FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (9th - 15th DECEMBER 1969)
This week's stories include what St Helens' children thought of Father Christmas, rumours that Harold Wilson wants to be the MP for St Helens, plans for an open-air festival of Gospel music with Cliff Richard, St Helens prepares for its biggest Christmas cash spree ever and why the bins weren't being emptied very often in Rainford.
We begin on the 9th when a five-day strike on the troubled housing scheme in Westfield Street was ended. The men had downed tools after two scaffolders on the site had been sacked. The £800,000 project (around £14m in today's money) had already suffered a fortnight's strike over the use of so-called "lump labour". Grange Valley Youth Club of Haydock held a Christmas Fair on the same day, which included a visit from Father Christmas.
On the 10th transistor radios worth £100 were snatched in an early morning smash-and-grab raid at Reece's shop in Elephant Lane. Later that day shopkeeper Alice Holden was robbed of £200 Christmas takings. Alice had put down her handbag containing the money while she locked up her shop in Pigot Street. Suddenly a man who was walking past grabbed the bag and ran off.
The St Helens Reporter's main story on the 12th was that Harold Wilson was considering standing in the next General Election in the safe Labour seat of St Helens. Currently he was the MP for Huyton and the St Helens MP was Leslie Spriggs, who had a 19,000 majority in the 1966 election. Spriggs had had periods of illness in recent years and the Liberal party had made gains in council elections in Wilson's constituency, potentially endangering his seat. So these two factors were giving the rumours credence but the prime minister's agent had denied the story. For five years from 1945 Mr Wilson had been the MP for Ormskirk, which then had Rainford as part of its constituency.
"Space Age Kiddies Still Love Santa", was the headline to an article in the Reporter in which the paper interviewed a dozen children about Father Christmas. Six-year-old Helen Fairhurst planned to have a glass of her father's wine ready for Santa when he arrived at her house in Chapel Street. "I think I'll get a couple of mince tarts for him as well, then he won't get drunk," she said before asking the Reporter man: "You don't think he will get too drunk with my dad's wine do you? I wouldn’t like the police to get him."
Six-year-old Hazel Robinson of New Cross Street was worried about the practicalities of Santa's entrance to her home via the chimney: "I know he's fat because I've seen him. It will be a tight squeeze for him. He comes every single year and fills my pillow case with lovely toys and presents, so I like him." And seven-year-old Timothy Ashburn from Sandringham Drive in Sutton highlighted the religious aspect of the season: "Christmas Day is very important. It’s Jesus's birthday, you know. We shouldn't forget Jesus at Christmas."
A Mrs B. Butler won a turkey as the Reporter's Prize Letter writer for her criticism of plans to roll out new BBC local radio stations. Her line about the "excellent local press" as well as regional TV already providing adequate local news might well have been the clincher!
Pictured in the paper were twenty-six pensioners at The Sutton Arms enjoying their Christmas treat. As well as eating a festive meal, the OAPs were each given £5 and watched a concert party called 'The Nookers'. A football match was one of the many functions that the landlord Bob Johnson and his customers at the Elephant Lane pub had organised to pay for the treat.
There was another Christmas shopping feature in the Reporter with Burgess Brothers of East Street advertising their "Wonderful World of Christmas". They were promoting on an odd mix of toys and gifts for the gardener, with the latter including rose trees, shrubs and garden tools.
Harold Stott of Westfield Street wrote: "Come and hear the fabulous miniature electronic organ as advertised on television by Rolf Harris for £8. 19. 6." The ex-service manager at Rothery Radio was clearly referring to the Stylophone but didn't mention the name. It was, of course, the era of the cassette recorder so Harold had a wide range for sale from Sanyo, Sony, Ferguson and Philips from £20.
