IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (7th - 13th October 1919)
This week's stories include the violent husband of Vincent Street, the fear of a measles epidemic in St Helens, the town's Peace Day babies receive a presentation, the thieving domestic servant, the effects of the national rail strike and the 20-strong child performers Haley's Juveniles appear at the Hippodrome.
We begin on the 8th when Dr Joseph Cates, the St Helens Medical Officer of Health, told a meeting of the Council's Health Committee that the town was threatened by a measles epidemic. Dr Cates reminded the committee members how dangerous the disease was. He described how over the past twenty years 2,000 children had died in the borough from measles.
At least 2,000 more had died from complications caused by measles and for every child that had died, at least four or five were "damaged in health", as Dr Cates put it. However over the past 18 months deaths had been reduced through the seconding of hospital nurses into the community to provide home nursing for the more serious cases.
On the following day the babies that had been born on St Helens Peace Day on July 19th were each presented with five War Savings Certificates at a ceremony in the Town Hall. The youngsters were Louisa Sandford from Dudley Street in Parr; Bertha Kay from Springfield Road, Thatto Heath; Elsie Wilkinson from Albion Street; Victor Pennington from Alma Square, Peasley Cross; Arthur Melling from Charles Street and Henry Heyes of Havelock Street.
A second presentation of a silver cup was awarded to baby Maurice Costello who, said the Mayor, brought credit on St Helens, for coming close to winning a big baby prize in a public competition a short time ago. The cup (pictured above - contributed by David Costello) bore the inscription, "Presented to Maurice Costello, from the Mayor and Mayoress of St. Helens, Ald. Dr. and Mrs. H. B. Bates, July, 1919." The cup is now in the possession of Maurice's relative, David Costello, who got in touch with me last June trying to find out why the trophy had been awarded.
It was a longstanding practice for many girls from St Helens to go into domestic service – some within the town itself and others travelled further afield. During the war far better paid jobs in munitions' works could be obtained on the young lady's doorsteps. However the war was now over and jobs were at a premium. So the Employment Exchange in St Helens was advising – if not insisting – that many girls went to work in a household. Some were even threatened that their unemployment pay would be withdrawn if they did not comply.
Whether Delia Noone had been forced to work as a servant in Blackpool, I cannot say. However the 18-year-old was in court on the 9th charged with stealing a 10 shilling note, two rings and two brooches from her employers. DS Carter arrested Delia after she had returned to St Helens and the stolen jewellery was all recovered. However the 10 bob note had been spent on a charabanc trip to bring her back home. The Blackpool magistrates bound Delia over for 12 months and ordered her to refund the money.
It was very common for women to tolerate abuse from their husbands as they were so dependent upon them. Separation or divorce also had a stigma and led to embarrassing coverage in the papers. However in St Helens Police Court on the 10th Emily Connolly from Vincent Street appears to have decided that enough was enough as she sought a separation order against her husband after thirty years of marriage.
Such orders were not all that easy to obtain, as husbands would often make counter allegations against their wives. In addition the authorities had a habit of thwarting the applicant's desire to live apart from their husband, while supported by a court-enforced maintenance order. That is exactly what happened in Emily Connolly's case, despite her solicitor telling the Bench that her husband Joseph had practised cruelty to his wife practically all the time that they had been married. He said his client was afraid of her husband, having repeatedly said that even if he had to wait six months, he would "do for her".
Connolly's most recent assault was on October 4th when he went to the back gate and smacked Emily's face. He then grabbed hold of her hair and dragged her along the yard to the back door where he grabbed hold of her throat. He appeared to be trying to strangle his wife but a young man seeing what was happening jumped over a wall and came to Emily's rescue. Mrs Connolly's daughter-in-law gave supporting evidence of the cruelty Emily had endured.
However Joseph Connolly claimed provocation, telling the court that for a period his wife had not made his breakfast or given him any supper. The 56-year-old train driver also alleged that Emily had once attacked him and scratched his face and had thrown a half-brick at him (some might say he deserved it!). Connolly also blamed the daughter-in-law living with them for causing trouble.
A probation officer called Holmes had had limited contact with the couple and his evidence to the court seemed somewhat biased in favour of the husband. He felt the wife's health was the main problem and said she wouldn't listen to reason, adding that the man had told him how ill-treated and neglected he had been.
The magistrates refused to grant the separation order and adjourned the case for three months to see if matters improved – although Mrs Connolly was now living in Manchester with her eldest son. The Bench said these "old people" (one was 56, the other 58!) should be able to live together comfortably, having lived together so long and they recommended that the daughter-in-law should leave their home.
The St Helens Reporter on the 10th discussed the effects on the town of the nine-day national rail strike. This had now been settled after the government had given in to the National Union of Railwaymen and decided to suspend their plans to cut railway workers' wages. Railway traffic through St Helens had been at a complete standstill during the strike period, although some trains had passed through St Helens Junction on the Liverpool / Manchester line. Motor vehicle owners had come to the town's rescue and lent their vehicles to the Corporation for the transport of food.
