FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (24th - 30th APRIL 1973)
This week's many stories include the boy whose hand was trapped down a Kirkland Street grid, memories of a Parr pit pony, the Raven advertises for darts and domino players, a new type of supermarket opens in Four Acre, the Rainhill rebellion against the building of a housing estate on green belt land and why St Helens charities were no longer wanting donations of silver paper.
We begin with an announcement of a £2¼ million investment (about £35m in today's money) by Pilkingtons in which the glass firm's television glassware plant at Ravenhead would be extended. But only a few new jobs would be created, as the extension would be highly automated.
The Liverpool Echo wrote on the 25th that Rainhill Civic Society would be protesting against plans to build a housing estate on 128 acres of land near to the village. Planning consent was being sought to develop the land, which was bounded by Old Lane, Blundells Lane, Cumber Lane and Stoney Lane.
"We are going to register an official objection to the plan," said Judy Lowe, secretary of the society. "We are objecting from the amenity point of view. It is the only place left in the Rainhill area where people can stroll about in the open air. During the summer, hundreds of people go there and are able to enjoy an unrestricted view over the Mersey and to the Wirral and the Welsh hills. If this goes there will be nothing left."
The Reporter on the 27th described how the new landlord of the Royal Raven was advertising for darts and dominoes teams to play in his Church Street pub. Norman Cox had reopened the public bar at the Raven and although he had furnished games' facilities, he needed people to make use of them. Norman told the paper: "We have a dartboard and dominoes all ready. All we need are the teams. I'll take individuals or a team en bloc."
You don't hear so much these days of children getting their heads stuck between gates and hands trapped down grids. That's probably, I expect, through a combination of few young children being unsupervised on the streets and more stringent safety rules. This week's trapped youngster was Michael Garner from Napier Street, who had got his hand stuck in a Kirkland Street grid for the sake of 1½p.
The coins had slipped out of the seven-year-old's hand and rolled down into the grid. Michael attempted to retrieve his money and managed to squeeze his arm through the grid almost up to his shoulder – but then got stuck. Passers-by attempted to free him without success and so the Fire Brigade was called in. They bent back one of the metal slats that was trapping his arm and Michael was released after being stuck for half-an-hour.
"Something Completely New in Supermarkets", was promised by Mac Market in their Reporter advert. They had opened a store in the new Four Acre Lane shopping centre and boasted of a "Warm, bright, decor and constant low prices". Lots of own brand food, plenty of car parking and a carry-out service were available, as well as late night shopping on some evenings. However, 7pm finishes on three days of the week and 8pm on Fridays, don't seem much to shout about compared to today.
The Reporter also revealed that local charities had stopped accepting silver paper because they no longer felt storing it was worth their while. Richard Litherland of Drake Street in St Helens had been collecting silver paper and milk bottle tops for charities for years. However, when he delivered his latest sack to the St Helens Workshops for the Blind, he was told they didn't want it. Neither did other organisations, for a combination of reasons.
They said the price of such silver materials had dropped considerably; they had a lack of sufficient storage space and there was also concern over health hazards from the paper. Silver paper and foil had been handed into the blind workshops in Boundary Road for many years and they had used the proceeds to purchase guide dogs.
The Reporter also described a campaign by residents on the Gartons Lane and Clock Face Road estates for a more regular refuse collection service. A 204-name petition had been submitted to the council in which they claimed that the present fortnightly collections were attracting rats into their streets and gardens.
However, George James, the Borough Engineer, denied that the bin emptying frequency in Clock Face was two weeks, insisting the cycle was currently eight or nine days. And that was because of heavy rates of sickness amongst the binmen. However, the situation was soon expected to improve with weekly collections being restored.
The Whalley's World column in the Reporter hawked back to the days of pit ponies down coal mines with Alan Whalley writing: "Many a grizzled ex-miner will recall the cute antics of pit ponies that used to put basic horse-power into tub hauling, deep in the seamy guts of the earth. One veteran who clearly remembers the pony-hauling teams is Owd Tom Brisco, of Sutton Leach.
