IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (21st - 27th JUNE 1921)
This week's stories include Beecham's claim that taking their pills would make you more cheerful, the new 'Children's Reporter' column in the St Helens Reporter, why the slow post was upsetting the St Helens coroner, a judge makes a vow in the County Court and the inaugural St Helens Police Sports take place.
We begin on the 22nd when Judge Harold Chaloner Dowdall (the former Lord Mayor of Liverpool) took his seat in St Helens County Court in East Street for the very first time. He paid tribute to the Swift family who for many years had dominated legal life in the town and would continue to do so as Swift, Garner and Son in Corporation Street. As I've often said in my 150 years ago articles, Thomas Swift must have been the rudest solicitor St Helens has ever had – although possibly the cleverest too. In the 1881 census his family are shown living in Hardshaw Hall, which three years later became Providence Hospital.
All four of Thomas's sons followed him into the legal profession with Rigby Swift presently serving as a judge having been MP for St Helens between 1910 and 1918. Judge Dowdall declared on his debut in the court: "It has been said of Mr. Justice [Rigby] Swift that he had never said an unkind word, and never said an unwise word, and I think if a judge could do that I would be satisfied. That is my ambition, and I hope to achieve it."
Mmm. Well good intentions and all that... However in April 1926 Judge Dowdall thundered to a woman in St Helens County Court: "The idea of workmen's compensation is not to provide a holiday at Blackpool." His Honour was laying down the law to a widow who wanted £8 of her own compensation money awarded after the death of her husband to go on a short break to the seaside to help deal with her grief. You can be the judge of whether the judge kept his wise words vow!
The inaugural St Helens Police Recreation Club Sports was held on the 23rd on the St Helens Recs cricket ground at Ruskin Drive with prizes totalling over £110. Some races were exclusively for members of the police force and others were for all-comers. I notice that that the runner-up of the 100 yards for officers with over 12 years service was PC Cust. In 1939 Arthur Cust would become Chief Constable of St Helens, succeeding the incumbent Arthur Ellerington after his sudden death – but in 1921 Cust was a lowly constable who knew how to run!
The St Helens Reporter's children's column prior to WW1 bore the motto "Love One Another" and was conducted by someone using the pseudonym "Daddy". Well the motto didn't apply to Germans; all the daddies went to war and a shortage of newsprint led to the column being axed. However early in 1921 it was resurrected as the "The Children's Reporter", and "Daddy" became "Uncle Ben". "Pens, Paints, Pencils Given Away – Prizes For Smart Boys and Girls" was the new slogan with members encouraged to send in contributions in the form of stories, riddles, poems, "did you know" snippets and queries.
On the 24th Fanny Birchall from Cooper Street in St Helens was asking for more competitions – but Uncle Ben said with the weather being so nice, he felt his "nephews and nieces" would be too busy playing out. Frances Johnson of Glover Street had her poem called "The Muffin Man" published, which began: "I always watch out on Saturday, For the muffin man comes along our way. He's the kindest man, and he nods at me, And I nod back, too, from the nursery." Young Bernard Jackson of Harris Street had a number of "did you know?" snippets featured. These included that spiders are attracted to music, fish are deaf and big trout are "very fond of gobbling up" little trout, "so that there are not many trout left in English rivers."
Beecham's were continuing their campaign to persuade people to take their pills on a regular basis – even when they were not ill. On the 25th this advert was published in the Pall Mall Gazette under the heading:
"“THINGS WILL COME RIGHT” – This saying strikes the optimistic note – one of untold value in life. The cheerful spirit and the ability to look on the bright side of things are characteristics that bring a splendid “return.” But it must be borne in mind that the optimistic outlook depends in a very large measure upon the condition of the general health. “Cheerfulness”, says a wise old writer, “is as natural to the heart of a man in strong health as colour to his cheek.”
