FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (20th - 26th APRIL 1970)
This week's stories include the cheeky theft of Terence Lennon's Rolls Royce, Pilks' strikers' reject a pay offer, the midnight phantom rose snatchers of Windle, the intruder in the vicar of St Peter's bedroom and the doomed eyesore of Gerards Bridge.
This week's news was again dominated by the Pilkington strike in which workers were demanding a £25 basic wage for a 40-hour week. That would be an increase of about £10 and on the 20th a mass meeting of 3,000 glass workers took place in Queen's Recreation Park, as it was then known. The men voted to stay out and not to return until an interim award of £5 had been made and then they marched on the Town Hall. Their representatives handed to the Mayor, Cllr. Tom Wilcock, a mandate asking for Government intervention in the strike.
Later that day a lengthy meeting of Pilkington's Joint Industrial Council took place. The JIC was the glass giant's vehicle for discussing issues between management and unions and the company offered a £3 per week increase in basic pay. This was considered an interim award to get the men back to work and then further negotiations would take place. However on the following day a mass meeting of the workforce at Queen's Park rejected the offer, despite their shop stewards recommending acceptance. "It is chicken feed", said Gerry Caughey, the 36-year-old leader of the strike committee. "The men are behind us. They want nothing to do with that £3 offer."
However on the 22nd the 1,600 men that worked at the Pilkington factories in Birkenhead, Doncaster, Pontypool and St Asaph decided to accept it. That left 8,000 men at six St Helens' factories and 435 at Scottish Fibreglass and Triplex' works still holding out. On the 24th a further meeting of about 4,000 members of the workforce met at Saints' ground at Knowsley Road and again rejected the £3 offer by a majority of 3 to 1. The GMWU union said they would return to Pilkingtons to ask for more money and a further meeting would be called for next week.
Meanwhile the 20-strong breakaway strike committee led by Gerry Caughey called for "three wise men" to end the deadlock. They wanted St Helens MP Leslie Spriggs, Ince-in-Makerfield MP Michael McGuire and a representative of Harold Wilson to act as mediators to find a solution to the strike. Mr Spriggs offered to pack his bags immediately and drop everything if all the parties agreed to his intervention.
One possible silver cloud to the dispute was a claim made in the St Helens Reporter by Dennis and Renee Lavelle. The couple stated that the windows of their North Road home had been staying cleaner for longer since the start of the strike. Mr Lavelle also claimed that their furniture was no longer streaked with black specks after their door had been left open. However the council's Public Health Inspector felt the cleaner atmosphere in St Helens over the past few weeks was probably more to do with the warmer weather, which meant less coal was being burnt.
After three weeks without income the strikers' families were beginning to feel the pinch. The strike was still unofficial and so their union had yet to make any payments to its members. And some workers were discovering that support from the State was very limited. Barbara Callaghan of Exeter Street was furious about the inquisitive nature of the standard form that she needed to complete to claim free school meals for her daughter. She told the Reporter that it was "degrading". And this letter also appeared in the paper:
"My son and I are on strike. This morning I went to the Social Security, but because I am a widow I was told I was classed as single and wouldn't get anything. Also, because my son is single, he won't get anything either. So what I would like to know is how they expect us to manage? My rent is £3 14s. out of a £5 pension. Aren't widows expected to live?" DESPERATE, St. Helens."
There was, however, some good news for Pilks this week as the firm was honoured in the Queen's Awards for Industry. This was for developing the electro-float glass process, which makes the inside of buildings more comfortable.
And now for this week's non-strike news. At quarter to four on the morning of the 20th, Rose Thorne opened her eyes and noticed a black shape creeping about her bedroom. The wife of the vicar of St Peter's Church in Parr grabbed her sleeping husband and screamed: "There's a man in our room!" The Rev. Stanley Thorne immediately leapt from his bed and chased the fleeing intruder who tumbled down the stairs and exited the house.
The burglar got away with a missionary collection box and some wedding fees. "It was a really terrifying experience", said Mrs Thorne. However the vicar thought that the intruder experienced the most fear, saying: "I think my wife's screams terrified him more than anything!"
When Terence Lennon rang up Maclean and Appleton's garage on the afternoon of the 20th he received a shock. The supermarket tycoon wanted to know if his Rolls Royce was ready for collection after its service and cleaning. The confused receptionist at the Prescot Road garage broke the news that Lennon's £12,000 Silver Shadow had been driven off several hours earlier. A man had imitated the millionaire businessman's voice over the phone and told the garage that he'd send someone to collect his custom-built car.
