IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (28th DEC. 1920 - 3rd JAN. 1921)
This week's stories include the New Year's Day events in St Helens and London, the lads who smoked down Sutton Manor Colliery, a war memorial is unveiled at Sutton National School and the extraordinary horse at the Hippodrome that mimicked Charlie Chaplin!
We begin on the 28th when the St Helens Police Court reopened after the Christmas break and two young mineworkers found themselves in trouble. Haulage hands James Henthorne and Thomas Duffey were aged about 15 and had smuggled a cigarette down Sutton Manor Colliery and been caught smoking.
That was a serious offence as there was a danger of causing an explosion. And so the prosecution asked the Bench to impose a sufficient fine to "teach them a lesson and for the protection of themselves and their fellow workers down the mine." They were both earning £3 to £4 which was good money for their age and Henthorne was fined £5 and Duffey £3. Whether they kept their jobs was not stated.
Every Christmas a charity performance of Handel's Messiah was given by the St Helens Co-operative Choral Society and this year's took place on the 28th in the Town Hall. In its review the Reporter wrote: "There was a large audience, and the hearty applause they bestowed upon chorus, soloist, and orchestra alike was proof of their thorough enjoyment of a clever performance."
A war memorial was unveiled at Sutton National School on the 30th by the former Mayor of St Helens, Dr Henry Bates. It consisted of two large laminated rolls framed in oak and contained the names of over 700 old scholars who had served in the war. In addition there was a corresponding large frame containing 78 photos of the 92 old scholars that had died.
Pictures of fourteen former students that had fallen in the war could not be obtained, despite the school's headmaster trying for months. It's hard to imagine that so many families did not possess photographs of their loved ones to remember them by. Twenty-six former pupils of the school were honoured for their actions during the devastating conflict and their names were listed. I wonder what happened to the memorial?
Also on that day David Stanley, alias Adamson, of no fixed abode was charged with acting as a pedlar without a certificate. PC Reynolds had seen the man enter a shop in Church Street (shown above) carrying a box under his arm and found that he was offering items for sale. The officer asked Stanley for his pedlar's licence but he claimed he was giving the items away, not selling them. This was proven to be untrue and the man bemoaned to the magistrates that he had applied at the Town Hall for a licence but they'd refused him one. The Reporter wrote:
"The Chief Constable said he was not likely to have one. He could have had a license if his character had been good, but he had a sheet that covered almost every known crime. If he was given a license it would be a passport to different houses, perhaps when the occupants were engaged somewhere else." Stanley was fined ten shillings or 7 days.
At a time when a number of shops had begun their winter sales, E. Hebron & Son had on the 31st this unusual headline to their ad in the Reporter: "No Reduction In The Price Of Collars". The gents outfitters of Westfield Street then wrote that their "extra quality collars" were the same price as always, which was 1 shilling. The message from Ernest Hebron appeared to be that his shop would never sacrifice the quality of its merchandise, describing themselves as: "The firm that always gives the highest value at the lowest price."
There was yet another mysterious canal death investigated on the 31st. The inquest into Hugh Gaffney's demise was told that the 46-year-old blacksmith's striker worked at Varley's in Pocket Nook. The foundry was situated close to the canal and about 10pm the sound of splashing was heard in the water. After a search Gaffney's body was discovered but was the drowning a deliberate or an accidental act? As was so often the case nobody knew and so an open verdict was returned.
Since 1877, Joseph Bethell Leach had organised free New Year's Day breakfasts for poor children in St Helens. Upon the estate agent’s death in 1917, his son Wilfred had taken over the running of the event. This year on January 1st 3,000 children were served with some good food and entertainment at eleven schools in the town. The Mayor, Richard Ellison, and the Mayoress dropped in at the various places and then visited Providence Hospital (pictured above) where what was described as "comforts and other gifts" were handed out to the patients.
The pubs in St Helens were allowed to open earlier than usual on New Year's Day. The magistrates permitted licensed premises in the town to open their doors at 4:30pm, instead of six o’clock. That was because Saints and St Helens Recs were playing each other on that day and the licensees had said that with most shops shut, they wanted to be able to provide refreshments for fans.