The Great Army & Navy Stores at 30 Bridge Street claimed to have the finest stock of parkas in the north. "There is only one Great Army & Navy Stores and this is it!", their ad proudly stated. Bill Lewis Sports of Baldwin Street was advertising Subbuteo Table Soccer – "the replica of association football" from 32/6. Helena House said: "Bring the children to ride on the enchanting Mermaid's Chariot – to visit Santa Claus in his Grotto in the basement – then see the unrivalled selection of toys in the Toy Fair, first floor."
Go Gay at 26 Westfield Street was advertising their cards and gifts and Spaven & Son of 3 Barrow Street ("the men for the best Scotch fish") were selling fresh local turkeys. In recent years Kamera ran the camera shop at 6 - 8 Cotham Street but in 1969 it was F. George Laughton (Kamera were then in Bickerstaffe Street). Laughton's were promoting the 'Polaroid Instant Camera Gift Set' for £8 19/6. There was also an opportunity to Meet Miss Polaroid on the 12th and 13th and have your picture taken free.
The Reporter also wrote that an open-air festival of Gospel music that had been planned for next June in St Helens was likely to be postponed. That was because Cliff Richard was unavailable during that month and the organisers desperately wanted him to sing at the event. Several of the town's churches had planned the festival after seeing TV reports on the open-air pop festivals in London and the Isle of Wight.
Rev. Lane, the Vicar of St Luke's, told the Reporter that they wanted Cliff as he would likely draw a big crowd: "Cliff Richard would certainly draw hundreds of young people. We thought that if pop festivals could be given, efforts should be made to do something in a similar fashion to bring Christianity to young people."
The paper also reported on a recent Health Committee meeting of Rainford Council when Councillor Ron Jones criticised the frequency of bin collections in the village. He said the time lapse between collections in Rainford had become a matter of "grave concern" to residents. Cllr. Jones claimed that the bins had only been emptied twice during the past month. However County Councillor Sarah Heyes blamed the weather, saying: "A dustman does not have the most popular of jobs, and when the weather has been wet they cannot work as well. Consequently the whole process is slowed up."
These days the Christmas holidays are a time for reduced rail services as engineering work is carried out. It was not like that in 1969 with the Reporter stating that British Rail's London Midland Region would be running an extra 236 main-line trains over the festive period. There would be no trains on Christmas Day, however. Although normal or Sunday services would run on Merseyside on all the other days with extra trains running from Liverpool to London.
"St. Helens is preparing for its biggest Christmas cash spree ever", was another story in the Reporter. They wrote that depositors at the three branches of the Trustee Savings Bank in the town centre, Sutton and Parr had withdrawn £1¼ million since the beginning of December (around £20m in today's money). This was 10% more than last year but could partly be explained by price increases, with inflation in 1969 running at just over 5%.
Sutton Manor Colliery in Jubits Lane announced this week that they had broken their productivity record. Last week's coal output of 53 cwt per man shift was one of the highest in the North West and about 9 cwt higher than the national average. The colliery employed 920 men and was hoping to reach even higher productivity figures when a new coalface was opened.
There was a special Folk Night at the Theatre Royal on the 12th with the St Helens Morris Men, Jackie and Bridie, champion clog dancer Norman Robinson, the Mersey and Deeside District Dancers and the Liverpool Players all performing. During the same evening Frank Carson was at Moss Bank United Services Club in Bowness Avenue in Carr Mill. The Northern Irish comic had already won 'Opportunity Knocks' but it would not be until 'The Comedians' began in June 1971 that he would become a household name.
New houses on Gartons Lane were advertised in the Liverpool Echo on the 12th. The three bedroom semi-detached dormer bungalows could be bought for £3,750, with £100 worth of furniture thrown in if contracts were signed within two months. The Echo also reported on the 13th that Rainford Council was to ask the National Coal Board to ensure all disused colliery shafts within the district were filled in and made safe.
