FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (8th - 14th MARCH 1971)
This week's many stories include the welcome end of the postal strike, the St Helens origins of "A Mon Like Thee", the continuing storm over the closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital and the job opportunities at Knowsley Safari Park and Rainhill Hospital.
The week began with the good news that the 7-week long postal strike was finally at an end. Union members nationwide had voted to return to work and accept an independent inquiry into their pay claim. All of the St Helens posties and 60 telephone operators returned to work on the 8th at 9am. However a spokesman said it would take two or three days before the main post office in St Helens – which was then at the top of St Mary Street (off Church Street and pictured above) – could be opened to the public. That was because decimalisation had taken place during the strike and some members of the counter staff had yet to receive training in the new currency.
It was business as usual at Prescot, however, where what the Liverpool Echo described as a "fair amount of mail" that had arrived from Liverpool had been delivered. The price of stamps had also risen during the dispute, which for the next few days would only be available to purchase from sub-post offices in St Helens. It would not be until 1989 before supermarkets and other retailers would be allowed to sell stamps.
First-class letters in 1971 now cost 3p and second-class 2½p – compare that to the 2021 prices of 85p and 66p, respectively! However you could mix old and new money stamps – so if you still had an old 5d stamp you could buy a new 1p stamp to cover the first-class charge. It was estimated that with all the disruption of the past two months that it might take a further month to get the postal service completely back to normal.
The so-called "fight of the century" between Cassius Clay and Joe Frazier took place in Madison Square Gardens in New York at 4am our time on the morning of the 9th. The much-hyped bout was not shown live on television or on radio and St Helens boxing fans had to travel to Liverpool to watch "Smokin’ Joe" win on points. The Odeon and Gaumont cinemas sold tickets costing 2 guineas and 6 guineas for the live "closed circuit" presentation courtesy of the Telstar satellite – although I expect the quality was much inferior to what we are used to today.
On the 9th Adam Walewski was awarded damages of £500 at Manchester Assizes after being injured in a fall at Bold Colliery. Mr Walewski was described as a "chargehand ripper" and in November 1968 while helping to carry a section of arched girder had tripped and fallen over another girder left lying on the ground.
On the same day father-of-five John Topping fell 75 feet to his death at Fiddlers Ferry Power Station. The 45-year-old off dropped off scaffolding while he was engaged in constructing a new boiler house.
Last month Lord Derby had announced details of what was being called the "biggest safari park outside of Africa" – which was scheduled to open on July 1st and cover 360 acres of his land. The 18th earl was partnering with Jimmy Chipperfield of the famous circus family to develop the wild animal scheme. Visitors (like the animals) needed feeding and a restaurant seating 500 people was going to be built.
This week there was an advert in the Echo for three catering managers for its "large self service restaurant, kiosks and buffets". Interestingly the name was then given as Prescot Safari Park, within Knowsley Park. Last year the proposed wildlife scheme was being called "Knowsley Zoo". I suspect at some time someone had a "Eureka moment" and excitedly said: "I know, let's call it Knowsley Safari Park"!
On the 12th the Liverpool Echo wrote: "A St. Helens man is looking forward to Monday, when a famous ship with an enviable wartime record steams into the Mersey for a three-week visit – almost unnoticed. Alcombe Steer, of Walmsley Road, Eccleston, spent four years of his war service in the Royal Navy aboard the ship, H.M.S. Glengyle. She came under fire countless times, and won many battle honours and survived almost without a scratch. She became known throughout the east Mediterranean as a lucky ship."
Alcombe was then the area manager for Rothery Radio and deserved to have been lucky in life – as his late father Percy had not had much in his. When in 1920 the rising star of St Helens police had been promoted to the rank of detective inspector, the St Helens Reporter had described the 28-year-old as a "typical specimen of the modern police officer who has been trained on the lines that in the fight with present day crooks, keen wits and intelligence count for more than brawn and bluff." However DI Steer's promising career was cut short while on holiday in London when he accidentally fell out a boarding house window. Percy suffered a fractured skull and spinal injuries and had to be invalided out of the force.