Coal, however, had been in short supply towards the end of the strike and some householders had to have a reduction in their usual supply. The industries in the St Helens district were badly affected by the strike through their inability to obtain fuel and raw materials. Some went on short time and one or two collieries closed. The Reporter added that if the strike had gone on for much longer, there would likely have been widespread unemployment in the town.
The paper also announced that the Lowe House Memorial Fund that had been launched in the spring now totalled £1,415. As a tribute to the 173 members of the church's congregation that had died in the war, a special chapel was to be created in the present church containing the names of all those that had perished. This would then be incorporated into the new Lowe House church, although that would not be finished until 1930.
The following turns began a week-long run at the Hippodrome music hall in Corporation Street on the 13th: Haley's Juveniles ("In a beautiful vocal scene, introducing 20 highly trained children); Lester Newby ("Character comedian"); May Rentur ("The girl with the big voice"); Amac ("The happy deceiver"); Dene Dunlop ("The cheerie comedian"); Jess & Tony ("Presenting quick fire comedy") and Miss Ellis Drake and Co. ("In a new Scotch comedy playlet, ‘Oh Mother’")
Gracie Fields was a member of the all-girl song and dance troupe Haley's Juveniles for a while. Their managers would have had to apply for a licence from St Helens magistrates for their child performers who were under 14. The JPs would only grant one if certain assurances were made about the time that the children would finish work and that they were being properly educated during the day. There were always two shows at the Hippodrome and the youngsters would likely be employed from 6:30pm until 9:45pm each evening during the week.
Two more Sunday gamblers appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 13th charged with gaming with cards – in this case pontoon. Their arrest had followed the usual pattern. A couple of police officers had kept watch on a group of thirty men gambling on waste land near Recreation Street and then "raided" them – as it was always described.
The men scattered and the bobbies arrested the few that they were able to catch. The unlucky ones were William Grayson from Recreation Street and Hugh Salmon from Trinity Street (off Higher Parr Street). The latter pleaded not guilty and Grayson supported his case. However PC Hurst said Salmon had been involved in the card playing and they were both fined 21 shillings.
Two neighbours from Holly Bank Street (off Merton Bank Road) appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 13th, charged with breaching the peace by fighting each other. However both Carrie Critchley and Sarah Middlehurst pleaded guilty in self-defence, with both women swearing that the other had struck the first blow.
PC Allsop gave evidence that he had seen the pair at 3:30pm quarrelling and threatening each other in the street. The constable said he saw Mrs Critchley strike Mrs Middlehurst and then they both fell to the ground. However Mrs Critchley told the Bench that Mrs Middlehurst had struck her three times before the policeman had come onto the scene. The magistrates did what they invariably did – bound the women over to keep the peace and send them on their way – although they both had to find sureties to guarantee their good behaviour.
Next week's stories will include the drunken sailor who fired a revolver in Park Road, a curious Clock Face Colliery pay mix up, action to remedy the flooding in Sutton, the "loafer of no fixed abode" returns to court, the boom in pastimes in St Helens and the Parr boy burglar who stole coppers for sweets.
We begin on the 8th when Dr Joseph Cates, the St Helens Medical Officer of Health, told a meeting of the Council's Health Committee that the town was threatened by a measles epidemic. Dr Cates reminded the committee members how dangerous the disease was. He described how over the past twenty years 2,000 children had died in the borough from measles.
At least 2,000 more had died from complications caused by measles and for every child that had died, at least four or five were "damaged in health", as Dr Cates put it. However over the past 18 months deaths had been reduced through the seconding of hospital nurses into the community to provide home nursing for the more serious cases.
On the following day the babies that had been born on St Helens Peace Day on July 19th were each presented with five War Savings Certificates at a ceremony in the Town Hall. The youngsters were Louisa Sandford from Dudley Street in Parr; Bertha Kay from Springfield Road, Thatto Heath; Elsie Wilkinson from Albion Street; Victor Pennington from Alma Square, Peasley Cross; Arthur Melling from Charles Street and Henry Heyes of Havelock Street.
It was a longstanding practice for many girls from St Helens to go into domestic service – some within the town itself and others travelled further afield. During the war far better paid jobs in munitions' works could be obtained on the young lady's doorsteps. However the war was now over and jobs were at a premium. So the Employment Exchange in St Helens was advising – if not insisting – that many girls went to work in a household. Some were even threatened that their unemployment pay would be withdrawn if they did not comply.
Whether Delia Noone had been forced to work as a servant in Blackpool, I cannot say. However the 18-year-old was in court on the 9th charged with stealing a 10 shilling note, two rings and two brooches from her employers. DS Carter arrested Delia after she had returned to St Helens and the stolen jewellery was all recovered. However the 10 bob note had been spent on a charabanc trip to bring her back home. The Blackpool magistrates bound Delia over for 12 months and ordered her to refund the money.
It was very common for women to tolerate abuse from their husbands as they were so dependent upon them. Separation or divorce also had a stigma and led to embarrassing coverage in the papers. However in St Helens Police Court on the 10th Emily Connolly from Vincent Street appears to have decided that enough was enough as she sought a separation order against her husband after thirty years of marriage.
