IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (18th - 24th MAY 1920)
This week's stories include a case of wife swapping in St Helens, there's bigamy in Water Street, the great Whit Monday motorcycle exodus, the axing of four St Helens pubs and barrel organs are permitted to play again at town fun fairs.
We begin on the 18th when Donald Baylis, the General Manager of Sir Thomas Beecham's operatic productions, died in London after a long illness. As a boy he had been in the Parish Choir in St Helens and possessed such a fine voice that Thomas Beecham's father, Joseph, had paid for his music training.
A man who said he had taken part in a bigamous marriage because he was "suffering from heavy drinking" appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 19th. In January 1916 in Dundalk, Francis McArdle had married the widow of a naval petty officer against her parents' wishes. McArdle was then serving in the Royal Irish Fusiliers and after the marriage had got very drunk.
His new wife returned her soldier husband to his barracks at Armagh and had not seen him again, seemingly disgusted by his behaviour. Almost two years to the day later, the Irishman from Water Street went through a form of marriage at Prescot Registry Office with Sarah Humphries from Borough Road. She was now said to be very ill and unlikely to recover and her "husband" was remanded on bail to return to court on the 27th.
On the 19th the St Helens Parks Committee met in the Town Hall and decided to approve bathing in Taylor Park lake (pictured above). This had been permitted before the war and the same charge of 3d per bather would be made. A booth would be installed to allow bathers to change, although they had to provide their own costumes and towels. The use of the lake and booth was conditional on bathers being "respectable with regard to their clothing" in the changing room.
At the beginning of the year the War Office had presented a tank to St Helens (pictured above). The war souvenir from France was placed on a concrete base in the Queen's Recreation Ground, now known as Queen's Park. At the Parks Committee meeting it was revealed that they had received a brass plate to be fixed on the tank, which would credit the War Savings Committee.
The St Helens Licensing Justices met on the 20th and considered whether four pubs in the town should be placed in the compensation scheme. Pressure from temperance movements had led to the creation of a scheme in which all licensed houses within St Helens paid a levy into a compensation pot. When the licensing magistrates decided that the houses were no longer needed, money from the fund was paid to their owners and licence holders. It also served as an inducement for the surrendering of licences.
The four houses being considered for compensation were the Van Tromp in Church Street, the Alma Vaults in Peasley Cross Lane, the Royal Oak in Merton Bank and the Park Road Inn. These were all Greenalls houses and all doing a reasonable level of business. However the police wanted them closed because there were other licensed houses nearby.
St Helens Police carefully supervised drinking houses and during 1919 had made 3,168 unannounced visits to the 128 fully licensed pubs and 48 beerhouses in the borough. Although reducing the number of places where alcohol could be sold would not necessarily reduce drunkenness, it gave the police a bit less work to do.
There was some sadness amongst the licensees, particularly the Alma Vaults in Peasley Cross. That had been in the hands of the Peel family since 1876 and the Royal Oak in Merton Bank had been in the same family for 20 years. The licensing justices rarely rejected applications for compensation and accepted them on this occasion too. However it would take some time for the process to be completed with the Alma Vaults, for one, not closing until February 11th 1922.
In February the licensing justices had refused a number of applications for music licences at fun fairs. That was through the many complaints about the noise from barrel organs, which were then considered an essential part of the fairground experience. The surprise decision of the magistrates had caused some controversy, particularly as one of the fairs was set to benefit Lowe House Church.
So at the hearing on the 20th the licence applications were resubmitted and this time they were approved but with strict conditions. The music had to stop by 10pm, apart from Saturdays, when it could continue until 10:30pm. There also had to be the provision of lavatories to stop people from urinating in alleys and people's gardens near the site of the fair.
There was an extraordinary case heard in St Helens Police Court on the 21st when Richard Hilton applied to quash a maintenance order against him. Hilton shocked the court by revealing that his wife Eliza from Ramford Street was living with another man and he had moved in with the man's wife! The magistrates granted the order and probably did a lot of "tut, tutting" too! Wife swapping in St Helens. Whatever next?
Last month Peter Twist from Cairne Street had appeared in the Police Court charged with unlawfully publishing a lottery, for which he'd been fined £2. Now the Thatto Heath newsagent was being honoured in court as a hero, with the magistrates handing him a silver medal and certificate on behalf of the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society.