A similar extension had been granted for Boxing Day – but rather reluctantly – as Ald. Henry Martin had explained: "The Bench do not look favourably upon these applications, and the present concessions must not be looked upon as a precedent." I expect the Saints fans would have needed the extra time to drown their sorrows at the end of the New Year's Day derby at City Road. And the Recs followers would have wanted to celebrate in the pubs after their team thrashed Saints 39 - 0 in front of a good crowd of 14,000.
However for the whole of the second half Saints had played three men down after injuries had been sustained. Two of the players had collided with each other while trying to stop a Recs try – one was subsequently carried off and the other walked off with a damaged shoulder. The inability to allow substitutions or interchanges spoiled what could have been a good game but the Recs were already 14 - 0 up by the time of the double injury blow.
That was the third defeat in a row over the holiday season for the Knowsley Road side, which had struggled to perform since the club had reformed after the war. The Liverpool Echo said the Recs and Wigan had both made the Saints look "very small fry indeed", adding: "St. Helens Recs, however, are a truly wonderful team for speed and general fitness. The truth seems to be that the St. Helens players are utterly untrained – they never attempt to cultivate the passing game, the smart hand-to-hand all round the team that is so effective in the case of the Recs."
The Corporation's fleet of new motor "lurries" finally came into use on the 1st. The wagons had been idle for over a month because the council's Horses Committee had been slow in creating a suitable place for the storing of petrol and making other arrangements.
A New Year's Day dance was held in the Drill Hall in Mill Street organised by the 5th battalion of the South Lancs Regiment. Their own band provided the music.
A curious act that began performing at the Hippodrome Theatre from the 3rd was called Gee Gee Chaplin – it was a horse, hence the "gee gee"! The Reporter advertisement said: "Acknowledged by Mr. Charlie Chaplin to be his first equine mimic. The most human horse in the world." The week before he appeared in St Helens, Gee Gee was in Derby and earned this review from the Derbyshire Advertiser:
"The only horse in the world that mimics Charlie Chaplin is to be seen at the Hippodrome this week, and we have no hesitation in saying that it is one of the best performing animal turns that have visited Derby for some considerable time. The animal gives evidence of wonderful intelligence and careful training, and causes much amusement by an exhibition of how he “dodged the army.” The way in which he lights his master's cigarette is particularly worthy of note when it is remembered that all horses have a great fear of fire. A clever little dog is also introduced during this excellent and enjoyable turn."
The humans that were also on the bill with Gee Gee in St Helens were: The Great Gerard ("The world-renowned heavyweight juggler"); Laline ("The dancing violinist"); Sisters Martin ("In a pretty vocal scene"); The Two Bobs ("Bob Aiden and Bob Adams present popular songs and character studies") and Hal Wright ("Burlesque comedian").
Meanwhile the Theatre Royal began a revue on the 3rd called 'Hullo! America', which starred Mark Lupono, the "celebrated London comedian and pantomimist." The Reporter described it as a "scintillating show from start to finish". The Opera House – as the theatre tended to be called by the thespians – was now following the Hippodrome’s lead and publishing its admission charges. There were seven price bands, which began at 4d and extended to 3 shillings for the best seats (plus entertainment tax). No pantos (yet) in St Helens but in Liverpool there were 'Dick Whittington' at the Olympia and 'Robinson Crusoe' at the Royal Court.
And to conclude this week's article this is how the Liverpool Echo on January 1st described how London had celebrated the New Year – they went completely barmy! "There was a wealth of revelry at all the London hotels and restaurants last night, to herald in the New Year. The festivities at the hotels were carried out on a much larger scale than during the past few years, and efforts were made to bring the programme back to the pre-war standard.
"At the Victoria Hotel an airship, hung from the brilliantly-lighted ceiling over the guests in the dining-room, and the fourteen passengers in the cabin engaged in a fusillade of balls and flower bombs in answer to the attacks by the guests, many of whom below had to seek shelter behind covers of wire netting. Grotesquely dressed Bolsheviks were during the proceedings “ejected” from the supper tables.
"At the Ritz Hotel dinner was set for nearly a thousand guests. The New Year was brought in by the sounding of silver trumpets. Four ladies dressed as airmen suddenly appeared from the clouds and distributed gifts. The Cecil was reopened after four years' Government occupation by a fanfare of trumpets. At Prince's there was a mock battle with gelatine bombs.