Ten minutes later a well-dressed man appeared and was handed the keys to the Rolls, which was driven off in the direction of Liverpool. Within hours of the theft Interpol had been alerted but the police believed that international racketeers might have already taken the car abroad. Terence Lennon was generous about the affair, making it clear that he did not blame anyone at Maclean and Appleton, saying the garage staff had simply been kidded.
The St Helens Catholic Amateur Gilbert & Sullivan Society presented 'HMS Pinafore' at the Theatre Royal (pictured above) for six nights from the 20th. Prices ranged from 3/6 to 9 shillings. And during the same evening, the Rainhill and District Coin and Medal Society held a meeting at the Coach and Horses, which included a quiz and grading evening. Two days earlier members of the society had visited Burnley Coin Fair.
It was St George's Day on the 23rd and the new social centre of St Anne's RC Church in Sutton held a special celebration. The 25-strong St Anne's Choir provided the entertainment and each attendee was handed a rose.
Talking of roses the Reporter on the 24th described how "midnight phantom rose snatchers" were causing anger in Windle. In recent weeks newly-planted rose bushes and other plants in the new "luxury, detached houses" at the top of Bleak Hill Road were being ripped up by teenage vandals.
Resident Harry Lea complained that within the space of a week every one of his prized dozen bushes in his front garden had been damaged. Parish Councillor Arthur Smith complained of shouting and laughter in the lane until well after midnight and described one case in which garden gates had been removed and thrown onto a lawn.
The town centre redevelopment clearly had many positives. But an article in the Reporter by Valerie Belshaw described how the bulldozing of slum homes was also destroying communities, such as Gerards Bridge (pictured above in 1950). The article began:
"Gerards Bridge is falling down. Demolition crews are pounding away at the broken back of this old Lancashire community of friends. Neighbours are being shuffled off to set down fresh roots in council estates, while the corner-shops curl up and die! The Coronation Street humour and sense of close comradeship is oozing away with the leaking lifeblood of what was one of the key high-density areas of St. Helens.
"Gerards Bridge, in a nutshell, is a doomed eyesore. But most of the people who cling on among the debris, clearance rubble and broken shells of worn-out cottages speak of the place with a fierce pride. For many folk it will mean leaving behind everything they have ever known or loved. The majority have lived in the same old house all their lives. And most of them are too old to start afresh. They don't mind the damp walls, and the dark narrow rooms. They have grown to love them."
The Reporter also described how after winning £7,000 on the pools, Joy Hodgetts had quit her £10 a week job at Beechams. However after three weeks at home in Dinorben Avenue in Sutton, Joy had missed her workmates so much that she'd returned to her job as a pill packer. "You can’t buy happiness", said Joy. "I was really very happy before. I like my friends on the production line. I feel very lonely just sitting at home."
The recently announced council house rent rises had caused some anger in the town and on the 25th a protest march was held. It was organised by the Four Acre Lane and Jubits Lane Tenants Association and they journeyed from Queen's Recreation Park to the Town Hall.
There might be a damaging glass strike in the town but life went on at Windle Hall. On the 26th Lord and Lady Pilkington threw open their gardens to the public. Admission cost two shillings, with proceeds going to the Retired District Nurses' Benevolent Fund.
Next week's stories will include strike breaking in the Pilkington dispute, the siege of Kirkland Street, a special reunion of priests at St. Anne's Monastery, claims of blood baths at the Greenbank British Legion and why Pat Phoenix was worried that she might get a black eye in St Helens.
This week's news was again dominated by the Pilkington strike in which workers were demanding a £25 basic wage for a 40-hour week. That would be an increase of about £10 and on the 20th a mass meeting of 3,000 glass workers took place in Queen's Recreation Park, as it was then known. The men voted to stay out and not to return until an interim award of £5 had been made and then they marched on the Town Hall. Their representatives handed to the Mayor, Cllr. Tom Wilcock, a mandate asking for Government intervention in the strike.
Later that day a lengthy meeting of Pilkington's Joint Industrial Council took place. The JIC was the glass giant's vehicle for discussing issues between management and unions and the company offered a £3 per week increase in basic pay. This was considered an interim award to get the men back to work and then further negotiations would take place. However on the following day a mass meeting of the workforce at Queen's Park rejected the offer, despite their shop stewards recommending acceptance. "It is chicken feed", said Gerry Caughey, the 36-year-old leader of the strike committee. "The men are behind us. They want nothing to do with that £3 offer."
