FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (1st - 7th April 1969)
This week's stories include the Eccleston rabbit "shotgun militia", the expensive mercury theft from Croppers Hill, the robbery of a bookie in Prescot Road, Easter and the school holidays in St Helens, the Norah Carter School of Dancing, the new Sherdley Park housing estate, a busy Bank Holiday for St Helens Fire Brigade, muscle men are wanted in Ashton-in-Makerfield and there's an Easter exodus to Majorca and Spain.
We begin on the 1st with a report in The Guardian that County Councillor Nellie Holley of Rainhill had presented a petition signed by 7,423 people angry about a decision to stop the supply of free school milk to independent schools. In 1968 the Labour government under Harold Wilson had scrapped free milk for secondary school pupils and Margaret Thatcher would in 1971 scrap it for over 7s.
On the same day a man from Liverpool and another from Windle appeared in front of St Helens magistrates. They were both charged with stealing mercury from instruments at the power plant at Carlton Road in Croppers Hill where they both worked.
When the police interviewed the Windle man he said: "Bang goes a £2,000-a-year job." That was a lot of money, of course, in 1969 and he wasn't wrong. Both men were sacked from the Electricity Board with the 61-year-old from Liverpool – who had been employed by them for 16 years – also losing his company pension.
Throughout this week 'Dr Dolittle' was shown at the ABC Savoy, starring, of course, Rex Harrison. The Capitol, meanwhile, was screening Disney's 'Never A Dull Moment' starring Dick Van Dyke and Edward G. Robinson, who portrayed a gangster for the final time.
The St Helens Reporter was published a day early because of Easter and featured a photo of Elizabeth and James Kearns from Haresfinch who were celebrating their ruby wedding anniversary.
The paper wrote that when the couple married on April 1st 1929 James found himself with a bumper family of in-laws, as his wife was one of 18 children. After leaving Lowe House Church after the ceremony, Elizabeth found a large price tag hanging from her stocking – it was after all April Fool's Day!
At a time when young children were being told about Easter bunnies, the decision of the Reporter to publish an article about a "shotgun militia" killing rabbits in Eccleston seems odd. This was specially so as the rabbits had been tucking in on the shrubs and plants in the gardens of Springfield Lane for two years.
However the blasting of the bunnies with shotguns was only having a limited success in eradicating them. This was because the rabbits were not inhabiting warrens but living in separate groups under garden sheds and in thickets, which was making them difficult to kill.
As well as continuing with their shotgun blasting policy, the Reporter said the residents were also considering using ferrets to control the rabbit pest. The paper concluded its article by writing:
"The rabbits, however, seem to be enjoying their luxurious surroundings. A few days ago a resident was eating his breakfast of bacon and eggs when he looked across the lawn and saw a rabbit making a morning meal of his tulips. There is one consolation for the residents – Eccleston must be one of the few places in England where you can go hunting from the lounge window!"
This appeal was made in the columns of the Reporter: "Calling all males over 16 residing in Ashton and surrounding districts. If you are proud of your physique and look good in swimming trunks, why not enter the 'Mr. Ashton' contest." The competition to find the district's top muscle man was connected to the annual Ashton Carnival and would run parallel with the Miss Ashton contest.
The Reporter also stated that Meccano was planning to build a huge toy factory on the Whiston Industrial Estate on Whiston Road. It would occupy twelve acres of land and employ 2,300 people.
Known mainly for motorbikes, A. C. Collins from Brynn Street behind the Town Hall, was advertising pre-season prices on lawn mowers and making a bold promise: "I am able to sell you the British lawn mower of your choice from our range cheaper than anyone in the United Kingdom."
The new dancing school in Prescot Road called 'The Court' had opened its doors six weeks ago and had been advertising heavily in the Reporter. This must have affected the business of existing schools, so Nora Carter, for one, was fighting back with her own ad.
She was promoting her dancing school in North Road, opposite Lowe House, with tuition provided by Norah herself – and goodness she had a lot of letters after her name!
I suspect few readers knew what F.I.D.T.A., F.U.K.A.P.T.D., F.A.D.A.S. stood for, although the letters looked impressive (although the middle ones seem a bit rude!). "Assisted by fully qualified staff", the Norah Carter School of Dancing was offering old time and modern sequence dancing on Wednesdays, modern only on Thursdays and "absolute beginners" on Fridays.
A long article in the Reporter had the headline: "More People Than Ever Search for Easter Sunshine Abroad – Business Booms for Local Travel Agents." The paper had quotes from a number of local travel firms – including Helena House, Dixon Worldwide Travel, Gavin Murray and Howard Travel – describing an Easter exodus to Majorca and Spain, in particular.
