IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (23rd - 29th AUGUST 1921)
This week's many stories include the St Helens survivor of an airship disaster, the high speed motorbike testing down North Road, the female musical pioneer at the Theatre Royal and the claim that Sutton men streamed out of work every lunchtime to bet with illegal bookies.
We begin on the 23rd with the release of the provisional results of the 1921 census. The population of St Helens was stated as 102,650, which was a rise of 6% on the 1911 census and well ahead of Wigan and Warrington. Their inhabitants numbered 89,447 and 76,811, respectively. Of the 42.767 million population of Great Britain, there were almost two million more females than men – with the loss of 886,000 soldiers in the war having widened the gender gap.
In 1916 Edith Hughes of Sherdley Hall had referred to German Zeppelins as "devils from hell". Although airships were no longer dropping bombs out of the night sky, their dangerous design meant those who rode inside them were very much at risk. And unlike the small airplanes that were then being developed, airships had huge crews. On the 24th the R38 airship – with a total complement of 51 men – crashed on a test flight over the Humber (pictured above). The Liverpool Echo's headline was: "A Huge Pillar Of Flame To The Earth – Eye Witness's Thrilling Story Of How Great Airship Met Her Fate – R 38 Like A Cracked Egg: River On Fire."
There had only been five survivors of the mixed British and American crew. One was Ernest Wynne Davies from Windleshaw Road in St Helens, who the Echo managed to interview: "Leading Aircraftsman E. W. Davies, of St. Helens, who had a miraculous escape from death, gave me a striking story of his experiences. The American chief engineer, he said, was standing at the exact spot where the vessel broke in two, and he was horrified to see the unfortunate man fall right through the hole and crash to the earth.
"When Davies saw the fire part of the ship break away he and Corporal W. P. Potter hurriedly clambered outside their carriage and clung to it, expecting death at any moment. This act, however, proved their salvation, for when the rear part of the vessel dropped into the Humber they jumped clear into the river, being picked up by one of the rescuing tugs." The Guardian in their report on the 26th wrote:
"Leading Aircraftsman Ernest Davies, one of the survivors of the R38 disaster, is 22 years of age, son of Mr. Robert Davies, 148, Windleshaw Road, St. Helens, who received a telegram yesterday morning: “Regret to inform you that your son has been admitted to Hull Infirmary suffering from shock and burns.”" In the 1939 Register Ernest was still living at 148 Windleshaw Road and listed as a haulage contractor.
It must have been crowded in St Helens Police Court on the 25th as 174 workmen were summoned for non-payment of income tax. PAYE was not introduced until 1944 and so it was easy to get behind with your payments. Some of the defendants were still unemployed as a result of the coal strike and were granted time to pay.
The 27th was the start of the last season when rugby league was known as Northern Union. Saints – who had not been playing well since the game resumed after the war – played Oldham at Knowsley Road and lost 3 - 10.
A female musical pioneer was at the Theatre Royal this week. The unusually named Daisy Squelch was presenting her musical comedy revue called 'The Romany Maid'. The 1920s was the golden decade for revues – the popular entertainment that combined music, dance and comedy sketches. Daisy was a cornettist who led her own brass band called The Blue Dragoons and advertisements for her shows said:
"Miss Daisy Squelch presents her musical comedy revue 'The Romany Maid'. Full Star Cast, including Miss Daisy Squelch and her Famous Brass Band. Magnificent scenery. Gorgeous Dresses. Full London Chorus of Ladies and Gentlemen. Entire New Production." Comedy was an essential ingredient of revues, however Daisy had a problem. She had lost a comic. I don't know the circumstances but she had this advertisement in The Stage newspaper on the 25th:
"Wanted, to open at once, First-class Light Comedian. Must Sing and Dance. Graceful in movements. Steady and attentive to business. Long and comfortable engagement to right man. Apply, with lowest terms, photo, and references, to Miss Daisy Squelch, Theatre Royal, St. Helens. If near, interviews granted between 11 and 12 any day." "Steady" was the usual euphemism for someone who was reliable and did not get drunk!
Meanwhile the Hippodrome Music Hall further down Corporation Street had these turns performing this week: The Clans of Bonnie Scotland ("An ensemble featuring local children"); Magley and Wolfe ("A laugh, a song, and a dance"); Marie Lawton ("Talented harpist and vocalist"); Dick Tubb ("The grotesque comedian"); Scott Saunders ("Character comedian, heartily acclaimed for his tramp songs") and Clarke and Ritchie ("Those versatile boys who provoke plenty of mirth").