However on the 22nd the 1,600 men that worked at the Pilkington factories in Birkenhead, Doncaster, Pontypool and St Asaph decided to accept it. That left 8,000 men at six St Helens' factories and 435 at Scottish Fibreglass and Triplex' works still holding out. On the 24th a further meeting of about 4,000 members of the workforce met at Saints' ground at Knowsley Road and again rejected the £3 offer by a majority of 3 to 1. The GMWU union said they would return to Pilkingtons to ask for more money and a further meeting would be called for next week.
Meanwhile the 20-strong breakaway strike committee led by Gerry Caughey called for "three wise men" to end the deadlock. They wanted St Helens MP Leslie Spriggs, Ince-in-Makerfield MP Michael McGuire and a representative of Harold Wilson to act as mediators to find a solution to the strike. Mr Spriggs offered to pack his bags immediately and drop everything if all the parties agreed to his intervention.
One possible silver cloud to the dispute was a claim made in the St Helens Reporter by Dennis and Renee Lavelle. The couple stated that the windows of their North Road home had been staying cleaner for longer since the start of the strike. Mr Lavelle also claimed that their furniture was no longer streaked with black specks after their door had been left open. However the council's Public Health Inspector felt the cleaner atmosphere in St Helens over the past few weeks was probably more to do with the warmer weather, which meant less coal was being burnt.
After three weeks without income the strikers' families were beginning to feel the pinch. The strike was still unofficial and so their union had yet to make any payments to its members. And some workers were discovering that support from the State was very limited. Barbara Callaghan of Exeter Street was furious about the inquisitive nature of the standard form that she needed to complete to claim free school meals for her daughter. She told the Reporter that it was "degrading". And this letter also appeared in the paper:
"My son and I are on strike. This morning I went to the Social Security, but because I am a widow I was told I was classed as single and wouldn't get anything. Also, because my son is single, he won't get anything either. So what I would like to know is how they expect us to manage? My rent is £3 14s. out of a £5 pension. Aren't widows expected to live?" DESPERATE, St. Helens."
There was, however, some good news for Pilks this week as the firm was honoured in the Queen's Awards for Industry. This was for developing the electro-float glass process, which makes the inside of buildings more comfortable.
And now for this week's non-strike news. At quarter to four on the morning of the 20th, Rose Thorne opened her eyes and noticed a black shape creeping about her bedroom. The wife of the vicar of St Peter's Church in Parr grabbed her sleeping husband and screamed: "There's a man in our room!" The Rev. Stanley Thorne immediately leapt from his bed and chased the fleeing intruder who tumbled down the stairs and exited the house.
The burglar got away with a missionary collection box and some wedding fees. "It was a really terrifying experience", said Mrs Thorne. However the vicar thought that the intruder experienced the most fear, saying: "I think my wife's screams terrified him more than anything!"
When Terence Lennon rang up Maclean and Appleton's garage on the afternoon of the 20th he received a shock. The supermarket tycoon wanted to know if his Rolls Royce was ready for collection after its service and cleaning. The confused receptionist at the Prescot Road garage broke the news that Lennon's £12,000 Silver Shadow had been driven off several hours earlier. A man had imitated the millionaire businessman's voice over the phone and told the garage that he'd send someone to collect his custom-built car.
Ten minutes later a well-dressed man appeared and was handed the keys to the Rolls, which was driven off in the direction of Liverpool. Within hours of the theft Interpol had been alerted but the police believed that international racketeers might have already taken the car abroad. Terence Lennon was generous about the affair, making it clear that he did not blame anyone at Maclean and Appleton, saying the garage staff had simply been kidded.
It was St George's Day on the 23rd and the new social centre of St Anne's RC Church in Sutton held a special celebration. The 25-strong St Anne's Choir provided the entertainment and each attendee was handed a rose.
Talking of roses the Reporter on the 24th described how "midnight phantom rose snatchers" were causing anger in Windle. In recent weeks newly-planted rose bushes and other plants in the new "luxury, detached houses" at the top of Bleak Hill Road were being ripped up by teenage vandals.
