aback by thisonslaught, PC Grantham could onlyreply that he had warned Mr Alker ofthe illegality of his actions, to whichMr Brighouse replied: “if it occursagain after this explanation, I shallhave the body taken back into thetownship, and then it won’t be doneagain I know.”

Mr Brighouse, having left bothwitnesses and jury in no doubt as tohis authority, then continued theinquiry into Alker’s death. Minesurveyor Joseph McGill gave evidenceof how he had seen the deceasedleaning out of the underlooker’s cabindoor in apparent pain, and how whenhe entered the cabin he saw that thedeceased was holding a switch on theelectrical control panel. He added thatthe deceased had no cause to operatethe switchboard. Fireman JohnCunliffe told the inquiry of how heswitched off the current, and stated

that he also sawthe deceased’shand on aswitch. Hefurtherexplained that,whilst thedeceased washolding theinsulated switchhandle betweenhis forefingerand thumb, hisremaining threefingers wereresting on the‘live’ metalworkbeneath thehandle -evidently the cause of his shock.

Mr Matthews, a Mines Inspector,was then called. He expressed theopinion that the actions of thedeceased had been the result ofyouthful curiosity; the fact that hehad evidently been leaning out of thecabin suggested that he was lookingto see if the switch he was holdingoperated the lighting system. Thistheory was largely accepted.

Mr Allen, representing thecompany responsible for the electricalinstallation, stated that similarswitchboards were in use all over thecountry, and that the power ofcurrent generated was not sufficientto kill a healthy man. Someamusement was caused at this pointby a juror, who commented: “I shouldnot like to try it”. Mr Allan pointedout that the deceased had recentlyrecovered from a bout of typhoid, andthat this could have weakened hisconstitution, and made him moresusceptible to shock. He went on toexplain that he knew of many collieryworkers who had received shocks, butsuffered no ill effects. He qualifiedthis statement by adding that, oncethey had experienced one shock,“they did not particularly putthemselves in the way of a second”,which prompted a rather acid replyfrom Mr Brighouse: “if they died fromthe first, there would be no necessityfor the second”.

Finally, Mr Brighouse addressed thejury: “It is not my rule to order a postmortem examination unless it isabsolutely necessary for the enquiry.As far as the immediate cause of deathis concerned, your duty seems to bepurely formal. That is the lad diedfrom the result of an electric shockreceived from the switchboard. You areentitled to take into consideration thecircumstances under which he received

the shock, and if you have asuggestion which would tend topreserve life in the future, you will beentitled to add that suggestion.”

The jury returned a verdict ofaccidental death, and recommendedthat in future switch boards shouldbe operated by one authorisedperson. They further recommendedthat all live components be ‘boxedin’, and the switch handles betterinsulated. They concluded by offeringa vote of sympathy to the relations ofthe deceased.

The Lancashire mining industryclaimed many hundreds of lives. Rooffalls, flooding and gas explosionswere only three of the many ways aman could lose his life in this mostdangerous of industries. There is aterrible irony in the fact that theunfortunate John Thomas Alker methis death by way of a medium onlyrecently introduced to his colliery asa safety measure.

Sources:- The History ShopWigan Register Office

Memorial to John Alker, 1898

Copy of John Alker's death certificate

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TRIPS ON THE BARGEI AM looking forward to meetingUncle Bob who has a barge alongthe Leeds and Liverpool canal,based at Crooke Village. I can’twait for the holidays and weekendwhen I’m able to go with Uncle Boband help him with taking coal tothe Wigan Power Station. Somedays we change route and go toBurscough, and take flour to a cornmill at Parbold through toBurscough ……….

‘Cebbing’

In August, the potato pickingseason, my cousin and I would go toValentines Farm at Appley Bridge,near Wigan, and help with pickingpotatoes. We would both get half acrown which seemed a lot of moneyto us; of course, we would spend it onraspberry pop and Smith crisps, butthese only cost us 3d., leaving usplenty of change.

I liked it when my cousin and Iwould go to the drift mine at John PitColliery at Crooke, where the big coalwagons loaded with coal would godown the railway lines to be weighedon the roundabout. The coal would bereleased down a chute in the bargeand some of the coal would spill overfrom the barges and fall into thecanal. One old villager thought up anidea on how to get the coal from thecanal. He would get a big shovel butt,put thick wire mesh over the shoveland tie rope over the shovel, whichcould then be thrown into the canal;slowly they pulled out pieces of coal.This method was called ‘cebbing’. Thecoal was then put into some old floursacks and these full sacks of coalwere then placed into wheelbarrows,which was then taken around thevillage and old age pensioners askedif they would like to buy some cheapcoal and slack.

Sometimes the lads next doorwould go into the wagons and get ashovel of whatever was left in them.Helping with the coal would providecoal for the winter and I remembermany people would cycle fromSpringfield and Beech Hill, bringingtheir families with them on theirbikes, so that they could watch thetipping of the coal into the barges.

Fish and chips

In the school holidays, peoplewould spend all afternoon at Crooke

village when the barges were going toWigan Power Station and Burscoughcorn mill. When it was sunny, andalways on Fridays and Saturdays, mycousin and I would sit in the gardenat the pub alongside the canal;sometimes Uncle Bob would sit withus outside or he would stay inside thepub. He would like to get chatting tothe other barge owners and discusswhat they had heard and seen duringthe day.

As there wasn’t a fish and chipshop in Crooke village where I lived,another favourite pastime was havingfish and chips from Burscough, sixmiles away. We loved these fish andchips and raspberry pop. We likedgoing with Uncle Bob on his barge,which was called ‘Shelga’. We liked ittoo when we could help with thecleaning of the brasses around thefireplace on the barge.

Poker to the rescue

At first, my cousin and I werescared when we came up to the canallocks, so we would ask Uncle Bob toleave us at the side of the bank untilwe became used to the big wide locks.It took us a while to get used to them;what probably helped us was findinga stray mongrel dog who had becomeour friend, and whom we namedPoker. Uncle Bob told us that if Pokerwasn’t afraid of the big lock, then weshouldn’t be either. He said weshould hold Poker and try not to lookdown at the big walls inside the lock;we did this, and remembering whatUncle Bob had told us, and thinkingof our reward of fish and chips whichwe would get afterwards, we didn’tthink of the danger! After that, webecame less and less frightened andsoon got used to the locks and bigkeys.

Sometimes it would be raining andcold, so we would stay below in thecabin and have our Oxo drink withour bullies of sliced bread, cheese andpickle and an apple and pear. Wewould read our comics - the Beanoand Dandy.

Black peas

Uncle Bob would sometimes go tothe pub at Parbold with the otherbarge owners and we would meetwith other children from nearbyWigan; they would sometimes tell us

tales of drunken men fighting overwho had won at card games. On ourtrips to Wigan, there would be thesummer fair on the old MarketSquare, where they had candy floss,toffee lollies and cups of black peas;my cousin and I thought they weredelicious, and they certainly made usfeel warm and ready for the walkback down to Wallgate, where‘Shelga’ was moored.

Some of the old people aroundWallgate canal area would ask UncleBob to get them some Indian Brandyfrom the shop at Burscough - theythought it was a stronger flavourbecause it came from the barrel. Otherrequests would be to bring backparaffin from the barrel and bottles ofLanry bleach which was morepowerful and stronger. The old peoplewould repay Uncle Bob by buyinghim some pigs’ trotters and blacktripe in Wigan, or they would justgive him 5s. for getting theirshopping.

Our last night on the ‘Shelga’ wasalways on a Sunday, as we would goto school on the Monday, but wecouldn’t wait until the next Fridaywhen we would set foot again on‘Shelga’.

Horse shoes and muck

It was Uncle Bob’s dream to retireand settle down in the old lock houseat Appley Bridge with ‘Shelga’moored at the side, ready to use forbarge trips once the tipping of coalwas finished. Uncle Bob would getinto talking with other barge ownerswho had horses pulling the barges.Sometimes, the old people at thecottages would ask Uncle Bob to savethe horses’ shoes and the shoes fromother horses that pulled the barges,so that they could nail them on theircoal sheds to promote good luckaround the cottage. Some would alsoask for the ‘horse muck’ to put ontheir gardens, to help the roses andfertilise the soil; this would get goodBurscough potatoes, as everyone atCrooke village said that Burscoughpotatoes tasted better than the onesfrom Wigan Market. They could alsotell the difference between Burscoughand Wigan chips!

But eventually ‘Shelga’ got too oldand, sadly, she ended up in the boatyard at Wigan.

Barbara Anderton Chorley Lancs

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WINSTANLEY HALL“WINSTANLEY is afertile and picturesquetownship, rich in theprevailing mineral ofthe district…” (Baines,History of Lancashire2nd rev. ed. 1891)

Local press has recentlyreported that the currentowners of WinstanleyHall, Dorbcrest Homes,were being urged tocomplete urgent work onthe Hall and Courtyard.Dorbcrest had originallybought the property around fouryears ago with the view to restoringthe Hall and converting part of it toluxury flats. Unfortunately, theydecided this was no longer feasible,since the schemes put forward weredeemed incompatible with greenbelt policies.

This has led to Wigan CouncilPlanning Department issuing anUrgent Works Notice to safeguardthe future of the Grade II listed halland courtyard buildings. Thesemajor structural problems includebulging walls, dry rot, collapsedfloors and dangerous chimneys. Buta look at these pictures show theHall’s former splendour and proudheritage.

The Beginnings

Most early 16th century manorhouses were built of timber on

stone foundations. Towards the endof that century, fashion changedand more substantial houses out ofstone began to be built. The oldestportion of the present WinstanleyHall dates from the period 1555-1561. An even earlier houseprobably existed from as early as1402, adjacent to the still visiblemoat.

The earliest documentaryevidence regarding the Winstanleyfamily, however, is dated 1240.These early houses were built bythe Winstanleys. They intermarriedwith other local landowners,notably the Langtons, who held theBarony of Newton, and the Crossefamily of Wigan, Chorley andLiverpool.

This particular period of time inLancashire was turbulent, withinvading Scottish armies andpillaging by barons, especially

during the Banastrerebellion. The two factionsof Sir Adam Banastre andSir Robert Hollandgenerally caused havoc bytheir incursionsthroughout South WestLancashire, especially inthe areas around Wiganand Pemberton. Therebellion was crushed in1315 with one of theparticipants, Sir WilliamBradshaigh, being forcedto flee the country. Others

paid with their lives.

The Bankes come toWinstanley

Following the death of EdmundWinstanley in 1592, the manorpassed to Edmund’s nephew, also anEdmund, who was living in Wales.Since he was evidently settled there,a buyer was sought. In January1595 James Bankes, goldsmith andresident of London, took possessionof the manor of Winstanley.

Upon the death of James in 1617the manor passed to his sonWilliam, who in turn came to leavethe estate to his son. Thesuccession continued smoothlythrough the generations until thedeath of another William Bankes in1800. This William had been bornin 1751 and was an indefatigable

Continued on page 10

Early engraving of the Hall

An early aerial photograph of Winstanley Hall andestate buildings Squire Bankes in front of the Hall

Meyrick Bankes

10

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traveller both in Britain and abroad.His health, however, was neverrobust and Lancashire’s dampclimate did not help. By the age of47, he was confined to the housedue to his failing health. Upon hisdeath the direct male line died outand the property was left to his firstcousin, Rev Thomas Holme ofUpholland, the son of Ann Bankes.Rev Holme died in 1803 and wassucceeded by his eldest survivingson, Meyrick Holme, who took thename and arms of Bankes in 1804.He became High Sheriff ofLancashire in 1805.

Upon his death in 1827, his onlyson Meyrick succeeded him. At thistime the Winstanley estate extendedto Winstanley, Billinge, Pemberton,Upholland, Newton Park and LowerCudworth (near Barnsley), as wellas the houses of Winstanley Halland Holland Hall and, of course, thecoal pits. By the time of Meyrick II’sdeath in 1881, the family had alsoacquired a large estate at Letterewein Scotland and Bispham Hall nearBillinge. Squire Bankes was heavilyinvolved with the running of hiscoal mines and was often to be seenat one or other of his pits at 5.30a.m. Meyrick actually died at hisoffices in Old Hall Street, Liverpool.His funeral was still remembered in

Wigan in 1945, and there was saidto be “not a yard of black cloth” tobe had in Wigan. The assembledcrowds watching the funeralprocession were said to havenumbered in the region of 10,000.

The estate then passed to theSquire’s daughter, Eleanor, wife ofWilliam John Murray. She tooassumed the name and arms ofBankes. Following her death in1907, her son, George HildyardBankes, inherited the estate. Hewas married to Amy OrkneyStracathro, daughter of CharlesRobertson of Kindeace, Ross-shire.

The 20th Century

Both George and Amy Bankesbecame local magistrates. Amy was

very active locally, being variouslyPresident of Ince Women’s UnionistAssociation, the Billinge branch ofthe National Life Boat Associationand the Wigan and District NursingAssociation and Vice-President ofSt Margaret’s Home for Girls, GooseGreen, as well as being a member ofBillinge Parochial Church Counciland a Trustee of Edelstone Charity,Billinge. For many years she wasalso County Commissioner for N.W.Lancashire for Girl GuidesAssociation and organised manylocal events for charities.

George Hildyard Bankes becameSheriff of Lancashire in 1921. Uponhis death, their daughter JoyceHelena Murray Bankes inherited theproperty. Joyce married CaptainEdward William Jervis Bankes R.N.at Billinge St Aidan’s Church on 23April 1929. Their grandson,Timothy Guy, was still living in theLodge at Winstanley Hall untilrecently. Other members of thefamily had moved south toGloucestershire and one branch nowhas a bookshop in Bath.

Joyce Bankes was very interestedin the history of the estate and hadcompleted two volumes of a historyand part of a third volume beforeher death in 1974. The last volumewas completed by her daughter,Elizabeth Garland. There is a copyof this three volume work in theHistory Shop for referencepurposes.

WINSTANLEYHALL

–––––

Continued from page 9

Amy Bankes

Wedding of Joyce Bankes and Capt. Edward Bankes, 1929

11

Winstanley Hall duringthe Wars

During the two World Wars, theHall and its grounds were givenover to a different clientele. In 1914,G H Bankes offered the Hall asaccommodation to the Red CrossSociety for wounded soldiers andsailors. He offered not only to fitout the Hall as a hospital, but also todo the same at his other seat,Balconie Castle, Ross-shire.However it would also seem that theHall was used as a military trainingand transit camp. Units of RoyalEngineers who were sent to Gallipoliand also the 6th Battalion of theManchester Regiment are known tohave stayed there.

In World War II, the grounds werehome to W.A.A.F.’s in nissen huts.After they moved out, squattersmoved in - 20 families of localhomeless people, many of whomwere ex-servicemen. By SeptemberBillinge Council’s Medical Officerhad inspected the dwellings andpronounced the squatters“comfortably settled and wantingfor nothing from the public healthstandpoint. There was no

THE Hall, in the main, is a stone built Elizabethan manorhouse with extensive alterations at the end of the 18thcentury. The basic plan of the Tudor House can still be tracedi.e. central hall with parlour coming off one side and achamber over the hall. The hall faces east and west accordingto Tudor custom.

Over the succeeding centuries, the Tudor house wasextended to provide more comfortable accommodation, withMeyrick (Holme) Bankes making considerable alterations inthe years 1812-27. Part of the west front was raised by onestorey and a parapet added. A three-storey block with porchwas added to the North West front and became the mainentrance. The Holme and Bankes coat of arms and the date1819 was added (see right, top). It is thought that LewisWyatt worked at Winstanley 1818-19. Plans are in existencethat were signed by him. Meyrick’s son Meyrick (1811-81)further extended the Hall and its site. The courtyard and anoutside staircase were added alongside an older barn. WilliamSpence (1793-1849), a noted sculptor from Liverpool, wascommissioned to create a large fountain of Neptune in thecourtyard (see right, bottom), apparently to Meyrick Bankes’own design. William Spence is thought to have sculpted amarble bust of William Roscoe, the Liverpool abolishionist,which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery in London.Meyrick Bankes also designed the new decorative glasswindows. Further alterations were made between 1881-1904when two bays were built on the west side of the house.

overcrowding”. Arrangements weremade to collect rent of 10 shillings.They stayed for about a year.

SSoouurrcceessJoyce H.M. Bankes Winstanley Hall(unpublished typescript)W.B. Savigny History of Bispham Hall,Billinge (typescript)R. Winstanley Winstanley and Highfield(1998) TypescriptWigan Council websitewww.wiganmbc.gov.uk/pub/council/agendas.Wigan ObserverThe Stable block

Winstanley Hall Lodge, Pemberton Road

12

Family History

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Additions to Taylor Gallery(for reference)DonationsDavies & Rigby; Pemberton St John marriage index 1835-1926Rigby et al; Upholland baptism index 1813-1900Rigby et al; Upholland marriage index 1600-1837Rigby, Newton, Chorlton et al; 1891 census indexes Leigh,Atherton, Tyldesley RG12 3083-3091Registers for Liverpool Road, Platt Bridge Methodist Churchmarriages 2 April 1934 – 28 August 1993Registers for Ashton-in-Makerfield Congregational MethodistChurch marriages 15 Sept 1979 – 3 June 1989

CD ROM Marsden, G; Surname index to Wigan Lower Ince Cemeteryregisters 23 July 1865 – 21 Feb 1873

TranscriptsLancashire Parish Register Society vol. 158: Registers of AllSaints Newton Heath Part 1: 1655-1796

GenealogyBeckett, I.F.W. The First World War: essential guide tosources in the UK National ArchivesWatts, C.T. Tracing Births, Deaths & Marriages at Sea

GeneralAshcroft, Tony 150 Years of Service: a brief history of ChristChurch, Pennington 1854-2004 283.42736Hamilton, Jill Thomas Cook : the holiday-maker 338.76191Higgins, Peter The Surgeon’s Journal, Lancaster Castle1843-49 365.66Miller, Alan From Upholland Grammar School to WinstanleyCollege 373.42736Suggitt, G Lost Railways of Merseyside and GreaterManchester 385.094273 *Darbyshire, Fred A Footplateman Remembers: the staff andworkings at Lower Ince Shed 385.0942736 *Pixton, Bob Main Line Railways around Wigan 385.0942736Jenkinson, David LNWR Carriages: a concise history 625.23Maconie, Stuart Cider with Roadies 780.92Hayes, Dean P The Who’s Who of Wigan Athletic in theFootball League 1978-2004 796.334

Lancashire Football Association A Celebration of 125 Years1878-2003 796.334 *Tarbuck, Martin Let’s Hang On (Wigan Athletic) 796.334Leigh Cricket, Tennis and Bowling Club Celebrating 150Years 1854-2004 796.358094227Howe, Malcolm Death the Grim Reaper – the PilkingtonCrest 929.2Briody R F House of Briody 929.2 BRIEllis, Miles From the Falls of the Pig’s Brook 929.2 ELL *Shotter, David Romans and Britons in North-West England3rd ed. 936.2704Bonner, Robert Great Gable to Gallipoli (6th ManchesterBattalion) 940.48141Ferguson, A P Lancashire Airfields in the Second World War940.5443 *Women at War Eye Witness Accounts from the Imperial WarMuseum’s Sound Archive 941.08409Griffiths, A Memories of an Atherton Pitman 942.736Leech, Joseph Extracts from the War Diary of Joseph Leech,Wigan 942.736Ridyard, Richard Mining Days in Abram (new edition)942.736Bark, Gertrude Around the Kitchen Table: a LancashireChildhood 942.76* an asterisk denotes copies are available for purchase in ourshop.