I've often thought that it was only in films and on TV that those pinched by the police would declare: "It's a fair cop". But I've come across a number of instances of arrested men saying that in St Helens – including William Donnellan of Waterdale Crescent in Sutton. He was reported as having used those words when arrested during a hearing in St Helens Police Court on the 29th. Along with Richard Meadows and Griffiths Parry of Taylor Street, Donnellan was charged with illegal street betting and "circulating coupons for ready-money betting" – distributing football coupons in other words.
Both betting slips and football coupons were found on the threesome – hence Donnellan's "fair cop" quip. The prosecution stated that "This kind of thing had been going on for a long time, and as soon as the [works] buzzer went at noon, men could be seen hurrying from all directions to the place where these men were known to carry on their business." The three defendants were heavily fined.
In last week's article I wrote about the growth of motorbikes in St Helens and the dangers posed by helmets not being worn. What I didn't mention was the ease in which licences could be obtained. There was no such thing as a driving test for motorbikes or cars and as long as you were 17 and paid the required fee at St Helens Town Hall, you could legally drive.
Ten days earlier a young car driver in Wallasey – who had bought his licence just two days earlier – mounted the pavement, drove down it for nine yards and then knocked down a tree, which his car carried off into the middle of the road. The man's explanation for what had happened was that he was learning how to drive and he had put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake. The Bench was critical of the fact that licences were simply dished out upon payment of a fee rather than proof of competency to drive.
In St Helens Police Court on the 29th, Andrew Murray and William Preston were charged with riding a motorbike in a manner dangerous to the public. They were both aged 17 and had, it seems, only just acquired the bike and licence/s. The court was told that the youths had been testing the machine's capabilities in North Road by riding down a hill at 30 mph, "…utterly disregarding the possibility of traffic that might come along from the side streets".
Of course today the bikers would have had the right of way. But traffic in 1921 could be a mixed bag of horse-drawn, motorised and even steam-powered vehicles and there was not the same regulated traffic flows. Both boys were fined £2 each. William Preston, incidentally, would in the 1930s become the licensee of the Grange Park Hotel in Prescot Road, a position he held for many years.
These days we hear about auctions of sports rights with broadcasters – such as Sky and BT – paying huge sums to screen football and other games. Spectrum rights have also been auctioned off to the highest bidders, with silly amounts paid for 4G and 5G mobile phone licences. But there's nothing new under the sun – and a century ago they were auctioning off parts of Blackpool beach to the highest bidder, as this week's "and finally" news item from the Liverpool Echo describes:
"Blackpool's big stretch of sand has in recent years become a Klondyke for traders of various descriptions. Competition for the privilege of having stalls on the foreshore has latterly become so keen that fabulous prices were paid at the last Corporation sale by auction in May of permits to trade on the beach during the present season. One icecream vendor even paid the record sum of £500 for a single stand, and more than £10,200 was netted from the sale of fewer than 100 licences.
"Prior to the year 1896 the beach was the happy hunting ground of cheap-jacks, phrenologists, ventriloquists, icecream and oyster vendors, mineral water and sweetmeat dealers, and traders of every kind. It was in short a kind of Knott Mill Fair, which by no means improved the tone of Blackpool's foreshore. In 1896, however, by-laws were framed under the Local Private Improvement Act of 1893 which enabled the corporation to sweep away the most objectionable of these features. Under these by-laws the beach traders were subjected to stringent regulations which effectually prevent any of the unseemly rowdyism which formerly took place.
"Along the whole extent of the league-long foreshore, an area extending seawards for a distance of 185 yards from the hulking or sea wall is reserved for those private traders, who purchase, by auction, each year the corporation permits. A space fifty yards wide on each side of the three piers to low-water mark is also rigidly preserved free of any traders. Outside this area, however, the sands are still as free as of yore to anyone wishing to do business on the beach. The high price this year paid for stands has led to keen competition amongst the unlicensed traders, several of whom have come into sharp conflict with the authorities through boldly encroaching upon the reserved area.
"Fines so far appear to be no deterrent. Indeed, some have openly transgressed by selling icecream or oranges among the crowd almost up to the foot of the hulking. An impression prevailed in certain quarters that the fines cannot be enforced, but there is likely to be a rude awakening, for commitment orders were issued to-day in cases of default, and either the money for the fines already inflicted will have to be probably found, or the transgressors will find themselves sojourning in the cold walls of Preston Prison."