Stan Magowan of Gavin Murray said: "Many people have booked on Continental package holidays – these are certainly up on last year. People are quite prepared to spend 30 guineas on a seven-day Easter holiday in Majorca."
Do you remember how you used to be able to write to the AA and ask them to send you road directions to your destination? That was something my father did every year before we went on holiday.
Well, an AA spokesman said that in the past week demand for these routes from Northern motorists had risen to over 700 a day. However this was down on last year, which the man blamed on the recent snow and ice: "The weather has been grim for so long that few people seem able to work up any enthusiasm for the year's first get-away-from-it-all holiday. But you can hardly blame them."
In another article the Reporter profiled the popularity of Sherdley Park during the school holidays. Despite the day that the paper visited being showery and with a cold wind blowing, the park was "filled with children on pleasure bent".
The kids were enjoying the swings and roundabouts and visiting Pets Corner and taking advantage of the donkey and pony rides that cost a tanner each. Others played cricket or kicked a football about the park. Janice Mathews and Gillian Smith – both from Thornham Avenue – and Christine Chesworth from Marshalls Cross Road were photographed having fun on a "monkey ladder".
Pictured on ponies 'Merrylegs' and 'Dan' were Linda Blundell and Leslie Hagerty, both from Sandon Street in Sutton Heath. And with the caption: "Having a happy time on the rocking horse" was a photo of Trevor Bailey, John Gallagher, Keith Fairclough, John Graham and Jean Fenney.
Lowe House Youth Club announced the formation of a new football team. "The club thank the G.P.O. for the loan of their spare kit. The difficulty of obtaining a home ground should soon be overcome.", they wrote.
"Join the Easter Parade to These Superb N.D. Homes Estates", was the headline to an advert in the Liverpool Echo on the 3rd. Northern Development Homes was still advertising houses for sale on the new Sherdley Park estate six months after the ads first appeared.
Despite mortgages of up to 95% and their location described as "being opp. Sherdley Park gates" and "virtually surrounded by open parkland", they appear to have been struggling to sell the homes.
Sixty maintenance and toolroom workers walked out of Sperryn & Co on the 3rd, bringing production at the light engineering factory in Parr to a halt. The company in Delta Road employed 1,000 and made products for the gas industry. The men returned after 24 hours upon a promise of early talks to resolve a dispute over a bonus scheme.
During the evening of the 3rd the Theatre Royal held another 'Country and Western Night' with The Hillsiders and The San Antones performing. There was also a 'Grand Concert' at the Thatto Heath British Legion during the same evening featuring the "fabulous" Harry Pope Show. Tickets were 3 shillings each.
It was Good Friday on the 4th and Saints were beaten 34 - 10 by Wigan in the traditional Easter game. At Providence Hospital a giant Easter egg weighing 28lb was presented to child patients on behalf of patrons of the Rivoli bingo hall.
Another united service for Sutton churches was held during the evening – this time at St Anne's in Monastery Road. For four years joint carol and other services had been held at either St Nicholas or St Anne's church.
Unit 4 + 2 was at the Plaza Theatre Club on the 4th and 5th, no doubt performing their big hit 'Concrete and Clay'. Meanwhile it was trad jazz night at the Theatre Royal on the 5th with Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band in concert.
I wonder if the robbery at bookie John Loftus's home on Prescot Road on the 6th was a case of old habits die hard? It was now perfectly legal to be a bookmaker and so there was no need to hide anything incriminating.
However Mr Loftus had stashed hundreds of pounds in two toolboxes that he kept under the stairs. After taking the cash the cheeky burglars simply walked out of the house through the front door.
With the children being on holiday for Easter the local cinemas screened appropriate fare. There was a double bill of U-rated films at the Capitol for six days from the 7th, with 'Tom Thumb' and 'The Wizard of Oz' being screened.
Meanwhile at the Savoy – or ABC St Helens as it was officially now known – there was a "wonderful Walt Disney programme to suit all the family". This entailed 'Cinderella' and the lesser-known Disney drama / comedy 'The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit'.
In the Easter sunshine on Bank Holiday Monday, St Helens scored eight tries and Kel Coslett kicked eight goals as they beat Swinton 40 - 5. However Leeds trounced Batley 63 - 11 and only required one more point from two games to guarantee finishing top of the league. Saints, six points behind with three games left, were the only team that could possibly catch them.