"Those who desire to see the sunny side of life will be well advised to make health a particular consideration. Special care should be taken of the digestion. Many troubles are due to digestive weakness; many gloomy and dispiriting days arise from liverishness. You can keep the digestive organs in order – simply and safely – by taking Beecham's Pills. Thousands of people are doing it every day, and in consequence, maintaining a cheerful outlook and finding real pleasure in their activities. Why shouldn't you? If you feel at all run down take a course of BEECHAM'S PILLS."
I wonder how many war memorials were produced in St Helens after the so-called Great War? There must have been dozens, with the most visible – the Victoria Square war memorial – still five years away from being unveiled. On the 26th a tablet was uncovered in the Volunteer Hall in Mill Street to those of the 5th South Lancashire Regiment in St Helens who had died during the war. The Reporter wrote:
"The capacious drill hall was filled to the extent of its capacity. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, wives, and sweethearts, of those who have gone were there. Old comrades came by to pay respect to old pals whose hands they will never grasp again. Leading citizens and their ladies attended to do homage to the honoured dead who sleep in the graves of heroes."
And it was confirmed this week that the Prince of Wales would be visiting St Helens on July 6th as part of his tour of south Lancashire to speak to ex-servicemen. The future King Edward VIII would shake hands with many old soldiers on the St Helens Recs football ground in City Road.
Drama lovers were in for a treat in St Helens this week. The Raynor Repertory Company were putting on a different play on every day at the Theatre Royal – including 'Camille', 'Still Waters Run Deep' and 'Nell Gwyn'. Meanwhile at the Hippodrome, the music hall acts included The Uniques ("Comic cyclists of much cleverness"); Edward Victor ("Presenting extraordinary magical problems and his screamingly funny hand shadows"); The Westbrooks ("Artistic dancers") and Hedges Bros and Jacobson ("The pioneers of ragtime").
The grumbling over the postal service since the recent abolition of Sunday deliveries in England seems a bit comical today. One hundred years ago people were used to the luxury of several daily deliveries and many collections of mail from pillar-boxes. Letters posted just after lunchtime would be delivered to local addresses on the same day – and there was even a delivery on Christmas morning! In fact it seems that some – if not many – people in St Helens would wait until Christmas Eve before posting their gifts, so the packages would arrive at their destination on the morning of the 25th.
The recent changes had not only led to the axing of Sunday deliveries but most collections of mail had also stopped on the Sabbath. As a consequence the system had slowed up and people were not happy. On the 27th county coroner Samuel Brighouse held an inquest in St Helens on Jane Bradbury of Taylor Street in Sutton. It was a routine hearing which took place on a Monday morning with Dr Thomas O’Keefe stating that his patient had died from meningitis.
However the Echo reported that the coroner had "complained very strongly about the inconvenience of the postal arrangements." It seems that Brighouse was used to being notified of deaths by post and if the fatality occurred in a morning, the letter would arrive at his Ormskirk office by the afternoon or early evening of the same day – so that an early inquest could be scheduled. Mr Brighouse stated that if the present slowness of the post continued there would be a "great deal of grumbling" about inquests, adding: "If it had not been for the use of the telephone, there would have been no inquest until Wednesday, although Mrs Bradbury [had] died on Friday."
So why would it have mattered if it had taken five days to hold the inquest on the woman instead of three? The answer is simply that the smell from her decomposing and putrefying body would have overpowering. It was then the law that the deceased had to be present at inquests in order that jurors could examine the body – which is why inquest hearings had to be rapidly held after death.
And finally the non-St Helens item in the Echo that caught my eye this week was an advert for Derbac "disinfectant shampoo soap". My Facebook page 'Stories From St Helens Heritage' recently featured an article called 'The Dirty Schoolchildren of Parr' which described a storm of protest over nit nurses. However Derbac's ad claimed they provided a simple solution for lousy kids' heads, which was published under the headline "Another Great War! Millions of Casualties Daily":
"MOTHERS who have hitherto asked in vain for a safe and easy method of freeing children's heads from lice and nits now use “Derbac” Soap. MOTHERS who have been nervous that their children would get dirty heads at school now use “Derbac” Soap. “Derbac” soap quickly eliminates head and body lice, and keeps clean children clean all the time."