Next week's stories will include a bombshell bigamy admission in a St Helens court, a stormy meeting between unemployed men and the mayor, the stealing by finding at Islands Brow, the long-serving head teachers of St Helens and how failure to use safety equipment down St Helens Colliery cost a man his life.
We begin on the 23rd with the release of the provisional results of the 1921 census. The population of St Helens was stated as 102,650, which was a rise of 6% on the 1911 census and well ahead of Wigan and Warrington. Their inhabitants numbered 89,447 and 76,811, respectively. Of the 42.767 million population of Great Britain, there were almost two million more females than men – with the loss of 886,000 soldiers in the war having widened the gender gap.
There had only been five survivors of the mixed British and American crew. One was Ernest Wynne Davies from Windleshaw Road in St Helens, who the Echo managed to interview: "Leading Aircraftsman E. W. Davies, of St. Helens, who had a miraculous escape from death, gave me a striking story of his experiences. The American chief engineer, he said, was standing at the exact spot where the vessel broke in two, and he was horrified to see the unfortunate man fall right through the hole and crash to the earth.
"When Davies saw the fire part of the ship break away he and Corporal W. P. Potter hurriedly clambered outside their carriage and clung to it, expecting death at any moment. This act, however, proved their salvation, for when the rear part of the vessel dropped into the Humber they jumped clear into the river, being picked up by one of the rescuing tugs." The Guardian in their report on the 26th wrote:
"Leading Aircraftsman Ernest Davies, one of the survivors of the R38 disaster, is 22 years of age, son of Mr. Robert Davies, 148, Windleshaw Road, St. Helens, who received a telegram yesterday morning: “Regret to inform you that your son has been admitted to Hull Infirmary suffering from shock and burns.”" In the 1939 Register Ernest was still living at 148 Windleshaw Road and listed as a haulage contractor.
It must have been crowded in St Helens Police Court on the 25th as 174 workmen were summoned for non-payment of income tax. PAYE was not introduced until 1944 and so it was easy to get behind with your payments. Some of the defendants were still unemployed as a result of the coal strike and were granted time to pay.
The 27th was the start of the last season when rugby league was known as Northern Union. Saints – who had not been playing well since the game resumed after the war – played Oldham at Knowsley Road and lost 3 - 10.
A female musical pioneer was at the Theatre Royal this week. The unusually named Daisy Squelch was presenting her musical comedy revue called 'The Romany Maid'. The 1920s was the golden decade for revues – the popular entertainment that combined music, dance and comedy sketches. Daisy was a cornettist who led her own brass band called The Blue Dragoons and advertisements for her shows said:
"Miss Daisy Squelch presents her musical comedy revue 'The Romany Maid'. Full Star Cast, including Miss Daisy Squelch and her Famous Brass Band. Magnificent scenery. Gorgeous Dresses. Full London Chorus of Ladies and Gentlemen. Entire New Production." Comedy was an essential ingredient of revues, however Daisy had a problem. She had lost a comic. I don't know the circumstances but she had this advertisement in The Stage newspaper on the 25th:
"Wanted, to open at once, First-class Light Comedian. Must Sing and Dance. Graceful in movements. Steady and attentive to business. Long and comfortable engagement to right man. Apply, with lowest terms, photo, and references, to Miss Daisy Squelch, Theatre Royal, St. Helens. If near, interviews granted between 11 and 12 any day." "Steady" was the usual euphemism for someone who was reliable and did not get drunk!
Meanwhile the Hippodrome Music Hall further down Corporation Street had these turns performing this week: The Clans of Bonnie Scotland ("An ensemble featuring local children"); Magley and Wolfe ("A laugh, a song, and a dance"); Marie Lawton ("Talented harpist and vocalist"); Dick Tubb ("The grotesque comedian"); Scott Saunders ("Character comedian, heartily acclaimed for his tramp songs") and Clarke and Ritchie ("Those versatile boys who provoke plenty of mirth").
I've often thought that it was only in films and on TV that those pinched by the police would declare: "It's a fair cop". But I've come across a number of instances of arrested men saying that in St Helens – including William Donnellan of Waterdale Crescent in Sutton. He was reported as having used those words when arrested during a hearing in St Helens Police Court on the 29th. Along with Richard Meadows and Griffiths Parry of Taylor Street, Donnellan was charged with illegal street betting and "circulating coupons for ready-money betting" – distributing football coupons in other words.
