FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (15th - 21st MARCH 1971)
This week's 17 stories include a brave rescue on Eccleston Mere, the Parr mongrel called Lady who tore a strip off bogus gasmen, the new Chester Lane estate and why the tanner was making a premature departure from people's pockets.
We begin on the 15th when the Guardian was advertising a number of St Helens school vacancies. Robins Lane Secondary School was recruiting a replacement headmaster for Joseph Woods, who was retiring. Rivington Secondary was looking to appoint a House Master and Cowley Girls needed an "assistant master / mistress" to teach maths.
A sub-post office at Stubshaw Cross in Ashton-in-Makerfield was raided on the 16th. The thieves got away with over £1,000 in cash and postal orders after entering through a rear window. Lou Stirrup and his wife then ran the post office, which they combined with a drapery business.
It was announced on the 17th that the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society was planning to make James Tither from Green End Lane in Sutton a bravery award for saving a child from drowning on Eccleston Mere. In September, James would be presented with a framed certificate from the society and a cheque for £5 for his courageous rescue of five-year-old Graham Simpson from Eccleston. The Society was formed in 1839 and still exists today.
It was reported on the 17th that thieves had broken into Up Holland Grammar School in Winstanley Road in Billinge. However police had a clue as to the age of the culprits, as all they had stolen was crisps and sweets!
During that evening Knowsley Road hosted an international rugby league match as Great Britain took on France and won 24 - 2. There were three Saints' stars playing for Team GB: John Mantle, Cliff Watson and Billy Benyon – with the latter scoring one of the tries.
On the 18th Joseph Bielak was awarded damages of £10,000 at Liverpool Assizes after being injured at Bold Colliery (shown above) in June 1967. The 49-year-old had been operating with a gang of three men who were working in number two tunnel. A compressed air pipe suddenly burst and the bucket of a shovelling machine struck Mr Bielak on the head. It was stated in court that his injuries and the resulting shock had left him suffering from anxiety, a lack of self-confidence and a personality change.
There was more bad news on the jobs front on the 18th when the latest unemployment stats were released. The national total of ¾ million men and women out of work does not sound particularly high to us today – but it was the third highest figure since the war and causing great concern. In St Helens the rate of unemployment had risen by 0.1% to 3.3%.
Also on the 18th the Runcorn Weekly News ran a special feature on Spring weddings in which Wimpey Homes were promoting their new homes in Chester Lane in Sutton Manor, writing: "Do you know that we are building a good selection of semi-detached houses on our new estate at St. Helens. The estate is open daily and at weekends, we can offer a complete mortgage service and there is a mortgage available for you. Come along and see the splendid value Wimpey can offer. Our negotiator Mr. Orford will give you all the information you require. 3 Bedroomed Semi-Detached Houses prices from £4,495; 3 Bedroomed Detached Houses prices from £5,195."
The Trade Descriptions Act of 1968 was beginning to empower consumers and on the 18th Prescot magistrates fined a London firm of travel agents £100 for breaching the Act. The company's travel brochure had claimed that the accommodation offered at an Austrian resort included a lift and a Tyrolean bar. However when a holidaymaker who suffered from arthritis and a bad back had arrived at the hotel she found neither was available.
A mongrel dog called Lady that had battled bogus gasmen in a most un-ladylike way was pictured in the Echo on the 19th with this description of her heroics: "Lady, a two-year-old mongrel under sentence of death, has earned a reprieve and the love of a St. Helens family after saving their mother from would-be intruders. The future looked bleak for the “unwanted hound” until she astonished everyone by attacking two tricksters who tried to force their way into Mrs. Griffiths' home in Brookway Lane, Parr.
"Mother of four, Mrs Vera Griffiths, had been considering having the family pet put to sleep, but after her heroic deed, Lady – shortly expecting her third litter of pups – is getting VIP treatment. Last night, as Lady chewed her way through a piece of best steak, 51-year-old Mrs. Griffiths explained what had happened: “A knock came at the back door and when I answered two well-dressed men asked if my husband was at home. They said they were from the gas board, but I immediately became suspicious as one of them was wearing gloves and was crunching his knuckles.
"“The other man wedged his foot in the door and I became anxious. Lady must have sensed danger and leapt at the man, gripping his hand. Then she jumped at the other man and tore away at his trousers. The first man must have received a nasty gash because as they fled towards the car there was a trail of blood. We had talked about getting her put down, because it is such a nuisance when other dogs pester her. Today I wouldn't part with her for the world.”