Resident Harry Lea complained that within the space of a week every one of his prized dozen bushes in his front garden had been damaged. Parish Councillor Arthur Smith complained of shouting and laughter in the lane until well after midnight and described one case in which garden gates had been removed and thrown onto a lawn.
"Gerards Bridge is falling down. Demolition crews are pounding away at the broken back of this old Lancashire community of friends. Neighbours are being shuffled off to set down fresh roots in council estates, while the corner-shops curl up and die! The Coronation Street humour and sense of close comradeship is oozing away with the leaking lifeblood of what was one of the key high-density areas of St. Helens.
"Gerards Bridge, in a nutshell, is a doomed eyesore. But most of the people who cling on among the debris, clearance rubble and broken shells of worn-out cottages speak of the place with a fierce pride. For many folk it will mean leaving behind everything they have ever known or loved. The majority have lived in the same old house all their lives. And most of them are too old to start afresh. They don't mind the damp walls, and the dark narrow rooms. They have grown to love them."
The Reporter also described how after winning £7,000 on the pools, Joy Hodgetts had quit her £10 a week job at Beechams. However after three weeks at home in Dinorben Avenue in Sutton, Joy had missed her workmates so much that she'd returned to her job as a pill packer. "You can’t buy happiness", said Joy. "I was really very happy before. I like my friends on the production line. I feel very lonely just sitting at home."
The recently announced council house rent rises had caused some anger in the town and on the 25th a protest march was held. It was organised by the Four Acre Lane and Jubits Lane Tenants Association and they journeyed from Queen's Recreation Park to the Town Hall.
There might be a damaging glass strike in the town but life went on at Windle Hall. On the 26th Lord and Lady Pilkington threw open their gardens to the public. Admission cost two shillings, with proceeds going to the Retired District Nurses' Benevolent Fund.
Next week's stories will include strike breaking in the Pilkington dispute, the siege of Kirkland Street, a special reunion of priests at St. Anne's Monastery, claims of blood baths at the Greenbank British Legion and why Pat Phoenix was worried that she might get a black eye in St Helens.
This week's stories include the cheeky theft of Terence Lennon's Rolls Royce, Pilks' strikers' reject a pay offer, the midnight phantom rose snatchers of Windle, the intruder in the vicar of St Peter's bedroom and the doomed eyesore of Gerards Bridge.
This week's news was again dominated by the Pilkington strike in which workers were demanding a £25 basic wage for a 40-hour week.
That would be an increase of about £10 and on the 20th a mass meeting of 3,000 glass workers took place in Queen's Recreation Park, as it was then known.
The men voted to stay out and not to return until an interim award of £5 had been made and then they marched on the Town Hall.
Their representatives handed to the Mayor, Cllr. Tom Wilcock, a mandate asking for Government intervention in the strike.
Later that day a lengthy meeting of Pilkington's Joint Industrial Council took place.
The JIC was the glass giant's vehicle for discussing issues between management and unions and the company offered a £3 per week increase in basic pay.
This was considered an interim award to get the men back to work and then further negotiations would take place.
However on the following day a mass meeting of the workforce at Queen's Park rejected the offer, despite their shop stewards recommending acceptance.
"It is chicken feed", said Gerry Caughey, the 36-year-old leader of the strike committee. "The men are behind us. They want nothing to do with that £3 offer."
However on the 22nd the 1,600 men that worked at the Pilkington factories in Birkenhead, Doncaster, Pontypool and St Asaph decided to accept it.
That left 8,000 men at six St Helens' factories and 435 at Scottish Fibreglass and Triplex' works still holding out.
On the 24th a further meeting of about 4,000 members of the workforce met at Saints' ground at Knowsley Road and again rejected the £3 offer by a majority of 3 to 1.
The GMWU union said they would return to Pilkingtons to ask for more money and a further meeting would be called for next week.
Meanwhile the 20-strong breakaway strike committee led by Gerry Caughey called for "three wise men" to end the deadlock.
They wanted St Helens MP Leslie Spriggs, Ince-in-Makerfield MP Michael McGuire and a representative of Harold Wilson to act as mediators to find a solution to the strike.
Mr Spriggs offered to pack his bags immediately and drop everything if all the parties agreed to his intervention.
One possible silver cloud to the dispute was a claim made in the St Helens Reporter by Dennis and Renee Lavelle.
The couple stated that the windows of their North Road home had been staying cleaner for longer since the start of the strike.