Both betting slips and football coupons were found on the threesome – hence Donnellan's "fair cop" quip. The prosecution stated that "This kind of thing had been going on for a long time, and as soon as the [works] buzzer went at noon, men could be seen hurrying from all directions to the place where these men were known to carry on their business." The three defendants were heavily fined.
In last week's article I wrote about the growth of motorbikes in St Helens and the dangers posed by helmets not being worn. What I didn't mention was the ease in which licences could be obtained. There was no such thing as a driving test for motorbikes or cars and as long as you were 17 and paid the required fee at St Helens Town Hall, you could legally drive.
Ten days earlier a young car driver in Wallasey – who had bought his licence just two days earlier – mounted the pavement, drove down it for nine yards and then knocked down a tree, which his car carried off into the middle of the road. The man's explanation for what had happened was that he was learning how to drive and he had put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake. The Bench was critical of the fact that licences were simply dished out upon payment of a fee rather than proof of competency to drive.
In St Helens Police Court on the 29th, Andrew Murray and William Preston were charged with riding a motorbike in a manner dangerous to the public. They were both aged 17 and had, it seems, only just acquired the bike and licence/s. The court was told that the youths had been testing the machine's capabilities in North Road by riding down a hill at 30 mph, "…utterly disregarding the possibility of traffic that might come along from the side streets".
Of course today the bikers would have had the right of way. But traffic in 1921 could be a mixed bag of horse-drawn, motorised and even steam-powered vehicles and there was not the same regulated traffic flows. Both boys were fined £2 each. William Preston, incidentally, would in the 1930s become the licensee of the Grange Park Hotel in Prescot Road, a position he held for many years.
These days we hear about auctions of sports rights with broadcasters – such as Sky and BT – paying huge sums to screen football and other games. Spectrum rights have also been auctioned off to the highest bidders, with silly amounts paid for 4G and 5G mobile phone licences. But there's nothing new under the sun – and a century ago they were auctioning off parts of Blackpool beach to the highest bidder, as this week's "and finally" news item from the Liverpool Echo describes:
"Blackpool's big stretch of sand has in recent years become a Klondyke for traders of various descriptions. Competition for the privilege of having stalls on the foreshore has latterly become so keen that fabulous prices were paid at the last Corporation sale by auction in May of permits to trade on the beach during the present season. One icecream vendor even paid the record sum of £500 for a single stand, and more than £10,200 was netted from the sale of fewer than 100 licences.
"Prior to the year 1896 the beach was the happy hunting ground of cheap-jacks, phrenologists, ventriloquists, icecream and oyster vendors, mineral water and sweetmeat dealers, and traders of every kind. It was in short a kind of Knott Mill Fair, which by no means improved the tone of Blackpool's foreshore. In 1896, however, by-laws were framed under the Local Private Improvement Act of 1893 which enabled the corporation to sweep away the most objectionable of these features. Under these by-laws the beach traders were subjected to stringent regulations which effectually prevent any of the unseemly rowdyism which formerly took place.
"Along the whole extent of the league-long foreshore, an area extending seawards for a distance of 185 yards from the hulking or sea wall is reserved for those private traders, who purchase, by auction, each year the corporation permits. A space fifty yards wide on each side of the three piers to low-water mark is also rigidly preserved free of any traders. Outside this area, however, the sands are still as free as of yore to anyone wishing to do business on the beach. The high price this year paid for stands has led to keen competition amongst the unlicensed traders, several of whom have come into sharp conflict with the authorities through boldly encroaching upon the reserved area.
"Fines so far appear to be no deterrent. Indeed, some have openly transgressed by selling icecream or oranges among the crowd almost up to the foot of the hulking. An impression prevailed in certain quarters that the fines cannot be enforced, but there is likely to be a rude awakening, for commitment orders were issued to-day in cases of default, and either the money for the fines already inflicted will have to be probably found, or the transgressors will find themselves sojourning in the cold walls of Preston Prison."
Next week's stories will include a bombshell bigamy admission in a St Helens court, a stormy meeting between unemployed men and the mayor, the stealing by finding at Islands Brow, the long-serving head teachers of St Helens and how failure to use safety equipment down St Helens Colliery cost a man his life.
This week's many stories include the St Helens survivor of an airship disaster, the high speed motorbike testing down North Road, the female musical pioneer at the Theatre Royal and the claim that Sutton men streamed out of work every lunchtime to bet with illegal bookies.
We begin on the 23rd with the release of the provisional results of the 1921 census.