The Ronettes ("direct from America") performed at the Plaza Theatre Club on the 13th with Billy Fury singing in Duke Street on two nights from the 15th. Billy (real name Ronald Wycherley) had not had a hit since 1966 despite releasing nine singles in the last three years. And finally the 1951 film 'Quo Vadis' starring Robert Taylor was screened at the Capitol from the 15th for a three-day run.
Next week's stories will include the Sutton Manor pitmen with "bombs" in their grates, the seas of mud in Haydock, a new policy for smoking on one-man buses, the move to a pedestrian-only town centre and the heating of the planned Beth Avenue estate in Sutton.
We begin on the 9th when a five-day strike on the troubled housing scheme in Westfield Street was ended. The men had downed tools after two scaffolders on the site had been sacked. The £800,000 project (around £14m in today's money) had already suffered a fortnight's strike over the use of so-called "lump labour". Grange Valley Youth Club of Haydock held a Christmas Fair on the same day, which included a visit from Father Christmas.
On the 10th transistor radios worth £100 were snatched in an early morning smash-and-grab raid at Reece's shop in Elephant Lane. Later that day shopkeeper Alice Holden was robbed of £200 Christmas takings. Alice had put down her handbag containing the money while she locked up her shop in Pigot Street. Suddenly a man who was walking past grabbed the bag and ran off.
Leslie Springs MP for St Helens from 1958 to 1983 and prime minister Harold Wilson, MP for Huyton
St Helens MP Leslie Springs and prime minister Harold Wilson, MP for Huyton
MPs Leslie Springs and Harold Wilson
"Space Age Kiddies Still Love Santa", was the headline to an article in the Reporter in which the paper interviewed a dozen children about Father Christmas. Six-year-old Helen Fairhurst planned to have a glass of her father's wine ready for Santa when he arrived at her house in Chapel Street. "I think I'll get a couple of mince tarts for him as well, then he won't get drunk," she said before asking the Reporter man: "You don't think he will get too drunk with my dad's wine do you? I wouldn’t like the police to get him."
Six-year-old Hazel Robinson of New Cross Street was worried about the practicalities of Santa's entrance to her home via the chimney: "I know he's fat because I've seen him. It will be a tight squeeze for him. He comes every single year and fills my pillow case with lovely toys and presents, so I like him." And seven-year-old Timothy Ashburn from Sandringham Drive in Sutton highlighted the religious aspect of the season: "Christmas Day is very important. It’s Jesus's birthday, you know. We shouldn't forget Jesus at Christmas."
A Mrs B. Butler won a turkey as the Reporter's Prize Letter writer for her criticism of plans to roll out new BBC local radio stations. Her line about the "excellent local press" as well as regional TV already providing adequate local news might well have been the clincher!
Pictured in the paper were twenty-six pensioners at The Sutton Arms enjoying their Christmas treat. As well as eating a festive meal, the OAPs were each given £5 and watched a concert party called 'The Nookers'. A football match was one of the many functions that the landlord Bob Johnson and his customers at the Elephant Lane pub had organised to pay for the treat.
There was another Christmas shopping feature in the Reporter with Burgess Brothers of East Street advertising their "Wonderful World of Christmas". They were promoting on an odd mix of toys and gifts for the gardener, with the latter including rose trees, shrubs and garden tools.
Harold Stott of Westfield Street wrote: "Come and hear the fabulous miniature electronic organ as advertised on television by Rolf Harris for £8. 19. 6." The ex-service manager at Rothery Radio was clearly referring to the Stylophone but didn't mention the name. It was, of course, the era of the cassette recorder so Harold had a wide range for sale from Sanyo, Sony, Ferguson and Philips from £20.
The Great Army & Navy Stores at 30 Bridge Street claimed to have the finest stock of parkas in the north. "There is only one Great Army & Navy Stores and this is it!", their ad proudly stated. Bill Lewis Sports of Baldwin Street was advertising Subbuteo Table Soccer – "the replica of association football" from 32/6. Helena House said: "Bring the children to ride on the enchanting Mermaid's Chariot – to visit Santa Claus in his Grotto in the basement – then see the unrivalled selection of toys in the Toy Fair, first floor."