A special feature on careers and nursing was published in the Cheshire Observer on the 12th in which Rainhill Hospital was featured predominantly. After discussing general nursing – which was described as a "comparatively well-paid job which provides plenty of good opportunities" – the article said:
"A very different yet equally rewarding kind of nursing is psychiatric nursing, the caring of the mentally ill. At Rainhill Hospital, near Liverpool, the largest hospital of any kind in the country, you can become a nursing assistant without any qualifications, as long as you are well balanced and reasonably intelligent, with a stable personality." A separate advert for the hospital – which then cared for 2,300 patients – had unqualified nursing assistants being paid £780 per annum at 21 years and over, rising by annual increments to £945 p.a.
For some months there had been furious criticism of the planned closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital. Members of St Helens Health Committee had been particularly vociferous in their comments, with Alderman Margaret Shard saying: "I think it is a scandal that we should allow it to slip through our fingers like this." The Rev. Gordon Williams – the vicar of St Mark's in North Road – had asked his parishioners to campaign against the decision, saying: "If you do not raise a bleat soon, it may be too late."
On the 13th the Liverpool Echo wrote of hopes for an antenatal clinic to be created from the debacle of the shutdown: "Following strong protests about the closure of the town's only maternity hospital, St. Helens Medical Officer, Dr. Julian Baines, is to have talks with officials of the Liverpool Regional Hospital Board concerning the possibility of setting up an ante-natal clinic at St. Helens. Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital is scheduled to close when the new maternity unit now being built at Whiston Hospital is opened. As a result, expectant mothers will have to travel six miles to Whiston for ante-natal treatment.
"St. Helens has protested at every level. The town's M.P., Mr. Leslie Spriggs, raised the matter in Parliament but the closure of Cowley Hill now seems inevitable. Out of the disappointment, St. Helens is hoping at least to salvage an ante-natal clinic. Dr. Baines said: “The Health Committee is to continue the fight for an ante-natal clinic. If we do not get one, expectant mothers will have to travel at least six miles to Whiston, and for many of them it will involve having to catch three buses. We will have to sound out the views of consultants about the possibility of establishing a clinic in St. Helens. It would not cost a great deal to make suitable premises available.”"
The Echo also described how Edmund Hill of Clarkes Crescent in Eccleston had tuned into the Radio 2 show 'Folk on Friday' and heard a song that he recognised. It was the Oldham Tinkers (pictured above) singing "A Mon Like Thee", which Mr Hill's father had written before the outbreak of WW1. The band was appealing for information about the origin of the song after hearing some pensioners singing it in an Oldham pub.
Mr Hill told the Echo: "My father, who was also named Edmund, and died 30 years ago, was well known in St. Helens as a composer of Lancashire dialect poems and songs. But he could never be persuaded to have them published. It seems my father's mates in the trenches brought the song back to this country after the First World War."
Seven other songs written by his father had since been despatched to the record company who had expressed an interest in having them recorded. The chorus to the song (with complete lyrics available online) goes:
"Ee I'm allus glad to see a mon like thee
That's as welcome lad as welcome as can be,
Fotch thi cheer up t’table
Stop as long as th’art able
Fer I'm allus glad to see a mon like thee."
Next week's many stories will include a brave rescue on Eccleston Mere, Lady the Parr mongrel that tore a strip off bogus gasmen, the new Chester Lane estate and why the tanner was making a premature departure from people's pockets.
It was business as usual at Prescot, however, where what the Liverpool Echo described as a "fair amount of mail" that had arrived from Liverpool had been delivered. The price of stamps had also risen during the dispute, which for the next few days would only be available to purchase from sub-post offices in St Helens. It would not be until 1989 before supermarkets and other retailers would be allowed to sell stamps.
First-class letters in 1971 now cost 3p and second-class 2½p – compare that to the 2021 prices of 85p and 66p, respectively! However you could mix old and new money stamps – so if you still had an old 5d stamp you could buy a new 1p stamp to cover the first-class charge. It was estimated that with all the disruption of the past two months that it might take a further month to get the postal service completely back to normal.