On April 8th Twist had saved the life of a three-year-old boy called Reginald Davies from Elton Head Road after he'd fallen into a clay-pit filled with water. Others had failed in their rescue attempts but Peter Twist – despite not being in good health – had dashed across a ploughed field to save the boy. A bravery certificate was also presented to James Anderson of Sherdley Road who had assisted Mr Twist.
On the 22nd a "Grand Ladies Football Match" was held at Ewood Park in Blackburn when Dick Kerr Ladies of Preston took on St Helens Ladies. Proceeds were in aid of a proposed war memorial for Blackburn and the local Sailors and Soldiers Association. In a year's time the Football Association would ban the playing of women's football on member grounds on the basis that the sport was "quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged".
It was Whit Monday on the 24th and the town was largely deserted as locals went to the seaside in droves. It had been a sunny weekend and the Reporter wrote: "Tanned complexions are now the order – indeed, quite the fashion." Motor cars were still far too expensive for most St Helens folk but some were managing to pay for a motorbike and perhaps a sidecar. The paper continued:
"The road was first favourite in the great holiday exodus which is no doubt accounted for by the rapidly increasing number of small motor vehicles in the town. It would be interesting to have a census of motor-cycles and their ratio to the total population. Liverpool and Southport trains were well patronised, as also were those to Blackpool. The trains throughout the day were crowded."
On the morning of the 24th the body of Charles Thompson was found floating in the Ravenhead Dam. The 35-year-old from Raglan Street had been in the water for a considerable time. It was a complete mystery as to how Thompson had died as he was a sailor and had arranged a berth on a ship leaving Liverpool.
In St Helens Police Court on the same day Superintendent Dunn told the Bench of a worrying increase in the number of assaults on the police. He declared that the situation was becoming serious and added that something had to be done. That was said as two men faced charges in connection with an incident that had taken place on the previous evening. Two police officers had been sent to Higher Parr Street to deal with a group of Irishmen who were playing crown and anchor for money. This was a board game that used special dice with six symbols.
Three of the men were arrested but some of the others attacked the officers and attempted to free their prisoners. William Corrigan struck PC Jolly four or five times in the face and as the police took a prisoner to their station at the Town Hall, a hostile crowd of young Irishmen followed them.
Philip Duffy was considered the ringleader, inciting the crowd against the police and making foul remarks. He was fined 10 shillings for being drunk and 20 shillings for obstructing the police. Corrigan from Park Road said he couldn't have hit PC Jolly as he had a bad arm but was convicted and fined 20 shillings.
These were the acts performing at the Hippodrome Theatre from the 24th: Sara Williams ("The famous prima donna"); St Malo & Coombs ("Gipsy and sailor novelty, comedy, vocal & musical act"); Archie & O’Neil ("Comedian with a surprise"); Billy Gordon & Tubby Adams ("Versatile entertainers in their latest successes"); The Great Stirling ("In his original miniature music hall – A stage on a stage") and T. C. Eric M.C. and Dilly ("In a ventriloquial act").
Next week's stories will include the worst thunderstorm in the history of St Helens, the police "pounce" on obscene postcards in a Liverpool Road shop, the new Savoy Super-Cinema planned for Bridge Street, Saints hold their annual meeting and George Formby performs at the Hippodrome Theatre.
We begin on the 18th when Donald Baylis, the General Manager of Sir Thomas Beecham's operatic productions, died in London after a long illness. As a boy he had been in the Parish Choir in St Helens and possessed such a fine voice that Thomas Beecham's father, Joseph, had paid for his music training.
A man who said he had taken part in a bigamous marriage because he was "suffering from heavy drinking" appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 19th. In January 1916 in Dundalk, Francis McArdle had married the widow of a naval petty officer against her parents' wishes. McArdle was then serving in the Royal Irish Fusiliers and after the marriage had got very drunk.
His new wife returned her soldier husband to his barracks at Armagh and had not seen him again, seemingly disgusted by his behaviour. Almost two years to the day later, the Irishman from Water Street went through a form of marriage at Prescot Registry Office with Sarah Humphries from Borough Road. She was now said to be very ill and unlikely to recover and her "husband" was remanded on bail to return to court on the 27th.