"He's dropped a line about one of the most famous of the little beasts of burden that toiled away down the long mine Vanny Number 2 Pit at Parr. Her name was Lil, a pony much loved of the colliers there. Lil could also count better than cowboy Roy Roger's circus horse, Trigger. Tom tells me:
"“For years, Lil had drawn exactly six tubs on each run along the pit bottom level. Sometimes the boss used to tell the pony lad to hitch another tub on the end. But Lil was up to this crafty move. She immediately went on strike. Not a pull from her . . . but a shake of the head as if to say: ‘I've drawn six for years – and I'm not breaking my rule’. She'd counted five clicks of the couplings – as the six tubs were fastened together – far too long to be deceived by an extra load.”"
Alan Whalley had also received a letter from a Mrs Mercer from Brynn Street. She was the widow of the late Saints player, Billy Mercer, and recalled how she didn't have much of a honeymoon: "We were married at 10 a.m. on April 26, 1930. That afternoon, Billy played for Saints against Leeds at Knowsley Road (Saints won). We had our reception at the nearby Labour Club, and the Saints team, together with a crowd of gatecrashers, came along.
"The following Thursday, Billy and the team went to Wembley to prepare for their final against Widnes, who won the trophy two days later. In those days, Saints' wives were not allowed to travel with the players, so we women followed down to London on the Saturday morning. Our coach broke down and we arrived at Wembley after the final whistle had sounded. We saw nothing of the game, came back on Sunday and the team returned on the Monday."
The Reporter had an advertising feature which they called "Buy Wise! – Your Wise Buys Are Here!" The advertisers included Harold Stott of Westfield Street who said: "Thinking of a colour TV? First see the fabulous Mitsubishi. Rent at only £1.70 weekly." Also advertising was Furniture City on the corner of Hardshaw Street and Tolver Street who had the strapline: "Stolen Goods? No! ...But You'd Think So At These Prices!" Eric Bromilow of North Road and Park Road was advertising "3 Exciting Cycles From Raleigh" and the St Helens Aquarium in Hamer Street opposite Beechams said: "Special This Week: Large Pond Fish £1.00 each".
On the 26th climber Chris Bonnington was in St Helens giving a talk and presenting a film at the Theatre Royal about his 1972 expedition on Everest. Then on the following evening the Brighouse and Rastrick Band (pictured above) performed in Corporation Street in a concert called "Best of Brass".
And on the 28th it was the turn of The Tucson Arizona Boys Cavalcade. This is how they were described in the Reporter: "From the Land of “The High Chaperal” – America’s Singing Cowboys. See the colourful cowboy outfits and the spectacular rodeo roping." The TV Western was actually spelt 'The High Chaparral'. It always surprises me the number of spelling errors that there were in the Theatre Royal's listings.
The 28th was also when Silcocks Pleasure Fair took place on the Market Square in Earlestown and the event was also held on the 30th. And finally, from the 29nd at the Capitol Cinema, there was a double-header in 'Bonnie and Clyde' and 'The Virgin Soldiers'. And at the ABC Savoy down Bridge Street, 'Lady Caroline Lamb' also began a week's screenings.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the Siding Lane tip inferno in Rainford, the reckless horse riding on Eccleston Fields, the Pilkington Fountain in Church Square and an assurance that the end of the acid fallout from Leathers was in sight.
We begin with an announcement of a £2¼ million investment (about £35m in today's money) by Pilkingtons in which the glass firm's television glassware plant at Ravenhead would be extended. But only a few new jobs would be created, as the extension would be highly automated.
The Liverpool Echo wrote on the 25th that Rainhill Civic Society would be protesting against plans to build a housing estate on 128 acres of land near to the village. Planning consent was being sought to develop the land, which was bounded by Old Lane, Blundells Lane, Cumber Lane and Stoney Lane.
"We are going to register an official objection to the plan," said Judy Lowe, secretary of the society. "We are objecting from the amenity point of view. It is the only place left in the Rainhill area where people can stroll about in the open air. During the summer, hundreds of people go there and are able to enjoy an unrestricted view over the Mersey and to the Wirral and the Welsh hills. If this goes there will be nothing left."