The so-called "fight of the century" between Cassius Clay and Joe Frazier took place in Madison Square Gardens in New York at 4am our time on the morning of the 9th. The much-hyped bout was not shown live on television or on radio and St Helens boxing fans had to travel to Liverpool to watch "Smokin’ Joe" win on points. The Odeon and Gaumont cinemas sold tickets costing 2 guineas and 6 guineas for the live "closed circuit" presentation courtesy of the Telstar satellite – although I expect the quality was much inferior to what we are used to today.
On the 9th Adam Walewski was awarded damages of £500 at Manchester Assizes after being injured in a fall at Bold Colliery. Mr Walewski was described as a "chargehand ripper" and in November 1968 while helping to carry a section of arched girder had tripped and fallen over another girder left lying on the ground.
On the same day father-of-five John Topping fell 75 feet to his death at Fiddlers Ferry Power Station. The 45-year-old off dropped off scaffolding while he was engaged in constructing a new boiler house.
Last month Lord Derby had announced details of what was being called the "biggest safari park outside of Africa" – which was scheduled to open on July 1st and cover 360 acres of his land. The 18th earl was partnering with Jimmy Chipperfield of the famous circus family to develop the wild animal scheme. Visitors (like the animals) needed feeding and a restaurant seating 500 people was going to be built.
This week there was an advert in the Echo for three catering managers for its "large self service restaurant, kiosks and buffets". Interestingly the name was then given as Prescot Safari Park, within Knowsley Park. Last year the proposed wildlife scheme was being called "Knowsley Zoo". I suspect at some time someone had a "Eureka moment" and excitedly said: "I know, let's call it Knowsley Safari Park"!
On the 12th the Liverpool Echo wrote: "A St. Helens man is looking forward to Monday, when a famous ship with an enviable wartime record steams into the Mersey for a three-week visit – almost unnoticed. Alcombe Steer, of Walmsley Road, Eccleston, spent four years of his war service in the Royal Navy aboard the ship, H.M.S. Glengyle. She came under fire countless times, and won many battle honours and survived almost without a scratch. She became known throughout the east Mediterranean as a lucky ship."
Alcombe was then the area manager for Rothery Radio and deserved to have been lucky in life – as his late father Percy had not had much in his. When in 1920 the rising star of St Helens police had been promoted to the rank of detective inspector, the St Helens Reporter had described the 28-year-old as a "typical specimen of the modern police officer who has been trained on the lines that in the fight with present day crooks, keen wits and intelligence count for more than brawn and bluff." However DI Steer's promising career was cut short while on holiday in London when he accidentally fell out a boarding house window. Percy suffered a fractured skull and spinal injuries and had to be invalided out of the force.
A special feature on careers and nursing was published in the Cheshire Observer on the 12th in which Rainhill Hospital was featured predominantly. After discussing general nursing – which was described as a "comparatively well-paid job which provides plenty of good opportunities" – the article said:
"A very different yet equally rewarding kind of nursing is psychiatric nursing, the caring of the mentally ill. At Rainhill Hospital, near Liverpool, the largest hospital of any kind in the country, you can become a nursing assistant without any qualifications, as long as you are well balanced and reasonably intelligent, with a stable personality." A separate advert for the hospital – which then cared for 2,300 patients – had unqualified nursing assistants being paid £780 per annum at 21 years and over, rising by annual increments to £945 p.a.
For some months there had been furious criticism of the planned closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital. Members of St Helens Health Committee had been particularly vociferous in their comments, with Alderman Margaret Shard saying: "I think it is a scandal that we should allow it to slip through our fingers like this." The Rev. Gordon Williams – the vicar of St Mark's in North Road – had asked his parishioners to campaign against the decision, saying: "If you do not raise a bleat soon, it may be too late."
On the 13th the Liverpool Echo wrote of hopes for an antenatal clinic to be created from the debacle of the shutdown: "Following strong protests about the closure of the town's only maternity hospital, St. Helens Medical Officer, Dr. Julian Baines, is to have talks with officials of the Liverpool Regional Hospital Board concerning the possibility of setting up an ante-natal clinic at St. Helens. Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital is scheduled to close when the new maternity unit now being built at Whiston Hospital is opened. As a result, expectant mothers will have to travel six miles to Whiston for ante-natal treatment.