The St Helens Licensing Justices met on the 20th and considered whether four pubs in the town should be placed in the compensation scheme. Pressure from temperance movements had led to the creation of a scheme in which all licensed houses within St Helens paid a levy into a compensation pot. When the licensing magistrates decided that the houses were no longer needed, money from the fund was paid to their owners and licence holders. It also served as an inducement for the surrendering of licences.
The four houses being considered for compensation were the Van Tromp in Church Street, the Alma Vaults in Peasley Cross Lane, the Royal Oak in Merton Bank and the Park Road Inn. These were all Greenalls houses and all doing a reasonable level of business. However the police wanted them closed because there were other licensed houses nearby.
St Helens Police carefully supervised drinking houses and during 1919 had made 3,168 unannounced visits to the 128 fully licensed pubs and 48 beerhouses in the borough. Although reducing the number of places where alcohol could be sold would not necessarily reduce drunkenness, it gave the police a bit less work to do.
There was some sadness amongst the licensees, particularly the Alma Vaults in Peasley Cross. That had been in the hands of the Peel family since 1876 and the Royal Oak in Merton Bank had been in the same family for 20 years. The licensing justices rarely rejected applications for compensation and accepted them on this occasion too. However it would take some time for the process to be completed with the Alma Vaults, for one, not closing until February 11th 1922.
In February the licensing justices had refused a number of applications for music licences at fun fairs. That was through the many complaints about the noise from barrel organs, which were then considered an essential part of the fairground experience. The surprise decision of the magistrates had caused some controversy, particularly as one of the fairs was set to benefit Lowe House Church.
Mitchells Fair at a previous fundraising event for Lowe House in 1914 – barrel organs were an important part of the fair experience
Mitchells Fair at a previous fundraising event for Lowe House Church in 1914
Mitchells Fair in St Helens in 1914
There was an extraordinary case heard in St Helens Police Court on the 21st when Richard Hilton applied to quash a maintenance order against him. Hilton shocked the court by revealing that his wife Eliza from Ramford Street was living with another man and he had moved in with the man's wife! The magistrates granted the order and probably did a lot of "tut, tutting" too! Wife swapping in St Helens. Whatever next?
Last month Peter Twist from Cairne Street had appeared in the Police Court charged with unlawfully publishing a lottery, for which he'd been fined £2. Now the Thatto Heath newsagent was being honoured in court as a hero, with the magistrates handing him a silver medal and certificate on behalf of the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society.
On April 8th Twist had saved the life of a three-year-old boy called Reginald Davies from Elton Head Road after he'd fallen into a clay-pit filled with water. Others had failed in their rescue attempts but Peter Twist – despite not being in good health – had dashed across a ploughed field to save the boy. A bravery certificate was also presented to James Anderson of Sherdley Road who had assisted Mr Twist.
On the 22nd a "Grand Ladies Football Match" was held at Ewood Park in Blackburn when Dick Kerr Ladies of Preston took on St Helens Ladies. Proceeds were in aid of a proposed war memorial for Blackburn and the local Sailors and Soldiers Association. In a year's time the Football Association would ban the playing of women's football on member grounds on the basis that the sport was "quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged".
It was Whit Monday on the 24th and the town was largely deserted as locals went to the seaside in droves. It had been a sunny weekend and the Reporter wrote: "Tanned complexions are now the order – indeed, quite the fashion." Motor cars were still far too expensive for most St Helens folk but some were managing to pay for a motorbike and perhaps a sidecar. The paper continued:
"The road was first favourite in the great holiday exodus which is no doubt accounted for by the rapidly increasing number of small motor vehicles in the town. It would be interesting to have a census of motor-cycles and their ratio to the total population. Liverpool and Southport trains were well patronised, as also were those to Blackpool. The trains throughout the day were crowded."
On the morning of the 24th the body of Charles Thompson was found floating in the Ravenhead Dam. The 35-year-old from Raglan Street had been in the water for a considerable time. It was a complete mystery as to how Thompson had died as he was a sailor and had arranged a berth on a ship leaving Liverpool.