"The British-American Dance Club, which has been formed from the members of the English Speaking Union, were entertained at the Suffolk Galleries. At the Hogmanay celebration by the Scottish Clans Association the bell of the Discovery, Captain Scott's ship, which once rang in the New Year for the ill-fated party near the South Pole, was now sounded to welcome 1921."
Next week's stories will include attacks on proposed health measures to stop the spread of infectious disease, more controversy over the school leaving age and how St Helens might have avoided having huge, ugly waste heaps.
We begin on the 28th when the St Helens Police Court reopened after the Christmas break and two young mineworkers found themselves in trouble. Haulage hands James Henthorne and Thomas Duffey were aged about 15 and had smuggled a cigarette down Sutton Manor Colliery and been caught smoking.
That was a serious offence as there was a danger of causing an explosion. And so the prosecution asked the Bench to impose a sufficient fine to "teach them a lesson and for the protection of themselves and their fellow workers down the mine." They were both earning £3 to £4 which was good money for their age and Henthorne was fined £5 and Duffey £3. Whether they kept their jobs was not stated.
Every Christmas a charity performance of Handel's Messiah was given by the St Helens Co-operative Choral Society and this year's took place on the 28th in the Town Hall. In its review the Reporter wrote: "There was a large audience, and the hearty applause they bestowed upon chorus, soloist, and orchestra alike was proof of their thorough enjoyment of a clever performance."
A war memorial was unveiled at Sutton National School on the 30th by the former Mayor of St Helens, Dr Henry Bates. It consisted of two large laminated rolls framed in oak and contained the names of over 700 old scholars who had served in the war. In addition there was a corresponding large frame containing 78 photos of the 92 old scholars that had died.
Pictures of fourteen former students that had fallen in the war could not be obtained, despite the school's headmaster trying for months. It's hard to imagine that so many families did not possess photographs of their loved ones to remember them by. Twenty-six former pupils of the school were honoured for their actions during the devastating conflict and their names were listed. I wonder what happened to the memorial?
"The Chief Constable said he was not likely to have one. He could have had a license if his character had been good, but he had a sheet that covered almost every known crime. If he was given a license it would be a passport to different houses, perhaps when the occupants were engaged somewhere else." Stanley was fined ten shillings or 7 days.
At a time when a number of shops had begun their winter sales, E. Hebron & Son had on the 31st this unusual headline to their ad in the Reporter: "No Reduction In The Price Of Collars". The gents outfitters of Westfield Street then wrote that their "extra quality collars" were the same price as always, which was 1 shilling. The message from Ernest Hebron appeared to be that his shop would never sacrifice the quality of its merchandise, describing themselves as: "The firm that always gives the highest value at the lowest price."
There was yet another mysterious canal death investigated on the 31st. The inquest into Hugh Gaffney's demise was told that the 46-year-old blacksmith's striker worked at Varley's in Pocket Nook. The foundry was situated close to the canal and about 10pm the sound of splashing was heard in the water. After a search Gaffney's body was discovered but was the drowning a deliberate or an accidental act? As was so often the case nobody knew and so an open verdict was returned.
The pubs in St Helens were allowed to open earlier than usual on New Year's Day. The magistrates permitted licensed premises in the town to open their doors at 4:30pm, instead of six o’clock. That was because Saints and St Helens Recs were playing each other on that day and the licensees had said that with most shops shut, they wanted to be able to provide refreshments for fans.
A similar extension had been granted for Boxing Day – but rather reluctantly – as Ald. Henry Martin had explained: "The Bench do not look favourably upon these applications, and the present concessions must not be looked upon as a precedent." I expect the Saints fans would have needed the extra time to drown their sorrows at the end of the New Year's Day derby at City Road. And the Recs followers would have wanted to celebrate in the pubs after their team thrashed Saints 39 - 0 in front of a good crowd of 14,000.
However for the whole of the second half Saints had played three men down after injuries had been sustained. Two of the players had collided with each other while trying to stop a Recs try – one was subsequently carried off and the other walked off with a damaged shoulder. The inability to allow substitutions or interchanges spoiled what could have been a good game but the Recs were already 14 - 0 up by the time of the double injury blow.