"St. Helens has protested at every level. The town's M.P., Mr. Leslie Spriggs, raised the matter in Parliament but the closure of Cowley Hill now seems inevitable. Out of the disappointment, St. Helens is hoping at least to salvage an ante-natal clinic. Dr. Baines said: “The Health Committee is to continue the fight for an ante-natal clinic. If we do not get one, expectant mothers will have to travel at least six miles to Whiston, and for many of them it will involve having to catch three buses. We will have to sound out the views of consultants about the possibility of establishing a clinic in St. Helens. It would not cost a great deal to make suitable premises available.”"
Mr Hill told the Echo: "My father, who was also named Edmund, and died 30 years ago, was well known in St. Helens as a composer of Lancashire dialect poems and songs. But he could never be persuaded to have them published. It seems my father's mates in the trenches brought the song back to this country after the First World War."
Seven other songs written by his father had since been despatched to the record company who had expressed an interest in having them recorded. The chorus to the song (with complete lyrics available online) goes:
"Ee I'm allus glad to see a mon like thee
That's as welcome lad as welcome as can be,
Fotch thi cheer up t’table
Stop as long as th’art able
Fer I'm allus glad to see a mon like thee."
Next week's many stories will include a brave rescue on Eccleston Mere, Lady the Parr mongrel that tore a strip off bogus gasmen, the new Chester Lane estate and why the tanner was making a premature departure from people's pockets.
This week's many stories include the welcome end of the postal strike, the St Helens origins of "A Mon Like Thee", the continuing storm over the closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital and the job opportunities at Knowsley Safari Park and Rainhill Hospital.
The week began with the good news that the 7-week long postal strike was finally at an end.
Union members nationwide had voted to return to work and accept an independent inquiry into their pay claim.
All of the St Helens posties and 60 telephone operators returned to work on the 8th at 9am.
However a spokesman said it would take two or three days before the main post office in St Helens – which was then at the top of St Mary Street (off Church Street and pictured above) – could be opened to the public.
That was because decimalisation had taken place during the strike and some members of the counter staff had yet to receive training in the new currency.
It was business as usual at Prescot, however, where what the Liverpool Echo described as a "fair amount of mail" that had arrived from Liverpool had been delivered.
The price of stamps had also risen during the dispute, which for the next few days would only be available to purchase from sub-post offices in St Helens.
It would not be until 1989 before supermarkets and other retailers would be allowed to sell stamps.
First-class letters in 1971 now cost 3p and second-class 2½p – compare that to the 2021 prices of 85p and 66p, respectively!
However you could mix old and new money stamps – so if you still had an old 5d stamp you could buy a new 1p stamp to cover the first-class charge.
It was estimated that with all the disruption of the past two months that it might take a further month to get the postal service completely back to normal.
The so-called "fight of the century" between Cassius Clay and Joe Frazier took place in Madison Square Gardens in New York at 4am our time on the morning of the 9th.
The much-hyped bout was not shown live on television or on radio and St Helens boxing fans had to travel to Liverpool to watch "Smokin’ Joe" win on points.
The Odeon and Gaumont cinemas sold tickets costing 2 guineas and 6 guineas for the live "closed circuit" presentation courtesy of the Telstar satellite – although I expect the quality was much inferior to what we are used to today.
On the 9th Adam Walewski was awarded damages of £500 at Manchester Assizes after being injured in a fall at Bold Colliery.
Mr Walewski was described as a "chargehand ripper" and in November 1968 while helping to carry a section of arched girder had tripped and fallen over another girder left lying on the ground.
On the same day father-of-five John Topping fell 75 feet to his death at Fiddlers Ferry Power Station.
The 45-year-old off dropped off scaffolding while he was engaged in constructing a new boiler house.