The Reporter on the 27th described how the new landlord of the Royal Raven was advertising for darts and dominoes teams to play in his Church Street pub. Norman Cox had reopened the public bar at the Raven and although he had furnished games' facilities, he needed people to make use of them. Norman told the paper: "We have a dartboard and dominoes all ready. All we need are the teams. I'll take individuals or a team en bloc."
You don't hear so much these days of children getting their heads stuck between gates and hands trapped down grids. That's probably, I expect, through a combination of few young children being unsupervised on the streets and more stringent safety rules. This week's trapped youngster was Michael Garner from Napier Street, who had got his hand stuck in a Kirkland Street grid for the sake of 1½p.
The coins had slipped out of the seven-year-old's hand and rolled down into the grid. Michael attempted to retrieve his money and managed to squeeze his arm through the grid almost up to his shoulder – but then got stuck. Passers-by attempted to free him without success and so the Fire Brigade was called in. They bent back one of the metal slats that was trapping his arm and Michael was released after being stuck for half-an-hour.
"Something Completely New in Supermarkets", was promised by Mac Market in their Reporter advert. They had opened a store in the new Four Acre Lane shopping centre and boasted of a "Warm, bright, decor and constant low prices". Lots of own brand food, plenty of car parking and a carry-out service were available, as well as late night shopping on some evenings. However, 7pm finishes on three days of the week and 8pm on Fridays, don't seem much to shout about compared to today.
The Reporter also revealed that local charities had stopped accepting silver paper because they no longer felt storing it was worth their while. Richard Litherland of Drake Street in St Helens had been collecting silver paper and milk bottle tops for charities for years. However, when he delivered his latest sack to the St Helens Workshops for the Blind, he was told they didn't want it. Neither did other organisations, for a combination of reasons.
They said the price of such silver materials had dropped considerably; they had a lack of sufficient storage space and there was also concern over health hazards from the paper. Silver paper and foil had been handed into the blind workshops in Boundary Road for many years and they had used the proceeds to purchase guide dogs.
The Reporter also described a campaign by residents on the Gartons Lane and Clock Face Road estates for a more regular refuse collection service. A 204-name petition had been submitted to the council in which they claimed that the present fortnightly collections were attracting rats into their streets and gardens.
However, George James, the Borough Engineer, denied that the bin emptying frequency in Clock Face was two weeks, insisting the cycle was currently eight or nine days. And that was because of heavy rates of sickness amongst the binmen. However, the situation was soon expected to improve with weekly collections being restored.
The Whalley's World column in the Reporter hawked back to the days of pit ponies down coal mines with Alan Whalley writing: "Many a grizzled ex-miner will recall the cute antics of pit ponies that used to put basic horse-power into tub hauling, deep in the seamy guts of the earth. One veteran who clearly remembers the pony-hauling teams is Owd Tom Brisco, of Sutton Leach.
"He's dropped a line about one of the most famous of the little beasts of burden that toiled away down the long mine Vanny Number 2 Pit at Parr. Her name was Lil, a pony much loved of the colliers there. Lil could also count better than cowboy Roy Roger's circus horse, Trigger. Tom tells me:
"“For years, Lil had drawn exactly six tubs on each run along the pit bottom level. Sometimes the boss used to tell the pony lad to hitch another tub on the end. But Lil was up to this crafty move. She immediately went on strike. Not a pull from her . . . but a shake of the head as if to say: ‘I've drawn six for years – and I'm not breaking my rule’. She'd counted five clicks of the couplings – as the six tubs were fastened together – far too long to be deceived by an extra load.”"
Alan Whalley had also received a letter from a Mrs Mercer from Brynn Street. She was the widow of the late Saints player, Billy Mercer, and recalled how she didn't have much of a honeymoon: "We were married at 10 a.m. on April 26, 1930. That afternoon, Billy played for Saints against Leeds at Knowsley Road (Saints won). We had our reception at the nearby Labour Club, and the Saints team, together with a crowd of gatecrashers, came along.