That was the third defeat in a row over the holiday season for the Knowsley Road side, which had struggled to perform since the club had reformed after the war. The Liverpool Echo said the Recs and Wigan had both made the Saints look "very small fry indeed", adding: "St. Helens Recs, however, are a truly wonderful team for speed and general fitness. The truth seems to be that the St. Helens players are utterly untrained – they never attempt to cultivate the passing game, the smart hand-to-hand all round the team that is so effective in the case of the Recs."
The Corporation's fleet of new motor "lurries" finally came into use on the 1st. The wagons had been idle for over a month because the council's Horses Committee had been slow in creating a suitable place for the storing of petrol and making other arrangements.
A New Year's Day dance was held in the Drill Hall in Mill Street organised by the 5th battalion of the South Lancs Regiment. Their own band provided the music.
A curious act that began performing at the Hippodrome Theatre from the 3rd was called Gee Gee Chaplin – it was a horse, hence the "gee gee"! The Reporter advertisement said: "Acknowledged by Mr. Charlie Chaplin to be his first equine mimic. The most human horse in the world." The week before he appeared in St Helens, Gee Gee was in Derby and earned this review from the Derbyshire Advertiser:
"The only horse in the world that mimics Charlie Chaplin is to be seen at the Hippodrome this week, and we have no hesitation in saying that it is one of the best performing animal turns that have visited Derby for some considerable time. The animal gives evidence of wonderful intelligence and careful training, and causes much amusement by an exhibition of how he “dodged the army.” The way in which he lights his master's cigarette is particularly worthy of note when it is remembered that all horses have a great fear of fire. A clever little dog is also introduced during this excellent and enjoyable turn."
The humans that were also on the bill with Gee Gee in St Helens were: The Great Gerard ("The world-renowned heavyweight juggler"); Laline ("The dancing violinist"); Sisters Martin ("In a pretty vocal scene"); The Two Bobs ("Bob Aiden and Bob Adams present popular songs and character studies") and Hal Wright ("Burlesque comedian").
Meanwhile the Theatre Royal began a revue on the 3rd called 'Hullo! America', which starred Mark Lupono, the "celebrated London comedian and pantomimist." The Reporter described it as a "scintillating show from start to finish". The Opera House – as the theatre tended to be called by the thespians – was now following the Hippodrome’s lead and publishing its admission charges. There were seven price bands, which began at 4d and extended to 3 shillings for the best seats (plus entertainment tax). No pantos (yet) in St Helens but in Liverpool there were 'Dick Whittington' at the Olympia and 'Robinson Crusoe' at the Royal Court.
And to conclude this week's article this is how the Liverpool Echo on January 1st described how London had celebrated the New Year – they went completely barmy! "There was a wealth of revelry at all the London hotels and restaurants last night, to herald in the New Year. The festivities at the hotels were carried out on a much larger scale than during the past few years, and efforts were made to bring the programme back to the pre-war standard.
"At the Victoria Hotel an airship, hung from the brilliantly-lighted ceiling over the guests in the dining-room, and the fourteen passengers in the cabin engaged in a fusillade of balls and flower bombs in answer to the attacks by the guests, many of whom below had to seek shelter behind covers of wire netting. Grotesquely dressed Bolsheviks were during the proceedings “ejected” from the supper tables.
"At the Ritz Hotel dinner was set for nearly a thousand guests. The New Year was brought in by the sounding of silver trumpets. Four ladies dressed as airmen suddenly appeared from the clouds and distributed gifts. The Cecil was reopened after four years' Government occupation by a fanfare of trumpets. At Prince's there was a mock battle with gelatine bombs.
"The British-American Dance Club, which has been formed from the members of the English Speaking Union, were entertained at the Suffolk Galleries. At the Hogmanay celebration by the Scottish Clans Association the bell of the Discovery, Captain Scott's ship, which once rang in the New Year for the ill-fated party near the South Pole, was now sounded to welcome 1921."
Next week's stories will include attacks on proposed health measures to stop the spread of infectious disease, more controversy over the school leaving age and how St Helens might have avoided having huge, ugly waste heaps.
This week's stories include the New Year's Day events in St Helens and London, the lads who smoked down Sutton Manor Colliery, a war memorial is unveiled at Sutton National School and the extraordinary horse at the Hippodrome that mimicked Charlie Chaplin!
We begin on the 28th when the St Helens Police Court reopened after the Christmas break and two young mineworkers found themselves in trouble.