In St Helens Police Court on the same day Superintendent Dunn told the Bench of a worrying increase in the number of assaults on the police. He declared that the situation was becoming serious and added that something had to be done. That was said as two men faced charges in connection with an incident that had taken place on the previous evening. Two police officers had been sent to Higher Parr Street to deal with a group of Irishmen who were playing crown and anchor for money. This was a board game that used special dice with six symbols.
Three of the men were arrested but some of the others attacked the officers and attempted to free their prisoners. William Corrigan struck PC Jolly four or five times in the face and as the police took a prisoner to their station at the Town Hall, a hostile crowd of young Irishmen followed them.
Philip Duffy was considered the ringleader, inciting the crowd against the police and making foul remarks. He was fined 10 shillings for being drunk and 20 shillings for obstructing the police. Corrigan from Park Road said he couldn't have hit PC Jolly as he had a bad arm but was convicted and fined 20 shillings.
These were the acts performing at the Hippodrome Theatre from the 24th: Sara Williams ("The famous prima donna"); St Malo & Coombs ("Gipsy and sailor novelty, comedy, vocal & musical act"); Archie & O’Neil ("Comedian with a surprise"); Billy Gordon & Tubby Adams ("Versatile entertainers in their latest successes"); The Great Stirling ("In his original miniature music hall – A stage on a stage") and T. C. Eric M.C. and Dilly ("In a ventriloquial act").
Next week's stories will include the worst thunderstorm in the history of St Helens, the police "pounce" on obscene postcards in a Liverpool Road shop, the new Savoy Super-Cinema planned for Bridge Street, Saints hold their annual meeting and George Formby performs at the Hippodrome Theatre.
This week's stories include a case of wife swapping in St Helens, there's bigamy in Water Street, the great Whit Monday motorcycle exodus, the axing of four St Helens pubs and barrel organs are permitted to play again at town fun fairs.
We begin on the 18th when Donald Baylis, the General Manager of Sir Thomas Beecham's operatic productions, died in London after a long illness.
As a boy he had been in the Parish Choir in St Helens and possessed such a fine voice that Thomas Beecham's father, Joseph, had paid for his music training.
A man who said he had taken part in a bigamous marriage because he was "suffering from heavy drinking" appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 19th.
In January 1916 in Dundalk, Francis McArdle had married the widow of a naval petty officer against her parents' wishes. McArdle was then serving in the Royal Irish Fusiliers and after the marriage had got very drunk.
His new wife returned her soldier husband to his barracks at Armagh and had not seen him again, seemingly disgusted by his behaviour.
Almost two years to the day later, the Irishman from Water Street went through a form of marriage at Prescot Registry Office with Sarah Humphries from Borough Road.
She was now said to be very ill and unlikely to recover and her "husband" was remanded on bail to return to court on the 27th.
On the 19th the St Helens Parks Committee met in the Town Hall and decided to approve bathing in Taylor Park lake (pictured above).
This had been permitted before the war and the same charge of 3d per bather would be made.
A booth would be installed to allow bathers to change, although they had to provide their own costumes and towels.
The use of the lake and booth was conditional on bathers being "respectable with regard to their clothing" in the changing room.
At the beginning of the year the War Office had presented a tank to St Helens (pictured above).
The war souvenir from France was placed on a concrete base in the Queen's Recreation Ground, now known as Queen's Park.
At the Parks Committee meeting it was revealed that they had received a brass plate to be fixed on the tank, which would credit the War Savings Committee.
The St Helens Licensing Justices met on the 20th and considered whether four pubs in the town should be placed in the compensation scheme.
Pressure from temperance movements had led to the creation of a scheme in which all licensed houses within St Helens paid a levy into a compensation pot.
When the licensing magistrates decided that the houses were no longer needed, money from the fund was paid to their owners and licence holders.
It also served as an inducement for the surrendering of licences.
The four houses being considered for compensation were the Van Tromp in Church Street, the Alma Vaults in Peasley Cross Lane, the Royal Oak in Merton Bank and the Park Road Inn.
These were all Greenalls houses and all doing a reasonable level of business. However the police wanted them closed because there were other licensed houses nearby.