Last month Lord Derby had announced details of what was being called the "biggest safari park outside of Africa" – which was scheduled to open on July 1st and cover 360 acres of his land.
The 18th earl was partnering with Jimmy Chipperfield of the famous circus family to develop the wild animal scheme.
Visitors (like the animals) needed feeding and a restaurant seating 500 people was going to be built.
This week there was an advert in the Echo for three catering managers for its "large self service restaurant, kiosks and buffets".
Interestingly the name was then given as Prescot Safari Park, within Knowsley Park.
Last year the proposed wildlife scheme was being called "Knowsley Zoo". I suspect at some time someone had a "Eureka moment" and excitedly said: "I know, let's call it Knowsley Safari Park"!
On the 12th the Liverpool Echo wrote: "A St. Helens man is looking forward to Monday, when a famous ship with an enviable wartime record steams into the Mersey for a three-week visit – almost unnoticed.
"Alcombe Steer, of Walmsley Road, Eccleston, spent four years of his war service in the Royal Navy aboard the ship, H.M.S. Glengyle.
"She came under fire countless times, and won many battle honours and survived almost without a scratch. She became known throughout the east Mediterranean as a lucky ship."
Alcombe was then the area manager for Rothery Radio and deserved to have been lucky in life – as his late father Percy had not had much in his.
When in 1920 the rising star of St Helens police had been promoted to the rank of detective inspector, the St Helens Reporter had described the 28-year-old as a "typical specimen of the modern police officer who has been trained on the lines that in the fight with present day crooks, keen wits and intelligence count for more than brawn and bluff."
However DI Steer's promising career was cut short while on holiday in London when he accidentally fell out a boarding house window.
Percy suffered a fractured skull and spinal injuries and had to be invalided out of the force.
A special feature on careers and nursing was published in the Cheshire Observer on the 12th in which Rainhill Hospital was featured predominantly.
After discussing general nursing – which was described as a "comparatively well-paid job which provides plenty of good opportunities" – the article said:
"A very different yet equally rewarding kind of nursing is psychiatric nursing, the caring of the mentally ill.
"At Rainhill Hospital, near Liverpool, the largest hospital of any kind in the country, you can become a nursing assistant without any qualifications, as long as you are well balanced and reasonably intelligent, with a stable personality."
A separate advert for the hospital – which then cared for 2,300 patients – had unqualified nursing assistants being paid £780 per annum at 21 years and over, rising by annual increments to £945 p.a.
For some months there had been furious criticism of the planned closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital.
Members of St Helens Health Committee had been particularly vociferous in their comments, with Alderman Margaret Shard saying:
"I think it is a scandal that we should allow it to slip through our fingers like this."
The Rev. Gordon Williams – the vicar of St Mark's in North Road – had asked his parishioners to campaign against the decision, saying: "If you do not raise a bleat soon, it may be too late."
On the 13th the Liverpool Echo wrote of hopes for an antenatal clinic to be created from the debacle of the shutdown:
"Following strong protests about the closure of the town's only maternity hospital, St. Helens Medical Officer, Dr. Julian Baines, is to have talks with officials of the Liverpool Regional Hospital Board concerning the possibility of setting up an ante-natal clinic at St. Helens.
"Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital is scheduled to close when the new maternity unit now being built at Whiston Hospital is opened. As a result, expectant mothers will have to travel six miles to Whiston for ante-natal treatment.
"St. Helens has protested at every level. The town's M.P., Mr. Leslie Spriggs, raised the matter in Parliament but the closure of Cowley Hill now seems inevitable.
"Out of the disappointment, St. Helens is hoping at least to salvage an ante-natal clinic.
"Dr. Baines said: “The Health Committee is to continue the fight for an ante-natal clinic. If we do not get one, expectant mothers will have to travel at least six miles to Whiston, and for many of them it will involve having to catch three buses.
"“We will have to sound out the views of consultants about the possibility of establishing a clinic in St. Helens. It would not cost a great deal to make suitable premises available.”"
The Echo also described how Edmund Hill of Clarkes Crescent in Eccleston had tuned into the Radio 2 show 'Folk on Friday' and heard a song that he recognised.
