FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (6th - 12th SEPTEMBER 1971)
This week's many stories include the serious St Julie's school blaze in Eccleston, the priest who walked out of a sex film at the Capitol, an investigation into the Dobsons Lane gipsy camp, the vicar of St Mark's criticises tardy brides, Pilks win big South American orders and the band at Knowsley Road that had to quickly learn New Zealand's new national anthem.
We begin on the 6th when it was reported that members of the Newton-le-Willows RUFC team who had swallowed turpentine in mistake for water had fully recovered and were back at work. So was the referee Alan Shufflebotham of Sale, who had been temporarily blinded after accidentally pouring turps over his head. The incident had occurred at half-time during the weekend home match between Newton and Old Parkonians of Birkenhead.
After a ten-minute delay, Mr Shufflebotham felt able to referee the game and the players who swallowed the turpentine were given emetics to make them sick. They also chose to resume the match rather than abandon it but later received further medical treatment. A club spokesman stated that it was a mystery how turpentine had got into unlabelled bottles, which had been carried on to the field in the belief they contained water.
After comprehensively beating the touring Australian rugby league side last year, Saints took on New Zealand during the evening of the 6th. The Knowsley Road team beat the tourists 18 - 8, through tries by Les Jones, Frank Wilson, Eric Chisnall and Jeff Heaton. The Edge Hill British Rail Band had been booked to play before the start of the match – but received a shock when their trombone player learnt that New Zealand now had its own national anthem that the band did not know.
Band secretary Joseph Hunter said: "It gave us a jolt, because we did not want to disappoint the visitors." Some musical scores were quickly pencilled out and conductor Michael Hughes then had a quiet run through with the band behind the main stand before they took to the field. "Everything turned out all right", said Mr Hunter, "and the anthem sounded great when the band struck up as the teams were presented."
On the 7th it was announced that Pilkington's had won two big South American orders for architectural glass worth nearly £250,000 (about £4m in today's money). Over 312,000 sq. ft. of clear, toughened and solar controlled glass would be supplied from St Helens for two new office buildings in Santiago in Chile and Lima in Peru. The former was for a new multi-storey United Nations building and the latter was to glaze a new 22-storey HQ for the Peruvian national petroleum company.
The Rev. Gordon Williams received more publicity this week after having another rant in his parish magazine. The outspoken vicar of St Mark's Church in North Road had previously warned his parishioners against Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons knocking on their doors. Some of the bookshops and cinemas in St Helens and its "increasing number of sleazy clubs" had also been criticised. Rev. Williams' critical comments in this month's parish magazine were more mild and concerned brides keeping him waiting in church. He wrote this rebuke:
"Why a bride thinks she should be late at the church, I do not know. It is a thoughtless attitude when there are other weddings to follow. I do not like having to whisper warnings to couples who arrive late, and brides can help to avoid that by being punctual. If a wedding that starts late threatens to delay others, then we might have to shorten the service by cutting out some of the hymns." Rev. Williams also had a go at taxi firms who fell behind with their schedules because they took on more work than they could cope with.
A man appeared in Newton-le-Willows Magistrates Court on the 8th charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by attempting to kill it in an improper manner. The 24-year-old railway shunter had chosen to get rid of his crossbred Jack Russell terrier by blindfolding his dog, binding its mouth, tying its legs together, putting the dog in a plastic bag and then throwing it on to a railway wagon. The man pleaded guilty and was fined £8 and costs of £10.75.
Evening enrolment for courses at St Helens College Of Technology in Water Street (pictured above) began on the 8th and were available over four evenings. Lecturers were on hand during the two-hour sessions to offer advice.
St Julie's School in Eccleston suffered what was described as a very serious fire on the 9th. Two classrooms and a games room were destroyed and the assembly hall, kitchen and toilets were all gutted. Teams of firemen from St Helens and Kirkby fought for six hours before the blaze could be brought under control. The alarm was raised at 3am by Monica Greenall of nearby Richmond Close when awakened by the sound of breaking glass.