Next week's stories will include the man who said women degraded themselves playing football, the fires caused by steam locos in the driest June for decades, more criticism of motorbike pillion riding and St Helens miners denounce the coal strike settlement.
We begin on the 22nd when Judge Harold Chaloner Dowdall (the former Lord Mayor of Liverpool) took his seat in St Helens County Court in East Street for the very first time. He paid tribute to the Swift family who for many years had dominated legal life in the town and would continue to do so as Swift, Garner and Son in Corporation Street. As I've often said in my 150 years ago articles, Thomas Swift must have been the rudest solicitor St Helens has ever had – although possibly the cleverest too. In the 1881 census his family are shown living in Hardshaw Hall, which three years later became Providence Hospital.
All four of Thomas's sons followed him into the legal profession with Rigby Swift presently serving as a judge having been MP for St Helens between 1910 and 1918. Judge Dowdall declared on his debut in the court: "It has been said of Mr. Justice [Rigby] Swift that he had never said an unkind word, and never said an unwise word, and I think if a judge could do that I would be satisfied. That is my ambition, and I hope to achieve it."
Mmm. Well good intentions and all that... However in April 1926 Judge Dowdall thundered to a woman in St Helens County Court: "The idea of workmen's compensation is not to provide a holiday at Blackpool." His Honour was laying down the law to a widow who wanted £8 of her own compensation money awarded after the death of her husband to go on a short break to the seaside to help deal with her grief. You can be the judge of whether the judge kept his wise words vow!
The inaugural St Helens Police Recreation Club Sports was held on the 23rd on the St Helens Recs cricket ground at Ruskin Drive with prizes totalling over £110. Some races were exclusively for members of the police force and others were for all-comers. I notice that that the runner-up of the 100 yards for officers with over 12 years service was PC Cust. In 1939 Arthur Cust would become Chief Constable of St Helens, succeeding the incumbent Arthur Ellerington after his sudden death – but in 1921 Cust was a lowly constable who knew how to run!
The St Helens Reporter's children's column prior to WW1 bore the motto "Love One Another" and was conducted by someone using the pseudonym "Daddy". Well the motto didn't apply to Germans; all the daddies went to war and a shortage of newsprint led to the column being axed. However early in 1921 it was resurrected as the "The Children's Reporter", and "Daddy" became "Uncle Ben". "Pens, Paints, Pencils Given Away – Prizes For Smart Boys and Girls" was the new slogan with members encouraged to send in contributions in the form of stories, riddles, poems, "did you know" snippets and queries.
On the 24th Fanny Birchall from Cooper Street in St Helens was asking for more competitions – but Uncle Ben said with the weather being so nice, he felt his "nephews and nieces" would be too busy playing out. Frances Johnson of Glover Street had her poem called "The Muffin Man" published, which began: "I always watch out on Saturday, For the muffin man comes along our way. He's the kindest man, and he nods at me, And I nod back, too, from the nursery." Young Bernard Jackson of Harris Street had a number of "did you know?" snippets featured. These included that spiders are attracted to music, fish are deaf and big trout are "very fond of gobbling up" little trout, "so that there are not many trout left in English rivers."
Beecham's were continuing their campaign to persuade people to take their pills on a regular basis – even when they were not ill. On the 25th this advert was published in the Pall Mall Gazette under the heading:
"“THINGS WILL COME RIGHT” – This saying strikes the optimistic note – one of untold value in life. The cheerful spirit and the ability to look on the bright side of things are characteristics that bring a splendid “return.” But it must be borne in mind that the optimistic outlook depends in a very large measure upon the condition of the general health. “Cheerfulness”, says a wise old writer, “is as natural to the heart of a man in strong health as colour to his cheek.”
"Those who desire to see the sunny side of life will be well advised to make health a particular consideration. Special care should be taken of the digestion. Many troubles are due to digestive weakness; many gloomy and dispiriting days arise from liverishness. You can keep the digestive organs in order – simply and safely – by taking Beecham's Pills. Thousands of people are doing it every day, and in consequence, maintaining a cheerful outlook and finding real pleasure in their activities. Why shouldn't you? If you feel at all run down take a course of BEECHAM'S PILLS."