Such orders were not all that easy to obtain, as husbands would often make counter allegations against their wives. In addition the authorities had a habit of thwarting the applicant's desire to live apart from their husband, while supported by a court-enforced maintenance order. That is exactly what happened in Emily Connolly's case, despite her solicitor telling the Bench that her husband Joseph had practised cruelty to his wife practically all the time that they had been married. He said his client was afraid of her husband, having repeatedly said that even if he had to wait six months, he would "do for her".
Connolly's most recent assault was on October 4th when he went to the back gate and smacked Emily's face. He then grabbed hold of her hair and dragged her along the yard to the back door where he grabbed hold of her throat. He appeared to be trying to strangle his wife but a young man seeing what was happening jumped over a wall and came to Emily's rescue. Mrs Connolly's daughter-in-law gave supporting evidence of the cruelty Emily had endured.
However Joseph Connolly claimed provocation, telling the court that for a period his wife had not made his breakfast or given him any supper. The 56-year-old train driver also alleged that Emily had once attacked him and scratched his face and had thrown a half-brick at him (some might say he deserved it!). Connolly also blamed the daughter-in-law living with them for causing trouble.
A probation officer called Holmes had had limited contact with the couple and his evidence to the court seemed somewhat biased in favour of the husband. He felt the wife's health was the main problem and said she wouldn't listen to reason, adding that the man had told him how ill-treated and neglected he had been.
The magistrates refused to grant the separation order and adjourned the case for three months to see if matters improved – although Mrs Connolly was now living in Manchester with her eldest son. The Bench said these "old people" (one was 56, the other 58!) should be able to live together comfortably, having lived together so long and they recommended that the daughter-in-law should leave their home.
The St Helens Reporter on the 10th discussed the effects on the town of the nine-day national rail strike. This had now been settled after the government had given in to the National Union of Railwaymen and decided to suspend their plans to cut railway workers' wages. Railway traffic through St Helens had been at a complete standstill during the strike period, although some trains had passed through St Helens Junction on the Liverpool / Manchester line. Motor vehicle owners had come to the town's rescue and lent their vehicles to the Corporation for the transport of food.
Coal, however, had been in short supply towards the end of the strike and some householders had to have a reduction in their usual supply. The industries in the St Helens district were badly affected by the strike through their inability to obtain fuel and raw materials. Some went on short time and one or two collieries closed. The Reporter added that if the strike had gone on for much longer, there would likely have been widespread unemployment in the town.
The paper also announced that the Lowe House Memorial Fund that had been launched in the spring now totalled £1,415. As a tribute to the 173 members of the church's congregation that had died in the war, a special chapel was to be created in the present church containing the names of all those that had perished. This would then be incorporated into the new Lowe House church, although that would not be finished until 1930.
The following turns began a week-long run at the Hippodrome music hall in Corporation Street on the 13th: Haley's Juveniles ("In a beautiful vocal scene, introducing 20 highly trained children); Lester Newby ("Character comedian"); May Rentur ("The girl with the big voice"); Amac ("The happy deceiver"); Dene Dunlop ("The cheerie comedian"); Jess & Tony ("Presenting quick fire comedy") and Miss Ellis Drake and Co. ("In a new Scotch comedy playlet, ‘Oh Mother’")
Gracie Fields was a member of the all-girl song and dance troupe Haley's Juveniles for a while. Their managers would have had to apply for a licence from St Helens magistrates for their child performers who were under 14. The JPs would only grant one if certain assurances were made about the time that the children would finish work and that they were being properly educated during the day. There were always two shows at the Hippodrome and the youngsters would likely be employed from 6:30pm until 9:45pm each evening during the week.
Two more Sunday gamblers appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 13th charged with gaming with cards – in this case pontoon. Their arrest had followed the usual pattern. A couple of police officers had kept watch on a group of thirty men gambling on waste land near Recreation Street and then "raided" them – as it was always described.
The men scattered and the bobbies arrested the few that they were able to catch. The unlucky ones were William Grayson from Recreation Street and Hugh Salmon from Trinity Street (off Higher Parr Street). The latter pleaded not guilty and Grayson supported his case. However PC Hurst said Salmon had been involved in the card playing and they were both fined 21 shillings.
Two neighbours from Holly Bank Street (off Merton Bank Road) appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 13th, charged with breaching the peace by fighting each other. However both Carrie Critchley and Sarah Middlehurst pleaded guilty in self-defence, with both women swearing that the other had struck the first blow.
PC Allsop gave evidence that he had seen the pair at 3:30pm quarrelling and threatening each other in the street. The constable said he saw Mrs Critchley strike Mrs Middlehurst and then they both fell to the ground. However Mrs Critchley told the Bench that Mrs Middlehurst had struck her three times before the policeman had come onto the scene. The magistrates did what they invariably did – bound the women over to keep the peace and send them on their way – although they both had to find sureties to guarantee their good behaviour.
Next week's stories will include the drunken sailor who fired a revolver in Park Road, a curious Clock Face Colliery pay mix up, action to remedy the flooding in Sutton, the "loafer of no fixed abode" returns to court, the boom in pastimes in St Helens and the Parr boy burglar who stole coppers for sweets.