St Helens Police carefully supervised drinking houses and during 1919 had made 3,168 unannounced visits to the 128 fully licensed pubs and 48 beerhouses in the borough.
Although reducing the number of places where alcohol could be sold would not necessarily reduce drunkenness, it gave the police a bit less work to do.
There was some sadness amongst the licensees, particularly the Alma Vaults in Peasley Cross.
That had been in the hands of the Peel family since 1876 and the Royal Oak in Merton Bank had been in the same family for 20 years.
The licensing justices rarely rejected applications for compensation and accepted them on this occasion too.
However it would take some time for the process to be completed with the Alma Vaults, for one, not closing until February 11th 1922.
In February the licensing justices had refused a number of applications for music licences at fun fairs.
That was through the many complaints about the noise from barrel organs, which were then considered an essential part of the fairground experience.
The surprise decision of the magistrates had caused some controversy, particularly as one of the fairs was set to benefit Lowe House Church.
So at the hearing on the 20th the licence applications were resubmitted and this time they were approved but with strict conditions.
The music had to stop by 10pm, apart from Saturdays, when it could continue until 10:30pm.
There also had to be the provision of lavatories to stop people from urinating in alleys and people's gardens near the site of the fair.
There was an extraordinary case heard in St Helens Police Court on the 21st when Richard Hilton applied to quash a maintenance order against him.
Hilton shocked the court by revealing that his wife Eliza from Ramford Street was living with another man and he had moved in with the man's wife!
The magistrates granted the order and probably did a lot of "tut, tutting" too! Wife swapping in St Helens. Whatever next?
Last month Peter Twist from Cairne Street had appeared in the Police Court charged with unlawfully publishing a lottery, for which he'd been fined £2.
Now the Thatto Heath newsagent was being honoured in court as a hero, with the magistrates handing him a silver medal and certificate on behalf of the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society.
On April 8th Twist had saved the life of a three-year-old boy called Reginald Davies from Elton Head Road after he'd fallen into a clay-pit filled with water.
Others had failed in their rescue attempts but Peter Twist – despite not being in good health – had dashed across a ploughed field to save the boy.
A bravery certificate was also presented to James Anderson of Sherdley Road who had assisted Mr Twist.
On the 22nd a "Grand Ladies Football Match" was held at Ewood Park in Blackburn when Dick Kerr Ladies of Preston took on St Helens Ladies.
Proceeds were in aid of a proposed war memorial for Blackburn and the local Sailors and Soldiers Association.
In a year's time the Football Association would ban the playing of women's football on member grounds on the basis that the sport was "quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged".
It was Whit Monday on the 24th and the town was largely deserted as locals went to the seaside in droves.
It had been a sunny weekend and the Reporter wrote: "Tanned complexions are now the order – indeed, quite the fashion."
Motor cars were still far too expensive for most St Helens folk but some were managing to pay for a motorbike and perhaps a sidecar. The paper continued:
"The road was first favourite in the great holiday exodus which is no doubt accounted for by the rapidly increasing number of small motor vehicles in the town.
"It would be interesting to have a census of motor-cycles and their ratio to the total population. Liverpool and Southport trains were well patronised, as also were those to Blackpool. The trains throughout the day were crowded."
On the morning of the 24th the body of Charles Thompson was found floating in the Ravenhead Dam.
The 35-year-old from Raglan Street had been in the water for a considerable time.
It was a complete mystery as to how Thompson had died as he was a sailor and had arranged a berth on a ship leaving Liverpool.
In St Helens Police Court on the same day Superintendent Dunn told the Bench of a worrying increase in the number of assaults on the police.
He declared that the situation was becoming serious and added that something had to be done.
That was said as two men faced charges in connection with an incident that had taken place on the previous evening.
Two police officers had been sent to Higher Parr Street to deal with a group of Irishmen who were playing crown and anchor for money. This was a board game that used special dice with six symbols.
Three of the men were arrested but some of the others attacked the officers and attempted to free their prisoners.
William Corrigan struck PC Jolly four or five times in the face and as the police took a prisoner to their station at the Town Hall, a hostile crowd of young Irishmen followed them.
Philip Duffy was considered the ringleader, inciting the crowd against the police and making foul remarks.