I wonder how many war memorials were produced in St Helens after the so-called Great War? There must have been dozens, with the most visible – the Victoria Square war memorial – still five years away from being unveiled. On the 26th a tablet was uncovered in the Volunteer Hall in Mill Street to those of the 5th South Lancashire Regiment in St Helens who had died during the war. The Reporter wrote:
"The capacious drill hall was filled to the extent of its capacity. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, wives, and sweethearts, of those who have gone were there. Old comrades came by to pay respect to old pals whose hands they will never grasp again. Leading citizens and their ladies attended to do homage to the honoured dead who sleep in the graves of heroes."
And it was confirmed this week that the Prince of Wales would be visiting St Helens on July 6th as part of his tour of south Lancashire to speak to ex-servicemen. The future King Edward VIII would shake hands with many old soldiers on the St Helens Recs football ground in City Road.
Drama lovers were in for a treat in St Helens this week. The Raynor Repertory Company were putting on a different play on every day at the Theatre Royal – including 'Camille', 'Still Waters Run Deep' and 'Nell Gwyn'. Meanwhile at the Hippodrome, the music hall acts included The Uniques ("Comic cyclists of much cleverness"); Edward Victor ("Presenting extraordinary magical problems and his screamingly funny hand shadows"); The Westbrooks ("Artistic dancers") and Hedges Bros and Jacobson ("The pioneers of ragtime").
The grumbling over the postal service since the recent abolition of Sunday deliveries in England seems a bit comical today. One hundred years ago people were used to the luxury of several daily deliveries and many collections of mail from pillar-boxes. Letters posted just after lunchtime would be delivered to local addresses on the same day – and there was even a delivery on Christmas morning! In fact it seems that some – if not many – people in St Helens would wait until Christmas Eve before posting their gifts, so the packages would arrive at their destination on the morning of the 25th.
The recent changes had not only led to the axing of Sunday deliveries but most collections of mail had also stopped on the Sabbath. As a consequence the system had slowed up and people were not happy. On the 27th county coroner Samuel Brighouse held an inquest in St Helens on Jane Bradbury of Taylor Street in Sutton. It was a routine hearing which took place on a Monday morning with Dr Thomas O’Keefe stating that his patient had died from meningitis.
However the Echo reported that the coroner had "complained very strongly about the inconvenience of the postal arrangements." It seems that Brighouse was used to being notified of deaths by post and if the fatality occurred in a morning, the letter would arrive at his Ormskirk office by the afternoon or early evening of the same day – so that an early inquest could be scheduled. Mr Brighouse stated that if the present slowness of the post continued there would be a "great deal of grumbling" about inquests, adding: "If it had not been for the use of the telephone, there would have been no inquest until Wednesday, although Mrs Bradbury [had] died on Friday."
So why would it have mattered if it had taken five days to hold the inquest on the woman instead of three? The answer is simply that the smell from her decomposing and putrefying body would have overpowering. It was then the law that the deceased had to be present at inquests in order that jurors could examine the body – which is why inquest hearings had to be rapidly held after death.
"MOTHERS who have hitherto asked in vain for a safe and easy method of freeing children's heads from lice and nits now use “Derbac” Soap. MOTHERS who have been nervous that their children would get dirty heads at school now use “Derbac” Soap. “Derbac” soap quickly eliminates head and body lice, and keeps clean children clean all the time."
Next week's stories will include the man who said women degraded themselves playing football, the fires caused by steam locos in the driest June for decades, more criticism of motorbike pillion riding and St Helens miners denounce the coal strike settlement.
This week's stories include Beecham's claim that taking their pills would make you more cheerful, the new 'Children's Reporter' column in the St Helens Reporter, why the slow post was upsetting the St Helens coroner, a judge makes a vow in the County Court and the inaugural St Helens Police Sports take place.
