FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (23 - 29 OCTOBER 1973)
This week's 14 stories include the lenient sentence on a two-time Thatto Heath rapist, the exhibition to publicise caring in St Helens, a milk bottle shortage proves good news for UGB, the plastic coffin product being developed in Rainford, the compensation for those forced to move from demolition areas and an update on the pigeon loft raid in Marshalls Cross Road.
This week St Helens Social Services held an exhibition in the Town Hall called 'Who Cares?' to publicise the caring work undertaken in the St Helens district. Stands at the exhibition were manned by various organisations with entertainment provided on each evening. That included a choir of 150 from various churches presenting their version of 'Songs of Praise'; a junior brass band contest and a 'Good Old Days' concert.
On the 23rd the Liverpool Echo described how a 100-foot high chimneystack at Pilkington's glassworks in Watson Street in St Helens was going to be demolished. The chimney, which was erected in 1890, would be dismantled brick by brick over three months. Although not named in the piece, Harry Davies from Frodsham Drive in Blackbrook was the steeplejack who specialised in bringing down chimneys in that way, when it was considered too risky to use explosives.
On the 26th at Liverpool Crown Court, a builder's labourer from Thatto Heath was sent to prison after being found guilty of raping a 17-year-old girl. However, the sentence imposed on the 21-year-old from Springfield Road was just two years. That was despite the aggravated nature of the attack in which the girl was described as having been treated like an animal and the fact that the man had previously served three years detention for his part in a gang rape.
The latest attack had taken place on waste ground in St Helens and the man had struck his victim when she resisted him and had attempted to strangle her when she screamed. The judge provided two reasons for the leniency of his sentence, both of which would be seen as absurd today and probably lead to a storm of protest. He said he did not like to send a man back to prison for a long time when he had only just come out and because the girl had "exposed him to temptation".
"This girl was very silly going on to waste land with you at night," the judge remarked. "But a lot of girls of 17 have no sense and have to be protected against their own folly." The two had met at a disco in St Helens and while supposedly walking the girl home, the 21-year-old had dragged her across wasteland before raping her.
North West milk distributors J. Hanson & Sons had previously campaigned for the return of their bottles, claiming 25,000 went astray each day. The company – who delivered milk to many St Helens' homes – used a character called 'Billy Bottle' – a little man with a bottle-shaped body – to hammer home their message. But things had not improved and the lead story in the Reporter on the 26th described how the bottle shortage had deteriorated – although the "mounting crisis" was proving good news for United Glass.
The St Helens firm had stepped up bottle production by 9% and, by the end of the year they expected to have produced an additional 200 million. A UGB spokesman said: "There is a tremendous demand for bottles this year, as never before." A single milk bottle used to last 42 trips, on average, from the dairy to the home, but that figure had now been slashed to 22. As a result local dairymen were only supplying shops with milk in cartons. The Dairy Trades Federation commented that rationing of milk could not be ruled out unless more bottles were returned.
Some weeks ago the Reporter had revealed a Corporation cock-up. The Housing Department had failed to inform many householders that had recently been forced to move from demolition areas that they were entitled to compensation. The Land Compensation Act of 1973 only provided cash to those that had lived in their homes for at least five years and had been rehoused since last October.
The Reporter described how since the publicity about the mistake, St Helens Town Hall had successfully dealt with 120 compensation claims and a further 155 were being considered. Each claim was expected to result in an average pay-out of £200, about £3,000 in today's money.
Retired policeman George Allen was upset about his faulty gas central heating. The 70-year-old told the Reporter that gasmen had been to his home on Four Acre Lane seventy times during the past 18 months. They'd been trying to fix a whining noise that had begun after his system had been converted to North Sea gas.
Norman Seabrook of Mere Grove in Clinkham Wood also expressed his unhappiness in the paper. The welder with 27 years experience had been temporarily employed at Leathers Chemicals in Sutton and had been burned when acid sprayed on him from a pipe that he'd been cutting. Mr Seabrook was critical of health and safety practices at the plant – including not being issued with protective clothing – and the standard of work that was being done.
Also profiled in the Reporter was John Keogh, the landlord of the York Hotel in Nutgrove Road, who was a military memorabilia collector. Over 186 regimental badges from British, allied and foreign forces had been carefully set out in glass cases on the walls of his pub. And a further 200 badges were waiting for alterations to be carried out at the York that would create more wall space and allow them to be displayed. John had been collecting the badges over the previous two years – along with Arthur Cartledge and Bob Lancaster – with all three formerly army sergeants.