"Mrs Griffiths, who also has a 16-year-old pet dog, Tim, found Lady as a pup wandering the streets. As Lady settled down as a permanent member of the Griffiths' household, police at St. Helens were hunting for the two bogus gasmen. Both are said to be in their twenties."
Lord Derby announced on the 19th that the escalating costs for his new safari park – that was scheduled to open at Knowsley in July – meant he was planning to sell off a number of paintings and books. The sale at Christies in a few months would include a work by Van Dyck and a "priceless" miniature portrait of Sir Francis Drake.
Also on the 19th the Archbishop of Liverpool refused a request by a former headmaster at St Aelred's RC School in Newton-le-Willows to hold a public inquiry. Brian Smith had been head of the school from 1959 until 1964 when he was asked to resign after complaints had been made. Mr Smith claimed that no explanation had ever been made to him but Archbishop Beck said he did not think it proper for him to set up an inquiry.
On the 20th the Daily Express praised schoolgirl Susan Lowe of Patterdale Drive in Portico for her matchmaking. During the two years that her parents Jim and Dorothy Lowe had been divorced, the 12-year-old had been scheming to get them back together again. Dorothy told the Express: "Susan never got over her daddy leaving home. She kept on at me to talk things over with Jim. When he visited us she would get on at him to mend the marriage." As a result the couple had now remarried at St Helens Register Office.
Also on the 20th Sutton Harriers held their annual road races from the Green Dragon in Gartons Lane. A boys' 4 kilometre run was also included. I can't say I've ever heard of The Madisons, although the "top recording artistes" were the cabaret performers at the Plaza in Duke Street during the evening of the 20th.
On the 21st Lord and Lady Pikington were among a group of 500 sponsored walkers who stepped out from Southport to Rainford to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. All along the 15-mile route the couple was reported as being surrounded by little children and when an ice-cream van turned up, Lord Harry bought lollies and ices for them all.
And finally, I felt really old recently after listening to the BBC's Football Daily podcast. That was after a clip was played of Burnley FC manager Sean Dyche making a joking reference to a tanner at a media briefing. None of the Football Daily panel had a clue what he had been talking about with a bemused Jermaine Jenas saying: "You've lost me mate". And I suppose that is to be expected, as anyone under the age of fifty is unlikely to have had any personal experience of the sixpence. This week this article was published in the Echo described how the tanner was making a premature departure from people's pockets:
"The sixpence is rapidly going out of circulation, say Merseyside banks and traders. Demand for the little silver coin has sunk almost to zero. A spokesman for the Midland Bank in Liverpool said yesterday: “Before D-Day customers were constantly coming in for sixpences. They were used for fruit and vending machines, but since the introduction of decimal currency nobody seems to want them. “We are stockpiling literally thousands of pounds worth of the sixpences, and sending more and more to the Bank of England every day. Now none of our customers ask for the coins.”
"The Decimal Currency Board says that the sixpence will remain legal tender for two years after D-Day. This was done originally because of the number of machines using the coins. But now with the banks not issuing the coin, it has almost completely vanished from the change in people's pockets. A spokesman for the Board said: “This is not just the picture locally. The sixpence seems to be vanishing all over the country.” And the Liverpool Stores Committee reports that shops have almost ceased to handle them. A spokesman said: “With the arrival of decimal currency, the sixpence seems to have been made redundant.”"
Next week's stories will include the 250 cured Rainhill Hospital patients looking for a home, Sooty's Birthday Show at the Theatre Royal, a Newton scrapyard explosion, the new Rainford Comp and the monotonous life of a housewife in St Helens.
We begin on the 15th when the Guardian was advertising a number of St Helens school vacancies. Robins Lane Secondary School was recruiting a replacement headmaster for Joseph Woods, who was retiring. Rivington Secondary was looking to appoint a House Master and Cowley Girls needed an "assistant master / mistress" to teach maths.
A sub-post office at Stubshaw Cross in Ashton-in-Makerfield was raided on the 16th. The thieves got away with over £1,000 in cash and postal orders after entering through a rear window. Lou Stirrup and his wife then ran the post office, which they combined with a drapery business.
It was announced on the 17th that the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society was planning to make James Tither from Green End Lane in Sutton a bravery award for saving a child from drowning on Eccleston Mere. In September, James would be presented with a framed certificate from the society and a cheque for £5 for his courageous rescue of five-year-old Graham Simpson from Eccleston. The Society was formed in 1839 and still exists today.