We begin on the 22nd when Judge Harold Chaloner Dowdall (the former Lord Mayor of Liverpool) took his seat in St Helens County Court in East Street for the very first time.
He paid tribute to the Swift family who for many years had dominated legal life in the town and would continue to do so as Swift, Garner and Son in Corporation Street.
As I've often said in my 150 years ago articles, Thomas Swift must have been the rudest solicitor St Helens has ever had – although possibly the cleverest too.
In the 1881 census his family are shown living in Hardshaw Hall, which three years later became Providence Hospital.
All four of Thomas's sons followed him into the legal profession with Rigby Swift presently serving as a judge having been MP for St Helens between 1910 and 1918.
Judge Dowdall declared on his debut in the court: "It has been said of Mr. Justice [Rigby] Swift that he had never said an unkind word, and never said an unwise word, and I think if a judge could do that I would be satisfied. That is my ambition, and I hope to achieve it."
Mmm. Well good intentions and all that... However in April 1926 Judge Dowdall thundered to a woman in St Helens County Court:
"The idea of workmen's compensation is not to provide a holiday at Blackpool."
His Honour was laying down the law to a widow who wanted £8 of her own compensation money awarded after the death of her husband to go on a short break to the seaside to help deal with her grief.
You can be the judge of whether the judge kept his wise words vow!
The inaugural St Helens Police Recreation Club Sports was held on the 23rd on the St Helens Recs cricket ground at Ruskin Drive with prizes totalling over £110.
Some races were exclusively for members of the police force and others were for all-comers.
I notice that that the runner-up of the 100 yards for officers with over 12 years service was PC Cust.
In 1939 Arthur Cust would become Chief Constable of St Helens, succeeding the incumbent Arthur Ellerington after his sudden death – but in 1921 Cust was a lowly constable who knew how to run!
The St Helens Reporter's children's column prior to WW1 bore the motto "Love One Another" and was conducted by someone using the pseudonym "Daddy".
Well the motto didn't apply to Germans; all the daddies went to war and a shortage of newsprint led to the column being axed.
However early in 1921 it was resurrected as the "The Children's Reporter", and "Daddy" became "Uncle Ben".
"Pens, Paints, Pencils Given Away – Prizes For Smart Boys and Girls" was the new slogan with members encouraged to send in contributions in the form of stories, riddles, poems, "did you know" snippets and queries.
On the 24th Fanny Birchall from Cooper Street in St Helens was asking for more competitions – but Uncle Ben said with the weather being so nice, he felt his "nephews and nieces" would be too busy playing out.
Frances Johnson of Glover Street had her poem called "The Muffin Man" published, which began:
"I always watch out on Saturday,
For the muffin man comes along our way.
He's the kindest man, and he nods at me,
And I nod back, too, from the nursery."
Young Bernard Jackson of Harris Street had a number of "did you know?" snippets featured.
These included that spiders are attracted to music, fish are deaf and big trout are "very fond of gobbling up" little trout, "so that there are not many trout left in English rivers."
Beecham's were continuing their campaign to persuade people to take their pills on a regular basis – even when they were not ill.
On the 25th this advert was published in the Pall Mall Gazette under the heading:
"“THINGS WILL COME RIGHT” – This saying strikes the optimistic note – one of untold value in life. The cheerful spirit and the ability to look on the bright side of things are characteristics that bring a splendid “return.”
"But it must be borne in mind that the optimistic outlook depends in a very large measure upon the condition of the general health.
"“Cheerfulness”, says a wise old writer, “is as natural to the heart of a man in strong health as colour to his cheek.”
"Those who desire to see the sunny side of life will be well advised to make health a particular consideration.
"Special care should be taken of the digestion. Many troubles are due to digestive weakness; many gloomy and dispiriting days arise from liverishness.
"You can keep the digestive organs in order – simply and safely – by taking Beecham's Pills.
"Thousands of people are doing it every day, and in consequence, maintaining a cheerful outlook and finding real pleasure in their activities.