It was the Oldham Tinkers (pictured above) singing "A Mon Like Thee", which Mr Hill's father had written before the outbreak of WW1.
The band was appealing for information about the origin of the song after hearing some pensioners singing it in an Oldham pub. Mr Hill told the Echo:
"My father, who was also named Edmund, and died 30 years ago, was well known in St. Helens as a composer of Lancashire dialect poems and songs. But he could never be persuaded to have them published.
"It seems my father's mates in the trenches brought the song back to this country after the First World War."
Seven other songs written by his father had since been despatched to the record company who had expressed an interest in having them recorded.
The chorus to the song (with complete lyrics available online) goes:
"Ee I'm allus glad to see a mon like thee
That's as welcome lad as welcome as can be,
Fotch thi cheer up t’table
Stop as long as th’art able
Fer I'm allus glad to see a mon like thee."
Next week's many stories will include a brave rescue on Eccleston Mere, Lady the Parr mongrel that tore a strip off bogus gasmen, the new Chester Lane estate and why the tanner was making a premature departure from people's pockets.
The week began with the good news that the 7-week long postal strike was finally at an end.
Union members nationwide had voted to return to work and accept an independent inquiry into their pay claim.
All of the St Helens posties and 60 telephone operators returned to work on the 8th at 9am.
That was because decimalisation had taken place during the strike and some members of the counter staff had yet to receive training in the new currency.
It was business as usual at Prescot, however, where what the Liverpool Echo described as a "fair amount of mail" that had arrived from Liverpool had been delivered.
The price of stamps had also risen during the dispute, which for the next few days would only be available to purchase from sub-post offices in St Helens.
It would not be until 1989 before supermarkets and other retailers would be allowed to sell stamps.
First-class letters in 1971 now cost 3p and second-class 2½p – compare that to the 2021 prices of 85p and 66p, respectively!
However you could mix old and new money stamps – so if you still had an old 5d stamp you could buy a new 1p stamp to cover the first-class charge.
It was estimated that with all the disruption of the past two months that it might take a further month to get the postal service completely back to normal.
The so-called "fight of the century" between Cassius Clay and Joe Frazier took place in Madison Square Gardens in New York at 4am our time on the morning of the 9th.
The much-hyped bout was not shown live on television or on radio and St Helens boxing fans had to travel to Liverpool to watch "Smokin’ Joe" win on points.
The Odeon and Gaumont cinemas sold tickets costing 2 guineas and 6 guineas for the live "closed circuit" presentation courtesy of the Telstar satellite – although I expect the quality was much inferior to what we are used to today.
On the 9th Adam Walewski was awarded damages of £500 at Manchester Assizes after being injured in a fall at Bold Colliery.
Mr Walewski was described as a "chargehand ripper" and in November 1968 while helping to carry a section of arched girder had tripped and fallen over another girder left lying on the ground.
On the same day father-of-five John Topping fell 75 feet to his death at Fiddlers Ferry Power Station.
The 45-year-old off dropped off scaffolding while he was engaged in constructing a new boiler house.
Last month Lord Derby had announced details of what was being called the "biggest safari park outside of Africa" – which was scheduled to open on July 1st and cover 360 acres of his land.
The 18th earl was partnering with Jimmy Chipperfield of the famous circus family to develop the wild animal scheme.
Visitors (like the animals) needed feeding and a restaurant seating 500 people was going to be built.
This week there was an advert in the Echo for three catering managers for its "large self service restaurant, kiosks and buffets".
Interestingly the name was then given as Prescot Safari Park, within Knowsley Park.
Last year the proposed wildlife scheme was being called "Knowsley Zoo". I suspect at some time someone had a "Eureka moment" and excitedly said: "I know, let's call it Knowsley Safari Park"!
On the 12th the Liverpool Echo wrote: "A St. Helens man is looking forward to Monday, when a famous ship with an enviable wartime record steams into the Mersey for a three-week visit – almost unnoticed.
"Alcombe Steer, of Walmsley Road, Eccleston, spent four years of his war service in the Royal Navy aboard the ship, H.M.S. Glengyle.