The population of St Helens was stated as 102,650, which was a rise of 6% on the 1911 census and well ahead of Wigan and Warrington. Their inhabitants numbered 89,447 and 76,811, respectively.
Of the 42.767 million population of Great Britain, there were almost two million more females than men – with the loss of 886,000 soldiers in the war having widened the gender gap.
In 1916 Edith Hughes of Sherdley Hall had referred to German Zeppelins as "devils from hell".
Although airships were no longer dropping bombs out of the night sky, their dangerous design meant those who rode inside them were very much at risk.
And unlike the small airplanes that were then being developed, airships had huge crews.
On the 24th the R38 airship – with a total complement of 51 men – crashed on a test flight over the Humber (pictured above). The Liverpool Echo's headline was:
"A Huge Pillar Of Flame To The Earth – Eye Witness's Thrilling Story Of How Great Airship Met Her Fate – R 38 Like A Cracked Egg: River On Fire."
There had only been five survivors of the mixed British and American crew. One was Ernest Wynne Davies from Windleshaw Road in St Helens, who the Echo managed to interview:
"Leading Aircraftsman E. W. Davies, of St. Helens, who had a miraculous escape from death, gave me a striking story of his experiences.
"The American chief engineer, he said, was standing at the exact spot where the vessel broke in two, and he was horrified to see the unfortunate man fall right through the hole and crash to the earth.
"When Davies saw the fire part of the ship break away he and Corporal W. P. Potter hurriedly clambered outside their carriage and clung to it, expecting death at any moment.
"This act, however, proved their salvation, for when the rear part of the vessel dropped into the Humber they jumped clear into the river, being picked up by one of the rescuing tugs."
The Guardian in their report on the 26th wrote:
"Leading Aircraftsman Ernest Davies, one of the survivors of the R38 disaster, is 22 years of age, son of Mr. Robert Davies, 148, Windleshaw Road, St. Helens, who received a telegram yesterday morning:
"“Regret to inform you that your son has been admitted to Hull Infirmary suffering from shock and burns.”"
In the 1939 Register Ernest was still living at 148 Windleshaw Road and listed as a haulage contractor.
It must have been crowded in St Helens Police Court on the 25th as 174 workmen were summoned for non-payment of income tax.
PAYE was not introduced until 1944 and so it was easy to get behind with your payments.
Some of the defendants were still unemployed as a result of the coal strike and were granted time to pay.
The 27th was the start of the last season when rugby league was known as Northern Union.
Saints – who had not been playing well since the game resumed after the war – played Oldham at Knowsley Road and lost 3 - 10.
A female musical pioneer was at the Theatre Royal this week. The unusually named Daisy Squelch was presenting her musical comedy revue called 'The Romany Maid'.
The 1920s was the golden decade for revues – the popular entertainment that combined music, dance and comedy sketches.
Daisy was a cornettist who led her own brass band called The Blue Dragoons and advertisements for her shows said:
"Miss Daisy Squelch presents her musical comedy revue 'The Romany Maid'.
"Full Star Cast, including Miss Daisy Squelch and her Famous Brass Band. Magnificent scenery. Gorgeous Dresses. Full London Chorus of Ladies and Gentlemen. Entire New Production."
Comedy was an essential ingredient of revues, however Daisy had a problem. She had lost a comic.
I don't know the circumstances but she had this advertisement in The Stage newspaper on the 25th:
"Wanted, to open at once, First-class Light Comedian. Must Sing and Dance. Graceful in movements. Steady and attentive to business. Long and comfortable engagement to right man. Apply, with lowest terms, photo, and references, to Miss Daisy Squelch, Theatre Royal, St. Helens. If near, interviews granted between 11 and 12 any day."
"Steady" was the usual euphemism for someone who was reliable and did not get drunk!
Meanwhile the Hippodrome Music Hall further down Corporation Street had these turns performing this week:
The Clans of Bonnie Scotland ("An ensemble featuring local children"); Magley and Wolfe ("A laugh, a song, and a dance"); Marie Lawton ("Talented harpist and vocalist"); Dick Tubb ("The grotesque comedian"); Scott Saunders ("Character comedian, heartily acclaimed for his tramp songs") and Clarke and Ritchie ("Those versatile boys who provoke plenty of mirth").
I've often thought that it was only in films and on TV that those pinched by the police would declare: "It's a fair cop".
But I've come across a number of instances of arrested men saying that in St Helens – including William Donnellan of Waterdale Crescent in Sutton.
He was reported as having used those words when arrested during a hearing in St Helens Police Court on the 29th.