"Why shouldn't you? If you feel at all run down take a course of BEECHAM'S PILLS."
I wonder how many war memorials were produced in St Helens after the so-called Great War?
There must have been dozens, with the most visible – the Victoria Square war memorial – still five years away from being unveiled.
On the 26th a tablet was uncovered in the Volunteer Hall in Mill Street to those of the 5th South Lancashire Regiment in St Helens who had died during the war. The Reporter wrote:
"The capacious drill hall was filled to the extent of its capacity. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, wives, and sweethearts, of those who have gone were there. Old comrades came by to pay respect to old pals whose hands they will never grasp again.
"Leading citizens and their ladies attended to do homage to the honoured dead who sleep in the graves of heroes."
And it was confirmed this week that the Prince of Wales would be visiting St Helens on July 6th as part of his tour of south Lancashire to speak to ex-servicemen.
The future King Edward VIII would shake hands with many old soldiers on the St Helens Recs football ground in City Road.
Drama lovers were in for a treat in St Helens this week. The Raynor Repertory Company were putting on a different play on every day at the Theatre Royal – including 'Camille', 'Still Waters Run Deep' and 'Nell Gwyn'.
Meanwhile at the Hippodrome, the music hall acts included The Uniques ("Comic cyclists of much cleverness"); Edward Victor ("Presenting extraordinary magical problems and his screamingly funny hand shadows"); The Westbrooks ("Artistic dancers") and Hedges Bros and Jacobson ("The pioneers of ragtime").
The grumbling over the postal service since the recent abolition of Sunday deliveries in England seems a bit comical today.
One hundred years ago people were used to the luxury of several daily deliveries and many collections of mail from pillar-boxes.
Letters posted just after lunchtime would be delivered to local addresses on the same day – and there was even a delivery on Christmas morning!
In fact it seems that some – if not many – people in St Helens would wait until Christmas Eve before posting their gifts, so the packages would arrive at their destination on the morning of the 25th.
The recent changes had not only led to the axing of Sunday deliveries but most collections of mail had also stopped on the Sabbath.
As a consequence the system had slowed up and people were not happy.
On the 27th county coroner Samuel Brighouse held an inquest in St Helens on Jane Bradbury of Taylor Street in Sutton.
It was a routine hearing which took place on a Monday morning with Dr Thomas O’Keefe stating that his patient had died from meningitis.
However the Echo reported that the coroner had "complained very strongly about the inconvenience of the postal arrangements."
It seems that Brighouse was used to being notified of deaths by post and if the fatality occurred in a morning, the letter would arrive at his Ormskirk office by the afternoon or early evening of the same day – so that an early inquest could be scheduled.
Mr Brighouse stated that if the present slowness of the post continued there would be a "great deal of grumbling" about inquests, adding:
"If it had not been for the use of the telephone, there would have been no inquest until Wednesday, although Mrs Bradbury [had] died on Friday."
So why would it have mattered if it had taken five days to hold the inquest on the woman instead of three?
The answer is simply that the smell from her decomposing and putrefying body would have overpowering.
It was then the law that the deceased had to be present at inquests in order that jurors could examine the body – which is why inquest hearings had to be rapidly held after death.
And finally the non-St Helens item in the Echo that caught my eye this week was an advert for Derbac "disinfectant shampoo soap".
My Facebook page 'Stories From St Helens Heritage' recently featured an article called 'The Dirty Schoolchildren of Parr' which described a storm of protest over nit nurses.
However Derbac's ad claimed they provided a simple solution for lousy kids' heads, which was published under the headline "Another Great War! Millions of Casualties Daily":
"MOTHERS who have hitherto asked in vain for a safe and easy method of freeing children's heads from lice and nits now use “Derbac” Soap.
"MOTHERS who have been nervous that their children would get dirty heads at school now use “Derbac” Soap. “Derbac” soap quickly eliminates head and body lice, and keeps clean children clean all the time."
Next week's stories will include the man who said women degraded themselves playing football, the fires caused by steam locos in the driest June for decades, more criticism of motorbike pillion riding and St Helens miners denounce the strike settlement.
