IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 14 - 20 APRIL 1925
This week's many stories include the St Helens doctor that married an actress, the Gerards Bridge woman cured by having pure blood flow through her veins, the homeless man in Church Street who'd walked from Manchester, the Charles Street woman who went on shoplifting sprees in Liverpool and the fatality down Southport Colliery in Parr caused by the man in charge being deaf.
There were often testimonials in the newspapers praising the supposed life-changing nature of some medication that some person had taken. A photograph of the individual often accompanied their write-up, as they described the miracle cure for their painful condition. In the Liverpool Echo on the 15th there was a photo of Ellen Sammon of Stanley Street in Gerards Bridge next to her testimonial praising Clarke's Blood Mixture in which she was quoted as saying:
"For three years I suffered terribly with an ulcerated leg and ankle, and for months at a time I had to keep to my bed. I was also in Hospital for ten weeks, and the doctor wanted to take my foot off. At last I decided to try Clarke's Blood Mixture; the first bottle gave me relief and after the fourth bottle my leg and ankle were completely healed. I am now able to walk long distances and do my work without pain." Clarke's explained in their advert that Mrs Sammon's leg and ankle had been healed because their product had sent "pure blood flowing through her veins".
For the last few weeks at the St Helens Theatre Royal, the Edward Dunstan Shakespearean Company had been presenting a series of plays. By coincidence on the 15th, an ex-member of the company married a St Helens doctor. He was Dr Eric Reid whose father was also a well-known medic in the town. His engagement with his bride Barbara Vaughton had taken place a year earlier when she had been performing in St Helens with the troupe.
The Liverpool Echo described how a rumour had swept St Helens that the now Mrs Reid would be performing at the Theatre Royal. But not only had she renounced the stage to become a doctor’s wife, the happy couple were honeymooning in Italy. Upon returning to England, Dr and Mrs Reid were going to take up residence at Windlecroft in Rainford Road.
In August 1924 John Cunliffe from Clipsley Lane in Haydock had fractured his spine while working down Southport Colliery in Parr. Last weekend the 54-year-old had succumbed to his injury and his inquest was held on the 15th at the Wagon and Horses in Haydock. The hearing was told that the collier had been dangerously riding on a box of coal that was slowly travelling up a brow.
Witness John Hope said that as the roof was low at that point, he had shouted to John Eden – who had been in charge – to stop the boxes. But Cunliffe was crushed under a low wooden bridge with Eden offering the explanation that he was deaf and had not heard his mate shout to him. Despite all the dangers of working in coalmines, it was quite common for workers to be disabled in some way, such as only having one eye or being deaf. The usual verdict of misadventure was returned at the inquest with no mention of the inadvisability of having people in charge of operations that could not hear very well.
The inquest on Thomas Johnson of Sutton Road was also held on the same day. The 62-year-old worked at Pilkington's St Helens Colliery, despite being subject to fits. Although Thomas had not died down the mine but instead had drowned in nine inches of water at the side of the Sankey Brook, near Fleet Lane. His daughter told the inquest that her father had not suffered a fit in two years. He had drunk three pints at the Bulls Head and it was thought that he may have slipped on the footpath and been knocked out.
The St Helens Fire Brigade were becoming busier with the town getting bigger and electricity making inroads and causing electrical fires. During the morning of the 15th they had two call outs. Their first was at 4:30am when the firemen were called to Sutton Moss where a quantity of peat was on fire. Water was drawn from a pond and it took the men three hours to quench the flames.
Their second call was to a more serious blaze at a cabinet works in Back Ward Street, off North Road. A storeroom containing bedroom suites and wood was destroyed and some adjoining buildings caught fire. One of them was a pigsty and a pig was described as having been roasted to death.
And the St Helens Reporter on the 17th described how a fire in a caravan parked on wasteland off Baker Street in Parr had led to the death of a 10-year-old boy. Some people lived in caravans because of the housing shortage but it appeared that Enoch Rogerson had chosen a van for his family to live in as he travelled a lot in Lancashire and Cheshire.