The work of Harry Williams was also described. The former pitman at Sutton Manor Colliery was the last mayor of the St Helens County Borough and since being installed as first citizen in May, Harry reckoned he'd already carried out about 300 engagements.
The Reporter also wrote: "Wooden coffins could die an unnatural death in the near future, and plastic boxes may take their place." They were referring to a new type of cellular vinyl developed by Foster Plastics of Rainford, which was being seen as a timber substitute.
The firm's original plan had been to sell the "indestructible" plastic called Tufcel to the building industry but the most immediate demand had come from coffin manufacturers instead. Fosters were already in the process of installing a second production line to cope with demand. The Reporter added: "In America, where death is big business, the demand for Tufcel is growing at an incredible rate."
In January I wrote this short piece: "Police were searching this week for the perpetrators of a raid on a pigeon loft in Marshalls Cross Road. Two dozen racing pigeons worth £2,000 were stolen and five were killed. "“There was blood and feathers everywhere”, said Jim Pickavance, the son of the 83-year-old owner and champion fancier, Sam Pickavance."
This week the Reporter provided an update on Sam's situation. It does not appear that those responsible for the raid had been brought to book. But some of the missing birds had flown back to the loft and Sam, aided by his son Jim, had bred new birds that had won prizes in several cross-Channel races. That included one award of £550 in a top event organised by the National Flying Club that had attracted nearly 10,000 entries. Sam said: "At the time I was really disheartened. Now things are looking up again."
On the 27th the James Bond thriller 'Live And Let Die' finished its run at the ABC Savoy cinema in Bridge Street in St Helens. The film was replaced on the following day by 'Battle For The Planet Of The Apes', starring Roddy McDowall. Meanwhile, the Capitol had a Walt Disney film 'The World's Greatest Athlete' showing for a week.
On the 29th St Helens firemen voted to work to rule in support of striking colleagues in Glasgow. Emergency calls would still be answered but inspections and maintenance work would not be undertaken.
And finally, the term "DIY" came into use around 1970 but didn't find its way into this large advert in the Liverpool Echo on the 29th that said: "Status Is Here! – New Discount Warehouse At Reginald Rd, St. Helens. Gigantic discounts on all the popular leading makes of paint, wallpaper, kitchens, carpets and furniture for your bedroom, living room and lounge."
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the kids that robbed a bedridden Sutton pensioner, the completion of Phase 1 of the town centre redevelopment scheme, St Helens Tech's disastrous Rag Week and the Rainhill Hospital patients with nowhere to go.
This week St Helens Social Services held an exhibition in the Town Hall called 'Who Cares?' to publicise the caring work undertaken in the St Helens district. Stands at the exhibition were manned by various organisations with entertainment provided on each evening. That included a choir of 150 from various churches presenting their version of 'Songs of Praise'; a junior brass band contest and a 'Good Old Days' concert.
On the 23rd the Liverpool Echo described how a 100-foot high chimneystack at Pilkington's glassworks in Watson Street in St Helens was going to be demolished. The chimney, which was erected in 1890, would be dismantled brick by brick over three months. Although not named in the piece, Harry Davies from Frodsham Drive in Blackbrook was the steeplejack who specialised in bringing down chimneys in that way, when it was considered too risky to use explosives.
On the 26th at Liverpool Crown Court, a builder's labourer from Thatto Heath was sent to prison after being found guilty of raping a 17-year-old girl. However, the sentence imposed on the 21-year-old from Springfield Road was just two years. That was despite the aggravated nature of the attack in which the girl was described as having been treated like an animal and the fact that the man had previously served three years detention for his part in a gang rape.
The latest attack had taken place on waste ground in St Helens and the man had struck his victim when she resisted him and had attempted to strangle her when she screamed. The judge provided two reasons for the leniency of his sentence, both of which would be seen as absurd today and probably lead to a storm of protest. He said he did not like to send a man back to prison for a long time when he had only just come out and because the girl had "exposed him to temptation".
"This girl was very silly going on to waste land with you at night," the judge remarked. "But a lot of girls of 17 have no sense and have to be protected against their own folly." The two had met at a disco in St Helens and while supposedly walking the girl home, the 21-year-old had dragged her across wasteland before raping her.
The St Helens firm had stepped up bottle production by 9% and, by the end of the year they expected to have produced an additional 200 million. A UGB spokesman said: "There is a tremendous demand for bottles this year, as never before." A single milk bottle used to last 42 trips, on average, from the dairy to the home, but that figure had now been slashed to 22. As a result local dairymen were only supplying shops with milk in cartons. The Dairy Trades Federation commented that rationing of milk could not be ruled out unless more bottles were returned.