We begin on the 22nd when Judge Harold Chaloner Dowdall (the former Lord Mayor of Liverpool) took his seat in St Helens County Court in East Street for the very first time.
He paid tribute to the Swift family who for many years had dominated legal life in the town and would continue to do so as Swift, Garner and Son in Corporation Street.
As I've often said in my 150 years ago articles, Thomas Swift must have been the rudest solicitor St Helens has ever had – although possibly the cleverest too.
In the 1881 census his family are shown living in Hardshaw Hall, which three years later became Providence Hospital.
All four of Thomas's sons followed him into the legal profession with Rigby Swift presently serving as a judge having been MP for St Helens between 1910 and 1918.
Judge Dowdall declared on his debut in the court: "It has been said of Mr. Justice [Rigby] Swift that he had never said an unkind word, and never said an unwise word, and I think if a judge could do that I would be satisfied. That is my ambition, and I hope to achieve it."
Mmm. Well good intentions and all that... However in April 1926 Judge Dowdall thundered to a woman in St Helens County Court:
"The idea of workmen's compensation is not to provide a holiday at Blackpool."
His Honour was laying down the law to a widow who wanted £8 of her own compensation money awarded after the death of her husband to go on a short break to the seaside to help deal with her grief.
You can be the judge of whether the judge kept his wise words vow!
The inaugural St Helens Police Recreation Club Sports was held on the 23rd on the St Helens Recs cricket ground at Ruskin Drive with prizes totalling over £110.
Some races were exclusively for members of the police force and others were for all-comers.
I notice that that the runner-up of the 100 yards for officers with over 12 years service was PC Cust.
In 1939 Arthur Cust would become Chief Constable of St Helens, succeeding the incumbent Arthur Ellerington after his sudden death – but in 1921 Cust was a lowly constable who knew how to run!
The St Helens Reporter's children's column prior to WW1 bore the motto "Love One Another" and was conducted by someone using the pseudonym "Daddy".
Well the motto didn't apply to Germans; all the daddies went to war and a shortage of newsprint led to the column being axed.
However early in 1921 it was resurrected as the "The Children's Reporter", and "Daddy" became "Uncle Ben".
"Pens, Paints, Pencils Given Away – Prizes For Smart Boys and Girls" was the new slogan with members encouraged to send in contributions in the form of stories, riddles, poems, "did you know" snippets and queries.
On the 24th Fanny Birchall from Cooper Street in St Helens was asking for more competitions – but Uncle Ben said with the weather being so nice, he felt his "nephews and nieces" would be too busy playing out.
Frances Johnson of Glover Street had her poem called "The Muffin Man" published, which began:
"I always watch out on Saturday,
For the muffin man comes along our way.
He's the kindest man, and he nods at me,
And I nod back, too, from the nursery."
Young Bernard Jackson of Harris Street had a number of "did you know?" snippets featured.
These included that spiders are attracted to music, fish are deaf and big trout are "very fond of gobbling up" little trout, "so that there are not many trout left in English rivers."
Beecham's were continuing their campaign to persuade people to take their pills on a regular basis – even when they were not ill.
On the 25th this advert was published in the Pall Mall Gazette under the heading:
"“THINGS WILL COME RIGHT” – This saying strikes the optimistic note – one of untold value in life. The cheerful spirit and the ability to look on the bright side of things are characteristics that bring a splendid “return.”
"But it must be borne in mind that the optimistic outlook depends in a very large measure upon the condition of the general health.
"“Cheerfulness”, says a wise old writer, “is as natural to the heart of a man in strong health as colour to his cheek.”
"Those who desire to see the sunny side of life will be well advised to make health a particular consideration.
"Special care should be taken of the digestion. Many troubles are due to digestive weakness; many gloomy and dispiriting days arise from liverishness.
"You can keep the digestive organs in order – simply and safely – by taking Beecham's Pills.
"Thousands of people are doing it every day, and in consequence, maintaining a cheerful outlook and finding real pleasure in their activities.
