FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (24th - 30th June 1969)
This week's stories include the closure of St Mary's Secondary School, Coronation Street stars make personal appearances at Rothery Records, Saints propose summer rugby, the special agents at St Mark's children's mission, a Sutton boy's bravery is rewarded, there's a table tennis marathon in Parr and Little Joe the mechanical black stocking salesman is at the Savoy.
However we begin on the 24th when four girls from Merton Bank Junior School visited Ken Dodd in Knotty Ash to present him with a cheque. Julia Cowell from Mowbray Avenue, Janet Johnson from Pendle Avenue, Lynn Welding from Peterlee Close and Gillian Cunliffe from Ashurst Drive handed the comic £20 for the British Heart Foundation.
The school's connection with Doddy began when he visited the ward at Liverpool Children's Hospital where one of their children was being treated for heart trouble. Ken showed such an interest in the little girl and Merton Bank that he was invited to the school to present a savings shield.
The pupils were so thrilled by the visit that they asked headmaster James Hall if they could collect cash to help people with heart disease and present it to Ken Dodd. The kids raised the money by holding dances during lunch hours, fancy dress competitions, lucky dips, spot the ball contests, a raffle, a Punch and Judy show and a treasure hunt.
The Liverpool Echo's 'Over The Mersey Wall' column on the 24th described how staff at the city Automobile Association office couldn't resist chuckling at a member's "earnestly outraged" account of how his AA badge needed replacing. The man wrote that his car had been stolen from St Helens and dumped at the gates of a nudist colony in what he described as a "stripped condition"!
On the 25th three Coronation Street stars and a Manchester band called 'Money' made personal appearances at Rothery Records in Ormskirk Street. Anne Reid (Valerie Barlow), Reginald Marsh (Dave Smith) and Bill Kenwright (Gordon Clegg) were appearing at the Theatre Royal all this week in a play called 'Come Laughing Home'.
To coincide with the performance of the play, the group Money had released a record of the same name and were making a series of appearances with the actors. Bill Kenwright would, of course, become a noted theatre and film producer and for the last fifteen years has been the chairman of Everton.
With the popularity of James Bond and 'The Man From Uncle', St Mark's Church in North Road decided that a Children's Mission that was taking place this week should be brought up to date. So all the youngsters attending the three Sunday schools in the parish were given yellow "special agent" cards complete with code.
Various events took place at the Children's Hall in Windle Street throughout the week – including quiz games, a serial story, singing and competitions. The mission was organised by the Church Army and Sister Moore said it had been going "wonderfully well" with attendances at the events "most encouraging".
This week a 16-year-old schoolboy called Fred Gravener was handed a certificate of bravery from the Mayor, Tom Wilcock, on behalf of the Fire Services Committee. The Grange Park pupil had been working in a Cecil Street garage when some petrol ignited and trapped one of his friends under a car. Fred from Percy Street pulled clear John Hopkins from Watery Lane but suffered burns and had to spend several days in hospital.
Although it was in 1996 when rugby league began being played during the summer, the idea had not been a recent one. On the 26th at the annual meeting of the Rugby Football League, Saints proposed switching from winter to summer. Their proposal of a season lasting from March to November did have some supporters but the majority of club chairmen rejected the idea. The Huddersfield chairman said rugby league was a winter game and playing in the summer would be "donkey work" for the players.
It was the grand final of the Plaza's talent contest on the 27th with the weekly winners from the past five weeks battling it out to be the overall winner. The acts were The Kaytones, Jimmy Aindow, The Fashions, Glen Irvine, Kathy O’Brien and Andy Ramone.
The Reporter on the 27th broke the "shock" news that St Mary's Secondary School was to close through the introduction of comprehensive education in St Helens. Schools were now required to offer a wide range of subjects, which St Mary's could not provide. This was because their pupil numbers had halved to under 200 during the last four years.
Consequently the number of teachers had reduced, which made specialist teaching impossible. The Church of England had been considering building a new secondary school in Sutton but lack of financial support meant the plan had had to be shelved. There would be a gradual run down of St Mary's with its closure scheduled for the end of the 1970 summer term.