And finally it was a busy Bank Holiday for St Helens Fire Brigade who extinguished sixteen grass fires, as well as a derelict shed blaze in Fir Street, Thatto Heath. They also had to deal with a blaze involving a bed at a house in Broad Oak Road. Meanwhile Whiston Fire Service put out seven grass fires at Whiston, Prescot and Rainhill.
Next week's stories will include the rat-infested junkyard in Marsden Avenue, why the historic bells at St Helens Parish Church might stop ringing, a tragedy in the St Helens Canal, the Nolans sing in a Peasley Cross club, the demolition eyesores in the town and more wrestling takes place at the Plaza.
We begin on the 1st with a report in The Guardian that County Councillor Nellie Holley of Rainhill had presented a petition signed by 7,423 people angry about a decision to stop the supply of free school milk to independent schools. In 1968 the Labour government under Harold Wilson had scrapped free milk for secondary school pupils and Margaret Thatcher would in 1971 scrap it for over 7s.
On the same day a man from Liverpool and another from Windle appeared in front of St Helens magistrates. They were both charged with stealing mercury from instruments at the power plant at Carlton Road in Croppers Hill where they both worked.
When the police interviewed the Windle man he said: "Bang goes a £2,000-a-year job." That was a lot of money, of course, in 1969 and he wasn't wrong. Both men were sacked from the Electricity Board with the 61-year-old from Liverpool – who had been employed by them for 16 years – also losing his company pension.
The St Helens Reporter was published a day early because of Easter and featured a photo of Elizabeth and James Kearns from Haresfinch who were celebrating their ruby wedding anniversary.
The paper wrote that when the couple married on April 1st 1929 James found himself with a bumper family of in-laws, as his wife was one of 18 children. After leaving Lowe House Church after the ceremony, Elizabeth found a large price tag hanging from her stocking – it was after all April Fool's Day!
At a time when young children were being told about Easter bunnies, the decision of the Reporter to publish an article about a "shotgun militia" killing rabbits in Eccleston seems odd. This was specially so as the rabbits had been tucking in on the shrubs and plants in the gardens of Springfield Lane for two years.
However the blasting of the bunnies with shotguns was only having a limited success in eradicating them. This was because the rabbits were not inhabiting warrens but living in separate groups under garden sheds and in thickets, which was making them difficult to kill.
As well as continuing with their shotgun blasting policy, the Reporter said the residents were also considering using ferrets to control the rabbit pest. The paper concluded its article by writing:
"The rabbits, however, seem to be enjoying their luxurious surroundings. A few days ago a resident was eating his breakfast of bacon and eggs when he looked across the lawn and saw a rabbit making a morning meal of his tulips. There is one consolation for the residents – Eccleston must be one of the few places in England where you can go hunting from the lounge window!"
This appeal was made in the columns of the Reporter: "Calling all males over 16 residing in Ashton and surrounding districts. If you are proud of your physique and look good in swimming trunks, why not enter the 'Mr. Ashton' contest." The competition to find the district's top muscle man was connected to the annual Ashton Carnival and would run parallel with the Miss Ashton contest.
The Reporter also stated that Meccano was planning to build a huge toy factory on the Whiston Industrial Estate on Whiston Road. It would occupy twelve acres of land and employ 2,300 people.
Known mainly for motorbikes, A. C. Collins from Brynn Street behind the Town Hall, was advertising pre-season prices on lawn mowers and making a bold promise: "I am able to sell you the British lawn mower of your choice from our range cheaper than anyone in the United Kingdom."
The new dancing school in Prescot Road called 'The Court' had opened its doors six weeks ago and had been advertising heavily in the Reporter. This must have affected the business of existing schools, so Nora Carter, for one, was fighting back with her own ad.
She was promoting her dancing school in North Road, opposite Lowe House, with tuition provided by Norah herself – and goodness she had a lot of letters after her name!
I suspect few readers knew what F.I.D.T.A., F.U.K.A.P.T.D., F.A.D.A.S. stood for, although the letters looked impressive (although the middle ones seem a bit rude!). "Assisted by fully qualified staff", the Norah Carter School of Dancing was offering old time and modern sequence dancing on Wednesdays, modern only on Thursdays and "absolute beginners" on Fridays.
A long article in the Reporter had the headline: "More People Than Ever Search for Easter Sunshine Abroad – Business Booms for Local Travel Agents." The paper had quotes from a number of local travel firms – including Helena House, Dixon Worldwide Travel, Gavin Murray and Howard Travel – describing an Easter exodus to Majorca and Spain, in particular.
Stan Magowan of Gavin Murray said: "Many people have booked on Continental package holidays – these are certainly up on last year. People are quite prepared to spend 30 guineas on a seven-day Easter holiday in Majorca."
