IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (11th - 17th March 1919)
This week's stories include the fatal fall of a telephone wireman at Cannington Shaw, the laughing boy burglars who committed a string of St Helens' break-ins, a determined suicide by a Rainhill Asylum inmate, the old woman who went to a police station in order to be a blackguard, Pilkington's grand plans for their new Eccleston estate and a Haydock divorce case.
We begin this week with the St Helens Fresh Air Fund. This allowed for large numbers of poor children to be taken on country outings to spend time away from the town's smoke and grime. Sickly children would also spend three weeks in a sanatorium in Southport to help them recover.
On the 11th a meeting of their committee was held at the YMCA in Duke Street where members were told their work was being hampered by the high cost of living and increased cost of train fares. They said they needed to generate more income and a flag or flower day was planned to take place in April or May.
On the same day an inquest at the Town Hall heard how Alfred Duke had been fatally injured after falling forty feet off a telegraph pole. These days the 47-year-old from Atherton Street would be described as a telephone engineer but a century ago his job title was wireman for the GPO, a position he'd held for 30 years.
The man had been working at the Cannington Shaw bottleworks along with George Alexander, who told the hearing that they'd been working for two hours when Alf needed to change his position.
After unstrapping himself from the pole he suddenly shouted: "I am going" and fell initially onto wires and then onto a roof before rolling off onto the ground. Alfred was taken to Providence Hospital but had fractured both his spine and skull and died a few days later.
Another inquest was held that day in what was described as the Rainhill Asylum Annexe. An inmate called Thomas Hands worked on the hospital farm and had climbed over barbed wire to get to the railway line.
He then put his head on the line and waited for a train to come. Engine driver James Bell told the hearing that half a mile from Eccleston Park he saw a body on the line and immediately applied the brakes but couldn't stop in time.
County Carriers of Queen's Garage in Boundary Road had a large advert in the Tuesday edition of the Reporter, which was published on the 11th. With the wartime motoring and petrol restrictions having been eased, they were offering 12, 14 and 28-seater chars-a-bancs (as they were spelt) for hire.
Wilfred Ellison drove for County Carriers while he was underage and during the 1920s founded Ellison's coaches, which still continues in Boundary Road to this day.
It wasn't easy to get a divorce a century ago. On the 12th Ann Dugdale from Lord Street in Southport petitioned for a divorce from her schoolteacher husband William on the grounds of his misconduct and cruelty. The couple had married in St Helens in 1909 and after they'd moved to Ashton, Mrs Dugdale claimed her husband had begun spending time with another woman.
She also alleged that while visiting his lady friend in Penny Lane in Haydock he had left her outside on the street. Claims of assault were also made against William Dugdale. Colliery engineer Edwin Henshall gave evidence that he had witnessed the misconduct between the man and Annie Moult in Haydock, although the woman strongly denied that anything improper had occurred.
William Dugdale also denied misconduct and despite the fact that the couple had been living apart since 1915, the judge dismissed the petition.
Naomi Smith sounds like an interesting character! The "tall powerful-looking elderly woman, with white hair" (as described by the Reporter) was in the Police Court on the 12th charged with drunkenness and violent behaviour.
A police officer gave evidence that at 10:20pm during the previous evening Naomi Smith had entered the central police station attached to the Town Hall in a "drunken condition, shouting and using most filthy language".
PC Coates told the Bench that he had never heard anything like it before from a woman. She then took off her shawl and threw it at the electric light in the chief clerk's office. "Yes it was sopping wet", chipped in Naomi, explaining that the weather had been "wretched" and she was wet through after having walked from Wigan.
The St Helens police had directed her to five or six lodging houses but they were all full. "I had to go to the Police Office and be a blackguard or I would not have got a night's shelter", Naomi explained.
However the old woman took exception to the claim that she had been in a drunken condition citing a beer shortage: "As to being drunk, you cannot get drink. They cannot supply their own customers, let alone strangers." She was fined 2/6.
Four boys aged between 14 and 17 appeared in court on the 14th charged with committing a string of burglaries in which they'd stolen money, jewellery and cigarettes. The lads that the St Helens Reporter called a "youthful gang of marauders" were John Burke from Sidney Street, John Shepherd of Drake Street, John Mackay from Regents Road and Frank Dooley of Doulton Street.
They'd broken into Cowley, Rivington Road and St Teresa's schools, as well as the St Helens Bowling Club in Regents Road, Eccleston Conservative Club, the museum in Victoria Park and a number of private houses. John Richardson from Gladstone Street had been their "fence" and he was also in court facing charges of receiving stolen items.
Two of the boys treated the court case as a joke and were admonished by Henry Martin, the Chairman of the Bench, who said: "It is disgraceful. I have never seen prisoners taking such a laughing view of it before." The Chief Constable said they'd been behaving like that since they'd been arrested.
In sentencing the lads the Chairman said the case had caused him more anxiety than any other. John Mackay was sent to a reformatory for five years and Frank Dooley was put on probation for three years. Burke and Shepherd, along with the fence Richardson, were sent for trial at the next Quarter Sessions, where longer sentences would be available.