It was reported on the 17th that thieves had broken into Up Holland Grammar School in Winstanley Road in Billinge. However police had a clue as to the age of the culprits, as all they had stolen was crisps and sweets!
During that evening Knowsley Road hosted an international rugby league match as Great Britain took on France and won 24 - 2. There were three Saints' stars playing for Team GB: John Mantle, Cliff Watson and Billy Benyon – with the latter scoring one of the tries.
There was more bad news on the jobs front on the 18th when the latest unemployment stats were released. The national total of ¾ million men and women out of work does not sound particularly high to us today – but it was the third highest figure since the war and causing great concern. In St Helens the rate of unemployment had risen by 0.1% to 3.3%.
Also on the 18th the Runcorn Weekly News ran a special feature on Spring weddings in which Wimpey Homes were promoting their new homes in Chester Lane in Sutton Manor, writing: "Do you know that we are building a good selection of semi-detached houses on our new estate at St. Helens. The estate is open daily and at weekends, we can offer a complete mortgage service and there is a mortgage available for you. Come along and see the splendid value Wimpey can offer. Our negotiator Mr. Orford will give you all the information you require. 3 Bedroomed Semi-Detached Houses prices from £4,495; 3 Bedroomed Detached Houses prices from £5,195."
The Trade Descriptions Act of 1968 was beginning to empower consumers and on the 18th Prescot magistrates fined a London firm of travel agents £100 for breaching the Act. The company's travel brochure had claimed that the accommodation offered at an Austrian resort included a lift and a Tyrolean bar. However when a holidaymaker who suffered from arthritis and a bad back had arrived at the hotel she found neither was available.
A mongrel dog called Lady that had battled bogus gasmen in a most un-ladylike way was pictured in the Echo on the 19th with this description of her heroics: "Lady, a two-year-old mongrel under sentence of death, has earned a reprieve and the love of a St. Helens family after saving their mother from would-be intruders. The future looked bleak for the “unwanted hound” until she astonished everyone by attacking two tricksters who tried to force their way into Mrs. Griffiths' home in Brookway Lane, Parr.
"Mother of four, Mrs Vera Griffiths, had been considering having the family pet put to sleep, but after her heroic deed, Lady – shortly expecting her third litter of pups – is getting VIP treatment. Last night, as Lady chewed her way through a piece of best steak, 51-year-old Mrs. Griffiths explained what had happened: “A knock came at the back door and when I answered two well-dressed men asked if my husband was at home. They said they were from the gas board, but I immediately became suspicious as one of them was wearing gloves and was crunching his knuckles.
"“The other man wedged his foot in the door and I became anxious. Lady must have sensed danger and leapt at the man, gripping his hand. Then she jumped at the other man and tore away at his trousers. The first man must have received a nasty gash because as they fled towards the car there was a trail of blood. We had talked about getting her put down, because it is such a nuisance when other dogs pester her. Today I wouldn't part with her for the world.”
"Mrs Griffiths, who also has a 16-year-old pet dog, Tim, found Lady as a pup wandering the streets. As Lady settled down as a permanent member of the Griffiths' household, police at St. Helens were hunting for the two bogus gasmen. Both are said to be in their twenties."
Lord Derby announced on the 19th that the escalating costs for his new safari park – that was scheduled to open at Knowsley in July – meant he was planning to sell off a number of paintings and books. The sale at Christies in a few months would include a work by Van Dyck and a "priceless" miniature portrait of Sir Francis Drake.
Also on the 19th the Archbishop of Liverpool refused a request by a former headmaster at St Aelred's RC School in Newton-le-Willows to hold a public inquiry. Brian Smith had been head of the school from 1959 until 1964 when he was asked to resign after complaints had been made. Mr Smith claimed that no explanation had ever been made to him but Archbishop Beck said he did not think it proper for him to set up an inquiry.
Also on the 20th Sutton Harriers held their annual road races from the Green Dragon in Gartons Lane. A boys' 4 kilometre run was also included. I can't say I've ever heard of The Madisons, although the "top recording artistes" were the cabaret performers at the Plaza in Duke Street during the evening of the 20th.
On the 21st Lord and Lady Pikington were among a group of 500 sponsored walkers who stepped out from Southport to Rainford to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. All along the 15-mile route the couple was reported as being surrounded by little children and when an ice-cream van turned up, Lord Harry bought lollies and ices for them all.