"Why shouldn't you? If you feel at all run down take a course of BEECHAM'S PILLS."
I wonder how many war memorials were produced in St Helens after the so-called Great War?
There must have been dozens, with the most visible – the Victoria Square war memorial – still five years away from being unveiled.
On the 26th a tablet was uncovered in the Volunteer Hall in Mill Street to those of the 5th South Lancashire Regiment in St Helens who had died during the war. The Reporter wrote:
"The capacious drill hall was filled to the extent of its capacity. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, wives, and sweethearts, of those who have gone were there. Old comrades came by to pay respect to old pals whose hands they will never grasp again.
"Leading citizens and their ladies attended to do homage to the honoured dead who sleep in the graves of heroes."
And it was confirmed this week that the Prince of Wales would be visiting St Helens on July 6th as part of his tour of south Lancashire to speak to ex-servicemen.
The future King Edward VIII would shake hands with many old soldiers on the St Helens Recs football ground in City Road.
Drama lovers were in for a treat in St Helens this week. The Raynor Repertory Company were putting on a different play on every day at the Theatre Royal – including 'Camille', 'Still Waters Run Deep' and 'Nell Gwyn'.
Meanwhile at the Hippodrome, the music hall acts included The Uniques ("Comic cyclists of much cleverness"); Edward Victor ("Presenting extraordinary magical problems and his screamingly funny hand shadows"); The Westbrooks ("Artistic dancers") and Hedges Bros and Jacobson ("The pioneers of ragtime").
The grumbling over the postal service since the recent abolition of Sunday deliveries in England seems a bit comical today.
One hundred years ago people were used to the luxury of several daily deliveries and many collections of mail from pillar-boxes.
Letters posted just after lunchtime would be delivered to local addresses on the same day – and there was even a delivery on Christmas morning!
In fact it seems that some – if not many – people in St Helens would wait until Christmas Eve before posting their gifts, so the packages would arrive at their destination on the morning of the 25th.
The recent changes had not only led to the axing of Sunday deliveries but most collections of mail had also stopped on the Sabbath.
As a consequence the system had slowed up and people were not happy.
On the 27th county coroner Samuel Brighouse held an inquest in St Helens on Jane Bradbury of Taylor Street in Sutton.
It was a routine hearing which took place on a Monday morning with Dr Thomas O’Keefe stating that his patient had died from meningitis.
However the Echo reported that the coroner had "complained very strongly about the inconvenience of the postal arrangements."
It seems that Brighouse was used to being notified of deaths by post and if the fatality occurred in a morning, the letter would arrive at his Ormskirk office by the afternoon or early evening of the same day – so that an early inquest could be scheduled.
Mr Brighouse stated that if the present slowness of the post continued there would be a "great deal of grumbling" about inquests, adding:
"If it had not been for the use of the telephone, there would have been no inquest until Wednesday, although Mrs Bradbury [had] died on Friday."
So why would it have mattered if it had taken five days to hold the inquest on the woman instead of three?
The answer is simply that the smell from her decomposing and putrefying body would have overpowering.
It was then the law that the deceased had to be present at inquests in order that jurors could examine the body – which is why inquest hearings had to be rapidly held after death.
My Facebook page 'Stories From St Helens Heritage' recently featured an article called 'The Dirty Schoolchildren of Parr' which described a storm of protest over nit nurses.
However Derbac's ad claimed they provided a simple solution for lousy kids' heads, which was published under the headline "Another Great War! Millions of Casualties Daily":
"MOTHERS who have hitherto asked in vain for a safe and easy method of freeing children's heads from lice and nits now use “Derbac” Soap.
"MOTHERS who have been nervous that their children would get dirty heads at school now use “Derbac” Soap. “Derbac” soap quickly eliminates head and body lice, and keeps clean children clean all the time."
Next week's stories will include the man who said women degraded themselves playing football, the fires caused by steam locos in the driest June for decades, more criticism of motorbike pillion riding and St Helens miners denounce the strike settlement.