Looking out of a window she said she saw flames shooting into the sky and smoke pouring from the centre of the school. Headteacher Sister Bernard Joseph arrived on the scene at 6am and told the Reporter: "When I saw the damage I was stunned. It was just incredible." Father Cyril Higham said he was heartbroken by the blaze, the cause of which had yet to be established.
Anne Brain of Fleet Lane severely injured a hand on the 9th while she was operating a pressing machine at a company called Parrpress – which made components for the car industry. A safety guard on a power press – that was capable of exerting pressure of 100 tons – hadn't closed properly and trapped the 16-year-old's hand.
Dr Francis (Frank) Mooney is remembered for his expertise as consultant pathologist to both St Helens and Providence Hospitals. He was also a music buff and used to play the organ at a St Helens church. Dr Mooney was also the newly appointed musical director to St Helens Catholic Amateur Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
For three nights this week beginning from the 9th, the Society presented 'My Dear Gilbert' at the Theatre Royal. They were the first amateur society in the North to produce the show – the musical story of the life of Gilbert and Sullivan and Richard D’Oyly Carte. The Echo's review said it had been an "entertaining feast for lovers of the Savoy operas".
Six weeks ago a deputation of residents living in the Melrose ward of Kirkdale had presented a petition to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool. It had been signed by 1,837 people and was protesting at proposals to create a permanent gipsy encampment in their midst. Last year St Helens residents had signed a similar petition complaining about plans to establish the town's first dedicated gipsy site – which was also the first in the North West.
This was on land off Dobson's Lane near Sherdley Park and John Henderson – the landlord of the Pig and Whistle in Sherdley Road – had been leading the fight, arguing that the camp should be "put well away from people's homes". However, the travellers' site went ahead and six months earlier it had opened providing accommodation for twelve caravans.
On the 10th the Echo revealed the results of their investigation to find out whether St Helens' residents fears had been justified. The simple answer was that they had not. A council official said the site had "exceeded all expectations" and landlord John Henderson who got 700 names on his petition admitted: "If I went knocking on the same doors to-day, I doubt if I'd get six people to sign."
The Echo profiled Elias Smith and his wife Sophia who lived in one of the dozen caravans. They were not happy with the size of their rent at £3.75 a week. With seven children to feed and clothe, that represented a big chunk of their housekeeping money. Otherwise the Smiths were quite satisfied with their new surroundings and their neighbours had not made a single complaint. Robert Johnson – the landlord of the Sutton Arms where Elias went for his evening pint – told the Echo: "He and his friends are better behaved than some of my customers."
Fears of piles of rubbish accumulating were behind some of the strongest objections to the site. These had all proved to be unfounded but Elias was sympathetic to those who voiced them. "Caravans are no different from houses. If you took the dustbins away from houses you'd soon have a right mess. On a permanent caravan site you've got dustbins and the dustmen make regular visits. But where there is no permanent site you get a mess."
The Echo reporter wrote: "There was not so much as a toffee paper blowing around the 12 caravan bays the day I visited it and the central washing and toilet block was spotless." And Elias added: "There's no reason why we should be dirty any more than anyone else should."
The St Helens Reporter described on the 10th how the Dean of St Helens had walked out of a private film screening at the Capitol after just ten minutes. The Very Rev. Canon Hugh Fitzpatrick had been among a small group invited to preview the German sex education film 'Female Sexuality'. However when a naked couple were seen on screen embracing and simulating the sex act, he tipped up his seat and left.
"It was revolting", the Canon declared. "I'd had enough after 10 minutes. The opening scenes portrayed acts of immorality which will do nothing to help the fight against vice." The Rev. Gordon Williams of St Mark's Church – the vicar who objected to tardy brides – agreed with Canon Fitzpatrick, saying: "The film was blatantly pornographic in parts."