Mr Lavelle also claimed that their furniture was no longer streaked with black specks after their door had been left open.
However the council's Public Health Inspector felt the cleaner atmosphere in St Helens over the past few weeks was probably more to do with the warmer weather, which meant less coal was being burnt.
After three weeks without income the strikers' families were beginning to feel the pinch.
The strike was still unofficial and so their union had yet to make any payments to its members.
And some workers were discovering that support from the State was very limited.
Barbara Callaghan of Exeter Street was furious about the inquisitive nature of the standard form that she needed to complete to claim free school meals for her daughter.
She told the Reporter that it was "degrading". And this letter also appeared in the paper:
"My son and I are on strike. This morning I went to the Social Security, but because I am a widow I was told I was classed as single and wouldn't get anything. Also, because my son is single, he won't get anything either.
“So what I would like to know is how they expect us to manage? My rent is £3 14s. out of a £5 pension. Aren't widows expected to live? DESPERATE, St. Helens."
There was, however, some good news for Pilks this week as the firm was honoured in the Queen's Awards for Industry.
This was for developing the electro-float glass process, which makes the inside of buildings more comfortable.
And now for this week's non-strike news. At quarter to four on the morning of the 20th, Rose Thorne opened her eyes and noticed a black shape creeping about her bedroom.
The wife of the vicar of St Peter's Church in Parr grabbed her sleeping husband and screamed: "There's a man in our room!"
The Rev. Stanley Thorne immediately leapt from his bed and chased the fleeing intruder who tumbled down the stairs and exited the house.
The burglar got away with a missionary collection box and some wedding fees. "It was a really terrifying experience", said Mrs Thorne.
However the vicar thought that the intruder experienced the most fear, saying: "I think my wife's screams terrified him more than anything!"
When Terence Lennon rang up Maclean and Appleton's garage on the afternoon of the 20th he received a shock.
The supermarket tycoon wanted to know if his Rolls Royce was ready for collection after its service and cleaning.
The confused receptionist at the Prescot Road garage broke the news that Lennon's £12,000 Silver Shadow had been driven off several hours earlier.
A man had imitated the millionaire businessman's voice over the phone and told the garage that he'd send someone to collect his custom-built car.
Ten minutes later a well-dressed man appeared and was handed the keys to the Rolls, which was driven off in the direction of Liverpool.
Within hours of the theft Interpol had been alerted but the police believed that international racketeers might have already taken the car abroad.
Terence Lennon was generous about the affair, making it clear that he did not blame anyone at Maclean and Appleton, saying the garage staff had simply been kidded.
The St Helens Catholic Amateur Gilbert & Sullivan Society presented 'HMS Pinafore' at the Theatre Royal (pictured above) for six nights from the 20th. Prices ranged from 3/6 to 9 shillings.
And during the same evening, the Rainhill and District Coin and Medal Society held a meeting at the Coach and Horses, which included a quiz and grading evening.
Two days earlier members of the society had visited Burnley Coin Fair.
It was St George's Day on the 23rd and the new social centre of St Anne's RC Church in Sutton held a special celebration.
The 25-strong St Anne's Choir provided the entertainment and each attendee was handed a rose.
Talking of roses the Reporter on the 24th described how "midnight phantom rose snatchers" were causing anger in Windle.
In recent weeks newly-planted rose bushes and other plants in the new "luxury, detached houses" at the top of Bleak Hill Road were being ripped up by teenage vandals.
Resident Harry Lea complained that within the space of a week every one of his prized dozen bushes in his front garden had been damaged.
Parish Councillor Arthur Smith complained of shouting and laughter in the lane until well after midnight and described one case in which garden gates had been removed and thrown onto a lawn.
The town centre redevelopment clearly had many positives. But an article in the Reporter by Valerie Belshaw described how the bulldozing of slum homes was also destroying communities, such as Gerards Bridge (pictured above in 1950). The article began:
"Gerards Bridge is falling down. Demolition crews are pounding away at the broken back of this old Lancashire community of friends. Neighbours are being shuffled off to set down fresh roots in council estates, while the corner-shops curl up and die!
“The Coronation Street humour and sense of close comradeship is oozing away with the leaking lifeblood of what was one of the key high-density areas of St. Helens.
"Gerards Bridge, in a nutshell, is a doomed eyesore. But most of the people who cling on among the debris, clearance rubble and broken shells of worn-out cottages speak of the place with a fierce pride.