Haulage hands James Henthorne and Thomas Duffey were aged about 15 and had smuggled a cigarette down Sutton Manor Colliery and been caught smoking.
That was a serious offence as there was a danger of causing an explosion.
And so the prosecution asked the Bench to impose a sufficient fine to "teach them a lesson and for the protection of themselves and their fellow workers down the mine."
They were both earning £3 to £4 which was good money for their age and Henthorne was fined £5 and Duffey £3. Whether they kept their jobs was not stated.
Every Christmas a charity performance of Handel's Messiah was given by the St Helens Co-operative Choral Society and this year's took place on the 28th in the Town Hall.
In its review the Reporter wrote: "There was a large audience, and the hearty applause they bestowed upon chorus, soloist, and orchestra alike was proof of their thorough enjoyment of a clever performance."
A war memorial was unveiled at Sutton National School on the 30th by the former Mayor of St Helens, Dr Henry Bates.
It consisted of two large laminated rolls framed in oak and contained the names of over 700 old scholars who had served in the war.
In addition there was a corresponding large frame containing 78 photos of the 92 old scholars that had died.
Pictures of fourteen former students that had fallen in the war could not be obtained, despite the school's headmaster trying for months.
It's hard to imagine that so many families did not possess photographs of their loved ones to remember them by.
Twenty-six former pupils of the school were honoured for their actions during the devastating conflict and their names were listed. I wonder what happened to the memorial?
Also on that day David Stanley, alias Adamson, of no fixed abode was charged with acting as a pedlar without a certificate.
PC Reynolds had seen the man enter a shop in Church Street (shown above) carrying a box under his arm and found that he was offering items for sale.
The officer asked Stanley for his pedlar's licence but he claimed he was giving the items away, not selling them.
This was proven to be untrue and the man bemoaned to the magistrates that he had applied at the Town Hall for a licence but they'd refused him one. The Reporter wrote:
"The Chief Constable said he was not likely to have one. He could have had a license if his character had been good, but he had a sheet that covered almost every known crime.
"If he was given a license it would be a passport to different houses, perhaps when the occupants were engaged somewhere else." Stanley was fined ten shillings or 7 days.
At a time when a number of shops had begun their winter sales, E. Hebron & Son had on the 31st this unusual headline to their ad in the Reporter: "No Reduction In The Price Of Collars".
The gents outfitters of Westfield Street then wrote that their "extra quality collars" were the same price as always, which was 1 shilling.
The message from Ernest Hebron appeared to be that his shop would never sacrifice the quality of its merchandise, describing themselves as: "The firm that always gives the highest value at the lowest price."
There was yet another mysterious canal death investigated on the 31st.
The inquest into Hugh Gaffney's demise was told that the 46-year-old blacksmith's striker worked at Varley's in Pocket Nook.
The foundry was situated close to the canal and about 10pm the sound of splashing was heard in the water.
After a search Gaffney's body was discovered but was the drowning a deliberate or an accidental act? As was so often the case nobody knew and so an open verdict was returned.
Since 1877 Joseph Bethell Leach had organised free New Year's Day breakfasts for poor children in St Helens.
Upon the estate agent’s death in 1917, his son Wilfred had taken over the running of the event.
This year on January 1st 3,000 children were served with some good food and entertainment at eleven schools in the town.
The Mayor, Richard Ellison, and the Mayoress dropped in at the various places and then visited Providence Hospital (pictured above) where what was described as "comforts and other gifts" were handed out to the patients.
The pubs in St Helens were allowed to open earlier than usual on New Year's Day.
The magistrates permitted licensed premises in the town to open their doors at 4:30pm, instead of six o’clock.
That was because Saints and St Helens Recs were playing each other on that day and the licensees had said that with most shops shut, they wanted to be able to provide refreshments for fans.
A similar extension had been granted for Boxing Day – but rather reluctantly – as Ald. Henry Martin had explained:
"The Bench do not look favourably upon these applications, and the present concessions must not be looked upon as a precedent."
I expect the Saints fans would have needed the extra time to drown their sorrows at the end of the New Year's Day derby at City Road.
And the Recs followers would have wanted to celebrate in the pubs after their team thrashed Saints 39 - 0 in front of a good crowd of 14,000.
However for the whole of the second half Saints had played three men down after injuries had been sustained.