On the 12th a four bay dutch barn at Knowsley Safari Park was badly damaged by fire. No animals were involved in the blaze but about 50 tons of straw was destroyed, despite firemen from Huyton and Whiston fighting for 40 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
Next week's stories will include the Theatre Royal stars who got drunk to drown their sorrows, the many St Helens Christmas Clubs, praise for caring Rainhill Hospital staff and the crowds of Liverpool supporters that blocked the M6 at Haydock.
We begin on the 6th when it was reported that members of the Newton-le-Willows RUFC team who had swallowed turpentine in mistake for water had fully recovered and were back at work. So was the referee Alan Shufflebotham of Sale, who had been temporarily blinded after accidentally pouring turps over his head. The incident had occurred at half-time during the weekend home match between Newton and Old Parkonians of Birkenhead.
After a ten-minute delay, Mr Shufflebotham felt able to referee the game and the players who swallowed the turpentine were given emetics to make them sick. They also chose to resume the match rather than abandon it but later received further medical treatment. A club spokesman stated that it was a mystery how turpentine had got into unlabelled bottles, which had been carried on to the field in the belief they contained water.
After comprehensively beating the touring Australian rugby league side last year, Saints took on New Zealand during the evening of the 6th. The Knowsley Road team beat the tourists 18 - 8, through tries by Les Jones, Frank Wilson, Eric Chisnall and Jeff Heaton. The Edge Hill British Rail Band had been booked to play before the start of the match – but received a shock when their trombone player learnt that New Zealand now had its own national anthem that the band did not know.
Band secretary Joseph Hunter said: "It gave us a jolt, because we did not want to disappoint the visitors." Some musical scores were quickly pencilled out and conductor Michael Hughes then had a quiet run through with the band behind the main stand before they took to the field. "Everything turned out all right", said Mr Hunter, "and the anthem sounded great when the band struck up as the teams were presented."
On the 7th it was announced that Pilkington's had won two big South American orders for architectural glass worth nearly £250,000 (about £4m in today's money). Over 312,000 sq. ft. of clear, toughened and solar controlled glass would be supplied from St Helens for two new office buildings in Santiago in Chile and Lima in Peru. The former was for a new multi-storey United Nations building and the latter was to glaze a new 22-storey HQ for the Peruvian national petroleum company.
The Rev. Gordon Williams received more publicity this week after having another rant in his parish magazine. The outspoken vicar of St Mark's Church in North Road had previously warned his parishioners against Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons knocking on their doors. Some of the bookshops and cinemas in St Helens and its "increasing number of sleazy clubs" had also been criticised. Rev. Williams' critical comments in this month's parish magazine were more mild and concerned brides keeping him waiting in church. He wrote this rebuke:
"Why a bride thinks she should be late at the church, I do not know. It is a thoughtless attitude when there are other weddings to follow. I do not like having to whisper warnings to couples who arrive late, and brides can help to avoid that by being punctual. If a wedding that starts late threatens to delay others, then we might have to shorten the service by cutting out some of the hymns." Rev. Williams also had a go at taxi firms who fell behind with their schedules because they took on more work than they could cope with.
A man appeared in Newton-le-Willows Magistrates Court on the 8th charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by attempting to kill it in an improper manner. The 24-year-old railway shunter had chosen to get rid of his crossbred Jack Russell terrier by blindfolding his dog, binding its mouth, tying its legs together, putting the dog in a plastic bag and then throwing it on to a railway wagon. The man pleaded guilty and was fined £8 and costs of £10.75.
St Julie's School in Eccleston suffered what was described as a very serious fire on the 9th. Two classrooms and a games room were destroyed and the assembly hall, kitchen and toilets were all gutted. Teams of firemen from St Helens and Kirkby fought for six hours before the blaze could be brought under control. The alarm was raised at 3am by Monica Greenall of nearby Richmond Close when awakened by the sound of breaking glass.