Project NewsOnce again our indexing Friends have come up trumps, on

our behalf, with a bumper crop of research aids. Volume 2 ofWigan Lower Ince Cemetery register indexes for July 1865-February 1873 has been added to our growing stock of CDROMS, thanks to Gerald Marsden. Both he and Freda Chorltonare currently indexing the next two reels of the registers whichwill soon take the indexes up to the end of 1887.

As usual Gerry Rigby and his industrious group of helpers,have been hard at work producing indexes to the 1891 censusfor Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley. So far they have indexedthe greater part. This project amalgamated the indexesproduced by Tom Newton and Freda Chorlton along withsome produced by Gerry’s own group. Copies of the indexesare available for reference both in the Taylor Gallery at theHistory Shop and Leigh Local History with a CD ROM versionbeing at Leigh Archives.

Incredibly, Gerry Rigby’s group has, in addition to theseindexes, this past month, presented to the History Shopresearch area, a copy of their Index to Baptisms at UphollandSt Thomas for 1813-1900.

Meanwhile, Barbara Davies soldiers on in her solitary butmammoth task of indexing the burials of St John, Pemberton.

The latest news from Wigan Register Office’s volunteerindexers is that the current number of Wigan and Leighmarriages indexed, checked and whose details are listedonline at www.lancashirebmd.org.uk, stands currently at941,131. The next tranche to be added, possibly by the timeyou read this edition of Past Forward, will consist of a further36,021 marriages for Leigh, Atherton, Astley, Tyldesley,Golborne and Lowton, covering the period c.1843 to c.1931.Astonishingly, Wigan All Saints marriages are representedfrom 1837 to 1926. Goose Green St Paul, whose marriageregisters still remain at the church, are indexed by the site for1916-1930.

13

Websiteswww.lan-opc.org.uk

I included this site in Past Forward 39 highlighting Athertonand Tyldesley. There are, however, many other areas of theBorough listed, each giving valuable information forgenealogists and local historians.

The sections devoted to Wigan, Standish and Uphollandhave grown apace these last few months. Standish now hassearchable indexes to burials, baptisms and marriages 1653-1840, with links to entry details. The Wigan section includesa link to Highfield St Mathews burials (reviewedin Past Forward 36) online atwww.stmatthewhighfield.org.UK/registers, and growingdatabases to the church records of All Saints, Wigan, StDavid’s Haigh and, unusually, to the Catholic registers of StMary and St John Wigan and St Marie’s Standish. The OnlineParish Clerk for Wigan, Margaret Gardner, is to becommended for her considerable efforts.

www.stmichaeldalton.co.uk This new site is devoted, as the title suggests, to St

Michael’s Church at Dalton, providing burial entries completewith an excellent search engine, with links to the grave details,a pointer to the exact location on the churchyard plan andincluding a colour photograph of the headstone.www.ancestry.co.uk

Many readers will already be familiar with this site and alsoits sister site at www.ancestry.com.

The site has recently added the 1861 census to its list ofsearchable sources, in association with National Archives.Thus for a subscription you can now view all census images1861-1901. There is still an initial free search.

To view the image, formerly, you would have had to pay ahefty annual fee of £69.95 or quarterly fee of £29.95. Now anew pay as you go system is available, whereby for £6.99 youmay view 20 pages anytime over a period of seven days. Civilindexes to births, marriages and deaths can still be searchedfor free and for an up-grade in subscription, it is possible tocheck Aerican records also.

Other records available are the Pallot marriage index, UKand Ireland Parish and probate records, Irish immigrants tothe Port of New York, Indian Army records and early UK andUS directories 1680-1830.

Continued on page 14

Family HistoryWorkshops

If any of you out there have always felt you would fancyfinding out more about your ancestors, this is yourchance. At the History Shop in Wigan all the local churchrecords and 19th century census returns are kept. Thiscollection forms the core of our genealogy study centrefor the borough and it is here those secrets could beunlocked.

A couple of guiding notes about this material. Firstlyit is mainly on microfilm or increasingly the computer, sopre-booking is required. Secondly this is a local/regionalactivity. Records of your forebears from our area can befound here but not from further afield. Once you traceback to relatives from outside our borough then I’mafraid travelling is required.

If all of this is new to you why not come along to oneof our Family History Workshops? These are one-to-onesessions run by our ‘Friends’ organisation to help peopleto get started on their family history. They are on thefollowing Wednesday afternoons in the Taylor Gallery onthe first floor of the History Shop. Unfortunately thisvenue is not yet accessible by wheelchair (though we areworking hard on this!) as a staircase needs to benegotiated. If disabled arrangements are requiredplease ring the number below.

DDaattee TTiimmee LLooccaattiioonn3 August 2005 1.30 & 3.00 pm History Shop24 August 2005 1.30 & 3.00 pm History Shop14 September 2005 1.30 & 3.00 pm History Shop

The arrangements are the same as for previous series -bbooookkiinngg iiss eesssseennttiiaall. The fee of £2.50 is payable inadvance, and in return a Family History pack isdistributed before the session. The very best features ofthe sessions are:

v one-to-one tuition from an experienced genealogist,including a tour of the History Shop study area.

v free use of the machines and facilities with adviceand guidance as to the next steps.

v the general approach is for the beginner, but moreadvanced workshops can be arranged.

v Similarly, if the Wednesday afternoon slot does notsuit your circumstances, other times can bearranged.

Please ring the History Shop with yourrequirements or to book your place, on 01942828128.

New local history DVD from theBillinge History/Heritage Society

We have just got news that a brand new 34-minute DVDfeaturing film, photograph and even song has been created bythis busy society in Billinge (see also Society News page forfurther details). It features Billinge history from the very earliesttimes through to the last century, and is expertly narrated byAlan Rooney of BBC Radio Merseyside.

A high point must be a rendition of ‘Eau'r Nell’s Jack’, a songabout a champion speed skater from Billinge, Jack Hill, whotook on the then national champion in 1879 on Carr Mill Damand won! [see Past Forward 36, p30 for an article on Jack Hill].

All sales will be for a very good cause. Joe Taylor of thesociety said: "We are just trying to sell enough copies to coverthe cost of supplying a disk each to all the primary schoolchildren in the village. I’m sure people would pay for it anyway,but as all money collected is going back into free copies for thekids I hope it will be an extra incentive."

If you fancy a slice of Billinge history on DVD, contact thesociety via their web site at www.billinge-history.com. At thetime of going to press the price has not been fixed, but the PastForward verdict is that it must be well worth a few pounds.

Family History

Continued from page 13

Dear SirThank you for

publishing Fred Holcroft’sarticle ‘Another War inIraq’ (Past Forward no38). It was of particularinterest to me becauseWilliam Moore was myfather’s eldest brother. Thesmaller of the twophotographs in the articlewas one I have never seen.

He was of a line ofWilliam Moores that I havetraced back to 1748 inDevon. William’s

Dear SirI have been researching my grandparents’ families for the

past 10 to 12 years. I have had considerable success with theBeesleys, Liptrots and Forshaws but the Dawsons are proving alittle more difficult. I would appreciate any contact fromdescendants of the following families (all are brothers or sistersof my grandfather Fred (James Fredrick) Dawson). Newark Shipley Dawson (tailors cutter) married Jane Leech in1902 May Agnes Dawson married grocer Alfred John Davies in 1909 Ernest Dawson (tailor) married Monica Magraw in 1911 Gertrude Dawson married Fredrick Bell in 1927 Other siblings were John Arthur Dawson born 1884Norah Dawson born 1889Percy Dawson born 1891Olive Tamar Dawson born 1893Sydney Dawson born 1898 (Sydney might have married SarahKendrick in 1906)

I would appreciate contact from any relatives. Thanks in advance.

Margaret HeganSuffolk

Tel: 01359 244194Email: margaret.hegan@btinternet.com

grandparents made theirway to Wigan via Cardifffollowing the workavailable in the mines andthen finally to Wiganwhere William was born.The family like manyothers left their farmlabourers jobs after severalyears of bad harvests. Iknew very little of himuntil recently other thanthat he was killed in Iraqand was awarded the DCM.

The medal unfortunatelyhas vanished. I wonder if itis in some collection ofmilitary history. It would begood to know that it doesnot simply sitanonymously in acupboard somewhere, withthe human story behind itsexistence unknown.

I have lived in Torontofor 30 years but myinterest is Wigan issustained by my sister whostill lives there and sendsme copies of Past Forward.

Eric MooreToronto Canada

Email:nemoore@pathcom.com

WilliamMoore's

DCM Medal

DAWSONS

14

Dear Mr. GilliesI was very interested to

read the article about thesinking of the ‘Priam’ in thelatest issue of Past Forward(p7). John and HarrietDarbyshire were mygreatgrandparents - I havealready corresponded withTony Ashcroft about them.

However, I was wonderingif there was room in the nextissue for an enquiry about mypaternal grandmotherElizabeth Spencer nee Burnsof 17 Abbey Street, Leigh. Iam trying to find out whereand when she was born.Although I can remember mygrandmother, as she liveduntil she was 81, I cannot findher place of birth, nor can Ifind her on the 1881 census.She died in Leigh on 10 July1961, having lived there allher married life;unfortunately, however, all hersix children, including myfather, are now dead, so noinformation there.

The very little I know aboutElizabeth is that she lived inClopton Street,

Hulme before she marriedAlfred Spencer on 9 March1903 in the Registry Office inChorlton, Manchester. Alfredwas a coachman to a doctorand lived in Leigh.

Alfred and Elizabeth areburied in a grave in Leighcemetery, along with Gladysand Edith, their daughters.There is also a child namedHarry who was born after thedeath of my grandfather. Iknew nothing about theexistence of Harry - mygrandmother’s name is on hisbirth certificate as his mother.

If anyone can throw somelight on the above, I would bemost grateful.

Pauline Howell(nee Spencer)

38 Glossop RoadMarple Bridge

Stockport SK6 5ELEmail: paulinehowell@

breathemail.net

Dear EditorI am a new member of the Wigan FHS and am

endeavouring to carry out research into my mother’sfamily in and around Ashton-in-Makerfield where mymother came from. I wonder if anyone can help me witha couple of queries I have.

My relative Gladys Wright used to work, I believe, atWigan Casino - there is a flower case on her grave inOur Lady of Good Counsel, engraved “From yourfriends at the Casino”. She died at the age of 47 on 10February 1954. If there is anyone that could give meany information about her I would be most grateful.

Also my mother used to tell me a rhyme about a littlemouse that went out one night and left half it’s tale ina mousetrap; I think she could possibly have learnt thisat school. She and her family all attended St. Oswald’s& St. Edmund’s RC Church, where my greatgrandparents, grandparents and a few other relativesare buried. Also my great grandfather Jacob Wright, asa child, used to receive clothing etc., from the ‘Woollen& Linen Charity’; do any of your readers or members ofthe Society know anything about this?

Thank you very much for any help your readers cangive me.

Catherine Webb15 Longmeadow

WeaverhamNorthwich CW8 3JH

Email: KatyCheshire@aol.com

Elizabeth Spencer(nee Burns)

GLADYS WRIGHT

SOSMrs D Leonard 3 Felixstowe Close, Hartlepool, Teeside

TS25 2RE (tel: 01429 423218) is anxious to contactdescendants of the Good family, namely John, Mary-Ann, Augustus, Clara, children of Michael and Mary-Ann Good (nee Brannan).

15

40 years ago, Higher Folds Primary School opened its doors. Here the firstHeadmaster, Glyn Jones, in the first of a fascinating new series, recalls these excitingearly days, with mixed emotions.

Higher FoldsA New School Opens

“HIGHER Folds school saysgoodbye with Bingo. A localPrimary school will be welcomingvisitors to look around before itcloses its doors for the last time.The school will be demolished overthe summer holidays to make wayfor a new building. Ex pupils, staffand governors and members of theHigher Folds community are beinginvited to take a last lookaround”. Thus reported the LeighJournal in June 2001.

As I mingled with the parentswaiting in the school hall for the startof the Bingo session it became for mean occasion to “summon upremembrance of things past”. If thosewalls could only speak!

“Leigh’s stop-go school toopen at last”

This was the Journal’s headlinesfor 1May. The article continued:

“A school which was built aftermore than four years of dispute hasopened its doors at last and nowfaces the threat of over crowding.Leigh’s Higher Folds County PrimarySchool was included in the 1960building programme but because of a‘who pays for what’ wrangle betweenthe National Coalboard, LeighCorporation and the County Council,the project was held up.

Eventually the delays about wherethe school should be and concernabout compensation for possiblemining subsidence were settled andthe children moved in last week.There was another shock waiting forthe education authorities. It had beenestimated that there would be aninitial intake of 120 children, but onopening day 170 turned up, and 150wanted to stay for dinner. There werecrowded classes until a temporaryteacher was found. The problem ofproviding extra meals was solved byhaving them brought from acanteen.”

I was appointed Headmaster of the

new school on 25 February 1965, at asalary of £1,585 per year. Thebuilding was due for completion on23 April and the school was to admitits first children one week later. Thetimetable was obviously a very tightone - in sharp contrast to theprolonged negotiations which hadpreceded the building.

“Even the storks havebronchitis here!”

At the time of my appointment Iwas a full-time teaching head of athree teacher village school, with nonon-teaching time and no clericalassistance. I was then given soleresponsibility for requisitioning allstationery and text books for the newschool, but as my resignation couldnot take effect until 30 April, this hadto be done in my ‘spare’ time, againwithout any clerical assistance. I wasalso given sole responsibility formaking timetables and schemes ofwork for the new school. It wasfortunate that I had a number of yearsof varied experience. I had taught in alarge Junior school in a city, had twoyears teaching a Remedial class in anon-affluent district and finally, I had10 years as Head of a village school.

My first visit to the school to seehow the building was progressingconvinced me that my ownbackground made me ‘tailor made’for the task ahead. I wasaccompanied by ‘Charlie’ Bratt, theChairman of Managers. He viewedthe factory chimneys on the horizonand the panorama of surroundingcoal tips. “Even the storks havebronchitis here”, he said. My fatherwas a coal miner and I feltimmediately at home. I had thefeeling that I had arrived at the rightspot at the right time.

‘Handbook of Suggestions’

The years between the War and myarrival at Higher Folds sawmomentous change. In my early yearsthere was no Ministry of Education,but a Board of Education. Childrenwho did not go to Grammar schoolsstayed on at Elementary schools untilthey were 14 years old. The Boardpublished a Teacher’s manual calledthe ‘Handbook of Suggestions’, whichwas used in my teacher training days.It gave guidelines for the curriculumand teaching method. The curriculumwas set out in detail and timetableswere adhered to strictly. Scripturelessons ended at exactly 9.30 a.m.and arithmetic, which was dividedinto times for tables drill, mentalarithmetic and problems, lasted fromthen until 10.30. Every Fridaymorning there would be a written test.

The teaching of English wassimilarly divided. There was round-the-class reading, group reading,silent reading, and comprehensionexercises. There was also a time whenthe teacher read excerpts fromliterature and poetry. There was alesson for composition preparation,for the writing of the composition, anda lesson for corrections. Excerpts fromsome individual compositions wouldbe read to the class, and exercises inspelling, sentence construction andgrammar would be taken from these.Handwriting lessons were also givenwith attention to posture, the ‘correct’way of holding the pen, letterformation and neatness. The samestandard was expected from theteacher when writing on theblackboard!

‘Seamless robe of learning’

By the ‘60’s the Board of Educationhad been replaced by the Ministry ofEducation, and teaching in Primaryschools became child centred, notsubject centred. Teachers were to

by

Glyn Jones

Continued on page 16

16

adopt the ‘seamless robe of learning’approach, with emphasis on thecorrelation of subjects. A subject suchas transport would be chosen, andplanning of the lessons would includeaspects of literature, maths,geography, art etc. Unless a watchfuleye was kept on this it could result inchildren doing a lot of repetitive workfrom class to class. Indeed they wouldsometimes find that in their first yearat the ‘Sec.Mod.’ they would berepeating projects they had done inJunior school. This was theeducational climate which prevailedwhen the Higher Folds school opened.Head teachers at this time were givena great deal of freedom in establishingthe curriculum to be adopted.

Meanwhile in society at large therewas emerging what was to becomeknown as the ‘permissive society’.There are some who argue that manyof the problems facing schools todayhave their roots in that period.Certainly the tendency to place fewerrestraints upon children made themaintaining of discipline in schoolsmore difficult. On the other hand therewere some positive sides to this era. Idoubt whether some of the creativetalents shown by many of the childrenat Higher Folds would haveblossomed under the old authoritarianregime.

Panic stations!

The original staff appointed were:

W G Jones, HeadmasterL Johnson, Deputy HeadMrs C Davies and Mrs D Pitt, Infantteachers

But the new school hardly got off toa dream start. It had been anticipatedthat 120 children would start on thefirst morning, with numbersincreasing at the beginning of the newschool year. But on the first day 172children arrived. Panic stations! Staffat the Leigh office must have pulledout all the stops. Extra chairs anddesks were found, as well as an extramember of staff, Miss J Lowe, astudent awaiting entrance to TeacherTraining College.