With the St Helens Transport Department enduring on-going staff shortages, grumbling about bus services in the Reporter was a regular event. This week a letter in the paper from someone using the pseudonym "Pensioner" complained about the inefficiency of services. The individual wrote how empty buses had passed him or her at a stop in Waring Avenue on their way to the terminus, forcing the pensioner to pay fares on two buses:
"Compared with the people who make these rules, Dick Turpin was a gentleman. At least I should not think that he would rob pensioners for their coppers." Of course this was in the days before OAP bus passes were introduced.
The Reporter also wrote that glass from St Helens was protecting a 400-year-old Welsh bible that was going to be used at the investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales. The ceremony at Caernarfon was taking place in a few days time with the glass made at the Chance-Pilkington works fitted to a special case that would prevent UV light from yellowing the bible's paper.
Three weary looking teenagers with the names of P. Francis, D. Marsh and H. Williamson were pictured in the Reporter. They and five other lads from the Y-Club in Parr had taken part in a 50-hour table tennis marathon in which they'd played 670 games and raised £20 for the club. Club leader Norman Wilson said: "The boys were a bit groggy at the end. They had blisters on their hands and feet. But we had a great time. Now the girls are saying they can do better – so we'll have to wait and see."
The paper also described another marathon that had taken place at Inglenook Farm in Rainford. It was a 12-hour horse show in which over 70 youngsters had braved torrential downpours to raise nearly £100 for Save the Children.
The newly-formed Sutton Leach Ratepayers' Association told the Reporter that when people moved from Liverpool to St Helens they found acceptance by the locals to be "one of the greatest hurdles”. Mr V. W. Broadbere from Ifracombe Road – the organisation’s president – said they wanted to foster a "bubbling community spirit" between the old and new St Helens people.
More than eighty had turned up for their inaugural meeting, which was intended to represent inhabitants on the so-called "Mill Farm" estate between Leach Lane and Clock Face Road. Mr Broadbere said there were 300 houses already occupied on the estate with plans for 250 more.
It was reported on the 27th that a company called R. G. Brown had bought the derelict Macdonald engineering works at Haydock for £105,000 in order to expand its steel stockholding facilities in the North West.
Auntie Joan ran the Liverpool Echo's Children's Club and gave 10s 6d to every boy and girl whose "sketches, verses, storyettes, riddles or puzzles" were published. An odd amount at first sight but 10s 6d was, of course, half a guinea. On the 28th Susan Pownall from Frodsham Drive in Blackbrook had this poem called 'The Sunset' printed:
"What is it that tells the night is near? Of course, the beautiful sunset, with colours so dear; The time when all the birds fly away to sleep, And to see the lovely sunset. Through the curtains I must peep. And when the sun has set, My dream is not yet done. 'Cause I dream about it in my sleep... My beautiful setting sun."
Rev. "Reg" Smith returned to his old parish on the 28th to open a garden party organised by the Friends of Sutton National School, which was held on their playing fields. The former Vicar of Sutton was now Rector of Bury but regularly returned to his old stomping ground. More than £60 was raised for the new school building fund.
Meanwhile at the Sutton Parish Hall in New Street, the St Helens branch of the National Cactus and Succulent Society held its seventh annual show. Hundreds of varieties of cacti were on display, some up to 40 years old from the deserts of North and South America, Mexico, Africa and Australia.
On the 30th St Cuthbert's RC Secondary School in Berry's Lane was advertising in the Guardian for an "assistant master for metalwork". An ability to help with technical drawing would be considered an "added recommendation", said the ad.
The 'Dirty Dozen' began six days of screenings at the Capitol from the 30th with the ABC Savoy showing a double bill of comedy in 'All Neat in Black Stockings' and 'Carry On Cowboy'. In connection with the film Helena House took the opportunity of promoting their own stockings with their advert in the Reporter saying: "See Little Joe, the Mechanical Salesman, demonstrate Ballito Neat Black Stockings at the ABC (Savoy) Cinema. Full range of Ballito stockings and pantee hose available from Helena House." I certainly would like to have seen Little Joe putting on black stockings. The mind boggles!