Enoch was a furniture polisher and his wife Rose and their four children had been staying on the site in Parr for the past six weeks. Upon the family going to bed, the caravan had got upset, their stove became detached and some bedclothes were set alight. Two of their boys were badly burned and Joseph died and later the other brother also succumbed to his injuries.
I hadn't realised that worshippers of Congregational and other nonconformist churches hadn't traditionally celebrated Easter. But the Reporter said there had been "surprisingly large congregations" at Ormskirk Street Congregational Church for both their Good Friday and Easter services, which the paper said showed that "the season is more deeply appreciated by devout Nonconformists than used to be the case."
Although big stores in America had floorwalkers to supervise their customers and staff, the British equivalent appears to have been called a superintendent. That was how the man who collared Helen Matthews at Lewis's store in Ranelagh Street in Liverpool was described. The superintendent had spotted Mrs Matthews from Charles Street in St Helens placing some flowers in her handbag and then she had attempted to leave the store without paying.
Upon searching her bag, four pairs of gloves, three pairs of stockings and a pair of socks were also found. And the 43-year-old had also been shoplifting in what was described as Thomas John Hughes's of London Road and she had a jumper and coat taken from their store in her possession. "I took them. I don't know what made me do it," she told a detective. And the search of her home revealed scarves and other articles which Mrs Matthews admitted stealing from Lewis's store on a previous occasion. She was fined £10.
Apparently, it is still quite common for homeless persons sleeping on the streets to be arrested. Although I expect few will have walked many miles to get to St Helens as happened quite often in the past. In court on the 20th a man unnamed in newspaper reports that a constable had found sleeping in Church Street said he had walked to the town from Manchester.
"I have no money and nowhere to go", he'd told the bobby. It turned out that the man had previously worked at Rainhill Hospital for 20 years and then spent a further 20 years employed at Bolton Workhouse. He was clearly now down on his luck and the magistrates decided to discharge him.
And finally, it was all change at the Hippodrome from the 20th with the new roster of turns being: Nicol & Martin ("The famous cycling comedians"); Leslie Strange ("The burlesque impressionist"); Melville & Gordon ("In song, dance and musical interlude"); Launcelot Quinn ("Eminent baritone"); Dudley Dale ("The popular entertainer"); Massona and Boy Ronald ("Juggling burlesquers") and Sisters Houston ("Incredible duettists and dancers").
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the children's fancy dress carnival at the Town Hall, the brotherly fight over their late father's possessions, the Children's Loyalty League celebrates St George's Day and the Grafton Street woman with 100 descendants.
There were often testimonials in the newspapers praising the supposed life-changing nature of some medication that some person had taken. A photograph of the individual often accompanied their write-up, as they described the miracle cure for their painful condition. In the Liverpool Echo on the 15th there was a photo of Ellen Sammon of Stanley Street in Gerards Bridge next to her testimonial praising Clarke's Blood Mixture in which she was quoted as saying:
"For three years I suffered terribly with an ulcerated leg and ankle, and for months at a time I had to keep to my bed. I was also in Hospital for ten weeks, and the doctor wanted to take my foot off. At last I decided to try Clarke's Blood Mixture; the first bottle gave me relief and after the fourth bottle my leg and ankle were completely healed. I am now able to walk long distances and do my work without pain." Clarke's explained in their advert that Mrs Sammon's leg and ankle had been healed because their product had sent "pure blood flowing through her veins".
For the last few weeks at the St Helens Theatre Royal, the Edward Dunstan Shakespearean Company had been presenting a series of plays. By coincidence on the 15th, an ex-member of the company married a St Helens doctor. He was Dr Eric Reid whose father was also a well-known medic in the town. His engagement with his bride Barbara Vaughton had taken place a year earlier when she had been performing in St Helens with the troupe.
The Liverpool Echo described how a rumour had swept St Helens that the now Mrs Reid would be performing at the Theatre Royal. But not only had she renounced the stage to become a doctor’s wife, the happy couple were honeymooning in Italy. Upon returning to England, Dr and Mrs Reid were going to take up residence at Windlecroft in Rainford Road.