And finally, I felt really old recently after listening to the BBC's Football Daily podcast. That was after a clip was played of Burnley FC manager Sean Dyche making a joking reference to a tanner at a media briefing. None of the Football Daily panel had a clue what he had been talking about with a bemused Jermaine Jenas saying: "You've lost me mate". And I suppose that is to be expected, as anyone under the age of fifty is unlikely to have had any personal experience of the sixpence. This week this article was published in the Echo described how the tanner was making a premature departure from people's pockets:
"The sixpence is rapidly going out of circulation, say Merseyside banks and traders. Demand for the little silver coin has sunk almost to zero. A spokesman for the Midland Bank in Liverpool said yesterday: “Before D-Day customers were constantly coming in for sixpences. They were used for fruit and vending machines, but since the introduction of decimal currency nobody seems to want them. “We are stockpiling literally thousands of pounds worth of the sixpences, and sending more and more to the Bank of England every day. Now none of our customers ask for the coins.”
"The Decimal Currency Board says that the sixpence will remain legal tender for two years after D-Day. This was done originally because of the number of machines using the coins. But now with the banks not issuing the coin, it has almost completely vanished from the change in people's pockets. A spokesman for the Board said: “This is not just the picture locally. The sixpence seems to be vanishing all over the country.” And the Liverpool Stores Committee reports that shops have almost ceased to handle them. A spokesman said: “With the arrival of decimal currency, the sixpence seems to have been made redundant.”"
Next week's stories will include the 250 cured Rainhill Hospital patients looking for a home, Sooty's Birthday Show at the Theatre Royal, a Newton scrapyard explosion, the new Rainford Comp and the monotonous life of a housewife in St Helens.
This week's 17 stories include a brave rescue on Eccleston Mere, the Parr mongrel called Lady who tore a strip off bogus gasmen, the new Chester Lane estate and why the tanner was making a premature departure from people's pockets.
We begin on the 15th when the Guardian was advertising a number of St Helens school vacancies.
Robins Lane Secondary School was recruiting a replacement headmaster for Joseph Woods, who was retiring.
Rivington Secondary was looking to appoint a House Master and Cowley Girls needed an "assistant master / mistress" to teach maths.
A sub-post office at Stubshaw Cross in Ashton-in-Makerfield was raided on the 16th. The thieves got away with over £1,000 in cash and postal orders after entering through a rear window.
Lou Stirrup and his wife then ran the post office, which they combined with a drapery business.
It was announced on the 17th that the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society was planning to make James Tither from Green End Lane in Sutton a bravery award for saving a child from drowning on Eccleston Mere.
In September, James would be presented with a framed certificate from the society and a cheque for £5 for his courageous rescue of five-year-old Graham Simpson from Eccleston. The Society was formed in 1839 and still exists today.
It was reported on the 17th that thieves had broken into Up Holland Grammar School in Winstanley Road in Billinge.
However police had a clue as to the age of the culprits, as all they had stolen was crisps and sweets!
During that evening Knowsley Road hosted an international rugby league match as Great Britain took on France and won 24 - 2.
There were three Saints' stars playing for Team GB: John Mantle, Cliff Watson and Billy Benyon – with the latter scoring one of the tries.
On the 18th Joseph Bielak was awarded damages of £10,000 at Liverpool Assizes after being injured at Bold Colliery (shown above) in June 1967.
The 49-year-old had been operating with a gang of three men who were working in number two tunnel.
A compressed air pipe suddenly burst and the bucket of a shovelling machine struck Mr Bielak on the head.
It was stated in court that his injuries and the resulting shock had left him suffering from anxiety, a lack of self-confidence and a personality change.
There was more bad news on the jobs front on the 18th when the latest unemployment stats were released.
The national total of ¾ million men and women out of work does not sound particularly high to us today – but it was the third highest figure since the war and causing great concern.
In St Helens the rate of unemployment had risen by 0.1% to 3.3%.
Also on the 18th the Runcorn Weekly News ran a special feature on Spring weddings in which Wimpey Homes were promoting their new homes in Chester Lane in Sutton Manor, writing:
"Do you know that we are building a good selection of semi-detached houses on our new estate at St. Helens. The estate is open daily and at weekends, we can offer a complete mortgage service and there is a mortgage available for you.