"The following Thursday, Billy and the team went to Wembley to prepare for their final against Widnes, who won the trophy two days later. In those days, Saints' wives were not allowed to travel with the players, so we women followed down to London on the Saturday morning. Our coach broke down and we arrived at Wembley after the final whistle had sounded. We saw nothing of the game, came back on Sunday and the team returned on the Monday."
The Reporter had an advertising feature which they called "Buy Wise! – Your Wise Buys Are Here!" The advertisers included Harold Stott of Westfield Street who said: "Thinking of a colour TV? First see the fabulous Mitsubishi. Rent at only £1.70 weekly." Also advertising was Furniture City on the corner of Hardshaw Street and Tolver Street who had the strapline: "Stolen Goods? No! ...But You'd Think So At These Prices!" Eric Bromilow of North Road and Park Road was advertising "3 Exciting Cycles From Raleigh" and the St Helens Aquarium in Hamer Street opposite Beechams said: "Special This Week: Large Pond Fish £1.00 each".
And on the 28th it was the turn of The Tucson Arizona Boys Cavalcade. This is how they were described in the Reporter: "From the Land of “The High Chaperal” – America’s Singing Cowboys. See the colourful cowboy outfits and the spectacular rodeo roping." The TV Western was actually spelt 'The High Chaparral'. It always surprises me the number of spelling errors that there were in the Theatre Royal's listings.
The 28th was also when Silcocks Pleasure Fair took place on the Market Square in Earlestown and the event was also held on the 30th. And finally, from the 29nd at the Capitol Cinema, there was a double-header in 'Bonnie and Clyde' and 'The Virgin Soldiers'. And at the ABC Savoy down Bridge Street, 'Lady Caroline Lamb' also began a week's screenings.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the Siding Lane tip inferno in Rainford, the reckless horse riding on Eccleston Fields, the Pilkington Fountain in Church Square and an assurance that the end of the acid fallout from Leathers was in sight.
This week's many stories include the boy whose hand was trapped down a Kirkland Street grid, memories of a Parr pit pony, the Raven advertises for darts and domino players, a new type of supermarket opens in Four Acre, the Rainhill rebellion against the building of a housing estate on green belt land and why St Helens charities were no longer wanting donations of silver paper.
We begin with an announcement of a £2¼ million investment (about £35m in today's money) by Pilkingtons in which the glass firm's television glassware plant at Ravenhead would be extended.
But only a few new jobs would be created, as the extension would be highly automated.
The Liverpool Echo wrote on the 25th that Rainhill Civic Society would be protesting against plans to build a housing estate on 128 acres of land near to the village.
Planning consent was being sought to develop the land, which was bounded by Old Lane, Blundells Lane, Cumber Lane and Stoney Lane.
"We are going to register an official objection to the plan," said Judy Lowe, secretary of the society. "We are objecting from the amenity point of view. It is the only place left in the Rainhill area where people can stroll about in the open air.
"During the summer, hundreds of people go there and are able to enjoy an unrestricted view over the Mersey and to the Wirral and the Welsh hills. If this goes there will be nothing left."
The Reporter on the 27th described how the new landlord of the Royal Raven was advertising for darts and dominoes teams to play in his Church Street pub.
Norman Cox had reopened the public bar at the Raven and although he had furnished games' facilities, he needed people to make use of them. Norman told the paper:
"We have a dartboard and dominoes all ready. All we need are the teams. I'll take individuals or a team en bloc."
You don't hear so much these days of children getting their heads stuck between gates and hands trapped down grids.
That's probably, I expect, through a combination of few young children being unsupervised on the streets and more stringent safety rules.
This week's trapped youngster was Michael Garner from Napier Street, who had got his hand stuck in a Kirkland Street grid for the sake of 1½p.
The coins had slipped out of the seven-year-old's hand and rolled down into the grid. Michael attempted to retrieve his money and managed to squeeze his arm through the grid almost up to his shoulder – but then got stuck.
Passers-by attempted to free him without success and so the Fire Brigade was called in.
They bent back one of the metal slats that was trapping his arm and Michael was released after being stuck for half-an-hour.