Along with Richard Meadows and Griffiths Parry of Taylor Street, Donnellan was charged with illegal street betting and "circulating coupons for ready-money betting" – distributing football coupons in other words.
Both betting slips and football coupons were found on the threesome – hence Donnellan's "fair cop" quip.
The prosecution stated that "This kind of thing had been going on for a long time, and as soon as the [works] buzzer went at noon, men could be seen hurrying from all directions to the place where these men were known to carry on their business." The three defendants were heavily fined.
In last week's article I wrote about the growth of motorbikes in St Helens and the dangers posed by helmets not being worn.
What I didn't mention was the ease in which licences could be obtained.
There was no such thing as a driving test for motorbikes or cars and as long as you were 17 and paid the required fee at St Helens Town Hall, you could legally drive.
Ten days earlier a young car driver in Wallasey – who had bought his licence just two days earlier – mounted the pavement, drove down it for nine yards and then knocked down a tree, which his car carried off into the middle of the road.
The man's explanation for what had happened was that he was learning how to drive and he had put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake.
The Bench was critical of the fact that licences were simply dished out upon payment of a fee rather than proof of competency to drive.
In St Helens Police Court on the 29th, Andrew Murray and William Preston were charged with riding a motorbike in a manner dangerous to the public.
They were both aged 17 and had, it seems, only just acquired the bike and licence/s.
The court was told that the youths had been testing the machine's capabilities in North Road by riding down a hill at 30 mph:
"…utterly disregarding the possibility of traffic that might come along from the side streets".
Of course today the bikers would have had the right of way. But traffic in 1921 could be a mixed bag of horse-drawn, motorised and even steam-powered vehicles and there was not the same regulated traffic flows.
Both boys were fined £2 each. William Preston, incidentally, would in the 1930s become the licensee of the Grange Park Hotel in Prescot Road, a position he held for many years.
These days we hear about auctions of sports rights with broadcasters – such as Sky and BT – paying huge sums to screen football and other games.
Spectrum rights have also been auctioned off to the highest bidders, with silly amounts paid for 4G and 5G mobile phone licences.
But there's nothing new under the sun – and a century ago they were auctioning off parts of Blackpool beach to the highest bidder, as this week's "and finally" news item from the Liverpool Echo describes:
"Blackpool's big stretch of sand has in recent years become a Klondyke for traders of various descriptions.
"Competition for the privilege of having stalls on the foreshore has latterly become so keen that fabulous prices were paid at the last Corporation sale by auction in May of permits to trade on the beach during the present season.
"One icecream vendor even paid the record sum of £500 for a single stand, and more than £10,200 was netted from the sale of fewer than 100 licences.
"Prior to the year 1896 the beach was the happy hunting ground of cheap-jacks, phrenologists, ventriloquists, icecream and oyster vendors, mineral water and sweetmeat dealers, and traders of every kind.
"It was in short a kind of Knott Mill Fair, which by no means improved the tone of Blackpool's foreshore.
"In 1896, however, by-laws were framed under the Local Private Improvement Act of 1893 which enabled the corporation to sweep away the most objectionable of these features.
"Under these by-laws the beach traders were subjected to stringent regulations which effectually prevent any of the unseemly rowdyism which formerly took place.
"Along the whole extent of the league-long foreshore, an area extending seawards for a distance of 185 yards from the hulking or sea wall is reserved for those private traders, who purchase, by auction, each year the corporation permits.
"A space fifty yards wide on each side of the three piers to low-water mark is also rigidly preserved free of any traders.
"Outside this area, however, the sands are still as free as of yore to anyone wishing to do business on the beach.
"The high price this year paid for stands has led to keen competition amongst the unlicensed traders, several of whom have come into sharp conflict with the authorities through boldly encroaching upon the reserved area.
"Fines so far appear to be no deterrent. Indeed, some have openly transgressed by selling icecream or oranges among the crowd almost up to the foot of the hulking.
"An impression prevailed in certain quarters that the fines cannot be enforced, but there is likely to be a rude awakening, for commitment orders were issued to-day in cases of default, and either the money for the fines already inflicted will have to be probably found, or the transgressors will find themselves sojourning in the cold walls of Preston Prison."
Next week's stories will include a bombshell bigamy admission in a St Helens court, a stormy meeting between unemployed men and the mayor, the stealing by finding at Islands Brow, the long-serving head teachers of St Helens and how failure to use safety equipment down St Helens Colliery cost a man his life.