Looking out of a window she said she saw flames shooting into the sky and smoke pouring from the centre of the school. Headteacher Sister Bernard Joseph arrived on the scene at 6am and told the Reporter: "When I saw the damage I was stunned. It was just incredible." Father Cyril Higham said he was heartbroken by the blaze, the cause of which had yet to be established.
Anne Brain of Fleet Lane severely injured a hand on the 9th while she was operating a pressing machine at a company called Parrpress – which made components for the car industry. A safety guard on a power press – that was capable of exerting pressure of 100 tons – hadn't closed properly and trapped the 16-year-old's hand.
Dr Francis (Frank) Mooney is remembered for his expertise as consultant pathologist to both St Helens and Providence Hospitals. He was also a music buff and used to play the organ at a St Helens church. Dr Mooney was also the newly appointed musical director to St Helens Catholic Amateur Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
For three nights this week beginning from the 9th, the Society presented 'My Dear Gilbert' at the Theatre Royal. They were the first amateur society in the North to produce the show – the musical story of the life of Gilbert and Sullivan and Richard D’Oyly Carte. The Echo's review said it had been an "entertaining feast for lovers of the Savoy operas".
Six weeks ago a deputation of residents living in the Melrose ward of Kirkdale had presented a petition to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool. It had been signed by 1,837 people and was protesting at proposals to create a permanent gipsy encampment in their midst. Last year St Helens residents had signed a similar petition complaining about plans to establish the town's first dedicated gipsy site – which was also the first in the North West.
This was on land off Dobson's Lane near Sherdley Park and John Henderson – the landlord of the Pig and Whistle in Sherdley Road – had been leading the fight, arguing that the camp should be "put well away from people's homes". However, the travellers' site went ahead and six months earlier it had opened providing accommodation for twelve caravans.
On the 10th the Echo revealed the results of their investigation to find out whether St Helens' residents fears had been justified. The simple answer was that they had not. A council official said the site had "exceeded all expectations" and landlord John Henderson who got 700 names on his petition admitted: "If I went knocking on the same doors to-day, I doubt if I'd get six people to sign."
The Echo profiled Elias Smith and his wife Sophia who lived in one of the dozen caravans. They were not happy with the size of their rent at £3.75 a week. With seven children to feed and clothe, that represented a big chunk of their housekeeping money. Otherwise the Smiths were quite satisfied with their new surroundings and their neighbours had not made a single complaint. Robert Johnson – the landlord of the Sutton Arms where Elias went for his evening pint – told the Echo: "He and his friends are better behaved than some of my customers."
Fears of piles of rubbish accumulating were behind some of the strongest objections to the site. These had all proved to be unfounded but Elias was sympathetic to those who voiced them. "Caravans are no different from houses. If you took the dustbins away from houses you'd soon have a right mess. On a permanent caravan site you've got dustbins and the dustmen make regular visits. But where there is no permanent site you get a mess."
The Echo reporter wrote: "There was not so much as a toffee paper blowing around the 12 caravan bays the day I visited it and the central washing and toilet block was spotless." And Elias added: "There's no reason why we should be dirty any more than anyone else should."
"It was revolting", the Canon declared. "I'd had enough after 10 minutes. The opening scenes portrayed acts of immorality which will do nothing to help the fight against vice." The Rev. Gordon Williams of St Mark's Church – the vicar who objected to tardy brides – agreed with Canon Fitzpatrick, saying: "The film was blatantly pornographic in parts."
On the 12th a four bay dutch barn at Knowsley Safari Park was badly damaged by fire. No animals were involved in the blaze but about 50 tons of straw was destroyed, despite firemen from Huyton and Whiston fighting for 40 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
Next week's stories will include the Theatre Royal stars who got drunk to drown their sorrows, the many St Helens Christmas Clubs, praise for caring Rainhill Hospital staff and the crowds of Liverpool supporters that blocked the M6 at Haydock.
This week's many stories include the serious St Julie's school blaze in Eccleston, the priest who walked out of a sex film at the Capitol, an investigation into the Dobsons Lane gipsy camp, the vicar of St Mark's criticises tardy brides, Pilks win big South American orders and the band at Knowsley Road that had to quickly learn New Zealand's new national anthem.