"Come along and see the splendid value Wimpey can offer. Our negotiator Mr. Orford will give you all the information you require.
"3 Bedroomed Semi-Detached Houses prices from £4,495; 3 Bedroomed Detached Houses prices from £5,195."
The Trade Descriptions Act of 1968 was beginning to empower consumers and on the 18th Prescot magistrates fined a London firm of travel agents £100 for breaching the Act.
The company's travel brochure had claimed that the accommodation offered at an Austrian resort included a lift and a Tyrolean bar.
However when a holidaymaker who suffered from arthritis and a bad back had arrived at the hotel she found neither was available.
A mongrel dog called Lady that had battled bogus gasmen in a most un-ladylike way was pictured in the Echo on the 19th with this description of her heroics:
"Lady, a two-year-old mongrel under sentence of death, has earned a reprieve and the love of a St. Helens family after saving their mother from would-be intruders.
"The future looked bleak for the “unwanted hound” until she astonished everyone by attacking two tricksters who tried to force their way into Mrs. Griffiths' home in Brookway Lane, Parr.
"Mother of four, Mrs Vera Griffiths, had been considering having the family pet put to sleep, but after her heroic deed, Lady – shortly expecting her third litter of pups – is getting VIP treatment.
"Last night, as Lady chewed her way through a piece of best steak, 51-year-old Mrs. Griffiths explained what had happened:
"“A knock came at the back door and when I answered two well-dressed men asked if my husband was at home. They said they were from the gas board, but I immediately became suspicious as one of them was wearing gloves and was crunching his knuckles.
"“The other man wedged his foot in the door and I became anxious. Lady must have sensed danger and leapt at the man, gripping his hand. Then she jumped at the other man and tore away at his trousers. The first man must have received a nasty gash because as they fled towards the car there was a trail of blood.
"“We had talked about getting her put down, because it is such a nuisance when other dogs pester her. Today I wouldn't part with her for the world.”
"Mrs Griffiths, who also has a 16-year-old pet dog, Tim, found Lady as a pup wandering the streets. As Lady settled down as a permanent member of the Griffiths' household, police at St. Helens were hunting for the two bogus gasmen. Both are said to be in their twenties."
Lord Derby announced on the 19th that the escalating costs for his new safari park – that was scheduled to open at Knowsley in July – meant he was planning to sell off a number of paintings and books.
The sale at Christies in a few months would include a work by Van Dyck and a "priceless" miniature portrait of Sir Francis Drake.
Also on the 19th the Archbishop of Liverpool refused a request by a former headmaster at St Aelred's RC School in Newton-le-Willows to hold a public inquiry.
Brian Smith had been head of the school from 1959 until 1964 when he was asked to resign after complaints had been made.
Mr Smith claimed that no explanation had ever been made to him but Archbishop Beck said he did not think it proper for him to set up an inquiry.
On the 20th the Daily Express praised schoolgirl Susan Lowe of Patterdale Drive in Portico for her matchmaking.
During the two years that her parents Jim and Dorothy Lowe had been divorced, the 12-year-old had been scheming to get them back together again.
Dorothy told the Express: "Susan never got over her daddy leaving home. She kept on at me to talk things over with Jim. When he visited us she would get on at him to mend the marriage."
As a result the couple had now remarried at St Helens Register Office.
Also on the 20th Sutton Harriers held their annual road races from the Green Dragon in Gartons Lane. A boys' 4 kilometre run was also included.
I can't say I've ever heard of The Madisons, although the "top recording artistes" were the cabaret performers at the Plaza in Duke Street during the evening of the 20th.
On the 21st Lord and Lady Pikington were among a group of 500 sponsored walkers who stepped out from Southport to Rainford to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
All along the 15-mile route the couple was reported as being surrounded by little children and when an ice-cream van turned up, Lord Harry bought lollies and ices for them all.
And finally, I felt really old recently after listening to the BBC's Football Daily podcast.
That was after a clip was played of Burnley FC manager Sean Dyche making a joking reference to a tanner at a media briefing.
None of the Football Daily panel had a clue what he had been talking about with a bemused Jermaine Jenas saying: "You've lost me mate".
And I suppose that is to be expected, as anyone under the age of fifty is unlikely to have had any personal experience of the sixpence.
This week this article was published in the Echo described how the tanner was making a premature departure from people's pockets:
"The sixpence is rapidly going out of circulation, say Merseyside banks and traders. Demand for the little silver coin has sunk almost to zero.