The school kitchen had beendesigned to provide a maximum of 100meals. On the first day 150 childrenstayed to school dinner. Extra mealswere brought from a nearby canteen,and I had to organise two sittings. MrsAspinall and Mrs Davies, the twocooks, were to stay at the school duringthe whole of my time there.

The first term was obviously goingto be something of a ‘holdingoperation’ until the beginning of thenew school year which, in those days,commenced in August. It wasimportant to gain the confidence ofthe parents, so that they would passon favourable impressions to otherparents on the estate. Some parentscontinued to bus their children toother schools in Leigh, and someunderstandingly felt a sense of loyaltyto those schools.

Two factors, however, were ofconsiderable help to me. Firstly, MrsDavies and Mrs Pitt brought withthem two Infant classes which hadbeen housed in an annexe of St.Matthew’s church This meant that,though the surroundings were new,the young children were met byfamiliar faces. The second positivefactor was the temperament of MrJohnson, the Deputy Head (he laterbecame a Head at Cadishead.) - he

was a calm and unflappable personwho had that quiet air of authority towhich children instinctively respond.

The ‘tone’ for the day

I always attached great importanceto the Morning Assembly. It set the‘tone’ for the day. More importantly, itshowed that the school was acommunity, not just a collection ofindividual classes. The content of theAssemblies would hopefully enhancethis feeling.

The first Morning Assembly set thepattern for the years ahead. Mr.Johnson would bring in the top classJuniors first. He would lead them fromhis classroom along the linkingcorridor, chairs held in front of them,to their place at the back of the hall.They would deposit their chairs andsit in lines as straight and equallyspaced as though they were lined upfor inspection on Horse GuardsParade. Other classes would be sentfor in turn.

To background music supplied bythe gramophone or by myself at thepiano, children would proceed quietlyto their places. Staff would sit oppositetheir respective classes.

Shoe inspection

The first term went reasonablywell, but even at this early stage, therewas evidence of shortcomings in thedesign and structure of the building.The immediate concern was thelandscaping. This had not beencompleted before the first childrenwere admitted. In wet weather, thegreen verges bordering the asphaltplayground were a sea of mud. Inspite of adult supervision, the mudhad a magnetic attraction for thechildren at playtimes and dinnertimes. Unlike in the case of thehippopotamus of Flanders and Swannfame, wallowing in the mud did not

Higher FoldsA New School

Opens–––––

Continued from page 15

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cool the blood. On the one hand I hadparents complaining about the state ofthe children’s shoes, and on the otherhand I had caretakers complainingabout the mud in classrooms and hall.Drastic action was called for.

At the end of playtime the dutyteacher would blow the whistle.Children would then cease theiractivities and walk to their allocatedline in the playground. Each classteacher would then supervise theirentry in single file - a great advantagewhen trying to solve the problem ofthe muddy shoes. I instituted a shoeinspection. I would inspect each childat the entrance to the classroom.Children with excessively muddyshoes would deposit their shoesoutside the classroom door in neatlines and collect them at home time.However, this measure only hadlimited success. In the first ninemonths of the school’s life, fourcaretakers resigned!

Miss Dorothy Shepherd

The school log book for thebeginning of our first complete schoolyear contained the following entry:

“Miss Dorothy Shepherd,(Probationer), commenced.”

Dorothy was the first of manyteachers who started their career atHigher Folds.

Unfortunately the log book for 27February 1989 read:

“It is with sadness we record thedeath of Mrs. Dorothy Hayman.”

Dorothy was a talented,unassuming teacher, who wasdedicated to teaching in general but toHigher Folds in particular. She wasespecially gifted in producing, andsometimes writing, dramatisations ofBible stories. I often helped her withthese, providing suitable recordedbackground music. We kept in touchafter my retirement. I let her havesome recordings of these and othermemories of happy occasions atschool. I know these sometimes gaveher enjoyment during her illness.

“Nothing but the best”

The official opening of the schooltook place on 23 October. During themorning clean up to get things spickand span the bulldozer was reversedinto one of the large glass windows inthe linking corridor! Sinceproceedings were not to commenceuntil 3.00 p.m. there was time forrepairs to be carried out!

No one was prouder than theChairman of Managers, Charles Bratt.

“Nothing but the best for HigherFolds” was his introduction. Someyears after, in a moment of rarecynicism, I wrote the following poem.

NOTHING BUT THE BEST

The Chairman smiled and swelled with pride as he viewed the parents gatheredinside. The Architect smiled and viewed with elation his wondrous creation. But the ravage of inflation led to much modification and the building as it stands is not quite as he had planned. The Education Officer smiled and advised ‘Don’t set your sights too high good teachers are in short supply. Just make the best of what you get. We haven’t reached Utopia yet.’

The Headteacher smiledAnd had it filed.

Beginning of a musictradition

At Christmas 1965 we had our firstcarol service. We set the ‘tone’ forwhat I hoped would be theestablishing of a music tradition in theschool. We had a small ‘ensemble’performing a ‘Christmas Suite’ . Ourown singers and recorder players werejoined by two guests. We had Mr A BPearson, Divisional Education Officer,playing the treble recorder and MissJennifer Patterson, County MusicAdviser, playing the violin. More than100 parents attended.

We now had 223 children on rolland two Infant classes had to beaccommodated full time in the hall.The hall was well equipped as a gymbut could not now be used for thatpurpose. An experienced teacher, MrsMorris, was appointed to a gradedpost in the Infant Department and, atthe beginning of the new school year,we had two further appointments,Miss G Waind and Mrs V Wilkinson.

One of the most enjoyable events inthis period was a visit to ManchesterOpera House. 64 children, parents andteachers went to see the D’Oyle Carteproduction of ‘The Mikado’. Followingthis the large windows in the linkingcorridor were filled with almost lifesize paintings of several of thecharacters, as seen through the eyesof Mrs Andrews.

Success at rugby

We also had successful Parents’

Evenings and the first of what was tobecome an annual fixture, wherebyparents played against children atcricket and rounders. At such timesthe vibrant atmosphere in theplayground and on the playing fieldsmade one feel that the school wasbecoming part of the community.

By now our fourth year group waslarge enough for us to have a rugbyteam which could join the LeighSchools Rugby League. I recall thatour first victory was againstPennington, and that the scorer of thefirst try was a well-built redheadcalled Peter France, who later went onto play rugby union with Tyldesley.Peter was a quiet lad, but on the rugbyfield he steamrollered his way overless well physically endowedyoungsters. I composed a calypso tocelebrate his first try.

Of course it often happened thatboys on the rugby field showed ahitherto unseen side of theircharacters. One such boy, who did notgo on to play professionally, inspiredme to write this poem (this was laterbroadcast on Radio 4 in a programmecalled ‘Pen to Paper’).

Teacher saysHe’s rude, insolent,Lazy, a perfect nuisanceA trouble maker.Psychologist saysHe’s retarded, aggressive, Shows signsOf maternal deprivation. Mother saysNever does as he’s told,Not at allLike my other children. His pals sayHe’s toughA fast runnerA smashing tackler. Please sirCan he be on our side?

A number of Higher Folds boyswent on to play professional rugbywith Leigh. I recall going to one matchat Hilton Park when Leigh wereplaying Wigan. The Wigan teamincluded John Pendlebury and theLeigh team Darren Beazant andWayne Atherton. They all started theirrugby at Higher Folds C.P. School.Paul Hardman also played for Leigh atthat time. Steve Davies, another ‘OldBoy’, signed for Wigan as a teenager.Other boys, including John’s brotherGary, went on to play amateur RugbyLeague.

To be continued in the nextissue, when Glyn recalls moreteething problems of the newschool in the late ‘60’s.

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I'll tell you a taleHAVE you ever tried tellingsomeone under 40 that yougrew up in a house withouttelevision? Once they’vestopped looking at you as ifyou’ve sprouted a secondhead, they will ask theinevitable question - whatdid you do? Well you knowthe answer of course. Wetalked and listened.

His tales live on

My dad Jack Cain needed nosecond bidding to talk of hisbeloved Ince and Wigan. Givehim the chance and you’d havebetter not wanted an earlynight. Scraps of old paper and thebacks of envelopes would serve todraw maps. The next day all theboxes, crosses, lines and squigglesmeant little, but the night before theyhad been railways, mills, tram tracksand forges as he created the world ofhis youth. The tales he told, well yes- maybe some were a bit on the tallside - but he could take you with him,back to the ‘20’s and ‘30’s. Here aminer with a blackened face, trudginghome after a long shift; there ashrimp seller from Southport touringthe streets. There were kids kicking arag ball while the sound of a trumpetfloated in and out of the terracedrows.

Although my dad is no longer withus, his tales live on in my mind, andin sharing them with you maybe itwill stir some of your recollections. Soimagine him on one side of acrackling fire, me on the other and thecat curled up on the rug between us,whistling down her nose, andtwitching - dreaming of mice, whilethe old grandfather clock filled theroom with its heartbeat.

Dad was born at the top of BelleGreen Lane in Ince in 1915. The rowsof terraces built for the workers at TopPlace iron and steelworks are gone, asare the works, most of the pubs andthe bowling greens, but if you canpicture them, picture also a small boyholding the reins of the coalman’shorse while the coalman delivers hissacks. For this assistance my dad wassat up on the horse and taken for aride up the street. After this closeencounter with horse, coalman and

Wigan’s ‘Black Diamonds’, you canimagine the state he went home in.

“You prize idiot”

Belle Green school and missionchurch obviously served an importantrole in community life. Despite theirphysical toughness, many minerswere quite religious men . Living withthe constant danger, as well aspossibly having survived service inthe Great War, may have contributedin some way. John Willie Heaton wasone such and played the little churchorgan.

Some readers may recall thePennington family, painters anddecorators in Ince - Arthur, the father,and sons Jack and Corny. Corny andmy dad were pals but was Corny quiteso ‘head in the clouds’ as dad madeout? One day the teacher was tellingthe class how Deakins got the fruit fortheir jams from the Vale of Eveshamand Corny was called up to point tothe area. He supposedly obliged bypointing to the middle of the NorthSea, to be sent back with the words ofthe teacher ringing in his ears.....”You prize idiot Pennington”.

The Pennington’s businessactivities were prone to mishap too.Once they set fire to a woman’scurtains with a blowlamp and randown the street shouting “Eh missustha curtins is aleet.” Mrs Penningtonwas obviously a woman of principleas my uncle, Teddy Cain (in his 100thyear) told me how she took an axe toCorny’s bike as he had kept my dadwaiting.

Sport was king

Sport was king to ladsplaying in the streets. Somefrom that district became topflight rugby players, such asJonnie Lawrenson, Dick Greenand Tommy Holland. AfterBolton won the famous 1923‘White Horse’ final, the gamewas recreated, with a lad namedHotchkiss as the Bolton goaliePym. Another boy (AaronRoby?) had a short leg and, ifthe tale is to be believed, playedas a winger so he could prop hisshort leg on the kerbstone.

Come summer the boysplayed cricket at the foot of theslag tip at the side of Hemfield

Road. Makeshift stumps would be setup on the narrow strip of grass andthe game would get under way. Playwas interrupted many a time as anironworks locomotive would releaseits load of slag filled ladles. As thesehad often solidified to some degreethey would roll down from the top ofthe tip high above the cricket match.The stumps would quickly be pulledand the boys would flee. Sometimesthe slag boulders would break openand showers of sparks and red hotslag would shower everywhere.

Many adventures were to be hadaround the ironworks. One involvedstraddling a huge pipe that ran acrossthe lodge of steaming water pumpedfrom the great boilers. Another waswading in Hindley Hall golf club laketo find lost balls, all the whilebelieving in the huge pike that mightbite your toes at any moment. Thenthere was the delf between Kirklessand Aspull, which in dad’s accountresembled Jurassic Park, or ConanDoyle’s ‘lost world’.

Kickcap was a rather unkind gameplayed when a new boy entered thearea. Each boy took turns to kick afolded cap as far as possible. When itwas the new boy’s turn a stone or halfa brick was slipped inside. Many aclog was broken and the poorunfortunate given a clip around theear on his return home for incurringrepair bills the family could ill afford.

Another of dad’s stories concerneda girl named Mary Nichols who hadhad a brand new scooter, the envy of

The Cain family at Francis Street, Ince 1926

Ô

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all. Edward Atherton’s dad couldn’tabide his son being without, so he setabout building one for Edward. Theonly trouble was that he built it withwhatever he could find and it endedup looking and sounding like a tank.The wheels were so wide it couldn’tlean over, and so couldn’t go roundcorners; but Edward was dead proudof it. When he took to the street on it,people rushed to their windows to seewhat was making the noise.

As a child my dad was obviously agreat one for getting his way intoplaces. Next door to his home inFrancis Street lived the Holmesfamily, and they had a cat’s whiskerwireless set which they used to lethim listen to under the headphones.Another port of call was the signalbox that controlled the level crossingwhich took the Springs Branchrailway across Belle Green Lane at theOak Tree pub. He would sit on a stoolwatching the signalman pull thelevers and keep warm in there on awinter’s day. If he couldn’t get inthere, there was a cloggers roughlyopposite where once again a smallboy might scramble up on aconvenient stool. He alwaysmentioned something that had madean impression on him as a lad - howthe flags rang at a certain point nearthe cloggers. He wondered in later lifeif it had anything to do with theworkings of the industrious Beecolliery underneath.

Came in at 33-1

As I mentioned above, the Kirkless(Top Place) ironworks dominated thatarea, and the men who worked on thegreat furnaces could drink like fishdue to the heat in which they worked.The young children in each familywould deliver drink to their fatherscome break time. The men loved aflutter on the horses and one dayencouraged dad to choose a horse.His choice of one called ‘The Bug’ at33-1 didn’t meet with universaldelight but the men went with it - andit won. Thereafter they kept askinggrandad Cain, “When’s your little ladcoming up again?”

The ironworks was the source formany stories handed on fromgrandad to my dad. Many of themwere sad, and illustrative of the harshworking conditions either side ofWorld War I. The one that used togive me a chill as a child was of theman suffocated to death in a fluewhen the doors were shut by accidentwhilst he was inside cleaning. Therewas a one eyed man blinded by red

hot molten iron as it was run into thepig beds and splashed up into hisface. Scars from burns were almost abadge of office, it would seem. Thenthere was the hated manager, Big Dafthe Welshman, who lived in Kirk1essHall by the canal. He would see thechildren waiting with their fathers’drink and refuse to let the men take it.

The Hill was on dad’s paper roundand the dark, unlit lane that ran pastit filled him with dread as a little lad.So he would hurry on to reachsanctuary on Cale Lane as quickly aspossible. He used to recount how oneday a horse fell into the canal when itslipped while pulling a loaded barge.Men were trying to secure it withropes and pull it to safety. At othertimes people were forced to throwfighting dogs into the canal to partthem. Walking along the tow pathtowards Top Look now, it is hard toimagine the once constant noise andactivity of the place. Thefamous ‘glow upon theheavens’ caused when thefurnaces were opened at nightfor loading is something thatsome readers may haveexperienced when young.

Stopped two weekspay

By the 1930s Jack Cain wasapprenticed to the famousWigan engineers Walker Bros.Unusually Wigan RLFC wereplaying a midweek daytimematch, a cup replay I think.Together with another chapnamed Harry Cowser dadslipped away to watch thegame. They were found outand were duly hauled beforeMajor Walker who stoppedthem two weeks pay. Theshame of having to admit tohis mother that she wouldn’tsee any money from him for afortnight was something thatwas never forgotten.

Even allowing for someembroidery over the years,Jack’s memories, and those heinherited from his father,serve to show what a hard butvibrant world existed backthen. The war took him awayfrom Wigan and, for nearly 60years, he lived down south;but somehow nothing quiterecaptured those colourful,youthful days in Ince as far ashe was concerned. To himthere were two kinds ofpeople -Lancastrians andother folk - and even other

Lancastrians gave best to Wiganers.Towards the end of his life I

introduced him to a charismatic friendof mine and they got on like a houseon fire. Afterwards he said, “talkingto your pal was like being back in Incewith the people I grew up with.” Theultimate accolade. As they say, youcan take the boy out of Wigan butyou’ll not take Wigan out the boy.

* * * * * Back in issue 26, the Editor kindlypublished photos of Ince BoysBrigade at camp in the 1920’s.Fortunately some further shots havecome to light. The fun that the ladshad on these trips is evident and theyalso illustrate the more simpleamusements of young lads in daysgone by. Are any members stillabout?

Neil CainNortholt Middesex

Ince Boys’ Brigade at Rhyl, 1932 (JackCain is 2nd from right)

Fun and games for the Brigade at Ansdellnear Lytham, 1931

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HISTORY SHOP NEWSExhibitions at the HistoryShop

The Taylor Gallery

Routes to Your Roots19 March - 20 August

You still have time to catch this fascinating travellingexhibition from the National Coal Mining Museum forEngland, supplemented by local material, if you have notalready done so.

If you want to find out about your ancestors whoworked in the coal mining industry, and how they livedtheir lives in the heart of the coal mining community.Then this is the exhibition for you. Using photographs,artefacts and documents from our collections, weexplain the sources available, and how to use them.Younger visitors can use our special storyboards to learnhow to become family and local history detectives, andplay the ‘Back to Your Roots’ game.

A Feast of Photography!The History Shop welcomes Wigan Borough’s two

distinguished local photographic societies for theirannual exhibitions. If you love photography, you must notmiss either of them.

Wigan Photographic Society AnnualShow27 August - 10 September

The members will be showing works that they haveproduced over the last twelve months. There will be over400 images, both prints and slides. Visitors will have theopportunity to vote for their favourite picture. Last year,you voted for this picture of a very appealing seal byDerek Swift.

Atherton Photographic SocietyAnnual Show14 September - 1 October

Atherton will presenting a cross section of memberswork from their 2004-2005 competition entries, originallyshown at their club premises. It includes a wide variety ofsubject matter in both in traditional and digital formats.This serene picture of Derwentwater is by Sue Riley.