We begin on the 6th when it was reported that members of Newton-le-Willows RUFC team who had swallowed turpentine in mistake for water had fully recovered and were back at work.
So was the referee Alan Shufflebotham of Sale, who had been temporarily blinded after accidentally pouring turps over his head.
The incident had occurred at half-time during the weekend home match between Newton and Old Parkonians of Birkenhead.
After a ten-minute delay, Mr Shufflebotham felt able to continue refereeing the game and the players who swallowed the turpentine were given emetics to make them sick.
They also chose to resume the match rather than abandon it but later received further medical treatment.
A club spokesman said it was a mystery how turpentine had got into unlabelled bottles, which had been carried on to the field in the belief they contained water.
After comprehensively beating the touring Australian rugby league side last year, Saints took on New Zealand during the evening of the 6th.
The Knowsley Road team beat the tourists 18 - 8, through tries by Les Jones, Frank Wilson, Eric Chisnall and Jeff Heaton.
The Edge Hill British Rail Band had been booked to play before the start of the match – but received a shock when their trombone player learnt that New Zealand now had its own national anthem that the band did not know.
Band secretary Joseph Hunter said: "It gave us a jolt, because we did not want to disappoint the visitors."
Some musical scores were quickly pencilled out and conductor Michael Hughes then had a quiet run through with the band behind the main stand before they took to the field.
"Everything turned out all right", said Mr Hunter, "and the anthem sounded great when the band struck up as the teams were presented."
On the 7th it was announced that Pilkington's had won two big South American orders for architectural glass worth nearly £250,000 (about £4m in today's money).
Over 312,000 sq. ft. of clear, toughened and solar controlled glass would be supplied from St Helens for two new office buildings in Santiago in Chile and Lima in Peru.
The former was for a new multi-storey United Nations building and the latter was to glaze a new 22-storey HQ for the Peruvian national petroleum company.
The Rev. Gordon Williams received more publicity this week after having another rant in his parish magazine.
The outspoken vicar of St Mark's Church in North Road had previously warned his parishioners against Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons knocking on their doors.
Some of the bookshops and cinemas in St Helens and its "increasing number of sleazy clubs" had also been criticised.
Rev. Williams' critical comments in this month's parish magazine were more mild and concerned brides keeping him waiting in church. He wrote this rebuke:
"Why a bride thinks she should be late at the church, I do not know. It is a thoughtless attitude when there are other weddings to follow. I do not like having to whisper warnings to couples who arrive late, and brides can help to avoid that by being punctual.
"If a wedding that starts late threatens to delay others, then we might have to shorten the service by cutting out some of the hymns."
Rev. Williams also had a go at taxi firms who fell behind with their schedules because they took on more work than they could cope with.
A man appeared in Newton-le-Willows Magistrates Court on the 8th charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by attempting to kill it in an improper manner.
The 24-year-old railway shunter had chosen to get rid of his crossbred Jack Russell terrier by blindfolding his dog, binding its mouth, tying its legs together, putting the dog in a plastic bag and then throwing it on to a railway wagon.
The man pleaded guilty and was fined £8 and costs of £10.75.
Evening enrolment for courses at St Helens College Of Technology in Water Street (pictured above) began on the 8th and were available over four evenings. Lecturers were on hand during the two-hour sessions to offer advice.
St Julie's School in Eccleston suffered what was described as a very serious fire on the 9th. Two classrooms and a games room were destroyed and the assembly hall, kitchen and toilets were all gutted.
Teams of firemen from St Helens and Kirkby fought for six hours before the blaze could be brought under control.
The alarm was raised at 3am by Monica Greenall of nearby Richmond Close when awakened by the sound of breaking glass.
Looking out of a window she said she saw flames shooting into the sky and smoke pouring from the centre of the school.