"A spokesman for the Midland Bank in Liverpool said yesterday: “Before D-Day customers were constantly coming in for sixpences. They were used for fruit and vending machines, but since the introduction of decimal currency nobody seems to want them.
"“We are stockpiling literally thousands of pounds worth of the sixpences, and sending more and more to the Bank of England every day. Now none of our customers ask for the coins.”
"The Decimal Currency Board says that the sixpence will remain legal tender for two years after D-Day. This was done originally because of the number of machines using the coins.
"But now with the banks not issuing the coin, it has almost completely vanished from the change in people's pockets.
"A spokesman for the Board said: “This is not just the picture locally. The sixpence seems to be vanishing all over the country.”
"And the Liverpool Stores Committee reports that shops have almost ceased to handle them.
"A spokesman said: “With the arrival of decimal currency, the sixpence seems to have been made redundant.”"
Next week's stories will include the 250 cured Rainhill Hospital patients looking for a home, Sooty's Birthday Show at the Theatre Royal, a Newton scrapyard explosion, the new Rainford Comp and the monotonous life of a housewife in St Helens.
We begin on the 15th when the Guardian was advertising a number of St Helens school vacancies.
Robins Lane Secondary School was recruiting a replacement headmaster for Joseph Woods, who was retiring.
Rivington Secondary was looking to appoint a House Master and Cowley Girls needed an "assistant master / mistress" to teach maths.
A sub-post office at Stubshaw Cross in Ashton-in-Makerfield was raided on the 16th. The thieves got away with over £1,000 in cash and postal orders after entering through a rear window.
Lou Stirrup and his wife then ran the post office, which they combined with a drapery business.
It was announced on the 17th that the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society was planning to make James Tither from Green End Lane in Sutton a bravery award for saving a child from drowning on Eccleston Mere.
In September, James would be presented with a framed certificate from the society and a cheque for £5 for his courageous rescue of five-year-old Graham Simpson from Eccleston. The Society was formed in 1839 and still exists today.
It was reported on the 17th that thieves had broken into Up Holland Grammar School in Winstanley Road in Billinge.
However police had a clue as to the age of the culprits, as all they had stolen was crisps and sweets!
During that evening Knowsley Road hosted an international rugby league match as Great Britain took on France and won 24 - 2.
There were three Saints' stars playing for Team GB: John Mantle, Cliff Watson and Billy Benyon – with the latter scoring one of the tries.
The 49-year-old had been operating with a gang of three men who were working in number two tunnel.
A compressed air pipe suddenly burst and the bucket of a shovelling machine struck Mr Bielak on the head.
It was stated in court that his injuries and the resulting shock had left him suffering from anxiety, a lack of self-confidence and a personality change.
There was more bad news on the jobs front on the 18th when the latest unemployment stats were released.
The national total of ¾ million men and women out of work does not sound particularly high to us today – but it was the third highest figure since the war and causing great concern.
In St Helens the rate of unemployment had risen by 0.1% to 3.3%.
Also on the 18th the Runcorn Weekly News ran a special feature on Spring weddings in which Wimpey Homes were promoting their new homes in Chester Lane in Sutton Manor, writing:
"Do you know that we are building a good selection of semi-detached houses on our new estate at St. Helens. The estate is open daily and at weekends, we can offer a complete mortgage service and there is a mortgage available for you.
"Come along and see the splendid value Wimpey can offer. Our negotiator Mr. Orford will give you all the information you require.
"3 Bedroomed Semi-Detached Houses prices from £4,495; 3 Bedroomed Detached Houses prices from £5,195."
The Trade Descriptions Act of 1968 was beginning to empower consumers and on the 18th Prescot magistrates fined a London firm of travel agents £100 for breaching the Act.
The company's travel brochure had claimed that the accommodation offered at an Austrian resort included a lift and a Tyrolean bar.
However when a holidaymaker who suffered from arthritis and a bad back had arrived at the hotel she found neither was available.
A mongrel dog called Lady that had battled bogus gasmen in a most un-ladylike way was pictured in the Echo on the 19th with this description of her heroics:
"Lady, a two-year-old mongrel under sentence of death, has earned a reprieve and the love of a St. Helens family after saving their mother from would-be intruders.
"The future looked bleak for the “unwanted hound” until she astonished everyone by attacking two tricksters who tried to force their way into Mrs. Griffiths' home in Brookway Lane, Parr.