The Changing Face of Wigan15 October 2005 - 11 February 2006

Can you remember what Wigan looked like 20 yearsago? The town centre is currently undergoingredevelopment to build a grand new shopping centre. Wehave taken this opportunity to explore how and whyWigan has changed over the years, and is still changing.Through old maps, documents, photographs and worksof art from our collections, we present the changing faceof Wigan from the early 19th century to the present day.

Next Year!

The Secret Life of Textiles 6 March - 27 May 2006

This exhibition takes a look at the fabulous wealth ofdesign and textile history hidden away in pattern bookcollections throughout the NW. Produced with lotteryfunding, it features our own collections alongside thoseof Bolton Museum & Art Gallery, Macclesfield Museum,Liverpool John Moores University and Quarry Bank Mill,and will help you decode the secrets they hold. Acatalogue of the collections will be on sale in our shop.Don’t know what a pattern book is? Come along and findout!

Yvonne WebbCollections Development Manager

Wigan Heritage Service

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HISTORY SHOP NEWSWigan Leisure and Culture Trust

Wigan Heritage Service

Customer CharterLast year, in Past Forward 37, we published our‘customer charter’ to you. In it we made a commitmentof the sort of service to which we aspire and which youas our visitors deserve.

This commitment was split into three sections:

‘Visitor Services’o provide an efficient, friendly and customer focused

serviceo offer a range of services, both educational and

recreational, designed to meet the needs of all ourvisitors

o consult with existing and potential users and partnersfor their views to help us improve our service

o respond to your feedback and enquiries as speedily aspossible, and certainly within 10 working days

‘Collections’o ensure that all artefacts and archives within our trust

are cared for to national standardso ensure that they will be made available for your

enjoyment, inspiration and education, subject toavailability

‘Facilities’o ensure your safety by complying with all Health &

Safety policies and procedureso endeavour to make your visit a pleasant and

comfortable experience by ensuring that our facilitiesmeet acceptable standards of quality and cleanliness

o seek to provide reasonable physical access to ouroutlets

One year on, we are happy to report back on thesecommitments and tell you exactly how we have done.

You will recall that the Charter published in PastForward 37 was accompanied with a questionnaire. Theresults of this were fully published in the last issue of ourmagazine. Also a survey of visitors to the History Shopwas carried out last year, as was a survey of non-usersthrough the Citizens’ Panel. These are the main sourcesof the following data:

Visitor Services Provide an efficient, friendly and customer focused service √From our survey 96% of you rated our services goodor excellentOffer a range of services, both educational and recreational, designed to meet the needs of all our visitors √Last year the Heritage Service put on 33 educational oroutreach based activities, from family friendly workshopsin the History Shop to guided walks and evening talksConsult with existing and potential users and partners for their views to help us improve our service √Our surveys themselves generated 1,276 responses last year alone. That is not counting the visitor comments in our books.Respond to your feedback and enquiries as speedily as possible, and certainly within 10 working days √Our record for the year April 2004-March 2005 was 96% answered within ten working days

CCoolllleeccttiioonnss Ensure that all artefacts and archives within ourtrust are cared for to national standards √Wigan Heritage Service continues to be a registered museum under the Museums Libraries and Archive Council and an authorised repository for church records.Ensure that they will be made available for your enjoyment, inspiration and education, subject toavailability √During the year the History Shop was open for exhibitions and family history study for 299 days.The Archive search room was available 139 days

FFaacciilliittiieess Ensure your safety by complying with all Health & Safety policies and procedures √ We have had 0 complaintsEndeavour to make your visit a pleasant and comfortable experience by ensuring that our facilities meet acceptable standards of quality and cleanliness √ No really, we have had 0 complaints! Seek to provide reasonable physical access to our outlets √ The ground floor of the History Shop is fully accessible.Comments on the accessibility of the History Shop first floor are being carefully collected and looked at; howeveran alternative study area is provided.The Archive search room is already served by a lift.

We are keen to continually improve our service. TheHeritage Service staff would welcome any comments,compliments or complaints, which you may have. Youcan always contact us at:The History Shop, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NUTel: 01942 828128 Email: heritage@wlct.org

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Wigan PierPersonal circumstances have prevented Gerald fromcontinuing his series of local drawings, at least forthe time being. However, I am delighted that he hasallowed this series of drawings, completed in thelate 1990's, to be reproduced here.

Many of Wigan's landmarks are included, but the

23

drawings focus particularly on Wigan Pier. This, Ithink, is very apt at this time - exactly 20 years onfrom when it first opened, and when the Pier is nowundergoing a considerable change of focus anddirection.

On a personal note, it was 20 years ago when I

first came across, and was immediately attracted to,the paintings of Gerald Rickards. Since then, it hasbeen a privilege to display his Charter Mural andseveral exhibitions of his work in the History Shop,as well as to have known him as a friend.

Ed.

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Just One DayIT IS a holiday from school,summer holidays, Easterholidays, it does not reallymatter; all that matters is thatthe sun is shinning and it is hot.What a lovely day to pick the tarout from between the cobbles;all I need now are some lollysticks. Found some, that didn’ttake long. Ferretti the ice creamman came round last night andmy friends and I all got an icecream lolly dipped in chocolate.

Treacle lollies

My friend is not coming out tillafter dinner and I told her I wouldbe in the street making treaclelollies (ie tar wrapped round lollysticks). Because the sun is hot thetar is bubbling and shiny, justright. Pick a nice spot slap, bang inthe middle of the road where thecar wheels don’t touch (not thatany cars come down our street)and start rolling. The secret is nottoo much tar, because it’s hot if youput too much on, it all drops off.That’s it, six treacle lollies all in arow, put them in the shade andthey go hard again.

“KATHLEEN!” “Oops, that’s mymum shouting. As I get up to seewhat she wants, my knees, socksand hands are covered in stickyblack tar; never mind, my mumwill put some butter on and wash itoff. My mum wants me to go toMargaret’s shop, just round thecorner from our house. She wantsa loaf, so off I go; she said I canhave 3d. for some toffee.

“A large loaf please, Margaret,for my mum”. “One shilling and 3halfpennies” says Margaret as shewraps the large un-sliced loaf intissue paper and twists the corners.“How clever”. I save the 3d. forlater.

Outside the shop, off comes thetissue paper and, before I gethome, all four corners of the loafhas been eaten. Put the tissuepaper back, mum’ll never know.Just then, my friend shouts me; shehas had her dinner and has comeout to play. “I’ll just take this loaf

to my mum and then come out”.Putting the loaf on the kitchentable before she says anything, Irun out of the back door and off wego, straight onto the black patch. Itis a black patch of dirt across theroad from the Empress Mill.Because it’s a hot day all the sidedoors to the mill are open, so we goacross the road to watch all the millworkers; there are bars up, so wepush our faces through and smellthe cotton, see the dust and watchall the women working, andshouting loud above the noise ofall the machinery, How do theyknow what each other is sayingwhen they can’t hear? Magic.

Sixpenny ice lollies

“Oi, you two, come here,” shoutsa lady from the next-door up fromthe one we are looking through.“Wonder what she wants us for?”As we run up, she is taking herpurse out of her crossoverpinafore, her arm comes throughthe bars and in my hand she puts2s.6d. “Go to Woodcocks at thetop, and get four sixpenny icelollies, get you and your friend a3d. lolly each, and hurry up beforethey melt.” Off we run, excitingstuff this, getting lollies for thewomen in the mill. Stop at thekerb, run across the road straightinto Woodcocks. “Six ice lolliesplease, 4 sixpenny, and 2threepenny ones, she puts them allin a paper bag, but before we havecrossed the road out come ourlollies, and by the time we haverun down Anderton Street, ourlollies have nearly gone. The ladyis waiting for us, and takes thepaper bag off us. “Thanks love”,she said, and back into the mist ofcotton she went.

“Now what shall we do? I know,let’s follow somebody”. We go tosit on the Labour Club steps andwait till somebody comes past,then get up and follow them. Thatdoesn’t last long, because as soonas they know you are followingthem they turn round and call youcheeky beggars. Better stop itbefore they tell our mums.

Barley broth withdumplings

I wonder what time it is, must benearly tea time. I’m hungry. “I’mgoing for my tea, come for me whenit’s dark and we’ll play hide andseek.” Off I go round the back,through the back gate and into ouryard, then climb on the coal bunkerunder the kitchen window and lookthrough to see if my dad’s homefrom work; not yet. My mum opensthe back door; “wash your hands,your tea is nearly ready.” It’s barleybroth with dumplings – lovely; itdoesn’t matter it is cracking flagsoutside, home made apple pie forafters, what more could you want?

“Can I go in the front and watchthe telly now?” After about an hourof ‘Popeye meets the Goonies’ and‘Robin Hood’, my friend knocks onthe door. “I’m going out”, I shout tomy mum, “only at the front”. Myfriend and I see how many buttonswe have on our dresses and count,“lady, baby, gypsy, queen, elephant,monkey, tangerine.” Wherever yourfinger stops that is what you are.

What a belting day!

Some more friends are out bynow, there are about six of us. Weplay hide and seek just across fromour house. I run round the back ofour house, in the back way, throughthe kitchen, through the front, lookthrough the front window, andwhen my friend has gone to find us,out through the front door I run,and am home without being found.After half a dozen times doing this,my dad shouts, “the next time youcome in, you stop in”. I had betterfind another place to hide, I do, butI have to have one more go atrunning through the house. “That’sit, stop in.” “Can I tell my friends Iwill see them tomorrow?” I open thefront door and shout, “my dad saysI have to stop in now; see youtomorrow.” Another ten minutesand everybody goes home.

I grab a comic, go upstairs toread, and think what a belting day itwas. But that was just one day,there are loads left!

Kath MeadwellInce Nr Wigan

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Continued on page 26

50 Years of Football inAshton-in-Makerfield

ASHTON Town Football Club,based in Ashton-in-Makerfield, is lookingforward to one of the mostexciting periods in its 52 yearhistory.

The future looks bright forthe club in more ways thanone, with floodlights beinginstalled at their Edge GreenStreet ground over thesummer. This latestdevelopment opens up a newera in the club’s existenceand provides a fascinatingcontrast to the early days ofits existence when it beganlife as Makerfield Mill FC andits driving force was a manwho worked at a local textilemill.

Makerfield Mill FC

Makerfield Mill, located inWindsor Road in Ashton-in-Makerfield, was one ofLancashire’s leading textilemills in the 1950’s. The millitself was known locally asthe ‘Weaving Shed’, and atthe height of Lancashiretextile industry severalhundred people wereemployed there. In 1953one of the workforce, Derek(Mick) Mycock, decided toform a works football teamcomprised entirely of millemployees, to offer localmen the chance to play inorganised football matches.He approached the mill’smanagement with the idea,and permission was grantedfor a piece of land adjacentto the works in Windsor Roadto be used as the site for thefootball club’s ground. Oncehis application formembership of the WiganSunday School League forthe start of the 1953-54season had been accepted,Mick set about forming the

first squad of players torepresent Makerfield Mill F.C.

The club’s first twoseasons in the Wigan SundaySchool League weredisastrous from a playingpoint of view, and meant thatMick had to change hisoriginal plan of playing onlymill employees in the team.Mick successfully gainedpermission from the Mill tobring in four non-employees,and set about planning forthe next phase of the club’sdevelopment.

The club then joined theSt Helens Combination forthe start of the 1955-56season, and after a seasonof consolidation broughtabout an improvement infortunes, Mick decided toextend the experiment ofbringing in outsiders to playfor the club. He also enlistedthe help of two other men toassist in the running of theclub – Joe Glaze and ArthurJones - and the three menwere to be the driving forcebehind the club for the nextfew years.

Outstanding Seasons

An outstanding campaignin the 1956-57 season sawthe club win the LiverpoolCounty F.A. Shield (the firstclub from the Wigan area todo so since 1932-33), the StHelens Hospital Cup, theRainford Pottery Cup and theTom Worrell Cup, while in theleague they were St HelensCombination Division TwoRunners Up.

The club enjoyed anotheroutstanding season in 1957-58, winning the St HelensCombination Division Twoand dominating local cupcompetitions. At the end ofthe season they applied to

join the Warrington AmateurLeague, and as the memberclubs had been impressed bythe team’s recentperformances, wereaccepted straight away. Afteran inaugural season ofconsolidation, the club wonthe Warrington League FirstDivision Championshiptrophy for the first time at theend of the 1959-60 season.The standard wasmaintained the followingseason, when thechampionship was retained,along with the Depot Cupand the Wigan Cup.

Move to Bryn

The 1961-62 seasonproved to be a notable one inthe club’s history, althoughthis was due more to eventsoff the park than on it.During the course of theseason the club’s committeebecame aware of a majorthreat to the club. The Millmanagement informed thecommittee that they wouldnot allow the playing area tobe used for outsiders to playfootball on after the end ofthe 1961-62 season. Theclub’s immediate responsewas to offer to take over anyfinancial responsibility forthe costs of maintaining theground, but this offer wasrejected outright by the Mill’smanagement. The reasonsfor this soon becameapparent, when it wasannounced that a localconstruction company,Smith Brothers, hadpurchased the land forbuilding new houses.

The committee wastherefore forced to look atalternatives, and havingappealed to the local Councilfor assistance, their

persistence was rewardedwhen the Council sanctionedthe use of Whithill StreetRecreation Ground in Brynas a temporary home. Therewere no changing rooms atthe new venue, but bysecuring the use of St Peter’sChurch Hall and later BathSprings Hotel for changingpurposes, the club managedto meet the standardsrequired by the League toremain in existence.

Ashton Town FC

At this point, with no linksof any description nowremaining with the Mill, theclub changed its name toAshton Town FC, and beganthe 1962-63 season underthe new name at their newhome. A change of nameand base did little to alter theclub’s run of success. Theydominated the WarringtonLeague for the next threeseasons, winning the FirstDivision Championship in1962-63, 1963-64 and 1964-65, with the triple crown ofWarrington League honours–the Dodds Shield (a cupcompetition for Division Oneclubs), the Depot Cup andthe Warrington Guardian Cup- also being captured duringa memorable 1963-64season.

By this time the club hada very strong and activecommittee, and MickMycock was still very activelyinvolved. In the early part of1964 Mick discovered thatthe old Stubshaw CrossRovers’ ground at EdgeGreen Street in Ashton–in-Makerfield was available forsale, and it was dulypurchased in time for the

26

I greatly value allcontributions to PastForward, and if youdon’t have access to acomputer, don’t let thatput you off sending meyour article - preferablytyped, but again, if youcan only managehandwritten, that’s fine.

Best by far areelectronic contributions,ie by Email(heritage@wlct.org), oron CD ROM or floppydisc together with hardcopy printouts. And itwould help theproduction team andmyself even more ifarticles were double linespaced with one inch(25mm) margins and aword count included.Many thanks. Ed.

PLEA FROMTHE EDITOR

50 Years ofFootball inAshton-in-Makerfield

–––––

Continued from page 25

start of the 1964-65 season.Through hard work and

fund raising, the club spentnearly £10,000 ondeveloping the ground, themajority of the expenditurebeing used to build modernfully equipped dressingrooms and a club room withfully licensed bar, which wasofficially opened in March1969 by Roger Hunt, theLiverpool and Englandplayer. Around the sametime a covered enclosurewas built on the far side ofthe ground, providingspectators with someprotection from the weather

for the first time.With facilities upgraded,

the committee decided thatit was time to move to ahigher standard of football.Ashton Town’s application formembership of theLancashire FootballCombination at the end ofseason 1970-71 wassuccessful, and after fouryears in the Cheshire Leaguebetween 1978 and 1982,reorganization of the leaguesin the North West saw theclub join the semi-professional North WestCounties League in 1982, inwhich it has competed eversince.

Mick’s Legacy

Sadly Mick Mycock died in1987, but his legacy to theclub and the town was toleave behind a committedband of volunteers who havecontinued to work for theclub with equal enthusiasmthrough to the present day.

The ground improvements of2005 herald the dawn of anew era for Ashton Town FC,as these will bring theground up to required leaguegrading standards, andenable Ashton Town tocompete in nationalcompetitions such as the FACup. It is a far cry from 50years ago when the teamhad to play on a piece of landnext to a mill, but the basicprinciple remains the same.Ashton Town FC is able tooffer local footballers theopportunity to playcompetitive football, andgives local people thechance to get involved with acommunity basedorganisation - just as MickMycock intended when hestarted up a works footballteam back in 1953.

Ian TemplemanPress Officer

Ashton Town FCTel: 07759 680526

Email:iantempleman@hotmail.com

THE RETURNThe day is hot and cloudless andfilled with summer dreams oflong ago – it is time to go back.One magical day last spring, Ihad a strange but wonderfulglimpse into the past, and sawagain the little girl I used to be.I vowed I would return, andtoday I walk hopefully throughthe golden afternoon to mychildhood haunts, but she is nothere.

On the beach

Where would she be on a daylike this? The seaside, perhaps? Iwander down to Ince station, whichlies still and silent in the heat, andlong gone are the old ticket officeand waiting room, blackened byyears of smoke. A weeks holidaywas out of the question, but we hadthe odd afternoon at Southport or

Blackpool, watching the teenagers,wearing kiss-me- quick hats andthrowing darts at playing cards towin cloth dolls with pointed headsand painted faces. They wouldscramble onto the rattling old‘Caterpillar’, the girls screaming asthe green cover enveloped them ina strange underwater-like gloom,and a sudden deliberate rush ofwind blew flared skirts high overnylon stockings. Then it was on tothe helter skelter, where skirts blewup again as the screaming girlsshot down the corkscrew slide onlittle mats. They landed in agiggling, tangled heap in a hugewooden bowl, under the fixedsmiles of the rather dated cut-outfigures of 1950’s ladies whichadorned the surrounding walls.

We younger ones played on thebeach, wearing bubbly swimmingcostumes. We ate Pablo’s ice cream

and made sand pies with colourfultin buckets and spades. Mamsqueued at little kiosks advertising“jugs of tea to take on the sands”,whilst dads sat in deckchairsreading “Billy’s Weekly Liar” andanticipating a Double DiamondBeer later on. We had our tea in aback street café – “fish and chips,tea, bread and butter 2/6d” – thenbought little heart-shaped broocheswith our name on, before amagnificent steam train brought usback to this once bustling station,which now slumbers in thesunshine, with only birdsong tobreak the silence. I walk away andleave it to its dreams.