Two of the players had collided with each other while trying to stop a Recs try – one was subsequently carried off and the other walked off with a damaged shoulder.
The inability to allow substitutions or interchanges spoiled what could have been a good game but the Recs were already 14 - 0 up by the time of the double injury blow.
That was the third defeat in a row over the holiday season for the Knowsley Road side, which had struggled to perform since the club had reformed after the war.
The Liverpool Echo said the Recs and Wigan had both made the Saints look "very small fry indeed", adding:
"St. Helens Recs, however, are a truly wonderful team for speed and general fitness. The truth seems to be that the St. Helens players are utterly untrained – they never attempt to cultivate the passing game, the smart hand-to-hand all round the team that is so effective in the case of the Recs."
The Corporation's fleet of new motor "lurries" finally came into use on the 1st.
The wagons had been idle for over a month because the council's Horses Committee had been slow in creating a suitable place for the storing of petrol and making other arrangements.
A New Year's Day dance was held in the Drill Hall in Mill Street organised by the 5th battalion of the South Lancs Regiment. Their own band provided the music.
A curious act that began performing at the Hippodrome Theatre from the 3rd was called Gee Gee Chaplin – it was a horse, hence the "gee gee"!
The Reporter advertisement said: "Acknowledged by Mr. Charlie Chaplin to be his first equine mimic. The most human horse in the world."
The week before he appeared in St Helens, Gee Gee was in Derby and earned this review from the Derbyshire Advertiser:
"The only horse in the world that mimics Charlie Chaplin is to be seen at the Hippodrome this week, and we have no hesitation in saying that it is one of the best performing animal turns that have visited Derby for some considerable time.
"The animal gives evidence of wonderful intelligence and careful training, and causes much amusement by an exhibition of how he “dodged the army.”
"The way in which he lights his master's cigarette is particularly worthy of note when it is remembered that all horses have a great fear of fire. A clever little dog is also introduced during this excellent and enjoyable turn."
The humans that were also on the bill with Gee Gee in St Helens were:
The Great Gerard ("The world-renowned heavyweight juggler"); Laline ("The dancing violinist"); Sisters Martin ("In a pretty vocal scene"); The Two Bobs ("Bob Aiden and Bob Adams present popular songs and character studies") and Hal Wright ("Burlesque comedian").
Meanwhile the Theatre Royal began a revue on the 3rd called 'Hullo! America', which starred Mark Lupono, the "celebrated London comedian and pantomimist."
The Reporter described it as a "scintillating show from start to finish".
The Opera House – as the theatre tended to be called by the thespians – was now following the Hippodrome’s lead and publishing its admission charges.
There were seven price bands, which began at 4d and extended to 3 shillings for the best seats (plus entertainment tax).
No pantos (yet) in St Helens but in Liverpool there were 'Dick Whittington' at the Olympia and 'Robinson Crusoe' at the Royal Court.
And to conclude this week's article this is how the Liverpool Echo on January 1st described how London had celebrated the New Year – they went completely barmy!
"There was a wealth of revelry at all the London hotels and restaurants last night, to herald in the New Year. The festivities at the hotels were carried out on a much larger scale than during the past few years, and efforts were made to bring the programme back to the pre-war standard.
"At the Victoria Hotel an airship, hung from the brilliantly-lighted ceiling over the guests in the dining-room, and the fourteen passengers in the cabin engaged in a fusillade of balls and flower bombs in answer to the attacks by the guests, many of whom below had to seek shelter behind covers of wire netting.
"Grotesquely dressed Bolsheviks were during the proceedings “ejected” from the supper tables.
"At the Ritz Hotel dinner was set for nearly a thousand guests. The New Year was brought in by the sounding of silver trumpets. Four ladies dressed as airmen suddenly appeared from the clouds and distributed gifts.
"The Cecil was reopened after four years' Government occupation by a fanfare of trumpets. At Prince's there was a mock battle with gelatine bombs.
"The British-American Dance Club, which has been formed from the members of the English Speaking Union, were entertained at the Suffolk Galleries.
"At the Hogmanay celebration by the Scottish Clans Association the bell of the Discovery, Captain Scott's ship, which once rang in the New Year for the ill-fated party near the South Pole, was now sounded to welcome 1921."
Next week's stories will include attacks on proposed health measures to stop the spread of infectious disease, more controversy over the school leaving age and how St Helens might have avoided having huge, ugly waste heaps.