“For many folk it will mean leaving behind everything they have ever known or loved. The majority have lived in the same old house all their lives.
“And most of them are too old to start afresh. They don't mind the damp walls, and the dark narrow rooms. They have grown to love them."
The Reporter also described how after winning £7,000 on the pools, Joy Hodgetts had quit her £10 a week job at Beechams.
However after three weeks at home in Dinorben Avenue in Sutton, Joy had missed her workmates so much that she'd returned to her job as a pill packer.
"You can’t buy happiness", said Joy. "I was really very happy before. I like my friends on the production line. I feel very lonely just sitting at home."
The recently announced council house rent rises had caused some anger in the town and on the 25th a protest march was held.
It was organised by the Four Acre Lane and Jubits Lane Tenants Association and they journeyed from Queen's Recreation Park to the Town Hall.
There might be a damaging glass strike in the town but life went on at Windle Hall.
On the 26th Lord and Lady Pilkington threw open their gardens to the public. Admission cost two shillings, with proceeds going to the Retired District Nurses' Benevolent Fund.
Next week's stories will include strike breaking in the Pilkington dispute, the siege of Kirkland Street, a special reunion of priests at St. Anne's Monastery, claims of blood baths at the Greenbank British Legion and why Pat Phoenix was worried that she might get a black eye in St Helens.
This week's news was again dominated by the Pilkington strike in which workers were demanding a £25 basic wage for a 40-hour week.
That would be an increase of about £10 and on the 20th a mass meeting of 3,000 glass workers took place in Queen's Recreation Park, as it was then known.
The men voted to stay out and not to return until an interim award of £5 had been made and then they marched on the Town Hall.
Their representatives handed to the Mayor, Cllr. Tom Wilcock, a mandate asking for Government intervention in the strike.
Later that day a lengthy meeting of Pilkington's Joint Industrial Council took place.
The JIC was the glass giant's vehicle for discussing issues between management and unions and the company offered a £3 per week increase in basic pay.
This was considered an interim award to get the men back to work and then further negotiations would take place.
However on the following day a mass meeting of the workforce at Queen's Park rejected the offer, despite their shop stewards recommending acceptance.
"It is chicken feed", said Gerry Caughey, the 36-year-old leader of the strike committee. "The men are behind us. They want nothing to do with that £3 offer."
However on the 22nd the 1,600 men that worked at the Pilkington factories in Birkenhead, Doncaster, Pontypool and St Asaph decided to accept it.
That left 8,000 men at six St Helens' factories and 435 at Scottish Fibreglass and Triplex' works still holding out.
On the 24th a further meeting of about 4,000 members of the workforce met at Saints' ground at Knowsley Road and again rejected the £3 offer by a majority of 3 to 1.
The GMWU union said they would return to Pilkingtons to ask for more money and a further meeting would be called for next week.
Meanwhile the 20-strong breakaway strike committee led by Gerry Caughey called for "three wise men" to end the deadlock.
They wanted St Helens MP Leslie Spriggs, Ince-in-Makerfield MP Michael McGuire and a representative of Harold Wilson to act as mediators to find a solution to the strike.
Mr Spriggs offered to pack his bags immediately and drop everything if all the parties agreed to his intervention.
One possible silver cloud to the dispute was a claim made in the St Helens Reporter by Dennis and Renee Lavelle.
The couple stated that the windows of their North Road home had been staying cleaner for longer since the start of the strike.
Mr Lavelle also claimed that their furniture was no longer streaked with black specks after their door had been left open.
However the council's Public Health Inspector felt the cleaner atmosphere in St Helens over the past few weeks was probably more to do with the warmer weather, which meant less coal was being burnt.
After three weeks without income the strikers' families were beginning to feel the pinch.
The strike was still unofficial and so their union had yet to make any payments to its members.
And some workers were discovering that support from the State was very limited.
Barbara Callaghan of Exeter Street was furious about the inquisitive nature of the standard form that she needed to complete to claim free school meals for her daughter.
She told the Reporter that it was "degrading". And this letter also appeared in the paper:
"My son and I are on strike. This morning I went to the Social Security, but because I am a widow I was told I was classed as single and wouldn't get anything. Also, because my son is single, he won't get anything either.
“So what I would like to know is how they expect us to manage? My rent is £3 14s. out of a £5 pension. Aren't widows expected to live? DESPERATE, St. Helens."