Do you remember how you used to be able to write to the AA and ask them to send you road directions to your destination? That was something my father did every year before we went on holiday.
Well, an AA spokesman said that in the past week demand for these routes from Northern motorists had risen to over 700 a day. However this was down on last year, which the man blamed on the recent snow and ice: "The weather has been grim for so long that few people seem able to work up any enthusiasm for the year's first get-away-from-it-all holiday. But you can hardly blame them."
In another article the Reporter profiled the popularity of Sherdley Park during the school holidays. Despite the day that the paper visited being showery and with a cold wind blowing, the park was "filled with children on pleasure bent".
The kids were enjoying the swings and roundabouts and visiting Pets Corner and taking advantage of the donkey and pony rides that cost a tanner each. Others played cricket or kicked a football about the park. Janice Mathews and Gillian Smith – both from Thornham Avenue – and Christine Chesworth from Marshalls Cross Road were photographed having fun on a "monkey ladder".
Pictured on ponies 'Merrylegs' and 'Dan' were Linda Blundell and Leslie Hagerty, both from Sandon Street in Sutton Heath. And with the caption: "Having a happy time on the rocking horse" was a photo of Trevor Bailey, John Gallagher, Keith Fairclough, John Graham and Jean Fenney.
Lowe House Youth Club announced the formation of a new football team. "The club thank the G.P.O. for the loan of their spare kit. The difficulty of obtaining a home ground should soon be overcome.", they wrote.
"Join the Easter Parade to These Superb N.D. Homes Estates", was the headline to an advert in the Liverpool Echo on the 3rd. Northern Development Homes was still advertising houses for sale on the new Sherdley Park estate six months after the ads first appeared.
Despite mortgages of up to 95% and their location described as "being opp. Sherdley Park gates" and "virtually surrounded by open parkland", they appear to have been struggling to sell the homes.
Sixty maintenance and toolroom workers walked out of Sperryn & Co on the 3rd, bringing production at the light engineering factory in Parr to a halt. The company in Delta Road employed 1,000 and made products for the gas industry. The men returned after 24 hours upon a promise of early talks to resolve a dispute over a bonus scheme.
During the evening of the 3rd the Theatre Royal held another 'Country and Western Night' with The Hillsiders and The San Antones performing. There was also a 'Grand Concert' at the Thatto Heath British Legion during the same evening featuring the "fabulous" Harry Pope Show. Tickets were 3 shillings each.
It was Good Friday on the 4th and Saints were beaten 34 - 10 by Wigan in the traditional Easter game. At Providence Hospital a giant Easter egg weighing 28lb was presented to child patients on behalf of patrons of the Rivoli bingo hall.
Another united service for Sutton churches was held during the evening – this time at St Anne's in Monastery Road. For four years joint carol and other services had been held at either St Nicholas or St Anne's church.
Unit 4 + 2 was at the Plaza Theatre Club on the 4th and 5th, no doubt performing their big hit 'Concrete and Clay'. Meanwhile it was trad jazz night at the Theatre Royal on the 5th with Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band in concert.
I wonder if the robbery at bookie John Loftus's home on Prescot Road on the 6th was a case of old habits die hard? It was now perfectly legal to be a bookmaker and so there was no need to hide anything incriminating.
However Mr Loftus had stashed hundreds of pounds in two toolboxes that he kept under the stairs. After taking the cash the cheeky burglars simply walked out of the house through the front door.
Meanwhile at the Savoy – or ABC St Helens as it was officially now known – there was a "wonderful Walt Disney programme to suit all the family". This entailed 'Cinderella' and the lesser-known Disney drama / comedy 'The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit'.
In the Easter sunshine on Bank Holiday Monday, St Helens scored eight tries and Kel Coslett kicked eight goals as they beat Swinton 40 - 5. However Leeds trounced Batley 63 - 11 and only required one more point from two games to guarantee finishing top of the league. Saints, six points behind with three games left, were the only team that could possibly catch them.
And finally it was a busy Bank Holiday for St Helens Fire Brigade who extinguished sixteen grass fires, as well as a derelict shed blaze in Fir Street, Thatto Heath. They also had to deal with a blaze involving a bed at a house in Broad Oak Road. Meanwhile Whiston Fire Service put out seven grass fires at Whiston, Prescot and Rainhill.
Next week's stories will include the rat-infested junkyard in Marsden Avenue, why the historic bells at St Helens Parish Church might stop ringing, a tragedy in the St Helens Canal, the Nolans sing in a Peasley Cross club, the demolition eyesores in the town and more wrestling takes place at the Plaza.