Headteacher Sister Bernard Joseph arrived on the scene at 6am and told the Reporter: "When I saw the damage I was stunned. It was just incredible."
Father Cyril Higham said he was heartbroken by the blaze, the cause of which had yet to be established.
Anne Brain of Fleet Lane severely injured a hand on the 9th while she was operating a pressing machine at a company called Parrpress – which made components for the car industry.
A safety guard on a power press – that was capable of exerting pressure of 100 tons – hadn't closed properly and trapped the 16-year-old's hand.
Dr Francis (Frank) Mooney is remembered for his expertise as consultant pathologist to both St Helens and Providence Hospitals.
He was also a music buff and used to play the organ at a St Helens church. Dr Mooney was also the newly appointed musical director to St Helens Catholic Amateur Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
For three nights this week beginning from the 9th, the Society presented 'My Dear Gilbert' at the Theatre Royal.
They were the first amateur society in the North to produce the show – the musical story of the life of Gilbert and Sullivan and Richard D’Oyly Carte.
The Echo's review said it had been an "entertaining feast for lovers of the Savoy operas".
Six weeks ago a deputation of residents living in the Melrose ward of Kirkdale had presented a petition to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
It had been signed by 1,837 people and was protesting at proposals to create a permanent gipsy encampment in their midst.
Last year St Helens residents had signed a similar petition complaining about plans to establish the town's first dedicated gipsy site – which was also the first in the North West.
This was on land off Dobson's Lane near Sherdley Park and John Henderson – the landlord of the Pig and Whistle in Sherdley Road – had been leading the fight, arguing that the camp should be "put well away from people's homes".
However, the travellers' site went ahead and six months earlier it had opened providing accommodation for twelve caravans.
On the 10th the Echo revealed the results of their investigation to find out whether St Helens' residents fears had been justified. The simple answer was that they had not.
A council official said the site had "exceeded all expectations" and landlord John Henderson who got 700 names on his petition admitted: "If I went knocking on the same doors to-day, I doubt if I'd get six people to sign."
The Echo profiled Elias Smith and his wife Sophia who lived in one of the dozen caravans.
They were not happy with the size of their rent at £3.75 a week. With seven children to feed and clothe, that represented a big chunk of their housekeeping money.
Otherwise the Smiths were quite satisfied with their new surroundings and their neighbours had not made a single complaint.
Robert Johnson – the landlord of the Sutton Arms where Elias went for his evening pint – told the Echo: "He and his friends are better behaved than some of my customers."
Fears of piles of rubbish accumulating were behind some of the strongest objections to the site.
These had all proved to be unfounded but Elias was sympathetic to those who voiced them.
"Caravans are no different from houses. If you took the dustbins away from houses you'd soon have a right mess.
"On a permanent caravan site you've got dustbins and the dustmen make regular visits. But where there is no permanent site you get a mess."
The Echo reporter wrote: "There was not so much as a toffee paper blowing around the 12 caravan bays the day I visited it and the central washing and toilet block was spotless." And Elias added:
"There's no reason why we should be dirty any more than anyone else should."
The St Helens Reporter described on the 10th how the Dean of St Helens had walked out of a private film screening at the Capitol after just ten minutes.
The Very Rev. Canon Hugh Fitzpatrick had been among a small group invited to preview the German sex education film 'Female Sexuality'.
However when a naked couple were seen on screen embracing and simulating the sex act, he tipped up his seat and left.
"It was revolting", the Canon declared. "I'd had enough after 10 minutes. The opening scenes portrayed acts of immorality which will do nothing to help the fight against vice."
The Rev. Gordon Williams of St Mark's Church – the vicar who objected to tardy brides – agreed with Canon Fitzpatrick, saying: "The film was blatantly pornographic in parts."
On the 12th a four bay dutch barn at Knowsley Safari Park was badly damaged by fire.