Go Gay at 26 Westfield Street was advertising their cards and gifts and Spaven & Son of 3 Barrow Street ("the men for the best Scotch fish") were selling fresh local turkeys. In recent years Kamera ran the camera shop at 6 - 8 Cotham Street but in 1969 it was F. George Laughton (Kamera were then in Bickerstaffe Street). Laughton's were promoting the 'Polaroid Instant Camera Gift Set' for £8 19/6. There was also an opportunity to Meet Miss Polaroid on the 12th and 13th and have your picture taken free.
The Reporter also wrote that an open-air festival of Gospel music that had been planned for next June in St Helens was likely to be postponed. That was because Cliff Richard was unavailable during that month and the organisers desperately wanted him to sing at the event. Several of the town's churches had planned the festival after seeing TV reports on the open-air pop festivals in London and the Isle of Wight.
Rev. Lane, the Vicar of St Luke's, told the Reporter that they wanted Cliff as he would likely draw a big crowd: "Cliff Richard would certainly draw hundreds of young people. We thought that if pop festivals could be given, efforts should be made to do something in a similar fashion to bring Christianity to young people."
The paper also reported on a recent Health Committee meeting of Rainford Council when Councillor Ron Jones criticised the frequency of bin collections in the village. He said the time lapse between collections in Rainford had become a matter of "grave concern" to residents. Cllr. Jones claimed that the bins had only been emptied twice during the past month. However County Councillor Sarah Heyes blamed the weather, saying: "A dustman does not have the most popular of jobs, and when the weather has been wet they cannot work as well. Consequently the whole process is slowed up."
These days the Christmas holidays are a time for reduced rail services as engineering work is carried out. It was not like that in 1969 with the Reporter stating that British Rail's London Midland Region would be running an extra 236 main-line trains over the festive period. There would be no trains on Christmas Day, however. Although normal or Sunday services would run on Merseyside on all the other days with extra trains running from Liverpool to London.
"St. Helens is preparing for its biggest Christmas cash spree ever", was another story in the Reporter. They wrote that depositors at the three branches of the Trustee Savings Bank in the town centre, Sutton and Parr had withdrawn £1¼ million since the beginning of December (around £20m in today's money). This was 10% more than last year but could partly be explained by price increases, with inflation in 1969 running at just over 5%.
There was a special Folk Night at the Theatre Royal on the 12th with the St Helens Morris Men, Jackie and Bridie, champion clog dancer Norman Robinson, the Mersey and Deeside District Dancers and the Liverpool Players all performing. During the same evening Frank Carson was at Moss Bank United Services Club in Bowness Avenue in Carr Mill. The Northern Irish comic had already won 'Opportunity Knocks' but it would not be until 'The Comedians' began in June 1971 that he would become a household name.
New houses on Gartons Lane were advertised in the Liverpool Echo on the 12th. The three bedroom semi-detached dormer bungalows could be bought for £3,750, with £100 worth of furniture thrown in if contracts were signed within two months. The Echo also reported on the 13th that Rainford Council was to ask the National Coal Board to ensure all disused colliery shafts within the district were filled in and made safe.
The Ronettes ("direct from America") performed at the Plaza Theatre Club on the 13th with Billy Fury singing in Duke Street on two nights from the 15th. Billy (real name Ronald Wycherley) had not had a hit since 1966 despite releasing nine singles in the last three years. And finally the 1951 film 'Quo Vadis' starring Robert Taylor was screened at the Capitol from the 15th for a three-day run.
Next week's stories will include the Sutton Manor pitmen with "bombs" in their grates, the seas of mud in Haydock, a new policy for smoking on one-man buses, the move to a pedestrian-only town centre and the heating of the planned Beth Avenue estate in Sutton.