The heat is intense now and I sitfor a while and close my eyes;when I open them, romper suitedbabies are being wheeled by incoach-built Silver Cross prams with

Ô

27

fringed sun shades, their chatteringyoung mums sporting crispsummer dresses, peep-toe sandalsand Twink home perms. And thenI see the girl. She’s looking in thewindow of the corner shop, and sheis carrying my doll, Suzy, who Iused to push along in my Triangdolls pram, after tucking her incosily with beautifully crochetedcovers made by Aunty Mary’sclever hand. Suzy was so beautifuland much loved, and when youturned her over, she said “Mama”.

‘Last orders’

The shop bell tinkles and Suzy iscarried proudly in after muchdeliberation over Penny Arrows,Cherry Lips and Lucky Bags, but Iam not surprised to see that an icecold 4d. Jubbly is the choice on thissummers day. Across the road, thesmell of beer wafts from the openpub doorway. Beer seemed to smellmuch stronger when I was a child,and perhaps it was, for off-keyrenditions of “Nelly Dean” and“Honley a rose hi give yooooo!”occasionally floated across to ourhouse! My mam and dad oftenenjoyed the ‘last hour’ across in thepub’s ‘singing room’ - in thosedays any unruly behaviour or badlanguage would be nipped sharplyin the bud by the landlord, andneighbours could relax over aMagee’s Oatmeal Stout and a chataround the piano. ‘Last orders’was announced at 10.30pm by thepub lights being ‘blinked’, and dadwould come home and put a bottleof pop and a bag of crispscontaining a little blue salt-bag“on’t t’cornish” (mantelpiece - nowthere’s an expression you neverhear now!) for me.

Walk to the cemetery

On sunny Sunday afternoons, apopular outing for many peoplewas a walk to the cemetery –honest! Mam and Aunty Marywould walk in front, gossiping, andmy friend Christine and I woulddawdle along behind, singing thelatest songs – can you imaginechildren looking forward to thattoday? Aunty Mary always put onher Sunday voice during cemeterystrolls, as we bumped into people

wearing their best clothes andcarrying bunches of flowers. “Hit’svery naice to see you”, she wouldgreet them, “hisn’t it warm?” Then,in a whispered aside to my mam,“E’s pots – fer – rags, yon mon!”One blustery day of April showers,following a life of hardship andmental cruelty from an evilhusband, she paid another visit tothat cemetery – one from which shenever returned. But she lives on inthe sound of her laughter, for hecouldn’t break her spirit, nor herirrepressible sense of humour. Butwhy oh why did she and others likeher put up with it? Perhaps, inthose days, there was simplynowhere to turn.

The girl has walked up to IncePark, and she strolls along withSuzy, blowing a dandelion clock to‘tell the time’. In years to come,there will be a skateboard area inthe far corner, but today the swingsare still there, and I think of Elsie,a woman who remained a child andused to stand on the swing seat,pushing herself so high that weheld our breath for fear she wouldgo over the top bar, but she neverdid.

“It’s gerrin dark!”

As the sun starts to go down, thegirl turns for home. Down the backentries, mothers begin to call theirchildren in from play, their voicesraising an octave on the lastsyllable “Su-SAN!”, “Kath-LEEN!”,“come on in now – it’s gerrin dark!”It’s a sound you don’t seem to hearthese days, isn’t it? The girl slowsdown as the television news filtersthrough an open doorway, thenwalks on head bowed. At theentrance to our row she turnstowards me and there is fear in hereyes…. where is Cuba? What is amissile? What does it mean? Shedoesn’t understand, but she knowsthe grown-ups are worried, and shesenses the tension in the air as theworld holds its breath. Oh, how Ilong to reach out and tell her that itwon’t happen – that she will growup safe and sound. I want her toknow that she has a son and adaughter, who played ‘shops’ in thebackyard, and who have made herso very, very happy. But she won’tbe able to comprehend, will she?

Not yet – not whilst there are stillbluebells to pick and trees to climb.

“I-RENE!” suddenly calls a voiceI love, and my heart skips a beat. Istart to run joyfully towards it, butcome to a sudden stop, because itisn’t for me, is it? – it is for her,and, just for a split second, I envyher…. Run, little girl – run throughthe summer days: enjoy everyprecious moment of yourchildhood, for all too soon, itsmagic will be gone. But rememberit all, and one day you will tellothers of your memories, and theytoo will recall their own, and youwill smile together. “I-RENE!”calls that beloved voice once more,growing anxious now, and I motionfor her to go. But she takes a steptowards me, and her eyes ask, “willit REALLY be alright?” My headnods, “yes it will – don’t worry”,and we smile, and all is right in herlittle world. Go on now, love – yourmam is waiting. Goodbye.

Irene RobertsAbram Nr Wigan

In Praise of 'Past Forward'They call it ‘Past Forward’Where did they get that name?I’m always waiting for it to come outNo sex, in fact it’s quite tame.

Many people think it’s wonderfulThey come from near and farAll about what happened hereThere’s nothing on a par.

Stories, rhymes, they’re all thereFrom the town and round aboutInce, Platt Bridge and such likeNever nought about ‘out!

You’ll learn a lot about the areaWhat went on long agoAnd there was always somethinggoing onAnd what’s not written we maynever know.

Near Standish they planned anairport!Was King Arthur seen at BoarsHead?Did Gracie come to Wigan?I don’t know, that’s what they said.

So don’t forget ‘Past Forward’It’s such a good paper to readThere’s plenty of topics to interestyouAnd a very good read indeed.

Bob HeavisideStandish Nr Wigan

28

Ô

Valentine of Chowbent(2)

“During the rebellion of1715 Mr Woods at thattime minister of thechapel by virtue of acommission under thehand of General Willsmarched to Preston at thehead of about 80 of hisbearers armed withimplements of husbandry,in support of the presentgovernment. By thegenerals orders he took apost upon the south sideof the Ribble for thedefence of the ford whichleads from Penwortham toPreston. His situation did

not allow him to take part in the victory whichimmediately succeeded, but he is said to have sworn(which he constantly denied) that he would run throughthe first man who betrayed any sign of timidity.”

This contingent had come in response to an appeal forarmed volunteers sent by General Willis and Sir HenryHoughton, commanders of the Government forces, to MrWoods minister of the chapel in Atherton.(3)

“To the Rev. Mr Woods in Chowbent for his MajestiesService

Charles WillsThe officers here design to march at the break of the

day for Preston, they have devised me to raise what menI can to meet us at Preston tomorrow, so desire you toraise all the force you can, I mean lusty young fellows todraw up on Cuerden Green, to be there by 10 o’clock, tobring with them what arms they have fitt for service,and scythes put in straight polls, and such as have notto bring spades and billhooks for pioneering with. Praygo immediately all amongst your neighbours and givethis notice.

I am your very faithful servantWigan 11th Nov. 1715 H Houghton”

Constables Accounts

The second source consists of first hand evidence fromthe annual account sheets compiled by the Constables ofAtherton, part of the Township Records now in WiganArchives in Leigh Town Hall. One of the Constable’sresponsibilities was the maintenance of a localcontribution to the County militia, a force that could bemobilised in a national emergency. The records suggestthat in normal times this duty did not occupy much of aConstable’s time or required him to make many

THE map right, drawnsome 100 years after theevents, is a recreation ofthe scene as it was on 13December 1715 (1). Theevidence provided in thisaccount describes howmen from Atherton werein the militia groupsstationed on the southbank of the River Ribble.From there they couldlook northwards towardsa blanket of smokeproduced by the flamesrising from the burningbuildings of Preston. Fromacross the river they couldhear the heavy thud ofcannon fire together withsharper crackle of musket fire. Two government armieswere engaged in battle with an army from Scotlandwhich had invaded England with the intention of placingJames Edward Stuart on the throne of England.

Since 1688, when his father, James 11, had beendeposed Parliament had passed laws to ensure thatthrone could only be occupied by a Protestant. As aresult, following the death of Queen Anne in theprevious year, Parliament invited her closest Protestantrelative, George, the Elector of Hanover, to succeed her.Scottish supporters of the Stuarts viewed this as anopportunity for the family to reclaim the throne,believing that there would be little support in England forforeigner who could speak no English.

Rev Woods of Chowbent Chapel

The inhabitants of Atherton were independentlyminded in both a religious and political sense. Theywere Puritans and dissenters who wished to preservethe right to follow their individual religious beliefs. Theyrejected the Stuart claim of absolute power for the rulerand feared that if they did regain power Catholismwould be reintroduced as the nation’s religion. For thisreason both official county militia forces as well as whatappear to have been volunteers were encamped on thebanks of the Ribble to oppose this threat from Scotland.There they had been entrusted with the task ofpreventing any of the rebel troops escaping across theriver to seek sanctuary amongst the Catholic supportersin the West of the county.

There are two principal sources of evidenceconcerning the involvement of Atherton townspeople inthis action. One, found in many general historicalwritings about Atherton, is based on a series of noteswritten in the latter part of the 18th century by DorningRasbotham using information provided by Peter

The Scots are Coming!by

R. Evans

29

payments from his budget. Two sums were spent tomaintain an area in Atherton where shooting skills couldbe practised. One assumes by this date it was formuskets rather than archery. At the end of the 17thcentury Rowland Houghton’s accounts include:

“Paid for Repairing the Shooting butts —— £00:1s: 00d”

Further repair work was done in 1707/08 when bothConstables paid 1s. each towards their repair:

“pd for Repairing yr Shutting Butts my part ————- £0 -1s –0d”:

In 1705 the Constable made payments to ensure thatthe town’s weapons were kept in good condition.

For most of the first half of the 18th centuryConstables were appointed for the Upper and Lowersides of the township and each produced an individualaccount running from October to October. The threat andincreased burden of work in this period of crisis isprobably why combined accounts were produced for1715/16 and 1716/17, and it is these accounts which,while not providing a narrative account, do allow one tofollow the sequence of events in late 1715.

Local people must have become aware of the threat inlate October when money was spent at Thomas Hatton’s,no doubt to discuss the role of the militia which wasbeing assembled initially at Newton, a strategic point onthe main road north.

By 8 November it would appear that the militia wasbased in Wigan and here their equipment was beingchecked and where necessary repaired.

On the 13th , the day of the battle, they went toPreston and further improvements were made to theirequipment. There is no indication that they wereinvolved in the actual fighting and as previously quotedsources suggest they were members of the militiadetachments guarding the ford across the Ribble.

When news of the government victory reachedAtherton fuel was bought for a celebration bonfire.

During this period wives and children oftenaccompanied the armies and the Constable wasobliged to find somewhere for them to live:

Troops remained in the region for some monthsafterwards and the Constables paid charges for themovement of prisoners to Warrington and Lancaster.

There had been casualties in the fighting andpayments were made to those who had been woundedor needed transport out of the district.

One payment at the head of the account sheet mayindicates that the number of official militiaparticipants in the action was five – each paid £1 6s4d.

In the following year, 1716/17, the accountssubmitted by Henry Helliwell and Robert Kearsleyshow that there were still expenses to be paid possiblyto ensure that the militia was properly equipped forany similar threat. One of the Constables made threejourneys to Wigan in connection with the militiaweapons and a musket was also purchased.

There were still casualties who required help. Twowounded soldiers were given money while one whowas too sick to ride was given lodgings and thentaken to Leigh.

Involvement in this action resulted in a much-increased charge to the township. The accounts recorda total spend of £25 07s 00d in 1715/16 and £10 14s06d in 1716/17, compared with £7 03s 051/2d in1713/14.

Continued on page 30

30

The ‘45 - The Second JacobiteRebellion

Thirty years later, on 28 November 1745, thetownspeople of Atherton were aware of the presence ofanother invading army from Scotland marching alongwhat is now the A6 and passing across Four Lane Endstowards Manchester. On this occasion the Jacobite armyled in person by Charles Edward Stuart, “Bonnie PrinceCharlie”, the son of James Edward, penetrated as farsouth as Derby. Here, discouraged by the lack of anysignificant support in England, the decision was made toreturn to Scotland and they retreated along the A49through Warrington and Wigan. As they passedsouthwards a letter preserved in a collection ofmanuscripts describes how they entered local townshipsand there requisitioned quarters for the night. (4)

On this occasion there was no attempt to resist theadvance through Lancashire but the 1745/46 accountsof both John Morley for the Lower Side and John Baxterfor the Higher Side make it clear that before the invadingarmy reached Lancashire preparations were being madeto prepare the militia to resist the threat. John Baxter’spayments are undated but those of John Morley withitems dated 12 November show a number of paymentsmade to prepare the militia prior to the arrival of therebel forces.

But by 28/29 November the invaders had reached thisarea and as there were no government forces in theregion, it would have been unreasonable to expect themilitia alone to have attempted any resistance. Localpeople were in no position to prevent their homes beingused for overnight accommodation. Another item in theaccount is John Morley’s claim for expenses travelling toManchester suggesting that limited, though no doubtreluctant, co-operation had to be given to the invaderswho were clearly regarded as rebels.

Payments in John Baxter’s accounts are not dated butshow that during this period he paid similar sums forweapons and equipment. Jonathan Johnson’s signedreceipt for “Malicia arms and Other Repairs”which Johnpaid still survives.

He appears to have had to make a number of journeysto in order to obtain these weapons and had to claimexpenses particularly for the time spent at Wigan.

Following the return to Scotland, pursued bygovernment forces, the Jacobite army was finally routedat Culloden and Charles fled back to the Continent. JohnBaxter’s account for 1745/46 includes a payment madefor bonfire celebrations in Atherton on 28 April which nodoubt was in response to the arrival of news of theGovernment victory over a week earlier on 16 April .

PRIMARY SOURCE REFERENCESThe extracts which are quoted in this account are from theAtherton Township Records held by Wigan ArchivesService as follows:

Constable Accounts TR -Ath/D1692-1720 /1/1 and 1732-1749 /1/3

Constable Accounts Vouchers for Accounts -TR Ath/D1745 – 1779 /1 /115

The writer acknowledges the valuable help given by AlanDavies, Wigan Heritage Service’s Archivist in Leigh TownHall, in making the records available for study.

The Scots are Coming!–––––

Continued from page 29

31

Wartime in WiganWHEN the dangers ofinvasion came with the fallof France in the summer of1940, there was a call formen to join the LocalDefence Volunteers, asthey were first known. Thename was changed byWinston Churchill to‘Home Guard’, after theinitials LDV wereinterpreted as ‘Look, Duckand Vanish’. Many whohad served in the 1914-18war joined at once, ready,in the Prime Minister’swords, “to defend ourisland whatever the cost”.

The Wigan headquartersfor the Home Guard wasthe Drill Hall. Publicbuildings were sandbaggedand cellars used as air-raidshelters until bettershelters could be con-structed. Many residentsbegan to build shelters intheir gardens. Gas maskswere issued and mostpeople carried them at first;indeed, for a time it wasimpossible to enter afootball ground withoutcarrying a gas mask.However, the practice fellinto disuse long before theend of the year. Cinemasclosed and then re-openedwith a closing time of10.00 pm. Traffic signalshad shields with smallapertures put over them.

All cotton mills eventuallyclosed and were turnedover to war work.

On Sunday 9 June 1940,the bells of Wigan parishchurch fell silent. In future,they would only be rung asa local alarm signal for anyform of enemy attack,whether seaborne orairborne. It was not to be ageneral warning ofinvasion - purely a localsignal that troops were inthe immediate neigh-bourhood or approaching.

Milestones andsignposts were removed,names of railway stationswere taken down andnames of towns wereobliterated from allbuildings and vehicles. (Ithas to be said, however,that these measures, takento confuse an invadingforce, confused the troopsmoving about the countryeven more!)

Older men joined theSpecial Constabulary andpatrolled the streets atnight in all kinds ofweather. Many policepensioners were recalled totake the place of police

Continuing his series on ‘Wartime inWigan’, James Fairhurst looks at the

dark days of the early 1940’s.

officers who had joined theforces, and there wasanother body called thePolice War Reserves.

Women wereincorporated into theNational Fire Service inWigan. Originally, 20 weretrained and a further 22recruited. Training was atwo weeks course in alldepartments of fire-fighting, much of whichas carried out at thePresbyterian school,Harrogate Street.

National Identity Cardshad been issued inSeptember 1939, and

persons requested toproduce them had to do sowithin 48 hours. Twodefendants who gave falsenames and addresses werefined £3 and £2 on eachcharge (this at a time whenthe average wage wasbetween £3 and £4 perweek). Attendancecommittees were formedand persistent absenteesfined; one 22 year oldminer who had a summonsfor failing to work regularlywas sentenced to six weeksimprisonment - he hadbeen absent 41 times in sixmonths!

And throughout thesedifficult years, sport carriedon - Wigan Rugby LeagueClub, for example, fulfilledall its fixtures everyseason.

HIRE OFMEETING ROOM

The History Shop has a Meeting Room, with acapacity for 36. This is available for hire by local

groups and societies at a very reasonable cost:

SOCIETY RATE£8.75

PER MORNING/ AFTERNOON SESSION

£13.40PER EVENING SESSION

COMMERCIAL RATE£21.65

PER MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING SESSIONIf you are interested, contact Philip Butler

Tel (01942) 828128

32

What Happened to the Prizes?Probably not many willremember - I was only six at thetime - the event in aid of theMayor’s Cot Fund, on 23September 1933. It was to be atimed motor reliability trial,from Market Square Wigan toRivington Pike and back. Thestarter was to be none otherthan the world famous GracieFields. There were BabyAustins, Rileys, Fords,Standards, Lagondas and evena Buick, for it was to be a veryimportant day for the motoringfraternity.

Gracie arrives

The Market Square was deckedout with banners andadvertisements of every kind; therewere stalls and, of course, thefamous Mr. Michelin just as big asyou like, bobbing about in thebreeze. Wigan was bathed insunshine as the starter, none otherthan the world famous GracieFields, eventually arrived - she waslate because of the ‘traffic’ (even in1933!). She commented, “It’salways been snowing or rainingwhen I’ve been here before.” Shejudged all the vehicles, from thebaby Austins to the sleek Lagonda.