Also in court were grocer Robert Hudson and hawker Walter Bayer, both from Lyon Street. They were fined for failing to report a case of parasitic mange in a horse. In an era when horses were used extensively as working animals, it was vital that contagious diseases be notified to the authorities so they could be quickly contained. The animal had been suffering for over a month and a vet ordered it to be put down.
At a meeting of the Sutton Parish Church Council it was decided that their Sunday schools, choirs and Waterdale Mothers Meeting should have their field days and outings held as in pre-war times. During the war many of these had been suspended for the duration.
The vicar pointed out that June 11th would the 70th anniversary of the consecration of St. Nicholas. It was decided that a suitable commemoration would be to furnish the west end of the church with seats that would fill a space previously occupied by the choir and organ.
The St Helens Newspaper on the 14th carried a large notice from the town's Medical Officer giving advice on the flu epidemic in the town. "The golden rule is to keep fit, and avoid infection as much as possible", he wrote. "The way to keep fit is to cultivate healthy and regular habits, to eat good food, and to avoid fatigue, chill and alcoholism."
These were easier said than done for many poor people. Dr Joseph Cates argued that it was flu's complications that killed and a fitter patient was better able to withstand them. Home nursing was being provided for the more serious cases.
The newspaper also provided more details of the housing estate that Pilkingtons were planning to build on land to the south and west of the old Eccleston Hall. A village comprising almost 4,000 homes would be created that would link St Helens with Prescot, which the Reporter dubbed a: "fine example of private enterprise".
The plans included pleasure grounds on three sides of Eccleston Mere, a market place, elementary school, police station, cinema, public institute, church, nurses home, drill hall with rifle range, cricket and football grounds, as well as "other provisions that will tend to make life worth living".
Rainford Urban District Council also considered a "housing of the working classes scheme" at their meeting on the 17th. The council planned to inspect various places in Alder Lane, Red Cat Lane, Ormskirk Road, Church Road and at their boundary adjoining Windle. From these they would choose appropriate sites to build what we call council estates.
Councillor Joseph Allen complained that plans to entertain wounded and demobilised Rainford soldiers had come to a standstill and he said they ought to be getting something organised. However Councillor Joseph Appleton said it was no use having the entertainment before all the men had returned home.
It was a problem for councils, churches and other organisations wanting to welcome back their soldiers and sailors. There was a phased demobilisation of the men and they were coming home in dribs and drabs.
Late on the 17th there was a fire in the fan house at Lea Green Colliery (shown above) and St Helens Fire Brigade was summoned. Water was sourced from the adjacent reservoir and the flames were soon extinguished. A fan that ventilated one of the pits was destroyed but a reserve fan was quickly brought into service.
Next week's stories will include the pitch and toss players of Fleet Lane, a shortage of whisky for the St Helens' sick, the Bishop of Liverpool hands out spoons to Parr babies, the Church Street rowdies who were told to take a country walk, the noisy King Street footballers, the boy rabbit thieves and a public inquiry is held into the proposed Windlehurst council estate.
We begin this week with the St Helens Fresh Air Fund. This allowed for large numbers of poor children to be taken on country outings to spend time away from the town's smoke and grime. Sickly children would also spend three weeks in a sanatorium in Southport to help them recover.
On the same day an inquest at the Town Hall heard how Alfred Duke had been fatally injured after falling forty feet off a telegraph pole. These days the 47-year-old from Atherton Street would be described as a telephone engineer but a century ago his job title was wireman for the GPO, a position he'd held for 30 years.
The man had been working at the Cannington Shaw bottleworks along with George Alexander, who told the hearing that they'd been working for two hours when Alf needed to change his position.
After unstrapping himself from the pole he suddenly shouted: "I am going" and fell initially onto wires and then onto a roof before rolling off onto the ground. Alfred was taken to Providence Hospital but had fractured both his spine and skull and died a few days later.
Another inquest was held that day in what was described as the Rainhill Asylum Annexe. An inmate called Thomas Hands worked on the hospital farm and had climbed over barbed wire to get to the railway line.
He then put his head on the line and waited for a train to come. Engine driver James Bell told the hearing that half a mile from Eccleston Park he saw a body on the line and immediately applied the brakes but couldn't stop in time.
County Carriers of Queen's Garage in Boundary Road had a large advert in the Tuesday edition of the Reporter, which was published on the 11th. With the wartime motoring and petrol restrictions having been eased, they were offering 12, 14 and 28-seater chars-a-bancs (as they were spelt) for hire.
Wilfred Ellison drove for County Carriers while he was underage and during the 1920s founded Ellison's coaches, which still continues in Boundary Road to this day.
It wasn't easy to get a divorce a century ago. On the 12th Ann Dugdale from Lord Street in Southport petitioned for a divorce from her schoolteacher husband William on the grounds of his misconduct and cruelty. The couple had married in St Helens in 1909 and after they'd moved to Ashton, Mrs Dugdale claimed her husband had begun spending time with another woman.
She also alleged that while visiting his lady friend in Penny Lane in Haydock he had left her outside on the street. Claims of assault were also made against William Dugdale. Colliery engineer Edwin Henshall gave evidence that he had witnessed the misconduct between the man and Annie Moult in Haydock, although the woman strongly denied that anything improper had occurred.