No animals were involved in the blaze but about 50 tons of straw was destroyed, despite firemen from Huyton and Whiston fighting for 40 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
Next week's stories will include the Theatre Royal stars who got drunk to drown their sorrows, the many St Helens Christmas Clubs, praise for caring Rainhill Hospital staff and the crowds of Liverpool supporters that blocked the M6 at Haydock.
We begin on the 6th when it was reported that members of Newton-le-Willows RUFC team who had swallowed turpentine in mistake for water had fully recovered and were back at work.
So was the referee Alan Shufflebotham of Sale, who had been temporarily blinded after accidentally pouring turps over his head.
The incident had occurred at half-time during the weekend home match between Newton and Old Parkonians of Birkenhead.
After a ten-minute delay, Mr Shufflebotham felt able to continue refereeing the game and the players who swallowed the turpentine were given emetics to make them sick.
They also chose to resume the match rather than abandon it but later received further medical treatment.
A club spokesman said it was a mystery how turpentine had got into unlabelled bottles, which had been carried on to the field in the belief they contained water.
After comprehensively beating the touring Australian rugby league side last year, Saints took on New Zealand during the evening of the 6th.
The Knowsley Road team beat the tourists 18 - 8, through tries by Les Jones, Frank Wilson, Eric Chisnall and Jeff Heaton.
The Edge Hill British Rail Band had been booked to play before the start of the match – but received a shock when their trombone player learnt that New Zealand now had its own national anthem that the band did not know.
Band secretary Joseph Hunter said: "It gave us a jolt, because we did not want to disappoint the visitors."
Some musical scores were quickly pencilled out and conductor Michael Hughes then had a quiet run through with the band behind the main stand before they took to the field.
"Everything turned out all right", said Mr Hunter, "and the anthem sounded great when the band struck up as the teams were presented."
On the 7th it was announced that Pilkington's had won two big South American orders for architectural glass worth nearly £250,000 (about £4m in today's money).
Over 312,000 sq. ft. of clear, toughened and solar controlled glass would be supplied from St Helens for two new office buildings in Santiago in Chile and Lima in Peru.
The former was for a new multi-storey United Nations building and the latter was to glaze a new 22-storey HQ for the Peruvian national petroleum company.
The Rev. Gordon Williams received more publicity this week after having another rant in his parish magazine.
The outspoken vicar of St Mark's Church in North Road had previously warned his parishioners against Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons knocking on their doors.
Some of the bookshops and cinemas in St Helens and its "increasing number of sleazy clubs" had also been criticised.
Rev. Williams' critical comments in this month's parish magazine were more mild and concerned brides keeping him waiting in church. He wrote this rebuke:
"Why a bride thinks she should be late at the church, I do not know. It is a thoughtless attitude when there are other weddings to follow. I do not like having to whisper warnings to couples who arrive late, and brides can help to avoid that by being punctual.
"If a wedding that starts late threatens to delay others, then we might have to shorten the service by cutting out some of the hymns."
Rev. Williams also had a go at taxi firms who fell behind with their schedules because they took on more work than they could cope with.
A man appeared in Newton-le-Willows Magistrates Court on the 8th charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by attempting to kill it in an improper manner.
The 24-year-old railway shunter had chosen to get rid of his crossbred Jack Russell terrier by blindfolding his dog, binding its mouth, tying its legs together, putting the dog in a plastic bag and then throwing it on to a railway wagon.
The man pleaded guilty and was fined £8 and costs of £10.75.
St Julie's School in Eccleston suffered what was described as a very serious fire on the 9th. Two classrooms and a games room were destroyed and the assembly hall, kitchen and toilets were all gutted.
Teams of firemen from St Helens and Kirkby fought for six hours before the blaze could be brought under control.
The alarm was raised at 3am by Monica Greenall of nearby Richmond Close when awakened by the sound of breaking glass.
Looking out of a window she said she saw flames shooting into the sky and smoke pouring from the centre of the school.
Headteacher Sister Bernard Joseph arrived on the scene at 6am and told the Reporter: "When I saw the damage I was stunned. It was just incredible."