We begin on the 23rd with the release of the provisional results of the 1921 census.
The population of St Helens was stated as 102,650, which was a rise of 6% on the 1911 census and well ahead of Wigan and Warrington. Their inhabitants numbered 89,447 and 76,811, respectively.
Of the 42.767 million population of Great Britain, there were almost two million more females than men – with the loss of 886,000 soldiers in the war having widened the gender gap.
In 1916 Edith Hughes of Sherdley Hall had referred to German Zeppelins as "devils from hell".
Although airships were no longer dropping bombs out of the night sky, their dangerous design meant those who rode inside them were very much at risk.
And unlike the small airplanes that were then being developed, airships had huge crews.
"A Huge Pillar Of Flame To The Earth – Eye Witness's Thrilling Story Of How Great Airship Met Her Fate – R 38 Like A Cracked Egg: River On Fire."
There had only been five survivors of the mixed British and American crew. One was Ernest Wynne Davies from Windleshaw Road in St Helens, who the Echo managed to interview:
"Leading Aircraftsman E. W. Davies, of St. Helens, who had a miraculous escape from death, gave me a striking story of his experiences.
"The American chief engineer, he said, was standing at the exact spot where the vessel broke in two, and he was horrified to see the unfortunate man fall right through the hole and crash to the earth.
"When Davies saw the fire part of the ship break away he and Corporal W. P. Potter hurriedly clambered outside their carriage and clung to it, expecting death at any moment.
"This act, however, proved their salvation, for when the rear part of the vessel dropped into the Humber they jumped clear into the river, being picked up by one of the rescuing tugs."
The Guardian in their report on the 26th wrote:
"Leading Aircraftsman Ernest Davies, one of the survivors of the R38 disaster, is 22 years of age, son of Mr. Robert Davies, 148, Windleshaw Road, St. Helens, who received a telegram yesterday morning:
"“Regret to inform you that your son has been admitted to Hull Infirmary suffering from shock and burns.”"
In the 1939 Register Ernest was still living at 148 Windleshaw Road and listed as a haulage contractor.
It must have been crowded in St Helens Police Court on the 25th as 174 workmen were summoned for non-payment of income tax.
PAYE was not introduced until 1944 and so it was easy to get behind with your payments.
Some of the defendants were still unemployed as a result of the coal strike and were granted time to pay.
The 27th was the start of the last season when rugby league was known as Northern Union.
Saints – who had not been playing well since the game resumed after the war – played Oldham at Knowsley Road and lost 3 - 10.
A female musical pioneer was at the Theatre Royal this week. The unusually named Daisy Squelch was presenting her musical comedy revue called 'The Romany Maid'.
The 1920s was the golden decade for revues – the popular entertainment that combined music, dance and comedy sketches.
Daisy was a cornettist who led her own brass band called The Blue Dragoons and advertisements for her shows said:
"Miss Daisy Squelch presents her musical comedy revue 'The Romany Maid'.
"Full Star Cast, including Miss Daisy Squelch and her Famous Brass Band. Magnificent scenery. Gorgeous Dresses. Full London Chorus of Ladies and Gentlemen. Entire New Production."
Comedy was an essential ingredient of revues, however Daisy had a problem. She had lost a comic.
I don't know the circumstances but she had this advertisement in The Stage newspaper on the 25th:
"Wanted, to open at once, First-class Light Comedian. Must Sing and Dance. Graceful in movements. Steady and attentive to business. Long and comfortable engagement to right man. Apply, with lowest terms, photo, and references, to Miss Daisy Squelch, Theatre Royal, St. Helens. If near, interviews granted between 11 and 12 any day."
"Steady" was the usual euphemism for someone who was reliable and did not get drunk!
Meanwhile the Hippodrome Music Hall further down Corporation Street had these turns performing this week:
The Clans of Bonnie Scotland ("An ensemble featuring local children"); Magley and Wolfe ("A laugh, a song, and a dance"); Marie Lawton ("Talented harpist and vocalist"); Dick Tubb ("The grotesque comedian"); Scott Saunders ("Character comedian, heartily acclaimed for his tramp songs") and Clarke and Ritchie ("Those versatile boys who provoke plenty of mirth").
I've often thought that it was only in films and on TV that those pinched by the police would declare: "It's a fair cop".
But I've come across a number of instances of arrested men saying that in St Helens – including William Donnellan of Waterdale Crescent in Sutton.
He was reported as having used those words when arrested during a hearing in St Helens Police Court on the 29th.