"Something Completely New in Supermarkets", was promised by Mac Market in their Reporter advert.
They had opened a store in the new Four Acre Lane shopping centre and boasted of a "Warm, bright, decor and constant low prices".
Lots of own brand food, plenty of car parking and a carry-out service were available, as well as late night shopping on some evenings.
However, 7pm finishes on three days of the week and 8pm on Fridays, don't seem much to shout about compared to today.
The Reporter also revealed that local charities had stopped accepting silver paper because they no longer felt storing it was worth their while.
Richard Litherland of Drake Street in St Helens had been collecting silver paper and milk bottle tops for charities for years.
However, when he delivered his latest sack to the St Helens Workshops for the Blind, he was told they didn't want it. Neither did other organisations, for a combination of reasons.
They said the price of such silver materials had dropped considerably; they had a lack of sufficient storage space and there was also concern over health hazards from the paper.
Silver paper and foil had been handed into the blind workshops in Boundary Road for many years and they had used the proceeds to purchase guide dogs.
The Reporter also described a campaign by residents on the Gartons Lane and Clock Face Road estates for a more regular refuse collection service.
A 204-name petition had been submitted to the council in which they claimed that the present fortnightly collections were attracting rats into their streets and gardens.
However, George James, the Borough Engineer, denied that the bin emptying frequency in Clock Face was two weeks, insisting the cycle was currently eight or nine days.
And that was because of heavy rates of sickness amongst the binmen. However, the situation was soon expected to improve with weekly collections being restored.
The Whalley's World column in the Reporter hawked back to the days of pit ponies down coal mines with Alan Whalley writing:
"Many a grizzled ex-miner will recall the cute antics of pit ponies that used to put basic horse-power into tub hauling, deep in the seamy guts of the earth. One veteran who clearly remembers the pony-hauling teams is Owd Tom Brisco, of Sutton Leach.
"He's dropped a line about one of the most famous of the little beasts of burden that toiled away down the long mine Vanny Number 2 Pit at Parr. Her name was Lil, a pony much loved of the colliers there. Lil could also count better than cowboy Roy Roger's circus horse, Trigger. Tom tells me:
"“For years, Lil had drawn exactly six tubs on each run along the pit bottom level. Sometimes the boss used to tell the pony lad to hitch another tub on the end. But Lil was up to this crafty move. She immediately went on strike.
"“Not a pull from her . . . but a shake of the head as if to say: ‘I've drawn six for years – and I'm not breaking my rule’. She'd counted five clicks of the couplings – as the six tubs were fastened together – far too long to be deceived by an extra load.”"
Alan Whalley had also received a letter from a Mrs Mercer from Brynn Street. She was the widow of the late Saints player, Billy Mercer, and recalled how she didn't have much of a honeymoon:
"We were married at 10 a.m. on April 26, 1930. That afternoon, Billy played for Saints against Leeds at Knowsley Road (Saints won). We had our reception at the nearby Labour Club, and the Saints team, together with a crowd of gatecrashers, came along.
"The following Thursday, Billy and the team went to Wembley to prepare for their final against Widnes, who won the trophy two days later. In those days, Saints' wives were not allowed to travel with the players, so we women followed down to London on the Saturday morning.
"Our coach broke down and we arrived at Wembley after the final whistle had sounded. We saw nothing of the game, came back on Sunday and the team returned on the Monday."
The Reporter had an advertising feature which they called "Buy Wise! – Your Wise Buys Are Here!"
The advertisers included Harold Stott of Westfield Street who said: "Thinking of a colour TV? First see the fabulous Mitsubishi. Rent at only £1.70 weekly."
Also advertising was Furniture City on the corner of Hardshaw Street and Tolver Street who had the strapline: "Stolen Goods? No! ...But You'd Think So At These Prices!"
Eric Bromilow of North Road and Park Road was advertising "3 Exciting Cycles From Raleigh" and the St Helens Aquarium in Hamer Street opposite Beechams said: "Special This Week: Large Pond Fish £1.00 each".