Most of the competitors were local

drivers who werehaving their firstexperience of trials, butsome well knowncompetitors were alsotaking part. The first carwas away at 1.30prompt. The race,controlled by the RAC,was approximately 97miles, but cars werenever more than 15miles from the centre ofWigan. There were sixtime checks, includingtwo secret ones at Euxtonand Belmont. Three non stopsections were observed during thetrials - Rivington four miles, andHowitt Hill and Stone Cottage bothone and a half miles.

Course was too easy!

It was at Howitt Hill, or QuarryBank as it was popularly called,where there was most trouble.There were minor accidents here,and many of the competitorsreceived assistance; fortunately,however, no serious accidents werereported. The first driver out had toretire - he had the ill luck to disturba large stone which punctured hispetrol tank. Another competitorfrom Southport, in a Wolseleysports, had to retire with a broken

track rod end.But 88 of the101 competitorswho startedmanaged tofinish thecourse, the lastarriving back at7.15p.m. Someeven complainedafterwards abouthow easy thecourse was!

You maywonder how Iknow about theevent. Thereason is thatmy uncle wasdriving Dr.Whitehead’sAustin and theywon 1st prize inclass 3. Theprizes, which I

presume are still aroundsomewhere, were quite something.The premier award, presented bythe Motor Traders of Wigan andDistrict and won by Mr L R Hough(no 17 Riley), was a beautiful goldbowl, 10 inches in diameter, withthree hand carved dragons perchedaround the bowl. The premieraward in class 3, presented byMessrs. Peter Walker, was a silvercup 10 inches high, surmounted bya winged wheel on the lid. All theseprizes were supplied by BakersJewel Casket of Wigan.

Regrets

I will close with three regrets.Firstly, despite the comment madeby a reporter that he wouldn’t besurprised if this became a yearlyevent, it would seem that this didnot in fact happen. Secondly, I amunable to show the course on a mapof the area (I have written to theR.A.C but unfortunately they cannothelp me). Finally, the big question,whatever happened to all the prizes?I have been in touch with variouspeople of my age, and they don’teven remember the event!

Bob HeavisideStandish Nr Wigan

Trouble on Howitt Hill

A bouquet for the star

33

WIGAN AND THE ARRAS TUNNELSGEORGE Ogden, mygreatgrandfather, was bornon 24 March 1865 in StoneClough, Kearsley,Lancashire, the son ofJonathon Ogden and MaryLee. They were a coalmining family who movedaround Lancashire forwork, with Georgeeventually settling in Wiganwhere he married Mary AnnAtherton (nee Pilkington)of Wigan in 1884 at HolyTrinity Church, Ashton-in-Makerfield. In the 1901census the family wereliving at 4 Gravel Hill, LittleHulton with children,Elizabeth, aged 15, a cottonframer, George, 10 andAlbert, 8. All were born inWigan. When theirdaughter Hilda was born in1903, they were living at 33First Avenue, Hindley.

Sapper No 21418George immigrated to

New Zealand in 1905 andthe rest of the familyfollowed in 1906, includingmy grandmother Elizabeth(Lizzie), who was born in1886 in Platt Bridge,Wigan. George’s World War1 war record records that hewas a miner and was

enrolled as Sapper No21418 in the SecondReinforcements of the NewZealand EngineersTunnelling Company. Aftertraining, he sailed forFrance in June 1916 andwas posted to the Companyon 15 November 1916. Thathe was engaged with atunnelling Company wasalways a mystery to meuntil, in 2000, there weresome newspaper ar--ticlesabout a series of World War1 tunnels which had beendiscovered under Arras inFrance. They were to be re-opened and restored.

Old cavernsArras is a small

picturesque city in the Northof France; it was the sceneof close contact fightingbetween the British and theGermans, and later tens ofthousands of troops wereinvolved in the Battle ofArras from 9 April to 16May 1917. The battlesraged above a series ofcaverns left when chalk andlater limestone had beenmined since the 10thcentury. The story emergedthat in 1915 the Allies hadrequested that New Zealand

supply tunnellers for the jobof extending these ancienttunnels under ‘No MansLand’ and behind theGermans, ultimately fortroops to break through tothe surface and attack themfrom behind. Thousands ofsoldiers would shelter in thesystem of caverns asGerman shells screameddown. 15,000 assault menmoved into position to fight,through the tunnels ofArras. They were 100ft.below ground, in appallingconditions of 80% humidityas they waited for the Battleof Arras.

In books on the NZTunnelling Company, it iswritten that the NewZealanders, working inshifts around the clock,would dig a tunnel toextend eventually eightmiles long. A majoroperations room would bedug every hundred metresor so, and these werenamed after places dear totheir hearts - they recordedtheir home cities such asAuckland, New Plymouth,Wellington, Nelson,Blenheim, Christchurch,Dunedin and oursouthernmost town, Bluff.These names were used as

signposts to be a guidethrough the labyrinth ofshafts. Some plaques arestill visible today with theopening of the tunnels.Galleries such as Glasgow,London, Manchester andLiverpool were settled andclaimed by ex UK soldiers.Within the maze of tunnelswould be kitchens andsleeping quarters, as wellas a hospital andammunition dumps.

In MemoriamTestimony to the fighting

is recorded on the ArrasMemorial to the thousandsof UK, NZ and other Allieswho died. In Arras, amuseum has been openedto display the war artefactsfound in the tunnels, andyou can join tours to partsof the tunnels to observenames and badges carvedinto the limestone walls.

George was nearly 50when he enlisted; he hadnever practiced as a minersince leaving Wigan, so hemust have found the workin the tunnels very hard.His war record states hewas invalided back to NewZealand in July 1917 anddied in Auckland MilitaryHospital on 23 September1919, aged 54. He wasawarded the British Warand Victory medals. On hisgrave is a marker from theNew Zealand ReturnedServicemens Association;the headstone also recordshis wife, Mary Ann, whodied aged 59 in 1924.

Elizabeth (Lizzie)Ogden, my grandmother,never lost her Lancashireaccent. She married JohnWallett in 1910, and theymade only one journeyback to Wigan, in 1939when she visited an auntand cousins. On the voyagehome they were leftstranded in Bombay whentheir boat, the P&OMaloja, was taken over fora hospital ship - WorldWar II had just beendeclared. But that’sanother story……….

Noeleen SuttonAuckland

New ZealandWedding of George Ogden’s daughter Elizabeth to John Wallett, 1910. George is seated

at far right, beside his son Albert. Daughter Hilda is the flowergirl on the floor.

34

SADLY, the Ritz in Wigan hasrecently been demolished, as partof the new town centredevelopment. Here are two verydifferent responses - FredDarbyshire remembers it back inthe ‘40’s, while CarolineChadwick’s memories are muchmore recent.

The demolition of the Ritz Cinemaprompted me to look back throughmy old programmes. Even although itis sad to see the Ritz disappear, theseold programmes brought back somewonderful memories of the ‘40’s.

Sunday 1 April 1945EDDIE KISTLER and hisSWINGTIPS, the dance orchestra ofthe US Army Air Force. What anight that was!

Sunday 15 April 1945THE NAT ALLEN BROADCASTINGBAND

Sunday 17 November 1946THE SQUADRONAIRES, directedby star vocalist JIMMY MILLAR, onpiano RONNIE ALDRICH, later totake over the band, then to move tothe BBC. There were many starmusicians in the band, butGEORGE CHISHOLM in thetrombone section was the best - hissolos and comedy were somethingnever to be forgotten; he alsoworked for the BBC.

Friday 9 February 1947THE JOE LOSS ORCHESTRA. Afantastic orchestra, to whom mywife and I have danced manytimes. His isngers all became solostars in their own right - HOWARDJONES, ELIZABETH BATEY andDON RIVERS.

We also had the other RAF band,THE SKYROCKETS, conducted by

another BBC man, PAUL FENNELL,with star singer DENNY DENNIS,who sang with the great TommyDorsey after the war. I alsoremember SID MILLWARD and hisNITWITS; the funny little baldheaded man in the band later shotto fame with Benny Hill.

It will be sad to see the Ritz go.Thursday was our night in the1s.9d.’s; I’m sure lots of mygeneration will remember thesecharity concerts. What memories!

Fred DarbyshireInce Wigan

* * * * *The other day, with a heavy heart,

I walked past the demolition that hasjust started on the old Ritz cinema onStation Road, to make way for thenew Grand Arcade; soon, all that willbe there is an empty space, and all mymemories of going there as a childcame flooding back.

I’m not old enough to remember itin its heyday in the ‘4O’s and ‘5O’s -

I don’t even remember the ‘60’s whenthe Beatles came (for the record I’monly 29) - but I absolutely fell in lovewith the place in the mid ‘80’s, goingthere on a Saturday afternoon and inthe school holidays to watch all myfavourite films.

I can remember the anticipation ofgoing about 1.15 for the 2.00opening, and people waiting all theway up to John Menzies (W H Smithsnow). I can vividly remember the firsttime I ever went through the doubledoors and up the steps to the kiosk. Ithink that it was at that moment thatI fell in love with everything about theRitz - the wonderful smells of theconfectionery counter with the warm,freshly made popcorn, going to thekiosk to get your tickets for yourchosen film, then going up the stepsto the screen of your film. Myfavourite was screen 1, the biggestscreen - as a child it was magical tome, with all the 1930’s Art Decodesign. I would love to have seen it inits heyday, when it was a singlescreen 2000 seater; it would havebeen really something to see the ArtDeco design, all the lightingarrangements and all the vividcolours - a dream come true.

Alas, I will never set foot in theplace again. It is sad to see the last‘Picture Palace’ of Wigan in the handsof the demolition team, but I wonderif there are any pictorial records of theRitz from its heyday, and from thethree screen multiple days anywhere?Does anyone have photos of theinside decor of the Ritz, so I couldhave my own personal memories ofmy favourite building in Wigan.

Caroline ChadwickPlatt Bridge Wigan

Fond Memories of the Ritz

The Squadronaires. The late George Chisholm is fourth from leftPhoto courtesy of www.maybole.org

35

Base B.E.F.2nd August, 1917

My Darling Edith,Still in the same place and still

the vile weather. It has rainedalmost incessantly ever since I setfoot in this country. Last night Ihad a look round the town, but itsimply poured the whole of thetime. The visit was verydisappointing, the only pleasantresult being in increased feeling ofpatriotism towards the oldcountry. Really there is no place tocompare with England.

I have just finished my day'sduties - censoring letters. One halfof the world does not know howthe other half lives.

In addition to being wet theweather is somewhat colder so Imay require my woollen coatbefore long. Have you tried dyingit yet?

I have not been able to get anydecent. note-paper here, and I amstill using the bit you gave me.Would you mind getting me a padand then you can send it on whenI get a permanent address.

I am still awaiting your firstletter dear. It may come to-day. Itis still quite early. This afternoon Iam going down to Ordnance to getrubber boots and a few otherthings.

Well little pet I find thatanswering letters has a disastrouseffect on the composition of myown correspondence. Ones ideasand expressions are swamped in amultitude of others.

B.E.F.Night Sun 12 to Mon 13th Aug. 1917

My Darling Edith,I am on night duty again and am

snatching a few minutes to writeto you. I have just set the gunsbanging away at the Bosch andthey do not require my attentionfor a time. I am settling down tomy new duties quite nicely nowand am much happier than I was.You see dear it was such a suddenshock stepping from England rightinto this, - like stepping into a coldbath. But I am getting used againnow. I wish I could tell you more ofmy life and work out here, but agreat deal is forbidden. However

Edith this letter might be wellworth keeping, some day I willexplain why.

My fellow officers are thoroughgentlemen and we get on very welltogether. It makes a hugedifference to things, when one hasdecent fellows to work with. Themen too, are quite decent chaps, infact many are downright heroes.

Well little pet, you are safe andcomfy in bed! Thank God for that.Even during the roughest timesout here, I have always thesatisfaction of knowing that youpet are quite safe.

3.30 am Monday.

I spoke too soon about the gunsnot requiring attention for sometime. They have been giving troubleof a mechanical nature and I havebeen busy in the "wee small hours".

Well darling I am still awaitingyour first letter and getting ratherimpatient too. I left you a fortnightago this morning and since then Ihave heard no word. Isn’t it verycruel dear? Still I blame the post,and though impatient, I am veryhappy for I know you are thinkingdearly of me. I wonder what youare doing.

61. C.C.S.B.E. Forces

25.8.17

Sir,I regret to tell you that Lieut

Wilkinson R.G.A. 332 S. Battery,died here on 24.8.17. He wasadmitted the day before with asevere shell wound in his right leg.He was in a serious condition onadmission and never rallied.

He was buried at DozinghemCemetery. All his belongings willbe sent to you from the War Office.

With much sympathy,I am

Yours sincerely,

(signed) A. BAIRD, (Sister)

(2nd Lieut. Norman Wilkinsonfell at St. Julien, a little to the rightof Langermarck. His battery hadbeen stationed at La Brique,outside Ypres.)

Gr. Hodkinson 98637,5, Lisbon Place,

Holloway,Bath.

18th Dec. 1917.

Miss McCormick,Dear Madam,

I will commence by saying thatSignallers work in pairs in. France,and I was fortunate in having agood chum Richard Hasten byname. It was our good luck inbeing with Mr. Wilkinson veryf'requently, as we happened to bedetailed for the posts that he hadcharge of on those days. As anofficer is frequently alone all daywith his two signallers you canquite understand that we aretreated a bit more intimately. Wegenerally went to the O.P. on theoccasions when it fell to Mr.Wilkinson's turn. He seemed to likeus and was kind to us in manyways which none but a soldiercould understand and appreciate. Irecollect one occasion upon whichhe told me he was engaged. I notefrom my diary that we three wereon O.P. on the 17th and we werelucky to come out of it alive. Irecall it well and the 3 of us had torun 5 or 6 hundred yards throughvery heavy shell fire. On thisoccasion he helped us to carry ourtelephones and telescopes, etc.,and but for that we should mostcertainly have gone under. You cantherefore understand my

Dear SirI enclose some letters from

Norman Cecil Wilkinson ofAtherton Road, Hindley to hisfiancee (my aunt) EdithMcCormick of Liverpool, as well astwo relating to his death. Heattended Wigan & District Mining& Technical College before goingto Liverpool University, where hemet my aunt, a fellow sciencestudent. She went on to teachmathematics and physics atBlackburn House GrammarSchool, Liverpool, where she wasDeputy Head; she never married,but wore Norman's engagementring until her death.

Eileen AndertonSouthport

"Never Married, but Wore EngagementRing until her Death

Continued on page 36

36

remembrance of him is verygrateful. I cannot bring to mind theinstance you mention as the 12th ...I shall try and should I rememberwill let you know what it was.

Upon the morning of the 23rd 1and my chum were a little lateowing to a very slightmisunderstanding. It was a lovelyday when we set off together fromour rear position, which was thenin a village or rather suburb ofYpres distant from that place 1/2mile. We had to walk towards ourfront line trenches, to ourObservation Post. Calling at ourforward position, we resumed ourjourney (after a few minutes rest).

The 0.P. was at the time close toKitchener Wood and was a Pillbox.It was always risky getting thereand away again, but you werefairly safe when there, but I havehad some very warm times there.Upon arriving, we got seatedinside and chatted awhile resting,when Mr. Wilkinson asked me toget through to our Battery. I did soat once, and the Major at oncespoke from there. As a resultMr.Wilkinson announced that oneof us was to accompany him to theFront Line. I wanted to go, but mychum being a single chap wouldnot hear of it. The time then wasprobably about 9.30.

When they had set oft, I gotoutside to see them off. They hadonly gone about 200 yds. when Tsaw a shell (4.2) pass about 30yds. over to their left. Almostimmediately another one droppedsome distance to the right. Theycontinued upon their way, butunfortunately then came the fatalthird which must have dropped attheir feet. I saw Dick emerge frombehind the tree, and I at once saw

him come running for a stretcher.Poor chum, he was dazed andshaken terribly. I at once sprintedto him, and we got the assistanceof an R.E. officer. At the same timea stretcher was brought up and wehad him upon it at once. He wasdressed as well as thecircumstances permitted, but itwas a terrible wound. I have nohesitation in saying that, had helived, he would have lost his leg. Ido not wish to dwell upon this partof the letter, so please excuse me.Suffice it to say that I felt sick atthe appearance of it. He wassplendid in his courage, in hisgreat pain he could yet speakkindly to us. He was quiteconscious, and having made himcomfortable, we started as quicklyas possible to get him to a DressingStation. I asked him if he wouldlike a drink of' water and I was soglad I had my water bottle, as hewas glad of a few sips. He spoke tome several times on the way down,which was fully 3/4 of a mile alongthe duckboard tracks (AdmiralRoad).

"Never Married, butWore Engagement

Ring until herDeath

–––––

Continued from page 35

From Harrock Hill to Roby Mill,From Lathom House to Standish,From Arley’s moated manorTo the Cross of Mabel’s anguish;From windy pike to chequered plain,Each meadow, copse and wildwood–I love you all, dear names of home,Sweet continent of childhood.

There’s bluebells now in John Pit Wood,And baby ferns unfurling,And in the dell beside Wood Folds,A tiny beck is purling;I see the shadows dappleUnderneath the beeches tall,Where the Roman road goes dippingDown the slope to Giant’s Hall.

The birds are returning,To Balcarres’ stately park,In the wood the mellow mavisOn the lea the soaring lark.Oh, the green of tender birches!Oh, the scent of alien pines!In the cutting where the sunlightDances down t the railway lines!

From the steps of Ashurst steepleYou can see the ships at sea;From the bluffs of Billinge BeaconAll the way to Anglesea!Hunter’s Hill’s a noble foreland,At its feet a sea of green,For a thousand rolling meadowsFrom its summit may be seen.

By the steeps of old UphollandBy the depths of Anglezarke.By the glare upon the heavensOver Kirkless after dark;Oh I swear by every acreThat a link of memory claims,There is no enchanted countryWith such old sweet-soundingnames!

WIGAN(Written on the Somme, May 1918)

1

Issue No. 39

March – July 2005

Produced by Wigan Heritage ServiceFREE

STOP PRESSPAST

FORWARDNOW ONLINE

The last edition of Past Forward(number 39) is now available, incolour, for viewing at our ownwebsite www.wlct.org. Scrolldown on the first page on the siteor click onto culture then heritageand a PDF will download forviewing, saving to your computeror to your printer. In fact, pastcopies are going online at the rateof one per week, so when youread this, something like the last12 issues should be online!Imagine! Never missing anotheredition of your favouritemagazine!