Along with Richard Meadows and Griffiths Parry of Taylor Street, Donnellan was charged with illegal street betting and "circulating coupons for ready-money betting" – distributing football coupons in other words.
Both betting slips and football coupons were found on the threesome – hence Donnellan's "fair cop" quip.
The prosecution stated that "This kind of thing had been going on for a long time, and as soon as the [works] buzzer went at noon, men could be seen hurrying from all directions to the place where these men were known to carry on their business." The three defendants were heavily fined.
In last week's article I wrote about the growth of motorbikes in St Helens and the dangers posed by helmets not being worn.
What I didn't mention was the ease in which licences could be obtained.
There was no such thing as a driving test for motorbikes or cars and as long as you were 17 and paid the required fee at St Helens Town Hall, you could legally drive.
Ten days earlier a young car driver in Wallasey – who had bought his licence just two days earlier – mounted the pavement, drove down it for nine yards and then knocked down a tree, which his car carried off into the middle of the road.
The man's explanation for what had happened was that he was learning how to drive and he had put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake.
The Bench was critical of the fact that licences were simply dished out upon payment of a fee rather than proof of competency to drive.
In St Helens Police Court on the 29th, Andrew Murray and William Preston were charged with riding a motorbike in a manner dangerous to the public.
They were both aged 17 and had, it seems, only just acquired the bike and licence/s.
The court was told that the youths had been testing the machine's capabilities in North Road by riding down a hill at 30 mph:
"…utterly disregarding the possibility of traffic that might come along from the side streets".
Of course today the bikers would have had the right of way. But traffic in 1921 could be a mixed bag of horse-drawn, motorised and even steam-powered vehicles and there was not the same regulated traffic flows.
Both boys were fined £2 each. William Preston, incidentally, would in the 1930s become the licensee of the Grange Park Hotel in Prescot Road, a position he held for many years.
These days we hear about auctions of sports rights with broadcasters – such as Sky and BT – paying huge sums to screen football and other games.
Spectrum rights have also been auctioned off to the highest bidders, with silly amounts paid for 4G and 5G mobile phone licences.
But there's nothing new under the sun – and a century ago they were auctioning off parts of Blackpool beach to the highest bidder, as this week's "and finally" news item from the Liverpool Echo describes:
"Blackpool's big stretch of sand has in recent years become a Klondyke for traders of various descriptions.
"Competition for the privilege of having stalls on the foreshore has latterly become so keen that fabulous prices were paid at the last Corporation sale by auction in May of permits to trade on the beach during the present season.
"One icecream vendor even paid the record sum of £500 for a single stand, and more than £10,200 was netted from the sale of fewer than 100 licences.
"Prior to the year 1896 the beach was the happy hunting ground of cheap-jacks, phrenologists, ventriloquists, icecream and oyster vendors, mineral water and sweetmeat dealers, and traders of every kind.
"It was in short a kind of Knott Mill Fair, which by no means improved the tone of Blackpool's foreshore.
"In 1896, however, by-laws were framed under the Local Private Improvement Act of 1893 which enabled the corporation to sweep away the most objectionable of these features.
"Under these by-laws the beach traders were subjected to stringent regulations which effectually prevent any of the unseemly rowdyism which formerly took place.
"Along the whole extent of the league-long foreshore, an area extending seawards for a distance of 185 yards from the hulking or sea wall is reserved for those private traders, who purchase, by auction, each year the corporation permits.
"A space fifty yards wide on each side of the three piers to low-water mark is also rigidly preserved free of any traders.
"Outside this area, however, the sands are still as free as of yore to anyone wishing to do business on the beach.
"The high price this year paid for stands has led to keen competition amongst the unlicensed traders, several of whom have come into sharp conflict with the authorities through boldly encroaching upon the reserved area.
"Fines so far appear to be no deterrent. Indeed, some have openly transgressed by selling icecream or oranges among the crowd almost up to the foot of the hulking.
"An impression prevailed in certain quarters that the fines cannot be enforced, but there is likely to be a rude awakening, for commitment orders were issued to-day in cases of default, and either the money for the fines already inflicted will have to be probably found, or the transgressors will find themselves sojourning in the cold walls of Preston Prison."
Next week's stories will include a bombshell bigamy admission in a St Helens court, a stormy meeting between unemployed men and the mayor, the stealing by finding at Islands Brow, the long-serving head teachers of St Helens and how failure to use safety equipment down St Helens Colliery cost a man his life.