"Mother of four, Mrs Vera Griffiths, had been considering having the family pet put to sleep, but after her heroic deed, Lady – shortly expecting her third litter of pups – is getting VIP treatment.
"Last night, as Lady chewed her way through a piece of best steak, 51-year-old Mrs. Griffiths explained what had happened:
"“A knock came at the back door and when I answered two well-dressed men asked if my husband was at home. They said they were from the gas board, but I immediately became suspicious as one of them was wearing gloves and was crunching his knuckles.
"“The other man wedged his foot in the door and I became anxious. Lady must have sensed danger and leapt at the man, gripping his hand. Then she jumped at the other man and tore away at his trousers. The first man must have received a nasty gash because as they fled towards the car there was a trail of blood.
"“We had talked about getting her put down, because it is such a nuisance when other dogs pester her. Today I wouldn't part with her for the world.”
"Mrs Griffiths, who also has a 16-year-old pet dog, Tim, found Lady as a pup wandering the streets. As Lady settled down as a permanent member of the Griffiths' household, police at St. Helens were hunting for the two bogus gasmen. Both are said to be in their twenties."
Lord Derby announced on the 19th that the escalating costs for his new safari park – that was scheduled to open at Knowsley in July – meant he was planning to sell off a number of paintings and books.
The sale at Christies in a few months would include a work by Van Dyck and a "priceless" miniature portrait of Sir Francis Drake.
Also on the 19th the Archbishop of Liverpool refused a request by a former headmaster at St Aelred's RC School in Newton-le-Willows to hold a public inquiry.
Brian Smith had been head of the school from 1959 until 1964 when he was asked to resign after complaints had been made.
Mr Smith claimed that no explanation had ever been made to him but Archbishop Beck said he did not think it proper for him to set up an inquiry.
During the two years that her parents Jim and Dorothy Lowe had been divorced, the 12-year-old had been scheming to get them back together again.
Dorothy told the Express: "Susan never got over her daddy leaving home. She kept on at me to talk things over with Jim. When he visited us she would get on at him to mend the marriage."
As a result the couple had now remarried at St Helens Register Office.
Also on the 20th Sutton Harriers held their annual road races from the Green Dragon in Gartons Lane. A boys' 4 kilometre run was also included.
I can't say I've ever heard of The Madisons, although the "top recording artistes" were the cabaret performers at the Plaza in Duke Street during the evening of the 20th.
On the 21st Lord and Lady Pikington were among a group of 500 sponsored walkers who stepped out from Southport to Rainford to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
All along the 15-mile route the couple was reported as being surrounded by little children and when an ice-cream van turned up, Lord Harry bought lollies and ices for them all.
And finally, I felt really old recently after listening to the BBC's Football Daily podcast.
That was after a clip was played of Burnley FC manager Sean Dyche making a joking reference to a tanner at a media briefing.
None of the Football Daily panel had a clue what he had been talking about with a bemused Jermaine Jenas saying: "You've lost me mate".
And I suppose that is to be expected, as anyone under the age of fifty is unlikely to have had any personal experience of the sixpence.
This week this article was published in the Echo described how the tanner was making a premature departure from people's pockets:
"The sixpence is rapidly going out of circulation, say Merseyside banks and traders. Demand for the little silver coin has sunk almost to zero.
"A spokesman for the Midland Bank in Liverpool said yesterday: “Before D-Day customers were constantly coming in for sixpences. They were used for fruit and vending machines, but since the introduction of decimal currency nobody seems to want them.
"“We are stockpiling literally thousands of pounds worth of the sixpences, and sending more and more to the Bank of England every day. Now none of our customers ask for the coins.”
"The Decimal Currency Board says that the sixpence will remain legal tender for two years after D-Day. This was done originally because of the number of machines using the coins.
"But now with the banks not issuing the coin, it has almost completely vanished from the change in people's pockets.
"A spokesman for the Board said: “This is not just the picture locally. The sixpence seems to be vanishing all over the country.”
"And the Liverpool Stores Committee reports that shops have almost ceased to handle them.
"A spokesman said: “With the arrival of decimal currency, the sixpence seems to have been made redundant.”"
Next week's stories will include the 250 cured Rainhill Hospital patients looking for a home, Sooty's Birthday Show at the Theatre Royal, a Newton scrapyard explosion, the new Rainford Comp and the monotonous life of a housewife in St Helens.