On the 26th climber Chris Bonnington was in St Helens giving a talk and presenting a film at the Theatre Royal about his 1972 expedition on Everest.
Then on the following evening the Brighouse and Rastrick Band (pictured above) performed in Corporation Street in a concert called "Best of Brass".
And on the 28th it was the turn of The Tucson Arizona Boys Cavalcade. This is how they were described in the Reporter:
"From the Land of “The High Chaperal” – America’s Singing Cowboys. See the colourful cowboy outfits and the spectacular rodeo roping."
The TV Western was actually spelt 'The High Chaparral'. It always surprises me the number of spelling errors that there were in the Theatre Royal's listings.
The 28th was also when Silcocks Pleasure Fair took place on the Market Square in Earlestown and the event was also held on the 30th.
And finally, from the 29nd at the Capitol Cinema, there was a double-header in 'Bonnie and Clyde' and 'The Virgin Soldiers'.
And at the ABC Savoy down Bridge Street, 'Lady Caroline Lamb' also began a week's screenings.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the Siding Lane tip inferno in Rainford, the reckless horse riding on Eccleston Fields, the Pilkington Fountain in Church Square and an assurance that the end of the acid fallout from Leathers was in sight.
We begin with an announcement of a £2¼ million investment (about £35m in today's money) by Pilkingtons in which the glass firm's television glassware plant at Ravenhead would be extended.
But only a few new jobs would be created, as the extension would be highly automated.
The Liverpool Echo wrote on the 25th that Rainhill Civic Society would be protesting against plans to build a housing estate on 128 acres of land near to the village.
Planning consent was being sought to develop the land, which was bounded by Old Lane, Blundells Lane, Cumber Lane and Stoney Lane.
"We are going to register an official objection to the plan," said Judy Lowe, secretary of the society. "We are objecting from the amenity point of view. It is the only place left in the Rainhill area where people can stroll about in the open air.
"During the summer, hundreds of people go there and are able to enjoy an unrestricted view over the Mersey and to the Wirral and the Welsh hills. If this goes there will be nothing left."
The Reporter on the 27th described how the new landlord of the Royal Raven was advertising for darts and dominoes teams to play in his Church Street pub.
Norman Cox had reopened the public bar at the Raven and although he had furnished games' facilities, he needed people to make use of them. Norman told the paper:
"We have a dartboard and dominoes all ready. All we need are the teams. I'll take individuals or a team en bloc."
You don't hear so much these days of children getting their heads stuck between gates and hands trapped down grids.
That's probably, I expect, through a combination of few young children being unsupervised on the streets and more stringent safety rules.
This week's trapped youngster was Michael Garner from Napier Street, who had got his hand stuck in a Kirkland Street grid for the sake of 1½p.
The coins had slipped out of the seven-year-old's hand and rolled down into the grid. Michael attempted to retrieve his money and managed to squeeze his arm through the grid almost up to his shoulder – but then got stuck.
Passers-by attempted to free him without success and so the Fire Brigade was called in.
They bent back one of the metal slats that was trapping his arm and Michael was released after being stuck for half-an-hour.
"Something Completely New in Supermarkets", was promised by Mac Market in their Reporter advert.
They had opened a store in the new Four Acre Lane shopping centre and boasted of a "Warm, bright, decor and constant low prices".
Lots of own brand food, plenty of car parking and a carry-out service were available, as well as late night shopping on some evenings.
However, 7pm finishes on three days of the week and 8pm on Fridays, don't seem much to shout about compared to today.
The Reporter also revealed that local charities had stopped accepting silver paper because they no longer felt storing it was worth their while.
Richard Litherland of Drake Street in St Helens had been collecting silver paper and milk bottle tops for charities for years.
However, when he delivered his latest sack to the St Helens Workshops for the Blind, he was told they didn't want it. Neither did other organisations, for a combination of reasons.
They said the price of such silver materials had dropped considerably; they had a lack of sufficient storage space and there was also concern over health hazards from the paper.
Silver paper and foil had been handed into the blind workshops in Boundary Road for many years and they had used the proceeds to purchase guide dogs.