He was fined ten shillings for being drunk and twenty shillings for obstructing the police.
Corrigan from Park Road said he couldn't have hit PC Jolly as he had a bad arm but was convicted and fined twenty shillings.
These were the acts performing at the Hippodrome Theatre from the 24th:
Sara Williams ("The famous prima donna"); St Malo & Coombs ("Gipsy and sailor novelty, comedy, vocal & musical act"); Archie & O’Neil ("Comedian with a surprise"); Billy Gordon & Tubby Adams ("Versatile entertainers in their latest successes"); The Great Stirling ("In his original miniature music hall – A stage on a stage") and T. C. Eric M.C. and Dilly ("In a ventriloquial act").
Next week's stories will include the worst thunderstorm in the history of St Helens, the police "pounce" on obscene postcards in a Liverpool Road shop, the new Savoy Super-Cinema planned for Bridge Street, Saints hold their annual meeting and George Formby performs at the Hippodrome Theatre.
We begin on the 18th when Donald Baylis, the General Manager of Sir Thomas Beecham's operatic productions, died in London after a long illness.
As a boy he had been in the Parish Choir in St Helens and possessed such a fine voice that Thomas Beecham's father, Joseph, had paid for his music training.
A man who said he had taken part in a bigamous marriage because he was "suffering from heavy drinking" appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 19th.
In January 1916 in Dundalk, Francis McArdle had married the widow of a naval petty officer against her parents' wishes. McArdle was then serving in the Royal Irish Fusiliers and after the marriage had got very drunk.
His new wife returned her soldier husband to his barracks at Armagh and had not seen him again, seemingly disgusted by his behaviour.
Almost two years to the day later, the Irishman from Water Street went through a form of marriage at Prescot Registry Office with Sarah Humphries from Borough Road.
She was now said to be very ill and unlikely to recover and her "husband" was remanded on bail to return to court on the 27th.
This had been permitted before the war and the same charge of 3d per bather would be made.
A booth would be installed to allow bathers to change, although they had to provide their own costumes and towels.
The use of the lake and booth was conditional on bathers being "respectable with regard to their clothing" in the changing room.
The war souvenir from France was placed on a concrete base in the Queen's Recreation Ground, now known as Queen's Park.
At the Parks Committee meeting it was revealed that they had received a brass plate to be fixed on the tank, which would credit the War Savings Committee.
The St Helens Licensing Justices met on the 20th and considered whether four pubs in the town should be placed in the compensation scheme.
Pressure from temperance movements had led to the creation of a scheme in which all licensed houses within St Helens paid a levy into a compensation pot.
When the licensing magistrates decided that the houses were no longer needed, money from the fund was paid to their owners and licence holders.
It also served as an inducement for the surrendering of licences.
The four houses being considered for compensation were the Van Tromp in Church Street, the Alma Vaults in Peasley Cross Lane, the Royal Oak in Merton Bank and the Park Road Inn.
These were all Greenalls houses and all doing a reasonable level of business. However the police wanted them closed because there were other licensed houses nearby.
St Helens Police carefully supervised drinking houses and during 1919 had made 3,168 unannounced visits to the 128 fully licensed pubs and 48 beerhouses in the borough.
Although reducing the number of places where alcohol could be sold would not necessarily reduce drunkenness, it gave the police a bit less work to do.
There was some sadness amongst the licensees, particularly the Alma Vaults in Peasley Cross.
That had been in the hands of the Peel family since 1876 and the Royal Oak in Merton Bank had been in the same family for 20 years.
The licensing justices rarely rejected applications for compensation and accepted them on this occasion too.
However it would take some time for the process to be completed with the Alma Vaults, for one, not closing until February 11th 1922.
In February the licensing justices had refused a number of applications for music licences at fun fairs.
That was through the many complaints about the noise from barrel organs, which were then considered an essential part of the fairground experience.
The surprise decision of the magistrates had caused some controversy, particularly as one of the fairs was set to benefit Lowe House Church.
Mitchells Fair at a previous fundraising event for Lowe House Church in 1914 – barrel organs were an important part of the fair experience
Mitchells Fair at a previous fundraising event for Lowe House Church in 1914
Mitchells Fair in St Helens in 1914
The music had to stop by 10pm, apart from Saturdays, when it could continue until 10:30pm.