William Dugdale also denied misconduct and despite the fact that the couple had been living apart since 1915, the judge dismissed the petition.
Naomi Smith sounds like an interesting character! The "tall powerful-looking elderly woman, with white hair" (as described by the Reporter) was in the Police Court on the 12th charged with drunkenness and violent behaviour.
A police officer gave evidence that at 10:20pm during the previous evening Naomi Smith had entered the central police station attached to the Town Hall in a "drunken condition, shouting and using most filthy language".
PC Coates told the Bench that he had never heard anything like it before from a woman. She then took off her shawl and threw it at the electric light in the chief clerk's office. "Yes it was sopping wet", chipped in Naomi, explaining that the weather had been "wretched" and she was wet through after having walked from Wigan.
The St Helens police had directed her to five or six lodging houses but they were all full. "I had to go to the Police Office and be a blackguard or I would not have got a night's shelter", Naomi explained.
However the old woman took exception to the claim that she had been in a drunken condition citing a beer shortage: "As to being drunk, you cannot get drink. They cannot supply their own customers, let alone strangers." She was fined 2/6.
Four boys aged between 14 and 17 appeared in court on the 14th charged with committing a string of burglaries in which they'd stolen money, jewellery and cigarettes. The lads that the St Helens Reporter called a "youthful gang of marauders" were John Burke from Sidney Street, John Shepherd of Drake Street, John Mackay from Regents Road and Frank Dooley of Doulton Street.
They'd broken into Cowley, Rivington Road and St Teresa's schools, as well as the St Helens Bowling Club in Regents Road, Eccleston Conservative Club, the museum in Victoria Park and a number of private houses. John Richardson from Gladstone Street had been their "fence" and he was also in court facing charges of receiving stolen items.
Two of the boys treated the court case as a joke and were admonished by Henry Martin, the Chairman of the Bench, who said: "It is disgraceful. I have never seen prisoners taking such a laughing view of it before." The Chief Constable said they'd been behaving like that since they'd been arrested.
In sentencing the lads the Chairman said the case had caused him more anxiety than any other. John Mackay was sent to a reformatory for five years and Frank Dooley was put on probation for three years. Burke and Shepherd, along with the fence Richardson, were sent for trial at the next Quarter Sessions, where longer sentences would be available.
Also in court were grocer Robert Hudson and hawker Walter Bayer, both from Lyon Street. They were fined for failing to report a case of parasitic mange in a horse. In an era when horses were used extensively as working animals, it was vital that contagious diseases be notified to the authorities so they could be quickly contained. The animal had been suffering for over a month and a vet ordered it to be put down.
At a meeting of the Sutton Parish Church Council it was decided that their Sunday schools, choirs and Waterdale Mothers Meeting should have their field days and outings held as in pre-war times. During the war many of these had been suspended for the duration.
The vicar pointed out that June 11th would the 70th anniversary of the consecration of St. Nicholas. It was decided that a suitable commemoration would be to furnish the west end of the church with seats that would fill a space previously occupied by the choir and organ.
The St Helens Newspaper on the 14th carried a large notice from the town's Medical Officer giving advice on the flu epidemic in the town. "The golden rule is to keep fit, and avoid infection as much as possible", he wrote. "The way to keep fit is to cultivate healthy and regular habits, to eat good food, and to avoid fatigue, chill and alcoholism."
These were easier said than done for many poor people. Dr Joseph Cates argued that it was flu's complications that killed and a fitter patient was better able to withstand them. Home nursing was being provided for the more serious cases.
The newspaper also provided more details of the housing estate that Pilkingtons were planning to build on land to the south and west of the old Eccleston Hall. A village comprising almost 4,000 homes would be created that would link St Helens with Prescot, which the Reporter dubbed a: "fine example of private enterprise".
The plans included pleasure grounds on three sides of Eccleston Mere, a market place, elementary school, police station, cinema, public institute, church, nurses home, drill hall with rifle range, cricket and football grounds, as well as "other provisions that will tend to make life worth living".
Rainford Urban District Council also considered a "housing of the working classes scheme" at their meeting on the 17th. The council planned to inspect various places in Alder Lane, Red Cat Lane, Ormskirk Road, Church Road and at their boundary adjoining Windle. From these they would choose appropriate sites to build what we call council estates.
Councillor Joseph Allen complained that plans to entertain wounded and demobilised Rainford soldiers had come to a standstill and he said they ought to be getting something organised. However Councillor Joseph Appleton said it was no use having the entertainment before all the men had returned home.
It was a problem for councils, churches and other organisations wanting to welcome back their soldiers and sailors. There was a phased demobilisation of the men and they were coming home in dribs and drabs.
Next week's stories will include the pitch and toss players of Fleet Lane, a shortage of whisky for the St Helens' sick, the Bishop of Liverpool hands out spoons to Parr babies, the Church Street rowdies who were told to take a country walk, the noisy King Street footballers, the boy rabbit thieves and a public inquiry is held into the proposed Windlehurst council estate.