We begin on the 28th when the St Helens Police Court reopened after the Christmas break and two young mineworkers found themselves in trouble.
Haulage hands James Henthorne and Thomas Duffey were aged about 15 and had smuggled a cigarette down Sutton Manor Colliery and been caught smoking.
That was a serious offence as there was a danger of causing an explosion.
And so the prosecution asked the Bench to impose a sufficient fine to "teach them a lesson and for the protection of themselves and their fellow workers down the mine."
They were both earning £3 to £4 which was good money for their age and Henthorne was fined £5 and Duffey £3. Whether they kept their jobs was not stated.
Every Christmas a charity performance of Handel's Messiah was given by the St Helens Co-operative Choral Society and this year's took place on the 28th in the Town Hall.
In its review the Reporter wrote: "There was a large audience, and the hearty applause they bestowed upon chorus, soloist, and orchestra alike was proof of their thorough enjoyment of a clever performance."
A war memorial was unveiled at Sutton National School on the 30th by the former Mayor of St Helens, Dr Henry Bates.
It consisted of two large laminated rolls framed in oak and contained the names of over 700 old scholars who had served in the war.
In addition there was a corresponding large frame containing 78 photos of the 92 old scholars that had died.
Pictures of fourteen former students that had fallen in the war could not be obtained, despite the school's headmaster trying for months.
It's hard to imagine that so many families did not possess photographs of their loved ones to remember them by.
Twenty-six former pupils of the school were honoured for their actions during the devastating conflict and their names were listed. I wonder what happened to the memorial?
PC Reynolds had seen the man enter a shop in Church Street (shown above) carrying a box under his arm and found that he was offering items for sale.
The officer asked Stanley for his pedlar's licence but he claimed he was giving the items away, not selling them.
This was proven to be untrue and the man bemoaned to the magistrates that he had applied at the Town Hall for a licence but they'd refused him one. The Reporter wrote:
"The Chief Constable said he was not likely to have one. He could have had a license if his character had been good, but he had a sheet that covered almost every known crime.
"If he was given a license it would be a passport to different houses, perhaps when the occupants were engaged somewhere else." Stanley was fined ten shillings or 7 days.
At a time when a number of shops had begun their winter sales, E. Hebron & Son had on the 31st this unusual headline to their ad in the Reporter: "No Reduction In The Price Of Collars".
The gents outfitters of Westfield Street then wrote that their "extra quality collars" were the same price as always, which was 1 shilling.
The message from Ernest Hebron appeared to be that his shop would never sacrifice the quality of its merchandise, describing themselves as: "The firm that always gives the highest value at the lowest price."
There was yet another mysterious canal death investigated on the 31st.
The inquest into Hugh Gaffney's demise was told that the 46-year-old blacksmith's striker worked at Varley's in Pocket Nook.
The foundry was situated close to the canal and about 10pm the sound of splashing was heard in the water.
After a search Gaffney's body was discovered but was the drowning a deliberate or an accidental act? As was so often the case nobody knew and so an open verdict was returned.
Since 1877 Joseph Bethell Leach had organised free New Year's Day breakfasts for poor children in St Helens.
Upon the estate agent’s death in 1917, his son Wilfred had taken over the running of the event.
This year on January 1st 3,000 children were served with some good food and entertainment at eleven schools in the town.
The pubs in St Helens were allowed to open earlier than usual on New Year's Day.
The magistrates permitted licensed premises in the town to open their doors at 4:30pm, instead of six o’clock.
That was because Saints and St Helens Recs were playing each other on that day and the licensees had said that with most shops shut, they wanted to be able to provide refreshments for fans.
A similar extension had been granted for Boxing Day – but rather reluctantly – as Ald. Henry Martin had explained:
"The Bench do not look favourably upon these applications, and the present concessions must not be looked upon as a precedent."
I expect the Saints fans would have needed the extra time to drown their sorrows at the end of the New Year's Day derby at City Road.
And the Recs followers would have wanted to celebrate in the pubs after their team thrashed Saints 39 - 0 in front of a good crowd of 14,000.
However for the whole of the second half Saints had played three men down after injuries had been sustained.
Two of the players had collided with each other while trying to stop a Recs try – one was subsequently carried off and the other walked off with a damaged shoulder.