Some weeks ago the Reporter had revealed a Corporation cock-up. The Housing Department had failed to inform many householders that had recently been forced to move from demolition areas that they were entitled to compensation. The Land Compensation Act of 1973 only provided cash to those that had lived in their homes for at least five years and had been rehoused since last October.
The Reporter described how since the publicity about the mistake, St Helens Town Hall had successfully dealt with 120 compensation claims and a further 155 were being considered. Each claim was expected to result in an average pay-out of £200, about £3,000 in today's money.
Retired policeman George Allen was upset about his faulty gas central heating. The 70-year-old told the Reporter that gasmen had been to his home on Four Acre Lane seventy times during the past 18 months. They'd been trying to fix a whining noise that had begun after his system had been converted to North Sea gas.
Norman Seabrook of Mere Grove in Clinkham Wood also expressed his unhappiness in the paper. The welder with 27 years experience had been temporarily employed at Leathers Chemicals in Sutton and had been burned when acid sprayed on him from a pipe that he'd been cutting. Mr Seabrook was critical of health and safety practices at the plant – including not being issued with protective clothing – and the standard of work that was being done.
Also profiled in the Reporter was John Keogh, the landlord of the York Hotel in Nutgrove Road, who was a military memorabilia collector. Over 186 regimental badges from British, allied and foreign forces had been carefully set out in glass cases on the walls of his pub. And a further 200 badges were waiting for alterations to be carried out at the York that would create more wall space and allow them to be displayed. John had been collecting the badges over the previous two years – along with Arthur Cartledge and Bob Lancaster – with all three formerly army sergeants.
The work of Harry Williams was also described. The former pitman at Sutton Manor Colliery was the last mayor of the St Helens County Borough and since being installed as first citizen in May, Harry reckoned he'd already carried out about 300 engagements.
The Reporter also wrote: "Wooden coffins could die an unnatural death in the near future, and plastic boxes may take their place." They were referring to a new type of cellular vinyl developed by Foster Plastics of Rainford, which was being seen as a timber substitute.
The firm's original plan had been to sell the "indestructible" plastic called Tufcel to the building industry but the most immediate demand had come from coffin manufacturers instead. Fosters were already in the process of installing a second production line to cope with demand. The Reporter added: "In America, where death is big business, the demand for Tufcel is growing at an incredible rate."
In January I wrote this short piece: "Police were searching this week for the perpetrators of a raid on a pigeon loft in Marshalls Cross Road. Two dozen racing pigeons worth £2,000 were stolen and five were killed. "“There was blood and feathers everywhere”, said Jim Pickavance, the son of the 83-year-old owner and champion fancier, Sam Pickavance."
This week the Reporter provided an update on Sam's situation. It does not appear that those responsible for the raid had been brought to book. But some of the missing birds had flown back to the loft and Sam, aided by his son Jim, had bred new birds that had won prizes in several cross-Channel races. That included one award of £550 in a top event organised by the National Flying Club that had attracted nearly 10,000 entries. Sam said: "At the time I was really disheartened. Now things are looking up again."
On the 27th the James Bond thriller 'Live And Let Die' finished its run at the ABC Savoy cinema in Bridge Street in St Helens. The film was replaced on the following day by 'Battle For The Planet Of The Apes', starring Roddy McDowall. Meanwhile, the Capitol had a Walt Disney film 'The World's Greatest Athlete' showing for a week.
On the 29th St Helens firemen voted to work to rule in support of striking colleagues in Glasgow. Emergency calls would still be answered but inspections and maintenance work would not be undertaken.
And finally, the term "DIY" came into use around 1970 but didn't find its way into this large advert in the Liverpool Echo on the 29th that said: "Status Is Here! – New Discount Warehouse At Reginald Rd, St. Helens. Gigantic discounts on all the popular leading makes of paint, wallpaper, kitchens, carpets and furniture for your bedroom, living room and lounge."
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the kids that robbed a bedridden Sutton pensioner, the completion of Phase 1 of the town centre redevelopment scheme, St Helens Tech's disastrous Rag Week and the Rainhill Hospital patients with nowhere to go.
This week's 14 stories include the lenient sentence on a two-time Thatto Heath rapist, the exhibition to publicise caring in St Helens, a milk bottle shortage proves good news for UGB, the plastic coffin product being developed in Rainford, the compensation for those forced to move from demolition areas and an update on the pigeon loft raid in Marshalls Cross Road.