In August 1924 John Cunliffe from Clipsley Lane in Haydock had fractured his spine while working down Southport Colliery in Parr. Last weekend the 54-year-old had succumbed to his injury and his inquest was held on the 15th at the Wagon and Horses in Haydock. The hearing was told that the collier had been dangerously riding on a box of coal that was slowly travelling up a brow.
Witness John Hope said that as the roof was low at that point, he had shouted to John Eden – who had been in charge – to stop the boxes. But Cunliffe was crushed under a low wooden bridge with Eden offering the explanation that he was deaf and had not heard his mate shout to him. Despite all the dangers of working in coalmines, it was quite common for workers to be disabled in some way, such as only having one eye or being deaf. The usual verdict of misadventure was returned at the inquest with no mention of the inadvisability of having people in charge of operations that could not hear very well.
The inquest on Thomas Johnson of Sutton Road was also held on the same day. The 62-year-old worked at Pilkington's St Helens Colliery, despite being subject to fits. Although Thomas had not died down the mine but instead had drowned in nine inches of water at the side of the Sankey Brook, near Fleet Lane. His daughter told the inquest that her father had not suffered a fit in two years. He had drunk three pints at the Bulls Head and it was thought that he may have slipped on the footpath and been knocked out.
Their second call was to a more serious blaze at a cabinet works in Back Ward Street, off North Road. A storeroom containing bedroom suites and wood was destroyed and some adjoining buildings caught fire. One of them was a pigsty and a pig was described as having been roasted to death.
And the St Helens Reporter on the 17th described how a fire in a caravan parked on wasteland off Baker Street in Parr had led to the death of a 10-year-old boy. Some people lived in caravans because of the housing shortage but it appeared that Enoch Rogerson had chosen a van for his family to live in as he travelled a lot in Lancashire and Cheshire.
Enoch was a furniture polisher and his wife Rose and their four children had been staying on the site in Parr for the past six weeks. Upon the family going to bed, the caravan had got upset, their stove became detached and some bedclothes were set alight. Two of their boys were badly burned and Joseph died and later the other brother also succumbed to his injuries.
Although big stores in America had floorwalkers to supervise their customers and staff, the British equivalent appears to have been called a superintendent. That was how the man who collared Helen Matthews at Lewis's store in Ranelagh Street in Liverpool was described. The superintendent had spotted Mrs Matthews from Charles Street in St Helens placing some flowers in her handbag and then she had attempted to leave the store without paying.
Upon searching her bag, four pairs of gloves, three pairs of stockings and a pair of socks were also found. And the 43-year-old had also been shoplifting in what was described as Thomas John Hughes's of London Road and she had a jumper and coat taken from their store in her possession. "I took them. I don't know what made me do it," she told a detective. And the search of her home revealed scarves and other articles which Mrs Matthews admitted stealing from Lewis's store on a previous occasion. She was fined £10.
Apparently, it is still quite common for homeless persons sleeping on the streets to be arrested. Although I expect few will have walked many miles to get to St Helens as happened quite often in the past. In court on the 20th a man unnamed in newspaper reports that a constable had found sleeping in Church Street said he had walked to the town from Manchester.
"I have no money and nowhere to go", he'd told the bobby. It turned out that the man had previously worked at Rainhill Hospital for 20 years and then spent a further 20 years employed at Bolton Workhouse. He was clearly now down on his luck and the magistrates decided to discharge him.
And finally, it was all change at the Hippodrome from the 20th with the new roster of turns being: Nicol & Martin ("The famous cycling comedians"); Leslie Strange ("The burlesque impressionist"); Melville & Gordon ("In song, dance and musical interlude"); Launcelot Quinn ("Eminent baritone"); Dudley Dale ("The popular entertainer"); Massona and Boy Ronald ("Juggling burlesquers") and Sisters Houston ("Incredible duettists and dancers").
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the children's fancy dress carnival at the Town Hall, the brotherly fight over their late father's possessions, the Children's Loyalty League celebrates St George's Day and the Grafton Street woman with 100 descendants.
