This week's stories include the man who stole £190 from a St Helens grocery boss, a sad Sutton suicide after a job loss, Saints decide to start training for matches and the Haydock miner who died because of a loose shirt.

When theatrical companies and musical hall acts toured the country they invariably spent a week at a time at each venue. This also usually applied to pantomime performances leading to a much longer season than today. During this week the Thomas Canvery Company performed 'Red Riding Hood' at the Theatre Royal in Corporation Street. I believe the 'Nine Little Tiddleywinks' were part of the show. One review of the child performers said they were "dainty entertainers who render a delightful programme of concerted items, songs and dances."

The critical housing shortage reared its head again in St Helens Police Court when on the 2nd a retired police officer described his situation. Constable Joseph Heaton had retired from the force on December 6th 1920 after also serving in the police run fire brigade. His house in Brynn Street came with the job and was close to the fire station in Parade Street. The magistrates had already given Heaton extra time to find other accommodation but on the 2nd he applied for a further extension.

The man's solicitor told the court that his client had a wife and eight children, and had been "absolutely unable" to get another house. The police solicitor said that Heaton had been generously dealt with and the house needed to be at the disposal of a member of the fire brigade. The magistrates could not throw eight children out onto the streets and so Heaton was given another month to find a home for his family.

I've come across many instances where workers had been killed or seriously injured while operating machines. Getting their clothing caught in the machinery was a common cause of these accidents, which often occurred in collieries. Twelve months ago an article in the St Helens Reporter – bearing the headline "Whirled To Her Death, Girl's Terrifying Experience" – described the fate of Mary Corbett at Clock Face Colliery. The 17-year-old from Jersey Street was killed while working as a so-called "pit brow lass" on the colliery screens where dirt was removed from coal. Mary was whirled round at 70 rpm as a result of her clothing getting caught in the conveyor belt machinery.

Similar accidents also occurred down coalmines. On March 2nd an inquest was held on William Berry, who two days earlier had died from the injuries he'd received at the Newton Pit in Haydock. The 21-year-old married man from Haydock Lane had been using a coal-cutting machine, as described by the Liverpool Echo:

"Berry, while crouching with his back to the cutter, gave orders for it to start. One of the men noticed that his shirt was loose at the back and shortly afterwards Berry cried out. It was found that he had been dragged with his head under the bar of the machine, and he was very seriously injured. Mr. A. D. Nicholson, inspector of mines, recommended that the men working coal cutting machines should wear tight-fitting clothing."

The post-war boom in trade had been short-lived. The country's pre-war export markets that had been expected to reopen for business had failed to materialise and economic depression was around the corner. A painful coal strike was not far away as a consequence of colliery owners cutting miners' wages. But for now the bosses at the mines were "stopping" men – i.e. laying workers off in order to slim down their workforce to match the reduction in demand for coal.

As we know losing one's livelihood can be devastating and with an ungenerous social security system in the 1920s, financial worries coupled with loss of self-esteem had fatal consequences for many. On March 4th the inquest on James Williams of Edgeworth Street in Sutton took place. About a fortnight earlier the 58-year-old had lost his job at Sutton Manor Colliery, which had made him very upset. The hearing heard that James had been drinking heavily and on the morning of the 2nd had left home and never returned. Farmer John Rimmer told the hearing that he was passing the Monastery Dam in Gerards Lane (pictured above with Sutton Convent in the background) about 10:30 at night and heard a splash and a cry. He went to the place and upon looking over the wall was not able to see anything in the darkness but did hear further splashes. The farmer went for a rope but was unable to rescue James, whose body was later recovered by the use of grappling irons. With far more deep, open water than today, many chose a watery way-out of their troubles and it was reported at James’ inquest that he only had fourpence in his pocket.

It was announced this week that the Prince of Wales would be touring Lancashire in July. The future King Edward VIII would visit the St Helens Recs football ground in City Road and talk to many ex-servicemen.

In my fifty years ago articles the name of Terence Lennon regularly appears. A century ago it was Frank Lennon – who along with Stringfellows and Royles – were the big independent food retailers in St Helens that rivalled the Co-op. Frank Lennon kept a shop in Park Road but his main place of business was in the Market Hall. During the war Lennon had boasted in a court case that his market stall had 12,000 registered customers for rationed foodstuffs.

On the 5th Daniel Ford of Liverpool Road appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with stealing £190 from his boss Frank Lennon. It was stated that Ford had absconded with the money but two days later had handed himself into the Liverpool police, saying he was extremely sorry but could not explain why he had committed the crime. Virtually the whole of the cash had been returned but as the matter had already been reported to the police, a prosecution was inevitable. The case was remanded until next week.

Also on the 5th Saints played Oldham at Knowsley Road and won 11 - 3. The Liverpool Echo in its match report said the win was "all due to the fact that the team has once more gone in for training." One might have thought that fitness training and practice was not optional in any sport. However all the Saints' players had other demanding jobs and finding the time during the week – and even the energy – for training would have been hard.

The Echo added: "If Oldham had visited the Saints enclosure a month ago they would have wiped the floor with them", but now the players were "fit and well, and much superior in open play. St. Helens can greatly improve their position by the end of the season if they keep in decent trim." There were then no substitutions or interchanges allowed in the matches and so you really needed more than decent trim to perform consistently well. The paper praised long serving player Tom Barton who inspired "spirit and confidence" during the game. The players only received a playing fee of around £2 but if they were in the team for a long time and awarded a benefit season they could really clean up. Last season had been Tom Barton's benefit year and the bricklayer from Charles Street had received a cheque for the huge amount of £364.

There were many adverts in newspapers from Beecham's this week promoting the use of their pills to prevent illness – in addition to treating conditions. Of course most people only have occasional or short-lived complaints, which limits the sale of treatments. There is far more money to be made if pills or medicines are taken on a more regular basis.

And so in the West Sussex Gazette as well as promising "speedy relief" when suffering from "lassitude, biliousness, sick headache, constipation, poor appetite and other signs of stomach trouble", Beecham's also claimed their pills could act as a "sure shield". That was as protection against indigestion "that great enemy of the general health" and taking the pills was also said to help maintain fitness and condition.

A different advert in the Birmingham Daily Gazette but adopting the same theme said: "Taken from time to time this excellent medicine will be found to exercise a most beneficial influence upon the general health. Beecham's Pills correct sluggish tendency of the liver, regulate the bowels, impart tone to the stomach, restore the appetite and purify the blood. There are many people in the world to-day, in every walk of life, who are proving daily that the use of Beecham's Pills keeps ill-health away."

Next week's stories will include the shell-shocked ex-soldier who stole from a grocery boss, the licensee of the Canal Vaults who was in a very queer state, the St Helens newsagents carrying too many fireworks and the fruit man in the market who told police he wanted to be "all my darling".