Next week's stories will include a further delay to the building of Parr Baths, a possible solution to the dilemma of the Reginald Road "gipsies", an 81-year-old gives his verdict on how St Helens has changed, why elderly couples won't move to Four Acre Lane and teachers at the axed St Mary's Secondary School react with fury to comments made about them.
However we begin on the 24th when four girls from Merton Bank Junior School visited Ken Dodd in Knotty Ash to present him with a cheque. Julia Cowell from Mowbray Avenue, Janet Johnson from Pendle Avenue, Lynn Welding from Peterlee Close and Gillian Cunliffe from Ashurst Drive handed the comic £20 for the British Heart Foundation.
The school's connection with Doddy began when he visited the ward at Liverpool Children's Hospital where one of their children was being treated for heart trouble. Ken showed such an interest in the little girl and Merton Bank that he was invited to the school to present a savings shield.
The pupils were so thrilled by the visit that they asked headmaster James Hall if they could collect cash to help people with heart disease and present it to Ken Dodd. The kids raised the money by holding dances during lunch hours, fancy dress competitions, lucky dips, spot the ball contests, a raffle, a Punch and Judy show and a treasure hunt.
The Liverpool Echo's 'Over The Mersey Wall' column on the 24th described how staff at the city Automobile Association office couldn't resist chuckling at a member's "earnestly outraged" account of how his AA badge needed replacing. The man wrote that his car had been stolen from St Helens and dumped at the gates of a nudist colony in what he described as a "stripped condition"!
On the 25th three Coronation Street stars and a Manchester band called 'Money' made personal appearances at Rothery Records in Ormskirk Street. Anne Reid (Valerie Barlow), Reginald Marsh (Dave Smith) and Bill Kenwright (Gordon Clegg) were appearing at the Theatre Royal all this week in a play called 'Come Laughing Home'.
To coincide with the performance of the play, the group Money had released a record of the same name and were making a series of appearances with the actors. Bill Kenwright would, of course, become a noted theatre and film producer and for the last fifteen years has been the chairman of Everton.
With the popularity of James Bond and 'The Man From Uncle', St Mark's Church in North Road decided that a Children's Mission that was taking place this week should be brought up to date. So all the youngsters attending the three Sunday schools in the parish were given yellow "special agent" cards complete with code.
Various events took place at the Children's Hall in Windle Street throughout the week – including quiz games, a serial story, singing and competitions. The mission was organised by the Church Army and Sister Moore said it had been going "wonderfully well" with attendances at the events "most encouraging".
This week a 16-year-old schoolboy called Fred Gravener was handed a certificate of bravery from the Mayor, Tom Wilcock, on behalf of the Fire Services Committee. The Grange Park pupil had been working in a Cecil Street garage when some petrol ignited and trapped one of his friends under a car. Fred from Percy Street pulled clear John Hopkins from Watery Lane but suffered burns and had to spend several days in hospital.
Although it was in 1996 when rugby league began being played during the summer, the idea had not been a recent one. On the 26th at the annual meeting of the Rugby Football League, Saints proposed switching from winter to summer. Their proposal of a season lasting from March to November did have some supporters but the majority of club chairmen rejected the idea. The Huddersfield chairman said rugby league was a winter game and playing in the summer would be "donkey work" for the players.
The Reporter on the 27th broke the "shock" news that St Mary's Secondary School was to close through the introduction of comprehensive education in St Helens. Schools were now required to offer a wide range of subjects, which St Mary's could not provide. This was because their pupil numbers had halved to under 200 during the last four years.
Consequently the number of teachers had reduced, which made specialist teaching impossible. The Church of England had been considering building a new secondary school in Sutton but lack of financial support meant the plan had had to be shelved. There would be a gradual run down of St Mary's with its closure scheduled for the end of the 1970 summer term.