This week's many stories include the St Helens doctor that married an actress, the Gerards Bridge woman cured by having pure blood flow through her veins, the homeless man in Church Street who'd walked from Manchester, the Charles Street woman who went on shoplifting sprees in Liverpool and the fatality down Southport Colliery in Parr caused by the man in charge being deaf.
There were often testimonials in the newspapers praising the supposed life-changing nature of some medication that some person had taken.
A photograph of the individual often accompanied their write-up, as they described the miracle cure for their painful condition.
In the Liverpool Echo on the 15th there was a photo of Ellen Sammon of Stanley Street in Gerards Bridge next to her testimonial praising Clarke's Blood Mixture in which she was quoted as saying:
"For three years I suffered terribly with an ulcerated leg and ankle, and for months at a time I had to keep to my bed. I was also in Hospital for ten weeks, and the doctor wanted to take my foot off.
"At last I decided to try Clarke's Blood Mixture; the first bottle gave me relief and after the fourth bottle my leg and ankle were completely healed. I am now able to walk long distances and do my work without pain."
Clarke's explained in their advert that Mrs Sammon's leg and ankle had been healed because their product had sent "pure blood flowing through her veins".
For the last few weeks at the St Helens Theatre Royal, the Edward Dunstan Shakespearean Company had been presenting a series of plays.
By coincidence on the 15th, an ex-member of the company married a St Helens doctor.
He was Dr Eric Reid whose father was also a well-known medic in the town.
His engagement with his bride Barbara Vaughton had taken place a year earlier when she had been performing in St Helens with the troupe.
The Liverpool Echo described how a rumour had swept St Helens that the now Mrs Reid would be performing at the Theatre Royal.
But not only had she renounced the stage to become a doctor’s wife, the happy couple were honeymooning in Italy.
Upon returning to England, Dr and Mrs Reid were going to take up residence at Windlecroft in Rainford Road.
In August 1924 John Cunliffe from Clipsley Lane in Haydock had fractured his spine while working down Southport Colliery in Parr.
Last weekend the 54-year-old had succumbed to his injury and his inquest was held on the 15th at the Wagon and Horses in Haydock.
The hearing was told that the collier had been dangerously riding on a box of coal that was slowly travelling up a brow.
Witness John Hope said that as the roof was low at that point, he had shouted to John Eden – who had been in charge – to stop the boxes.
But Cunliffe was crushed under a low wooden bridge with Eden offering the explanation that he was deaf and had not heard his mate shout to him.
Despite all the dangers of working in coalmines, it was quite common for workers to be disabled in some way, such as only having one eye or being deaf.
The usual verdict of misadventure was returned at the inquest with no mention of the inadvisability of having people in charge of operations that could not hear very well.
The inquest on Thomas Johnson of Sutton Road was also held on the same day. The 62-year-old worked at Pilkington's St Helens Colliery, despite being subject to fits.
Although Thomas had not died down the mine but instead had drowned in nine inches of water at the side of the Sankey Brook, near Fleet Lane.
His daughter told the inquest that her father had not suffered a fit in two years. He had drunk three pints at the Bulls Head and it was thought that he may have slipped on the footpath and been knocked out.
The St Helens Fire Brigade were becoming busier with the town getting bigger and electricity making inroads and causing electrical fires.
During the morning of the 15th they had two call outs. Their first was at 4:30am when the firemen were called to Sutton Moss where a quantity of peat was on fire.
Water was drawn from a pond and it took the men three hours to quench the flames.
Their second call was to a more serious blaze at a cabinet works in Back Ward Street, off North Road.
A storeroom containing bedroom suites and wood was destroyed and some adjoining buildings caught fire. One of them was a pigsty and a pig was described as having been roasted to death.
And the St Helens Reporter on the 17th described how a fire in a caravan parked on wasteland off Baker Street in Parr had led to the death of a 10-year-old boy.
Some people lived in caravans because of the housing shortage but it appeared that Enoch Rogerson had chosen a van for his family to live in as he travelled a lot in Lancashire and Cheshire.
Enoch was a furniture polisher and his wife Rose and their four children had been staying on the site in Parr for the past six weeks.
Upon the family going to bed, the caravan had got upset, their stove became detached and some bedclothes were set alight.