Donald Mackenzie, a Wigansoldier, wrote this nostalgicpoem in the final year of WorldWar I. My thanks to Harry andBrenda Short of Leeds forkindly sending it to me. Ed.

37

SOCIETY NEWS

To all SecretariesWould Secretaries please note the copydeadline on p2, and ensure that yousend in all details of your meetings upto Easter 2006 for inclusion in the nextissue. Thanks.

Ashton-in-Makerfield Probus ClubMembers of the Club are retiredbusiness/professional people, who meet atthe Angel Hotel, Ashton-in-Makerfield onthe 1st Wednesday of every month at 11.00a.m. Details from Alan Bradshaw (01942726493)7 SeptemberThe Work of the Citizens Advice Bureau5 October Postcards Alec Wallace2 NovemberAspects of Ashton’s History Walter Carney7 DecemberHistory of the Christmas CarolJames Fairhurst (followed by lunch)

Aspull & Haigh Historical SocietyWe meet in Our Lady’s R.C. Church Hall,Haigh Road, Aspull on the 2nd Thursdayin the month at 7.30 p.m. Details fromBarbara Rhodes (01942 222769)8 SeptemberReturn to the Titanic Steve Rigby13 OctoberThe Lancashire Cotton Mills10 NovemberA Dramatisation Lizzie Jones

Atherton Heritage SocietyMeetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday ofthe month at 7.30 p.m. at St. RichardsJubilee Hall, Atherton. Details fromMargaret Hodge (01942 884893)9 AugustThe Life of Beatrix Potter Dorothy Hindle13 SeptemberWomen and children in the MinesAlan Davies11 OctoberVictorian Pressed Glass (follows AGM)Christine Ogden8 NovemberHistory of the American MusicalB Schnieder

Atherton Probus ClubThis is a non-political and non-sectarianClub for retired professional/businessmen, who meet in St RichardParish Centre, Mayfield Street, on alternateThursday afternoons at 1.30 p.m. Detailsfrom Ron Collier (0161 790 1819).

Billinge Local History SocietyFor further details contact Jack Boardman,38 Garswood Road, Billinge, Wigan, WN57TH, (01744 892613), or visit our web siteat www.billinge-history.com.

Golborne & Lowton Local HistorySocietyMeetings are held at Golborne Library onthe 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7.00p.m. Details from Derek Briscoe (01942747366) or Jim Scotson (01942 206820).

Hindley History SocietyWe meet in the Museum at Hindley Library,Market Street at 7.00 pm on the secondMonday of the month. The museum isopen three times per month on eitherFriday or Saturday mornings. Details fromJoan Topping (01942 257361) or NormaBrannagan (01942 258668).

Leigh & District Antique &Collectables SocietyMeetings are held on the last Thursday ofthe month (September to April) at 7.30p.m. in the Derby Room of Leigh Library.Details from Janet Wilson (01942 516210)

Leigh & District Family HistorySocietyMeetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday ofevery month at 7.30 p.m. in the DerbyRoom of Leigh Library. Details from OliveHughes (01942 741594).20 SeptemberWills David Lambert18 OctoberSkeletons in the Cupboard W J Taylor15 NovemberSlavery Records Gordon Reed20 DecemberTheatres and Music Halls in the NorthWest Les Willis

Leigh Literary SocietyMeetings are held in the Derby Room atthe Turnpike Centre, on alternate Mondayevenings at 7.30 p.m. Details from TonyAshcroft, Local History Officer, LeighLibrary (01942 404559)

Leigh Local History SocietyMeetings are held in the Derby Room,Leigh Library, on the last Wednesday ofthe month. Details from Norma Ackers(01942 865488)

Leigh Probus ClubMembers of the Club, which is non-sectarian, are generally retiredprofessional/businessmen. The Clubmeets at the Leigh Masonic Hall onalternate Thursday afternoons betweenOctober and April. Details from Tom Kelly(01942 608787).

Shevington Memories GroupThis small, informal group meets eachFriday at 2.30 p.m. in ShevingtonMethodist Church (New Lounge), to sharememories about old times.Details fromMaurice Hilton (01942 223107).

Skelmersdale & Upholland FamilyHistory SocietyMeetings are held on the 4th Tuesday ofeach month, except December, July andAugust, at 7.30 p.m., in the Hall GreenCommunity Centre, Upholland. Beginnersand more experienced family historianswelcome. Details from Simon Martin(01942 702594).

27 SeptemberFamily History Course - Parish RegistersPart 1 Simon Martin25 OctoberFamily History Course - Parish RegistersPart 2 Simon Martin22 NovemberSoldier of the Crimean War Neville King

Standish Probus ClubMembers are retired business andprofessional people. Meetings are held at‘The Owls’, Rectory Lane, Standish on the2nd Tuesday of every month at 10.30a.m. Details from Bryan Shepherd(01257 424994)

Tyldesley & District Historical SocietyMeetings are held on the 3rd Thursday ofevery month from September to May atthe Tyldesley Pensioners club on MilkStreet at 7.30 p.m. Refreshmentsavailable. Contact Tony Rydings(01942 514271) or Email: rydings@blueyonder.co.uk. Visit our website atwww.tyldesleyhistoricalsociety.co.uk.

Tyldesley Probus ClubMembers of the Club meet at TyldesleyMethodist Church, Eliot Street, on alternateThursday mornings at 10.30 a.m., from 7October until May 2005. The Club is forretired business/professional mane and isnon-political and non-sectarian. Detailsfrom Cedric Evans (0161 790 5166).

Upholland U3A Local History GroupThe University of the Third Age provides ameeting ground for retired and semi-retired people, of all walks of life, tosocialise and encourage further learningin a multitude of subjects. A Local HistoryGroup has recently been formed, whichmeets in Hall Green Meeting Room,Upholland on the 4th Thursday of eachmonth at 10.30 a.m. Refreshmentsavailable. Details from Don Stanway(01257 252719) or Joan Monks (01695628184).

Wigan Archaeological SocietyThe Society meets at the BP Centre(Scout HQ) in Greenhough Street on the1st Wednesday of the month at 7.30 p.m.

Wigan Civic TrustThe Trust meets at Drumcroon EducationArts Centre, Parsons Walk, Wigan, on the2nd Monday of the month at 7.30 p.m.Details from A.J. Grimshaw, 6 BridgemanTerrace, Wigan (01942 245777).

Wigan Family & Local History SocietyMeetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of everymonth (except in July and August) in theSpringfield Hotel, Springfield Road, Wigan, at7.30 p.m. for 8.00 p.m. The meetings alternatebetween members’ evenings and externalspeakers. Further information from JohnWogan, 678 Warrington Road, Goose Green, Wigan WN3 6XN or emailJohnwogan@blueyonder.co.uk. Visitour website at www.ffhs.org.uk/members/wigan.htm.

38

ARE WE ALL KNOBSTICKS?Dear Editor,

Whilst reading about the battle of Howe Bridge in issue38 of Past Forward, the word ‘knobsticks’ came up a coupleof times as a means of describing the black legs who werecontinuing to work during the strike. I was reminded thatthe only other time that I had seen this word used was in aletter that my grandfather sent to the Wigan Observer in1920. He (John Monk Foster) was a prolific writer to thepress. However, the ‘knobsticks’ he wrote of were notinvolved in strike action, perhaps it’s best that I let him tellthe tale.

HOUSE OWNERS, RENTMEN, TRADE UNION BLACKLEGS

To the editor of the Wigan ObserverSir, A little matter, apparently, which is taking place

quietly in our midst today is worthy, I think of a word ortwo of comment. The principles of trades unionism arerecognised nowadays as being so beneficial to vast massesof workers that they are almost universally adopted; and itwould be no easy business at the present moment, to findany considerable body of workers who are not organised tosafeguard their interests as wage earners.

This being so, it will come as a great surprise to mostpeople to learn that under certain given conditions some ofthese trade unionists are making blacklegs or knobsticks ofthemselves at this very moment, not at work, however, butat home. How this seeming paradox is brought about it willbe necessary to show.

For years before the war broke out, all the time the warwas waged, and since, countless thousands of workingclass dwellings had been allowed to fall into a scandalouscondition of disrepair and dirtiness. The world conflict,shortage of labour and materials, were good enough excusefor this deplorable neglect of cottage property, so long as thewar lasted.

But the armistice was signed, and common folk began todemand that their dwellings, unrepaired for six or moreyears should be made fit for decent people to live in.

The ‘Rent Act’ has enabled Landlords to increase rents byone third or more, and then what happened? Were cottagesrepaired and renovated as tenants had every right to

expect? Not at all. The authorities say a landlord iscompelled to undertake no more than repairs; the matter ofcleaning and decorating is optional.

The result has been this, certain houseowners and theiragents have offered their tenants lime and paper and paint;and now we find these people turning themselves intoamateur whitewashers, paper-hangers, painters andplasterers at the bidding of the rentman or owner. But whatof the master painters and decorators, and the workmenthey employ, whose work, wages and profits are beingstolen by these homemade knobsticks to save a stingyproperty owner’s pocket. And this being done whilehundreds of thousands of good workmen are idle all over thecountry.

Yours J. Monk Foster

Well, of course, in these days of DIY, these views aretotally alien and out of step; there are very few jobs in thehome that we don’t attempt. However, it seems mygrandfather was not without support because only a weeklater, again in the Observer, a letter written by a Mr. Banksof Throstlenest Avenue was full of support; again, I will letthe writer tell his side of the tale.

AMATEUR DECORATORS AND KNOBSTICKS

Sir, Might I be allowed to express my approval of theable manner in which the writer in last weeks issuedenounces the knobsticks who are prepared to take on otherpeoples jobs and assist the rentman in filching the workfrom its rightful source to the detriment of the men nowunemployed. Now the war is over it is sheer greed of goldand our friends are helping them to starve their own pals.

Can I then appeal to the better side of these ‘knobsticks’to desist from helping landlords to get work done on thecheap but let the practical painter make their home fit to livein. And so fellow readers of Past Forward perhaps weshould remember next time we do a spot of tiling or paperthe ceiling, you are a ‘knobstick’!

Don RaynerStandish Wigan

SNORINGTha’s ‘eard about mi ‘usban’ recentlyOne day he found ‘is car and lost the key

‘e drives mi mad wen finishin’ ‘is chores‘e jumps straight into bed ‘n’ then ‘e snores

Once Robert wakes mi up it cannot failIt makes no difference if ah rant ‘n’ wail

Or elbowin’ ‘is ribs ah couldn’t tellJus’ nothin’ ‘appens awl is not too well

Wen ‘e’s awake wi seem to ‘ave such fun‘n’ ‘ave such happy times wen awl is done

Elene HumphreysTreuddyn Mold

Chowbent Unitarian ChapelDear Mr Gillies

Chowbent Unitarian Chapel will be supporting this year’sHeritage Open Days, a national event, by opening the Chapelto visitors as follows:

Friday 9 Sept, 1.00 - 5.00Saturday 10 Sept, 10.00 - 5.00Sunday 11 Sept, 12.00 - 5.00

Refreshments will be available in the new Chowbent Hallnext to the Chapel, where there be a display of Chapel archivematerial. The only charges will be for refreshments.

From March to June this year the Chapel has beenundergoing its final major phase of essential restoration: mostof the windows have been removed for re-leading and the wornstone window surrounds have been replaced where necessary.Some repointing has been carried out.

The Chapel now has its own website: www.chowbent-unitarian-chapel.org.uk

Rev Peter L HughesEmail: Revpeter.Hughes@btopenworld.com

39

Memories 1935-1945by

Irene Cunliffe (nee Hughes)I WAS born on 28 December1920; I will begin my memories15 years later, when my dadwas in business with his twobrothers, trading as grocers. Myfamily lived behind the shop.

First day at work

On 2 January 1935, aged 14, I hadmy first day at work - working withDad and his brothers. Dad was nextto the eldest in a family of ten. Hisbrothers were many years his junior,more like my big brothers ratherthan my uncles. My education hadsupposedly ended; in fact, however,it was only just beginning.

I was taught to use the scales withwords of “never rob the customer,never rob your master, give correctweight always. Be sure to countchange out in the customer’s handas mistakes cost money - even worsecould lose us a customer. If not busy,look busy, there is always a job to bedone in a shop. Last but not least,the golden rule, remember thecustomer is always right.”

Times were hard, many wereunemployed, money was scarce.Today, people speak of poverty butthey don’t know the true meaning ofthe word. Children were kept fromschool because they had no shoes.Two brothers would share a pair ofshoes, often too big for one of them.One would go to school in them oneday and the other the next.

The scraps

Shops were open 8.00am to8.00pm Monday to Friday (exceptfor Wednesday, halfday, 1.00pm)and 8.00am - 9.00pm Saturday;there was no Sunday opening. Justas the shop was closing, womenwould come in to buy the scraps ofbacon and cheese crumbs that hadfallen off the bacon machine andcheese board when being cut. Thesewere sold at

2d. a time. Most people took aweek’s credit. We had a shop book,and the customer their own smallbook, so each could keep a record ofwhat was spent. People shoppeddaily, with an order Friday or

Saturday. In most cases the orderwas delivered by the errand boy. Hehad a bike with a big basket on thefront. The miles that 14 year old boycovered in all weathers for his 10s.per week. I remember he had toaddress his three ‘bosses’ as MrFred, Mr Ben and Mr Harry, as allhad the same surname!

Each day commercial travellerscalled at the shop, representing suchfirms as Typhoo tea, Homeprideflour, HP Sauce, Cherry Blossom bootpolish, Robertson’s jam, Huntley andPalmer’s biscuits, Robin starch andmany others too numerous tomention. As I write I can picturethem all, those ‘gentlemen of theroad’. After business was concluded,each traveller would be guided intothe ‘back shop’ and given a cup oftea.

Every subject under the sun wasdiscussed behind our small shop. Irecollect a few: “Would Tommy Farrwin when he went to America to boxJoe Louis?” “What about HaroldLarwood’s body line bowling?” “WasJardine the right choice to captain theEngland cricket team againstAustralia?” “What about that goalStanley Matthews scored onSaturday?” “Have you heard thebudget?” “Is there a God?” “Is therelife after death?” How I loved tolisten to those conversations! I wasnever allowed to join in - my dadwas strict, and I had to keep myplace.

Reserved occupation

In 1939, when I was 18 years old,war was declared. The shop nolonger had an errand boy. There werebetter jobs and more money to behad. All eligible men and womenwere called up. My brother joined theNavy, my boyfriend the RAF. Marriedwomen were going out to work.Rationing was introduced - points forfood, coupons for clothes and petrol.

Goods were no longer delivered tothe shop, so we managed to buy asecond-hand van. I was taught todrive; indeed, my job becameimportant enough to be made areserved occupation. The ‘Mill at thePier’, as it is now, was then the CanalWharf. Many goods would come up

the canal by barge. I had to collectthem there. Goods also had to becollected at the Railway Sidings inChapel Lane. Petrol was rationed. Nothaving enough petrol to use the vanall the time, I sometimes had to goout on my bike.

One day Dad noticed two bikesbeing loaded on a horse and cart atthe Railway Sidings and determinedto buy one if possible. He followedthe horse and cart to Ormerod’sWarehouse which was alongside theold Market Square. He managed it!Alas! It was a big bike and I was onlysmall - my feet wouldn’t reach thepedals! Not to be outdone, Dad madefour wooden blocks, two for eachpedal, and fastened them on. It waslovely in the summertime - a softbreeze on my face and lifting my hair.

No white wedding

As the war continued, many lovedones were lost. People became closerin their grief. I was married - nowhite wedding, no big reception, justfamilies to a sit down tea at myhome.

Food became scarcer. The fewtravellers who now called on us toldus what we could have - no need tosell their goods. We were grateful forwhat we could get. The conversationsin the ‘back shop’ continued. Thesubjects changed - “CouldMontgomery beat Rommell?” “Howmany planes did we lose last night?”“Could Churchill really win us thewar?” “Did you read what JohnGordon said in the Sunday Express?”

After six years, the war ended.With joy and thankfulness someloved ones returned; sadly, manydidn’t - for their families just amemory. Yes, The war was over!Lights in the sky, hope in our hearts.Great Britain had survived. The luckyones could build a life together.

* * * * *The shop in Gidlow Lane still

remains, no longer belonging to myfamily, and no longer a grocers. Idrove past it last week. The door wasopen - I wanted to stop my car andlook inside - so many memories, solong ago, with only myself left toremember them.

40

‘MonkeyParade’

Dear SirI mustn’t pretend to be to

sure, but I think my father andmother met on the Sundayevening parade (see PastForward 39, p31) on 7 April1907. I was astonished at herreflections late in life as to howsimilar her Edwardian dayswere to life on Wigan Lane inthe 1930’s.

When in 1955 I becameVicar of a church in Bradford, Iwas equally surprised to hearthat there had been a ‘monkeyparade’ there pre 1939, just aswe did in Wigan. I alwayssurmised that the custom waskilled by three factors - WorldWar II, an increase in vehiculartraffic and the opening ofSunday cinemas.

Rev Roger TaylorLindsey Suffolk

Dear AlastairThe photograph (top) is of my grandmother, Mary Ellen Carroll and her sisters. She is standing on the

left of the second row. Her two sisters are Catherine (third in from boy on left) and Jane (back row withhead silhouetted in front of window, first on right). Her mother Ellen Carroll is seated second from right.

The bottom photograph shows the Mines Rescue unit at Howe Bridge. George Highfield is first on left(looking slightly sideways!). I wonder if any reader can identify the others.

Dianne TeskeyCommunity & Education Outreach Officer

Wigan Heritage Service

Who Are These People?

Dear Sir,The novelist James Hilton

was born in Leigh in 1900 andwrote a number of books witha Lancashire setting, includingthe novels So WellRemembered and And NowGoodbye, and the short storyGerald and the Candidate.These are set in the fictionaltown of ‘Browdley’, whichbears a close resemblance toLeigh.