There was, however, some good news for Pilks this week as the firm was honoured in the Queen's Awards for Industry.
This was for developing the electro-float glass process, which makes the inside of buildings more comfortable.
And now for this week's non-strike news. At quarter to four on the morning of the 20th, Rose Thorne opened her eyes and noticed a black shape creeping about her bedroom.
The wife of the vicar of St Peter's Church in Parr grabbed her sleeping husband and screamed: "There's a man in our room!"
The Rev. Stanley Thorne immediately leapt from his bed and chased the fleeing intruder who tumbled down the stairs and exited the house.
The burglar got away with a missionary collection box and some wedding fees. "It was a really terrifying experience", said Mrs Thorne.
However the vicar thought that the intruder experienced the most fear, saying: "I think my wife's screams terrified him more than anything!"
When Terence Lennon rang up Maclean and Appleton's garage on the afternoon of the 20th he received a shock.
The supermarket tycoon wanted to know if his Rolls Royce was ready for collection after its service and cleaning.
The confused receptionist at the Prescot Road garage broke the news that Lennon's £12,000 Silver Shadow had been driven off several hours earlier.
A man had imitated the millionaire businessman's voice over the phone and told the garage that he'd send someone to collect his custom-built car.
Ten minutes later a well-dressed man appeared and was handed the keys to the Rolls, which was driven off in the direction of Liverpool.
Within hours of the theft Interpol had been alerted but the police believed that international racketeers might have already taken the car abroad.
Terence Lennon was generous about the affair, making it clear that he did not blame anyone at Maclean and Appleton, saying the garage staff had simply been kidded.
And during the same evening, the Rainhill and District Coin and Medal Society held a meeting at the Coach and Horses, which included a quiz and grading evening.
Two days earlier members of the society had visited Burnley Coin Fair.
It was St George's Day on the 23rd and the new social centre of St Anne's RC Church in Sutton held a special celebration.
The 25-strong St Anne's Choir provided the entertainment and each attendee was handed a rose.
Talking of roses the Reporter on the 24th described how "midnight phantom rose snatchers" were causing anger in Windle.
In recent weeks newly-planted rose bushes and other plants in the new "luxury, detached houses" at the top of Bleak Hill Road were being ripped up by teenage vandals.
Resident Harry Lea complained that within the space of a week every one of his prized dozen bushes in his front garden had been damaged.
Parish Councillor Arthur Smith complained of shouting and laughter in the lane until well after midnight and described one case in which garden gates had been removed and thrown onto a lawn.
"Gerards Bridge is falling down. Demolition crews are pounding away at the broken back of this old Lancashire community of friends. Neighbours are being shuffled off to set down fresh roots in council estates, while the corner-shops curl up and die!
“The Coronation Street humour and sense of close comradeship is oozing away with the leaking lifeblood of what was one of the key high-density areas of St. Helens.
"Gerards Bridge, in a nutshell, is a doomed eyesore. But most of the people who cling on among the debris, clearance rubble and broken shells of worn-out cottages speak of the place with a fierce pride.
“For many folk it will mean leaving behind everything they have ever known or loved. The majority have lived in the same old house all their lives.
“And most of them are too old to start afresh. They don't mind the damp walls, and the dark narrow rooms. They have grown to love them."
The Reporter also described how after winning £7,000 on the pools, Joy Hodgetts had quit her £10 a week job at Beechams.
However after three weeks at home in Dinorben Avenue in Sutton, Joy had missed her workmates so much that she'd returned to her job as a pill packer.
"You can’t buy happiness", said Joy. "I was really very happy before. I like my friends on the production line. I feel very lonely just sitting at home."
The recently announced council house rent rises had caused some anger in the town and on the 25th a protest march was held.
It was organised by the Four Acre Lane and Jubits Lane Tenants Association and they journeyed from Queen's Recreation Park to the Town Hall.
There might be a damaging glass strike in the town but life went on at Windle Hall.
On the 26th Lord and Lady Pilkington threw open their gardens to the public. Admission cost two shillings, with proceeds going to the Retired District Nurses' Benevolent Fund.
Next week's stories will include strike breaking in the Pilkington dispute, the siege of Kirkland Street, a special reunion of priests at St. Anne's Monastery, claims of blood baths at the Greenbank British Legion and why Pat Phoenix was worried that she might get a black eye in St Helens.