This week St Helens Social Services held an exhibition in the Town Hall called 'Who Cares?' to publicise the caring work undertaken in the St Helens district.
Stands at the exhibition were manned by various organisations with entertainment provided on each evening.
That included a choir of 150 from various churches presenting their version of 'Songs of Praise'; a junior brass band contest and a 'Good Old Days' concert.
On the 23rd the Liverpool Echo described how a 100-foot high chimneystack at Pilkington's glassworks in Watson Street in St Helens was going to be demolished.
The chimney, which was erected in 1890, would be dismantled brick by brick over three months.
Although not named in the piece, Harry Davies from Frodsham Drive in Blackbrook was the steeplejack who specialised in bringing down chimneys in that way, when it was considered too risky to use explosives.
On the 26th at Liverpool Crown Court, a builder's labourer from Thatto Heath was sent to prison after being found guilty of raping a 17-year-old girl.
However, the sentence imposed on the 21-year-old from Springfield Road was just two years.
That was despite the aggravated nature of the attack in which the girl was described as having been treated like an animal and the fact that the man had previously served three years detention for his part in a gang rape.
The latest attack had taken place on waste ground in St Helens and the man had struck his victim when she resisted him and had attempted to strangle her when she screamed.
The judge provided two reasons for the leniency of his sentence, both of which would be seen as absurd today and probably lead to a storm of protest.
He said he did not like to send a man back to prison for a long time when he had only just come out and because the girl had "exposed him to temptation".
"This girl was very silly going on to waste land with you at night," the judge remarked. "But a lot of girls of 17 have no sense and have to be protected against their own folly."
The two had met at a disco in St Helens and while supposedly walking the girl home, the 21-year-old had dragged her across wasteland before raping her.
North West milk distributors J. Hanson & Sons had previously campaigned for the return of their bottles, claiming 25,000 went astray each day.
The company – who delivered milk to many St Helens' homes – used a character called 'Billy Bottle' – a little man with a bottle-shaped body – to hammer home their message.
But things had not improved and the lead story in the Reporter on the 26th described how the bottle shortage had deteriorated – although the "mounting crisis" was proving good news for United Glass.
The St Helens firm had stepped up bottle production by 9% and, by the end of the year they expected to have produced an additional 200 million.
A UGB spokesman said: "There is a tremendous demand for bottles this year, as never before."
A single milk bottle used to last 42 trips, on average, from the dairy to the home, but that figure had now been slashed to 22. As a result local dairymen were only supplying shops with milk in cartons.
The Dairy Trades Federation commented that rationing of milk could not be ruled out unless more bottles were returned.
Some weeks ago the Reporter had revealed a Corporation cock-up. The Housing Department had failed to inform many householders that had recently been forced to move from demolition areas that they were entitled to compensation.
The Land Compensation Act of 1973 only provided cash to those that had lived in their homes for at least five years and had been rehoused since last October.
The Reporter described how since the publicity about the mistake, St Helens Town Hall had successfully dealt with 120 compensation claims and a further 155 were being considered.
Each claim was expected to result in an average pay-out of £200, about £3,000 in today's money.
Retired policeman George Allen was upset about his faulty gas central heating. The 70-year-old told the Reporter that gasmen had been to his home on Four Acre Lane seventy times during the past 18 months.
They'd been trying to fix a whining noise that had begun after his system had been converted to North Sea gas.
Norman Seabrook of Mere Grove in Clinkham Wood also expressed his unhappiness in the paper.
The welder with 27 years experience had been temporarily employed at Leathers Chemicals in Sutton and had been burned when acid sprayed on him from a pipe that he'd been cutting.
Mr Seabrook was critical of health and safety practices at the plant – including not being issued with protective clothing – and the standard of work that was being done.
Also profiled in the Reporter was John Keogh, the landlord of the York Hotel in Nutgrove Road, who was a military memorabilia collector.
Over 186 regimental badges from British, allied and foreign forces had been carefully set out in glass cases on the walls of his pub.
And a further 200 badges were waiting for alterations to be carried out at the York that would create more wall space and allow them to be displayed.
John had been collecting the badges over the previous two years – along with Arthur Cartledge and Bob Lancaster – with all three formerly army sergeants.
The work of Harry Williams was also described. The former pitman at Sutton Manor Colliery was the last mayor of the St Helens County Borough and since being installed as first citizen in May, Harry reckoned he'd already carried out about 300 engagements.