The inability to allow substitutions or interchanges spoiled what could have been a good game but the Recs were already 14 - 0 up by the time of the double injury blow.
That was the third defeat in a row over the holiday season for the Knowsley Road side, which had struggled to perform since the club had reformed after the war.
The Liverpool Echo said the Recs and Wigan had both made the Saints look "very small fry indeed", adding:
"St. Helens Recs, however, are a truly wonderful team for speed and general fitness. The truth seems to be that the St. Helens players are utterly untrained – they never attempt to cultivate the passing game, the smart hand-to-hand all round the team that is so effective in the case of the Recs."
The Corporation's fleet of new motor "lurries" finally came into use on the 1st.
The wagons had been idle for over a month because the council's Horses Committee had been slow in creating a suitable place for the storing of petrol and making other arrangements.
A New Year's Day dance was held in the Drill Hall in Mill Street organised by the 5th battalion of the South Lancs Regiment. Their own band provided the music.
A curious act that began performing at the Hippodrome Theatre from the 3rd was called Gee Gee Chaplin – it was a horse, hence the "gee gee"!
The Reporter advertisement said: "Acknowledged by Mr. Charlie Chaplin to be his first equine mimic. The most human horse in the world."
The week before he appeared in St Helens, Gee Gee was in Derby and earned this review from the Derbyshire Advertiser:
"The only horse in the world that mimics Charlie Chaplin is to be seen at the Hippodrome this week, and we have no hesitation in saying that it is one of the best performing animal turns that have visited Derby for some considerable time.
"The animal gives evidence of wonderful intelligence and careful training, and causes much amusement by an exhibition of how he “dodged the army.”
"The way in which he lights his master's cigarette is particularly worthy of note when it is remembered that all horses have a great fear of fire. A clever little dog is also introduced during this excellent and enjoyable turn."
The humans that were also on the bill with Gee Gee in St Helens were:
The Great Gerard ("The world-renowned heavyweight juggler"); Laline ("The dancing violinist"); Sisters Martin ("In a pretty vocal scene"); The Two Bobs ("Bob Aiden and Bob Adams present popular songs and character studies") and Hal Wright ("Burlesque comedian").
Meanwhile the Theatre Royal began a revue on the 3rd called 'Hullo! America', which starred Mark Lupono, the "celebrated London comedian and pantomimist."
The Reporter described it as a "scintillating show from start to finish".
The Opera House – as the theatre tended to be called by the thespians – was now following the Hippodrome’s lead and publishing its admission charges.
There were seven price bands, which began at 4d and extended to 3 shillings for the best seats (plus entertainment tax).
No pantos (yet) in St Helens but in Liverpool there were 'Dick Whittington' at the Olympia and 'Robinson Crusoe' at the Royal Court.
And to conclude this week's article this is how the Liverpool Echo on January 1st described how London had celebrated the New Year – they went completely barmy!
"There was a wealth of revelry at all the London hotels and restaurants last night, to herald in the New Year. The festivities at the hotels were carried out on a much larger scale than during the past few years, and efforts were made to bring the programme back to the pre-war standard.
"At the Victoria Hotel an airship, hung from the brilliantly-lighted ceiling over the guests in the dining-room, and the fourteen passengers in the cabin engaged in a fusillade of balls and flower bombs in answer to the attacks by the guests, many of whom below had to seek shelter behind covers of wire netting.
"Grotesquely dressed Bolsheviks were during the proceedings “ejected” from the supper tables.
"At the Ritz Hotel dinner was set for nearly a thousand guests. The New Year was brought in by the sounding of silver trumpets. Four ladies dressed as airmen suddenly appeared from the clouds and distributed gifts.
"The Cecil was reopened after four years' Government occupation by a fanfare of trumpets. At Prince's there was a mock battle with gelatine bombs.
"The British-American Dance Club, which has been formed from the members of the English Speaking Union, were entertained at the Suffolk Galleries.
"At the Hogmanay celebration by the Scottish Clans Association the bell of the Discovery, Captain Scott's ship, which once rang in the New Year for the ill-fated party near the South Pole, was now sounded to welcome 1921."
Next week's stories will include attacks on proposed health measures to stop the spread of infectious disease, more controversy over the school leaving age and how St Helens might have avoided having huge, ugly waste heaps.