The Reporter also described a campaign by residents on the Gartons Lane and Clock Face Road estates for a more regular refuse collection service.
A 204-name petition had been submitted to the council in which they claimed that the present fortnightly collections were attracting rats into their streets and gardens.
However, George James, the Borough Engineer, denied that the bin emptying frequency in Clock Face was two weeks, insisting the cycle was currently eight or nine days.
And that was because of heavy rates of sickness amongst the binmen. However, the situation was soon expected to improve with weekly collections being restored.
The Whalley's World column in the Reporter hawked back to the days of pit ponies down coal mines with Alan Whalley writing:
"Many a grizzled ex-miner will recall the cute antics of pit ponies that used to put basic horse-power into tub hauling, deep in the seamy guts of the earth. One veteran who clearly remembers the pony-hauling teams is Owd Tom Brisco, of Sutton Leach.
"He's dropped a line about one of the most famous of the little beasts of burden that toiled away down the long mine Vanny Number 2 Pit at Parr. Her name was Lil, a pony much loved of the colliers there. Lil could also count better than cowboy Roy Roger's circus horse, Trigger. Tom tells me:
"“For years, Lil had drawn exactly six tubs on each run along the pit bottom level. Sometimes the boss used to tell the pony lad to hitch another tub on the end. But Lil was up to this crafty move. She immediately went on strike.
"“Not a pull from her . . . but a shake of the head as if to say: ‘I've drawn six for years – and I'm not breaking my rule’. She'd counted five clicks of the couplings – as the six tubs were fastened together – far too long to be deceived by an extra load.”"
Alan Whalley had also received a letter from a Mrs Mercer from Brynn Street. She was the widow of the late Saints player, Billy Mercer, and recalled how she didn't have much of a honeymoon:
"We were married at 10 a.m. on April 26, 1930. That afternoon, Billy played for Saints against Leeds at Knowsley Road (Saints won). We had our reception at the nearby Labour Club, and the Saints team, together with a crowd of gatecrashers, came along.
"The following Thursday, Billy and the team went to Wembley to prepare for their final against Widnes, who won the trophy two days later. In those days, Saints' wives were not allowed to travel with the players, so we women followed down to London on the Saturday morning.
"Our coach broke down and we arrived at Wembley after the final whistle had sounded. We saw nothing of the game, came back on Sunday and the team returned on the Monday."
The Reporter had an advertising feature which they called "Buy Wise! – Your Wise Buys Are Here!"
The advertisers included Harold Stott of Westfield Street who said: "Thinking of a colour TV? First see the fabulous Mitsubishi. Rent at only £1.70 weekly."
Also advertising was Furniture City on the corner of Hardshaw Street and Tolver Street who had the strapline: "Stolen Goods? No! ...But You'd Think So At These Prices!"
Eric Bromilow of North Road and Park Road was advertising "3 Exciting Cycles From Raleigh" and the St Helens Aquarium in Hamer Street opposite Beechams said: "Special This Week: Large Pond Fish £1.00 each".
On the 26th climber Chris Bonnington was in St Helens giving a talk and presenting a film at the Theatre Royal about his 1972 expedition on Everest.
And on the 28th it was the turn of The Tucson Arizona Boys Cavalcade. This is how they were described in the Reporter:
"From the Land of “The High Chaperal” – America’s Singing Cowboys. See the colourful cowboy outfits and the spectacular rodeo roping."
The TV Western was actually spelt 'The High Chaparral'. It always surprises me the number of spelling errors that there were in the Theatre Royal's listings.
The 28th was also when Silcocks Pleasure Fair took place on the Market Square in Earlestown and the event was also held on the 30th.
And finally, from the 29nd at the Capitol Cinema, there was a double-header in 'Bonnie and Clyde' and 'The Virgin Soldiers'.
And at the ABC Savoy down Bridge Street, 'Lady Caroline Lamb' also began a week's screenings.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the Siding Lane tip inferno in Rainford, the reckless horse riding on Eccleston Fields, the Pilkington Fountain in Church Square and an assurance that the end of the acid fallout from Leathers was in sight.