Two of their boys were badly burned and Joseph died and later the other brother also succumbed to his injuries.
I hadn't realised that worshippers of Congregational and other nonconformist churches hadn't traditionally celebrated Easter.
But the Reporter said there had been "surprisingly large congregations" at Ormskirk Street Congregational Church (pictured above) for both their Good Friday and Easter services, which the paper said showed that "the season is more deeply appreciated by devout Nonconformists than used to be the case."
Although big stores in America had floorwalkers to supervise their customers and staff, the British equivalent appears to have been called a superintendent.
That was how the man who collared Helen Matthews at Lewis's store in Ranelagh Street in Liverpool was described.
The superintendent had spotted Mrs Matthews from Charles Street in St Helens placing some flowers in her handbag and then she had attempted to leave the store without paying.
Upon searching her bag, four pairs of gloves, three pairs of stockings and a pair of socks were also found.
And the 43-year-old had also been shoplifting in what was described as Thomas John Hughes's of London Road and she had a jumper and coat taken from their store in her possession.
"I took them. I don't know what made me do it," she told a detective.
And the search of her home revealed scarves and other articles which Mrs Matthews admitted stealing from Lewis's store on a previous occasion. She was fined £10.
Apparently, it is still quite common for homeless persons sleeping on the streets to be arrested.
Although I expect few will have walked many miles to get to St Helens as happened quite often in the past.
In court on the 20th a man unnamed in newspaper reports that a constable had found sleeping in Church Street said he had walked to the town from Manchester.
"I have no money and nowhere to go", he'd told the bobby.
It turned out that the man had previously worked at Rainhill Hospital for 20 years and then spent a further 20 years employed at Bolton Workhouse.
He was clearly now down on his luck and the magistrates decided to discharge him.
And finally, it was all change at the Hippodrome from the 20th with the new roster of turns being:
Nicol & Martin ("The famous cycling comedians"); Leslie Strange ("The burlesque impressionist"); Melville & Gordon ("In song, dance and musical interlude"); Launcelot Quinn ("Eminent baritone"); Dudley Dale ("The popular entertainer"); Massona and Boy Ronald ("Juggling burlesquers") and Sisters Houston ("Incredible duettists and dancers").
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the children's fancy dress carnival at the Town Hall, the brotherly fight over their late father's possessions, the Children's Loyalty League celebrates St George's Day and the Grafton Street woman with 100 descendants.
There were often testimonials in the newspapers praising the supposed life-changing nature of some medication that some person had taken.
A photograph of the individual often accompanied their write-up, as they described the miracle cure for their painful condition.
In the Liverpool Echo on the 15th there was a photo of Ellen Sammon of Stanley Street in Gerards Bridge next to her testimonial praising Clarke's Blood Mixture in which she was quoted as saying:
"For three years I suffered terribly with an ulcerated leg and ankle, and for months at a time I had to keep to my bed. I was also in Hospital for ten weeks, and the doctor wanted to take my foot off.
"At last I decided to try Clarke's Blood Mixture; the first bottle gave me relief and after the fourth bottle my leg and ankle were completely healed. I am now able to walk long distances and do my work without pain."
Clarke's explained in their advert that Mrs Sammon's leg and ankle had been healed because their product had sent "pure blood flowing through her veins".
For the last few weeks at the St Helens Theatre Royal, the Edward Dunstan Shakespearean Company had been presenting a series of plays.
By coincidence on the 15th, an ex-member of the company married a St Helens doctor.
He was Dr Eric Reid whose father was also a well-known medic in the town.
His engagement with his bride Barbara Vaughton had taken place a year earlier when she had been performing in St Helens with the troupe.
The Liverpool Echo described how a rumour had swept St Helens that the now Mrs Reid would be performing at the Theatre Royal.
But not only had she renounced the stage to become a doctor’s wife, the happy couple were honeymooning in Italy.
Upon returning to England, Dr and Mrs Reid were going to take up residence at Windlecroft in Rainford Road.
In August 1924 John Cunliffe from Clipsley Lane in Haydock had fractured his spine while working down Southport Colliery in Parr.