The Reporter also wrote: "Wooden coffins could die an unnatural death in the near future, and plastic boxes may take their place."
They were referring to a new type of cellular vinyl developed by Foster Plastics of Rainford, which was being seen as a timber substitute.
The firm's original plan had been to sell the "indestructible" plastic called Tufcel to the building industry but the most immediate demand had come from coffin manufacturers instead.
Fosters were already in the process of installing a second production line to cope with demand. The Reporter added:
"In America, where death is big business, the demand for Tufcel is growing at an incredible rate."
In January I wrote this short piece: "Police were searching this week for the perpetrators of a raid on a pigeon loft in Marshalls Cross Road. Two dozen racing pigeons worth £2,000 were stolen and five were killed.
"“There was blood and feathers everywhere”, said Jim Pickavance, the son of the 83-year-old owner and champion fancier, Sam Pickavance."
This week the Reporter provided an update on Sam's situation. It does not appear that those responsible for the raid had been brought to book.
But some of the missing birds had flown back to the loft and Sam, aided by his son Jim, had bred new birds that had won prizes in several cross-Channel races.
That included one award of £550 in a top event organised by the National Flying Club that had attracted nearly 10,000 entries. Sam said:
"At the time I was really disheartened. Now things are looking up again."
On the 27th the James Bond thriller 'Live And Let Die' finished its run at the ABC Savoy cinema in Bridge Street in St Helens.
The film was replaced on the following day by 'Battle For The Planet Of The Apes', starring Roddy McDowall.
Meanwhile, the Capitol had a Walt Disney film 'The World's Greatest Athlete' showing for a week.
On the 29th St Helens firemen voted to work to rule in support of striking colleagues in Glasgow.
Emergency calls would still be answered but inspections and maintenance work would not be undertaken.
And finally, the term "DIY" came into use around 1970 but didn't find its way into this large advert in the Liverpool Echo on the 29th that said:
"Status Is Here! – New Discount Warehouse At Reginald Rd, St. Helens. Gigantic discounts on all the popular leading makes of paint, wallpaper, kitchens, carpets and furniture for your bedroom, living room and lounge."
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the kids that robbed a bedridden Sutton pensioner, the completion of Phase 1 of the town centre redevelopment scheme, St Helens Tech's disastrous Rag Week and the Rainhill Hospital patients with nowhere to go.
This week St Helens Social Services held an exhibition in the Town Hall called 'Who Cares?' to publicise the caring work undertaken in the St Helens district.
Stands at the exhibition were manned by various organisations with entertainment provided on each evening.
That included a choir of 150 from various churches presenting their version of 'Songs of Praise'; a junior brass band contest and a 'Good Old Days' concert.
On the 23rd the Liverpool Echo described how a 100-foot high chimneystack at Pilkington's glassworks in Watson Street in St Helens was going to be demolished.
The chimney, which was erected in 1890, would be dismantled brick by brick over three months.
Although not named in the piece, Harry Davies from Frodsham Drive in Blackbrook was the steeplejack who specialised in bringing down chimneys in that way, when it was considered too risky to use explosives.
On the 26th at Liverpool Crown Court, a builder's labourer from Thatto Heath was sent to prison after being found guilty of raping a 17-year-old girl.
However, the sentence imposed on the 21-year-old from Springfield Road was just two years.
That was despite the aggravated nature of the attack in which the girl was described as having been treated like an animal and the fact that the man had previously served three years detention for his part in a gang rape.
The latest attack had taken place on waste ground in St Helens and the man had struck his victim when she resisted him and had attempted to strangle her when she screamed.
The judge provided two reasons for the leniency of his sentence, both of which would be seen as absurd today and probably lead to a storm of protest.
He said he did not like to send a man back to prison for a long time when he had only just come out and because the girl had "exposed him to temptation".
"This girl was very silly going on to waste land with you at night," the judge remarked. "But a lot of girls of 17 have no sense and have to be protected against their own folly."
The two had met at a disco in St Helens and while supposedly walking the girl home, the 21-year-old had dragged her across wasteland before raping her.
The company – who delivered milk to many St Helens' homes – used a character called 'Billy Bottle' – a little man with a bottle-shaped body – to hammer home their message.
But things had not improved and the lead story in the Reporter on the 26th described how the bottle shortage had deteriorated – although the "mounting crisis" was proving good news for United Glass.
The St Helens firm had stepped up bottle production by 9% and, by the end of the year they expected to have produced an additional 200 million.