Father Cyril Higham said he was heartbroken by the blaze, the cause of which had yet to be established.
Anne Brain of Fleet Lane severely injured a hand on the 9th while she was operating a pressing machine at a company called Parrpress – which made components for the car industry.
A safety guard on a power press – that was capable of exerting pressure of 100 tons – hadn't closed properly and trapped the 16-year-old's hand.
Dr Francis (Frank) Mooney is remembered for his expertise as consultant pathologist to both St Helens and Providence Hospitals.
He was also a music buff and used to play the organ at a St Helens church. Dr Mooney was also the newly appointed musical director to St Helens Catholic Amateur Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
For three nights this week beginning from the 9th, the Society presented 'My Dear Gilbert' at the Theatre Royal.
They were the first amateur society in the North to produce the show – the musical story of the life of Gilbert and Sullivan and Richard D’Oyly Carte.
The Echo's review said it had been an "entertaining feast for lovers of the Savoy operas".
Six weeks ago a deputation of residents living in the Melrose ward of Kirkdale had presented a petition to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
It had been signed by 1,837 people and was protesting at proposals to create a permanent gipsy encampment in their midst.
Last year St Helens residents had signed a similar petition complaining about plans to establish the town's first dedicated gipsy site – which was also the first in the North West.
This was on land off Dobson's Lane near Sherdley Park and John Henderson – the landlord of the Pig and Whistle in Sherdley Road – had been leading the fight, arguing that the camp should be "put well away from people's homes".
However, the travellers' site went ahead and six months earlier it had opened providing accommodation for twelve caravans.
On the 10th the Echo revealed the results of their investigation to find out whether St Helens' residents fears had been justified. The simple answer was that they had not.
A council official said the site had "exceeded all expectations" and landlord John Henderson who got 700 names on his petition admitted: "If I went knocking on the same doors to-day, I doubt if I'd get six people to sign."
The Echo profiled Elias Smith and his wife Sophia who lived in one of the dozen caravans.
They were not happy with the size of their rent at £3.75 a week. With seven children to feed and clothe, that represented a big chunk of their housekeeping money.
Otherwise the Smiths were quite satisfied with their new surroundings and their neighbours had not made a single complaint.
Robert Johnson – the landlord of the Sutton Arms where Elias went for his evening pint – told the Echo: "He and his friends are better behaved than some of my customers."
Fears of piles of rubbish accumulating were behind some of the strongest objections to the site.
These had all proved to be unfounded but Elias was sympathetic to those who voiced them.
"Caravans are no different from houses. If you took the dustbins away from houses you'd soon have a right mess.
"On a permanent caravan site you've got dustbins and the dustmen make regular visits. But where there is no permanent site you get a mess."
The Echo reporter wrote: "There was not so much as a toffee paper blowing around the 12 caravan bays the day I visited it and the central washing and toilet block was spotless." And Elias added:
"There's no reason why we should be dirty any more than anyone else should."
The Very Rev. Canon Hugh Fitzpatrick had been among a small group invited to preview the German sex education film 'Female Sexuality'.
However when a naked couple were seen on screen embracing and simulating the sex act, he tipped up his seat and left.
"It was revolting", the Canon declared. "I'd had enough after 10 minutes. The opening scenes portrayed acts of immorality which will do nothing to help the fight against vice."
The Rev. Gordon Williams of St Mark's Church – the vicar who objected to tardy brides – agreed with Canon Fitzpatrick, saying: "The film was blatantly pornographic in parts."
On the 12th a four bay dutch barn at Knowsley Safari Park was badly damaged by fire.
No animals were involved in the blaze but about 50 tons of straw was destroyed, despite firemen from Huyton and Whiston fighting for 40 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
Next week's stories will include the Theatre Royal stars who got drunk to drown their sorrows, the many St Helens Christmas Clubs, praise for caring Rainhill Hospital staff and the crowds of Liverpool supporters that blocked the M6 at Haydock.