Last weekend the 54-year-old had succumbed to his injury and his inquest was held on the 15th at the Wagon and Horses in Haydock.
The hearing was told that the collier had been dangerously riding on a box of coal that was slowly travelling up a brow.
Witness John Hope said that as the roof was low at that point, he had shouted to John Eden – who had been in charge – to stop the boxes.
But Cunliffe was crushed under a low wooden bridge with Eden offering the explanation that he was deaf and had not heard his mate shout to him.
Despite all the dangers of working in coalmines, it was quite common for workers to be disabled in some way, such as only having one eye or being deaf.
The usual verdict of misadventure was returned at the inquest with no mention of the inadvisability of having people in charge of operations that could not hear very well.
The inquest on Thomas Johnson of Sutton Road was also held on the same day. The 62-year-old worked at Pilkington's St Helens Colliery, despite being subject to fits.
Although Thomas had not died down the mine but instead had drowned in nine inches of water at the side of the Sankey Brook, near Fleet Lane.
His daughter told the inquest that her father had not suffered a fit in two years. He had drunk three pints at the Bulls Head and it was thought that he may have slipped on the footpath and been knocked out.
Water was drawn from a pond and it took the men three hours to quench the flames.
Their second call was to a more serious blaze at a cabinet works in Back Ward Street, off North Road.
A storeroom containing bedroom suites and wood was destroyed and some adjoining buildings caught fire. One of them was a pigsty and a pig was described as having been roasted to death.
And the St Helens Reporter on the 17th described how a fire in a caravan parked on wasteland off Baker Street in Parr had led to the death of a 10-year-old boy.
Some people lived in caravans because of the housing shortage but it appeared that Enoch Rogerson had chosen a van for his family to live in as he travelled a lot in Lancashire and Cheshire.
Enoch was a furniture polisher and his wife Rose and their four children had been staying on the site in Parr for the past six weeks.
Upon the family going to bed, the caravan had got upset, their stove became detached and some bedclothes were set alight.
Two of their boys were badly burned and Joseph died and later the other brother also succumbed to his injuries.
I hadn't realised that worshippers of Congregational and other nonconformist churches hadn't traditionally celebrated Easter.
Although big stores in America had floorwalkers to supervise their customers and staff, the British equivalent appears to have been called a superintendent.
That was how the man who collared Helen Matthews at Lewis's store in Ranelagh Street in Liverpool was described.
The superintendent had spotted Mrs Matthews from Charles Street in St Helens placing some flowers in her handbag and then she had attempted to leave the store without paying.
Upon searching her bag, four pairs of gloves, three pairs of stockings and a pair of socks were also found.
And the 43-year-old had also been shoplifting in what was described as Thomas John Hughes's of London Road and she had a jumper and coat taken from their store in her possession.
"I took them. I don't know what made me do it," she told a detective.
And the search of her home revealed scarves and other articles which Mrs Matthews admitted stealing from Lewis's store on a previous occasion. She was fined £10.
Apparently, it is still quite common for homeless persons sleeping on the streets to be arrested.
Although I expect few will have walked many miles to get to St Helens as happened quite often in the past.
In court on the 20th a man unnamed in newspaper reports that a constable had found sleeping in Church Street said he had walked to the town from Manchester.
"I have no money and nowhere to go", he'd told the bobby.
It turned out that the man had previously worked at Rainhill Hospital for 20 years and then spent a further 20 years employed at Bolton Workhouse.
He was clearly now down on his luck and the magistrates decided to discharge him.
And finally, it was all change at the Hippodrome from the 20th with the new roster of turns being:
Nicol & Martin ("The famous cycling comedians"); Leslie Strange ("The burlesque impressionist"); Melville & Gordon ("In song, dance and musical interlude"); Launcelot Quinn ("Eminent baritone"); Dudley Dale ("The popular entertainer"); Massona and Boy Ronald ("Juggling burlesquers") and Sisters Houston ("Incredible duettists and dancers").
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the children's fancy dress carnival at the Town Hall, the brotherly fight over their late father's possessions, the Children's Loyalty League celebrates St George's Day and the Grafton Street woman with 100 descendants.