"She came under fire countless times, and won many battle honours and survived almost without a scratch. She became known throughout the east Mediterranean as a lucky ship."
Alcombe was then the area manager for Rothery Radio and deserved to have been lucky in life – as his late father Percy had not had much in his.
When in 1920 the rising star of St Helens police had been promoted to the rank of detective inspector, the St Helens Reporter had described the 28-year-old as a "typical specimen of the modern police officer who has been trained on the lines that in the fight with present day crooks, keen wits and intelligence count for more than brawn and bluff."
However DI Steer's promising career was cut short while on holiday in London when he accidentally fell out a boarding house window.
Percy suffered a fractured skull and spinal injuries and had to be invalided out of the force.
A special feature on careers and nursing was published in the Cheshire Observer on the 12th in which Rainhill Hospital was featured predominantly.
After discussing general nursing – which was described as a "comparatively well-paid job which provides plenty of good opportunities" – the article said:
"A very different yet equally rewarding kind of nursing is psychiatric nursing, the caring of the mentally ill.
"At Rainhill Hospital, near Liverpool, the largest hospital of any kind in the country, you can become a nursing assistant without any qualifications, as long as you are well balanced and reasonably intelligent, with a stable personality."
A separate advert for the hospital – which then cared for 2,300 patients – had unqualified nursing assistants being paid £780 per annum at 21 years and over, rising by annual increments to £945 p.a.
For some months there had been furious criticism of the planned closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital.
Members of St Helens Health Committee had been particularly vociferous in their comments, with Alderman Margaret Shard saying:
"I think it is a scandal that we should allow it to slip through our fingers like this."
The Rev. Gordon Williams – the vicar of St Mark's in North Road – had asked his parishioners to campaign against the decision, saying: "If you do not raise a bleat soon, it may be too late."
On the 13th the Liverpool Echo wrote of hopes for an antenatal clinic to be created from the debacle of the shutdown:
"Following strong protests about the closure of the town's only maternity hospital, St. Helens Medical Officer, Dr. Julian Baines, is to have talks with officials of the Liverpool Regional Hospital Board concerning the possibility of setting up an ante-natal clinic at St. Helens.
"Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital is scheduled to close when the new maternity unit now being built at Whiston Hospital is opened. As a result, expectant mothers will have to travel six miles to Whiston for ante-natal treatment.
"St. Helens has protested at every level. The town's M.P., Mr. Leslie Spriggs, raised the matter in Parliament but the closure of Cowley Hill now seems inevitable.
"Out of the disappointment, St. Helens is hoping at least to salvage an ante-natal clinic.
"Dr. Baines said: “The Health Committee is to continue the fight for an ante-natal clinic. If we do not get one, expectant mothers will have to travel at least six miles to Whiston, and for many of them it will involve having to catch three buses.
"“We will have to sound out the views of consultants about the possibility of establishing a clinic in St. Helens. It would not cost a great deal to make suitable premises available.”"
The Echo also described how Edmund Hill of Clarkes Crescent in Eccleston had tuned into the Radio 2 show 'Folk on Friday' and heard a song that he recognised.
The band was appealing for information about the origin of the song after hearing some pensioners singing it in an Oldham pub. Mr Hill told the Echo:
"My father, who was also named Edmund, and died 30 years ago, was well known in St. Helens as a composer of Lancashire dialect poems and songs. But he could never be persuaded to have them published.
"It seems my father's mates in the trenches brought the song back to this country after the First World War."
Seven other songs written by his father had since been despatched to the record company who had expressed an interest in having them recorded.
The chorus to the song (with complete lyrics available online) goes:
"Ee I'm allus glad to see a mon like thee
That's as welcome lad as welcome as can be,
Fotch thi cheer up t’table
Stop as long as th’art able
Fer I'm allus glad to see a mon like thee."
Next week's many stories will include a brave rescue on Eccleston Mere, Lady the Parr mongrel that tore a strip off bogus gasmen, the new Chester Lane estate and why the tanner was making a premature departure from people's pockets.