James Hilton rememberedI understand that Hilton

returned to Leigh on a numberof occasions in the 1950’s tovisit family and friends. I wouldbe most grateful if any of yourreaders with reminiscences ofHilton would kindly contact me.

John HammondSecretary

The James Hilton Society49 Beckingthorpe Drive

BottesfordNottingham NG13 0DN

BOB DOBSONPublisher and Book Dealer

LANCASHIREYORKSHIRE & CHESHIRE

I buy, sell and search for second-handbooks relating to these counties: I searchfor books: I issue lists. I buy quantities ofother books.

LIST OF MY NEW PUBLICATIONSON REQUEST

BOB DOBSON“Acorns”3 STAINING RISESTAININGBLACKPOOL FY3 0BUTel: (01253) 895678

41

Dear SirI would just like to show my

appreciation to GeorgeWadeson for his very interestingarticle ‘Memories of ‘Top Place’ironworks’ in Past Forward no38, p33.

During an electricalengineering apprenticeship atMather & Platts, Manchester, Ispent many spare momentswatching the production ofcastings. I was absolutelyfascinated with the wholeprocess, from casting largemotor/pump bedplates andcasings to visiting the brassfoundry to see the production ofsprinklers to centrifugal pumpimpellers, a highly skilledprocess making the woodenpatterns to the actual moulds.Then around the early ‘50’sfabricated bedplates becamethe norm, a welding systemwhich would lend itself to massproduction.

As a volunteer at Wigan PierI do enjoy talking to visitorsabout the foundry floor and theimportance of the iron foundryduring the Industrial Revolution.One of my forbears was apartner of a foundry inManchester, Wren & Hopkinson,which designed and built waterwheels, and later in 1850supplied cast iron gear wheelsfor Brunel’s Great Britain. Thiswas quite a surprise and onlycame to light after discovering aletter as follows :-

1852, at Mr Whitworths,Saturday.

My Dear Sir. The GreatBritain will go to sea for a 48hour trial on Monday morningstarting about 12 O’clock. Ihope arrangements will bemade for those, who desire togo no further, to get out at

Holyhead. I intend to do thismyself if the weather should befine enough. If you will take therisk or chance I should be veryglad to see you on board.

Yours Faithfully, John Penn(Your wheels work perfectly)"

After visiting the ship thewheels turned out to be gearwheels four 14 feet in diameter13 inches thick; these meshedwith four drive wheels 4 feet 8inches in diameter, each wheelbeing offset by an angle of 90degrees to reduce noise.Another piece fitted into a familyhistory project started some 30years ago - the longest jigsawpuzzle I have ever attempted!

Another puzzle on which Ineed help is the DouglasNavigation, especially the areaaround Dean Wood to the RiverDouglas and the locks to thecanal. I do have some earlysketches of the area but notmany details. I have read MikeClark’s books but wish to tryand obtain more informationfrom local people. Many yearsago my son uncovered part ofthe old wagon road through thewood and also the road fromthe stone quarries at Roby Mill;we also located one of thewharves at the side of theDouglas. The DouglasNavigation was a tremendouspiece of engineering in the 18thcentury. when one sees the sizeof the earth works from theRibble estuary. I have heardthat men who worked on theNavigation were not allIrishmen - some were Cornishtin miners. In any event Ibelieve the word Navvyoriginated here.

Ron Hopkinson7 Cambridge Road Orrell

Nr Wigan WN5 8PL

LONGEST JIGSAW

Dear SirWith reference to the picture of the loco in the latest issue of Past

Forward (p 13), I think it is an early 0-6-0 or 0-6-2 saddle tankdesigned by Webb for the London and North Western Railway. Itcould be a colliery loco but by its cab design and the nature of nameand number plates I think it is definitely LNWR. It was probably builtat Crewe about 1870-1890. A good chance of identifying the locomay be with Pete Waterman as he now officially owns the Londonand North Western Railway Company.

I always like Past Forward, especially when there are railwayitems in letters or articles. It is a pity that Warrington does not havea magazine such as this.

George F McKieGreat Sankey Warrington

'Johnny Bunny'The Heritage Service has recently received anenquiry from a gentleman in Switzerland requestingany information about a brand of cough pastillewhich he believes was manufactured in Ashton-in-Makerfield and marketed under the trade name‘Johnny Bunny’. Staff at the History Shop havebeen unable to uncover any details of this brand,and would be most interested to here from anyonewho can recall this product, especially as to theidentity of the maker and the period when it was onsale.

Mike HaddonThe History Shop

Library StreetWigan WN1 1NUTel: 01942 828121

Email: heritage@wlct.org

A lot ofhumbug

Dear EditorFirst I would like to thank

Past Forward for a very goodmagazine; both my wife and Ireally enjoy reading it.

Re the article ‘Anything forthe Weekend Sir?’ in the lastissue of Past Forward, ‘th’owdmon’ who made the mint ballswas my grandfather, JohnBromilow; my uncle, ThomasBromilow, also worked withhim. They would make thefamous mint and aniseed ballsall week in a garage in MiryLane, then go down to CentralPark each Saturday when therewas a home match; the crowdthen would be about 40,000.Imagine selling the toffee at 10in a bag for one old penny. Theycould make up to £10 just onSaturday.

So my father told me. Healso said - and this may be anapochryphal story - that at thetime my grandfather and uncleTom where selling at CentralPark, Santus, the other famousmint ball makers, offered to buythe recipe off them but theyrefused!

Later, my grandfather movedinto the shop at 158 Scholesand carried on making mintballs there. After he died, whenI was about 10 years old, myparents John and AnnieBromilow moved from Ince intothe shop in Scholes and tookover making the toffee. Later onmy mother would buy little bitsof things like needles andcotton to sell in the shop, to tryand make a little more money.

When we where going tomake a boiling of toffee, mymother would put my youngersister in a dolly tub with a fewtoys, because we didn’t havemuch time in which to roll themint balls, or stretch a lump ofthe toffee to make humbugs, asit went hard very quickly. Whileit was hot - very hot - my motherused to stretch a lump of toffeeuntil it was a very light creamcolour, then she would roll onecream and one dark lumptogether, snip off the end, andas she cut it she would do a halfturn of the rolled toffee - that ishow she did the humbugs.

My father passed the recipeon to me, and in later years mywife Cath and I made some justfor fun for our friends; we stillknow how to make them, butalas we don’t bother anymore.

Have you thought just howmany mint balls where rolled byhand by my grandfather anduncle Tom, for each match?24,000. Wow! Those were thedays!

Leslie BromilowSouthport

An early saddle tank

42

Dear Mr Gillies,I have read and re-read

Irene Roberts’ wonderfulaccount of her happy andsecure school-days spent atInce Central School (“An Applefor the Teacher”, Past Forwardno 38), in which she describesso vividly the days beforeS.A.T.s and School LeagueTables, when children andteachers were so happy andrelaxed. There were nocomputers or calculators –sums had to be worked out ‘inour heads’.

As Irene recalls, teacherswere allowed to get on with thereal job of teaching basic skills,but there was still ample timeto read Milly-Molly-Mandystories (she had two friendscalled Little Friend Susan andBilly Blunt), recite poems, singsongs and hymns, dance, playgames etc.

Bullying and bad languagewere very rare. Children weremischievous, but never

thuggish. I remember threelittle lads (who shall remainnameless!) being caught red-handed having a drink from abottle of milk, which had beenleft on the doorstep of a housein Pickup Street. One of themprotested to the lady-occupant,“but missus, E’s nor ‘ad a drinkyet” – pointing to his co-accused!

The local dialect also causedsome hilarity. When asked bythe teacher for examples ofwords beginning with the sound‘O’, one eager little scholar shothis hand in the air, puffed outhis chest and proudlyannounced “Ommer, Miss”.

I too remember childrenbringing 3d every week to helpto pay for the new school. Ihope the little pottery rabbit stillsits on the cupboard in thecorridor, keeping a friendly eyeon the events of each day.

Does Irene rememberbringing small amounts of bankmoney on Monday mornings,and children standing at thefront of the Hall in Assembly onbirthdays and having candles lit(and hair tugged!) according totheir age? There were MayQueen celebrations when pupilsfrom the ‘Top Class’ werechosen to be the attendants (or

the Queen!) by having theirnames drawn from a hat. Otherchildren practiced Maypoledancing (frequently getting theirribbons tangled, which led tofriendly arguments).

On Ash Wednesday andAscension Day we all walked tochurch along Ince Green Lanein crocodile fashion. Theremainder of the day was aholiday.

But there was more!! Onreading issue no 39, I walkedclosely behind Irene as shefollowed “The Girl”, wearing ablue coat and a ribbon in herhair, around all the familiarplaces of Higher Ince. Again,her sense of well-being shonethrough every paragraph.

But when Irene hesitatedclose to St. Williams Presbyteryand “The Girl” was about toopen the door of the littleterraced house behind thegarden wall, my heart skipped abeat. I recognised the little girlto whom I delivered a spill-holder one Christmas manyyears ago. She had measlesand I knew she would be upsetif she didn’t receive it, as it wasa present for her dad. I feelsure – but I could be mistaken– that she gave me a shy smilebefore closing the door. I was a

newly qualified teacher at thetime and my colleague, Mrs.Sandiford, was my role model,whom I shall always rememberwith great respect andadmiration – she taught me somany things.

After delivering the present Icontinued along Ince GreenLane to my home in Lower Incewhere I spent most of my lifeand, as a child, attended St.Mary’s C.E. Primary School andthen Hindley and AbramGrammar School.

Although much older thanIrene, my childhood had manysimilarities for which I am trulygrateful. I too made slop-dash,played ‘shops’ and rememberwalking round the streetsdressed as a sun-flower on MayQueen Day!

Kathleen Meadwell’s letterwas also very interesting –sadly the other teachers shementions have all passed away.The photograph, which shesubmitted, was of the first classof children I taught afterqualifying as a teacher.

Kind regards to Kathleenand Irene (I remember her andher mam and her maiden namevery clearly) and all who shareour memories.

Margaret A Johnson(nee Ashurst)

Standish Nr Wigan

Happy School Days at Ince

Dear EditorHow I have enjoyed reading the latest issue of Past Forward,

received today.I was moved to tears by the article written by Irene Roberts on

pp37,38. How it took me back to my own childhood. It was as if shewas narrating my own life as a girl, not in Wigan but in Royton, nearOldham.

My ancestors (Forshaws) are all from Wigan. My grandfatherElijah brought his family to the Oldham area in 1916, to get themaway from coal mining. But Irene’s descriptions of her local shops,the schoolrooms, the odd and scary characters, the games sheplayed, such as making sloppy daw daw (as we called it) with dirtand water, and chip shop - we also used dog biscuits, but ate thembefore our dog got to them! - all brought back such wonderfulmemories.

I cried - and I am not ashamed to admit it - as I remembereddressing up our dog in a bonnet with a lacy frill, tucking him up inmy doll’s pram and taking him for a walk, or performingpantomimes in our yard and charging the local kids a penny towatch us perform.

Thank you, Irene, for making all these memories come floodingback. Your article was wonderfully written.

Marian Buckley(nee Forshaw)Oldham Lancs

MMOOVVEEDD TTOO TTEEAARRSSDear Mr Gillies,

Just a line to let you know how much we enjoy your magazine,especially the letters written by Irene Roberts.

Irene is a regular customer of Abram Library and also a memberof Abram Community Link. She has just appeared in a play at WiganLittle Theatre called ‘Wanted One Body’. We all went to see her andshe was just great. Well done Irene. Next stop Hollywood!

Best wishes for future success from all the team at AbramCommunity Link and also from all the staff at Abram Library.Thanking you.

Pauline CalterEmail: paulinecalter5@hotmail.com

Well done Irene

Worthingtons, Wigan LaneDear Alastair

I would like to thank you foryour efforts with Past Forward.

I must particularly mentionone article from the latest issue- ‘Anything for the Weekend Sir?(p30). As I read it, my mind wastransported back to the days inWigan Lane and Worthington’sbarbers shop. I remember bothfather and son; if you didn’t get

a cold with father breathingdown your neck, then you wouldwhen Frank got drawn into theconversation on rugby!Everything stopped - he wasreplaying the match and, if youhappened to be in the chair,goodness knows when you’d getfinished! Thanks again.

Bob HeavisideStandish Nr Wigan

43

Published by Wigan Heritage Service, Wigan Leisure & CultureTrust, The History Shop, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NU

The views expressed in this issue are not necessarily supportedby Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust. Nothing printed may beconstrued as policy or an official announcement unless so stated.

Neither Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust, nor the Editor, acceptliability for any matter in this publication.

Contributions are welcome but no responsibility can be taken forloss or damage to contributors’ material.

© Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust, July 2005.

WonderfulService!

Dear EditorLast week I received two

tapes of Past Forward with mylibrary books. What a wonderfulservice! I listened to an articleon ‘The War in Atherton’, abouta landmine which dropped onthe farm near Atherton CentralStation.

I remember it well! I lived at197 Car Bank Street, where alandmine dropped, withoutwarning, about five days beforethe Central Station one. Myfather was a soldier, and hadonly gone back from leave thenight before; so that left mymother, two brothers andmyself. I was about 10 yearsold.

The blast threw my motheron top of me (I was asleep inher bed), but she, and myeldest brother, only receivedminor cuts. I came off worst, asI got the blast in my left ear;since then I have been stonedeaf in that ear.

We were then split as afamily. My younger brother andI went to live with an aunt inTyldesley Old Road; but this wasnot far from Central Station so,when that was hit a few dayslater, my brother and I werescreaming our heads off again!It was nine months before wewere able to return home,which was without any windowsand, indeed, remained so untilthe end of the war.

If any reader has aphotograph of the Car BankStreet landmine, I’d love to seeit. I’m sure you will understandwhat it meant to me to hear thistape; I can’t wait to play it to myson and granddaughter whenthey next visit.

Thank you so very much forsending me the tape of PastForward.

Margaret Baxter(nee Green)

Tyldesley Nr Manchester

Dear EditorNo wonder the young man

on the motorcycle on p14 of thelatest Past Forward is grinningfrom ear to ear. He is satastride one of the fabulousNorton Internationals, THEsports bike of the 1930’s. inthose days, Norton made ahabit of winning both Juniorand Senior Classes of the Isle ofMan TT. I notice that the bikehas a straight through exhaust.Perhaps he was an entrant forthe Manx Grand Prix, a race forAmateurs held on the island in

Aspull’s wrestlerDear Sir

In their article in the last issue of Past Forward on ‘Burgy Ben’(p39), the co-authors stated that their grandfather, real nameThomas Jones, wrestled his last match in 1907. They may bepleased to learn that he competed in the National Sporting Clubwrestling tournament held at the Alhambra Theatre in 1910 (seePast Forward no 22, p20).

'Apollo Magazine', a popular sports magazine of the day reportingon the tournament, stated that a surprise occurred on the third day,when the celebrated lightweight Tom Jones of Wigan lost his bout toG A Faulkner of Birmingham. As the lightweights were the first to themat at the start of the tournament, this suggests that Jones hadenjoyed some success in the early rounds of the competition.

The other wrestler pictured with Burgy Ben fits the description ofJames Collins of Hollingsworth, who wrestled M W Makinson ofAspull at the Borough Grounds, Oldham, in 1905. The matchattracted 4000 spectators and was billed as being for theLightweight Championship of the world.

Twelve months later the Borough Grounds was again the venuewhen Aspull’s J Rigby (trained by Thomas Jones) wrestled J Barkerof Leeds for £50 a side, in a match that lasted almost two hours andwas described by onlookers as a tremendous feat of endurance.

All these matches were in the Lancashire style and they give usa glimpse into the history of Aspull’s wrestler, which is a story thatcan be told in greater detail at a later date.

Thomas Heyes

Dear Editor, I have a friend, Olive Carr

(nee Sharrat) who went to RoseBridge secondary modernschool; her father also went tothat school and played in theschool team which won theDaily Dispatch shield in 1931.

Olive would like to know ifthere are any of the team left. Ifso, could they contact hereither through Past Forward orme.

Many thanks Victor Wadeson

Email:Vic.wadeson@btinternet.com

Olive Carr

September each year.Harry Walls, who contributed

the canal article on p24, maybe interested to know that the1945 film, Painted Boats, isavailable on video fromCamden Miniature SteamServices, Barrow Farm, Rode,Somerset BA11 6PS, @ £10.99inc p&p. Made by EalingStudios and filmed on theGrand Union Canal, it is said tobe a close representation of lifeon the canals at that time.

Brian BarlowWigan

Bikes & Boats

Past Forwardhas done it

again!Dear Mr. Gillies,

Thankyou for including myletter regarding theHILTON/PUGH GENEALOGY inissue 39 of Past Forward. Iwould like to let you know thatthanks to you my article broughtforth a wonderful response frommany readers once again. Themystery of the little engine‘Shah’ has been solved withdetails of its history supplied; asit turns out it was theresponsibility of the driver,James Pugh, the gentleman onthe adjoining photo, who droveit between Crawford ownedcollieries and kept it inimmaculate running order witha great deal of pride.

I have been introduced to areal live member of the Pughline by a gentleman who readthe article and acted onintuition. We are busily engaged,through our mutual friend, inincreasing my knowledge of thefamily featured on the photo etal.

I would like to convey mysincere thanks to all whotroubled to contact me, andespecially to the unknown donorof the lovely photo of theCommercial Inn which I havereceived - the sender's namewas not included on the littlenote enclosed, but I doappreciate the photo.

May I take this opportunity tosay a big THANK YOU TO ALL.

Elspeth Bradbury31 Dalwood Close

Eleebana 2282 NSWAUSTRALIA

44

Who? Where?The response to the mysteryphotographs in the last issue was incomplete contrast to the excellent onefor issue 38. The most positive was forthe shop (top right) - this was mostprobably located at no 106Bradshawgate, Leigh. Possibleidentifications for the two bottomphotographs are, left to right, a farm inPennington, Leigh and a RoyalOrdnance Factory (exact locationunknown). No suggestions received todate for the top left photograph.

The three photographs shown herehave all appeared in earlier issues, butas they are ones to which we have nothad any response but are particularlykeen to identify, we thought we wouldrun with them again, in the hope thatnew readers might have somesuggestions.

If you can help identify any of thesephotographs, please contact LenHudson in Leigh Town Hall (01942404432).