A UGB spokesman said: "There is a tremendous demand for bottles this year, as never before."
A single milk bottle used to last 42 trips, on average, from the dairy to the home, but that figure had now been slashed to 22. As a result local dairymen were only supplying shops with milk in cartons.
The Dairy Trades Federation commented that rationing of milk could not be ruled out unless more bottles were returned.
Some weeks ago the Reporter had revealed a Corporation cock-up. The Housing Department had failed to inform many householders that had recently been forced to move from demolition areas that they were entitled to compensation.
The Land Compensation Act of 1973 only provided cash to those that had lived in their homes for at least five years and had been rehoused since last October.
The Reporter described how since the publicity about the mistake, St Helens Town Hall had successfully dealt with 120 compensation claims and a further 155 were being considered.
Each claim was expected to result in an average pay-out of £200, about £3,000 in today's money.
Retired policeman George Allen was upset about his faulty gas central heating. The 70-year-old told the Reporter that gasmen had been to his home on Four Acre Lane seventy times during the past 18 months.
They'd been trying to fix a whining noise that had begun after his system had been converted to North Sea gas.
Norman Seabrook of Mere Grove in Clinkham Wood also expressed his unhappiness in the paper.
The welder with 27 years experience had been temporarily employed at Leathers Chemicals in Sutton and had been burned when acid sprayed on him from a pipe that he'd been cutting.
Mr Seabrook was critical of health and safety practices at the plant – including not being issued with protective clothing – and the standard of work that was being done.
Also profiled in the Reporter was John Keogh, the landlord of the York Hotel in Nutgrove Road, who was a military memorabilia collector.
Over 186 regimental badges from British, allied and foreign forces had been carefully set out in glass cases on the walls of his pub.
And a further 200 badges were waiting for alterations to be carried out at the York that would create more wall space and allow them to be displayed.
John had been collecting the badges over the previous two years – along with Arthur Cartledge and Bob Lancaster – with all three formerly army sergeants.
The work of Harry Williams was also described. The former pitman at Sutton Manor Colliery was the last mayor of the St Helens County Borough and since being installed as first citizen in May, Harry reckoned he'd already carried out about 300 engagements.
The Reporter also wrote: "Wooden coffins could die an unnatural death in the near future, and plastic boxes may take their place."
They were referring to a new type of cellular vinyl developed by Foster Plastics of Rainford, which was being seen as a timber substitute.
The firm's original plan had been to sell the "indestructible" plastic called Tufcel to the building industry but the most immediate demand had come from coffin manufacturers instead.
Fosters were already in the process of installing a second production line to cope with demand. The Reporter added:
"In America, where death is big business, the demand for Tufcel is growing at an incredible rate."
In January I wrote this short piece: "Police were searching this week for the perpetrators of a raid on a pigeon loft in Marshalls Cross Road. Two dozen racing pigeons worth £2,000 were stolen and five were killed.
"“There was blood and feathers everywhere”, said Jim Pickavance, the son of the 83-year-old owner and champion fancier, Sam Pickavance."
This week the Reporter provided an update on Sam's situation. It does not appear that those responsible for the raid had been brought to book.
But some of the missing birds had flown back to the loft and Sam, aided by his son Jim, had bred new birds that had won prizes in several cross-Channel races.
That included one award of £550 in a top event organised by the National Flying Club that had attracted nearly 10,000 entries. Sam said:
"At the time I was really disheartened. Now things are looking up again."
On the 27th the James Bond thriller 'Live And Let Die' finished its run at the ABC Savoy cinema in Bridge Street in St Helens.
The film was replaced on the following day by 'Battle For The Planet Of The Apes', starring Roddy McDowall.
Meanwhile, the Capitol had a Walt Disney film 'The World's Greatest Athlete' showing for a week.
On the 29th St Helens firemen voted to work to rule in support of striking colleagues in Glasgow.
Emergency calls would still be answered but inspections and maintenance work would not be undertaken.
And finally, the term "DIY" came into use around 1970 but didn't find its way into this large advert in the Liverpool Echo on the 29th that said:
"Status Is Here! – New Discount Warehouse At Reginald Rd, St. Helens. Gigantic discounts on all the popular leading makes of paint, wallpaper, kitchens, carpets and furniture for your bedroom, living room and lounge."
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the kids that robbed a bedridden Sutton pensioner, the completion of Phase 1 of the town centre redevelopment scheme, St Helens Tech's disastrous Rag Week and the Rainhill Hospital patients with nowhere to go.