There also had to be the provision of lavatories to stop people from urinating in alleys and people's gardens near the site of the fair.
There was an extraordinary case heard in St Helens Police Court on the 21st when Richard Hilton applied to quash a maintenance order against him.
Hilton shocked the court by revealing that his wife Eliza from Ramford Street was living with another man and he had moved in with the man's wife!
The magistrates granted the order and probably did a lot of "tut, tutting" too! Wife swapping in St Helens. Whatever next?
Last month Peter Twist from Cairne Street had appeared in the Police Court charged with unlawfully publishing a lottery, for which he'd been fined £2.
Now the Thatto Heath newsagent was being honoured in court as a hero, with the magistrates handing him a silver medal and certificate on behalf of the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society.
On April 8th Twist had saved the life of a three-year-old boy called Reginald Davies from Elton Head Road after he'd fallen into a clay-pit filled with water.
Others had failed in their rescue attempts but Peter Twist – despite not being in good health – had dashed across a ploughed field to save the boy.
A bravery certificate was also presented to James Anderson of Sherdley Road who had assisted Mr Twist.
On the 22nd a "Grand Ladies Football Match" was held at Ewood Park in Blackburn when Dick Kerr Ladies of Preston took on St Helens Ladies.
Proceeds were in aid of a proposed war memorial for Blackburn and the local Sailors and Soldiers Association.
In a year's time the Football Association would ban the playing of women's football on member grounds on the basis that the sport was "quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged".
It was Whit Monday on the 24th and the town was largely deserted as locals went to the seaside in droves.
It had been a sunny weekend and the Reporter wrote: "Tanned complexions are now the order – indeed, quite the fashion."
Motor cars were still far too expensive for most St Helens folk but some were managing to pay for a motorbike and perhaps a sidecar. The paper continued:
"The road was first favourite in the great holiday exodus which is no doubt accounted for by the rapidly increasing number of small motor vehicles in the town.
"It would be interesting to have a census of motor-cycles and their ratio to the total population. Liverpool and Southport trains were well patronised, as also were those to Blackpool. The trains throughout the day were crowded."
On the morning of the 24th the body of Charles Thompson was found floating in the Ravenhead Dam.
The 35-year-old from Raglan Street had been in the water for a considerable time.
It was a complete mystery as to how Thompson had died as he was a sailor and had arranged a berth on a ship leaving Liverpool.
In St Helens Police Court on the same day Superintendent Dunn told the Bench of a worrying increase in the number of assaults on the police.
He declared that the situation was becoming serious and added that something had to be done.
That was said as two men faced charges in connection with an incident that had taken place on the previous evening.
Two police officers had been sent to Higher Parr Street to deal with a group of Irishmen who were playing crown and anchor for money. This was a board game that used special dice with six symbols.
Three of the men were arrested but some of the others attacked the officers and attempted to free their prisoners.
William Corrigan struck PC Jolly four or five times in the face and as the police took a prisoner to their station at the Town Hall, a hostile crowd of young Irishmen followed them.
Philip Duffy was considered the ringleader, inciting the crowd against the police and making foul remarks.
He was fined ten shillings for being drunk and twenty shillings for obstructing the police.
Corrigan from Park Road said he couldn't have hit PC Jolly as he had a bad arm but was convicted and fined twenty shillings.
These were the acts performing at the Hippodrome Theatre from the 24th:
Sara Williams ("The famous prima donna"); St Malo & Coombs ("Gipsy and sailor novelty, comedy, vocal & musical act"); Archie & O’Neil ("Comedian with a surprise"); Billy Gordon & Tubby Adams ("Versatile entertainers in their latest successes"); The Great Stirling ("In his original miniature music hall – A stage on a stage") and T. C. Eric M.C. and Dilly ("In a ventriloquial act").
Next week's stories will include the worst thunderstorm in the history of St Helens, the police "pounce" on obscene postcards in a Liverpool Road shop, the new Savoy Super-Cinema planned for Bridge Street, Saints hold their annual meeting and George Formby performs at the Hippodrome Theatre.