With the St Helens Transport Department enduring on-going staff shortages, grumbling about bus services in the Reporter was a regular event. This week a letter in the paper from someone using the pseudonym "Pensioner" complained about the inefficiency of services. The individual wrote how empty buses had passed him or her at a stop in Waring Avenue on their way to the terminus, forcing the pensioner to pay fares on two buses:
"Compared with the people who make these rules, Dick Turpin was a gentleman. At least I should not think that he would rob pensioners for their coppers." Of course this was in the days before OAP bus passes were introduced.
The Reporter also wrote that glass from St Helens was protecting a 400-year-old Welsh bible that was going to be used at the investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales. The ceremony at Caernarfon was taking place in a few days time with the glass made at the Chance-Pilkington works fitted to a special case that would prevent UV light from yellowing the bible's paper.
Three weary looking teenagers with the names of P. Francis, D. Marsh and H. Williamson were pictured in the Reporter. They and five other lads from the Y-Club in Parr had taken part in a 50-hour table tennis marathon in which they'd played 670 games and raised £20 for the club. Club leader Norman Wilson said: "The boys were a bit groggy at the end. They had blisters on their hands and feet. But we had a great time. Now the girls are saying they can do better – so we'll have to wait and see."
The paper also described another marathon that had taken place at Inglenook Farm in Rainford. It was a 12-hour horse show in which over 70 youngsters had braved torrential downpours to raise nearly £100 for Save the Children.
The newly-formed Sutton Leach Ratepayers' Association told the Reporter that when people moved from Liverpool to St Helens they found acceptance by the locals to be "one of the greatest hurdles”. Mr V. W. Broadbere from Ifracombe Road – the organisation’s president – said they wanted to foster a "bubbling community spirit" between the old and new St Helens people.
More than eighty had turned up for their inaugural meeting, which was intended to represent inhabitants on the so-called "Mill Farm" estate between Leach Lane and Clock Face Road. Mr Broadbere said there were 300 houses already occupied on the estate with plans for 250 more.
It was reported on the 27th that a company called R. G. Brown had bought the derelict Macdonald engineering works at Haydock for £105,000 in order to expand its steel stockholding facilities in the North West.
"What is it that tells the night is near? Of course, the beautiful sunset, with colours so dear; The time when all the birds fly away to sleep, And to see the lovely sunset. Through the curtains I must peep. And when the sun has set, My dream is not yet done. 'Cause I dream about it in my sleep... My beautiful setting sun."
Rev. "Reg" Smith returned to his old parish on the 28th to open a garden party organised by the Friends of Sutton National School, which was held on their playing fields. The former Vicar of Sutton was now Rector of Bury but regularly returned to his old stomping ground. More than £60 was raised for the new school building fund.
Meanwhile at the Sutton Parish Hall in New Street, the St Helens branch of the National Cactus and Succulent Society held its seventh annual show. Hundreds of varieties of cacti were on display, some up to 40 years old from the deserts of North and South America, Mexico, Africa and Australia.
On the 30th St Cuthbert's RC Secondary School in Berry's Lane was advertising in the Guardian for an "assistant master for metalwork". An ability to help with technical drawing would be considered an "added recommendation", said the ad.
The 'Dirty Dozen' began six days of screenings at the Capitol from the 30th with the ABC Savoy showing a double bill of comedy in 'All Neat in Black Stockings' and 'Carry On Cowboy'. In connection with the film Helena House took the opportunity of promoting their own stockings with their advert in the Reporter saying: "See Little Joe, the Mechanical Salesman, demonstrate Ballito Neat Black Stockings at the ABC (Savoy) Cinema. Full range of Ballito stockings and pantee hose available from Helena House." I certainly would like to have seen Little Joe putting on black stockings. The mind boggles!
Next week's stories will include a further delay to the building of Parr Baths, a possible solution to the dilemma of the Reginald Road "gipsies", an 81-year-old gives his verdict on how St Helens has changed, why elderly couples won't move to Four Acre Lane and teachers at the axed St Mary's Secondary School react with fury to comments made about them.