FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (26th JULY - 1st AUG. 1971)
This week's many stories include the toy sales to boost Providence Hospital's fighting fund, the Duke Street newsagent who bought a new car with cigarette coupons, browned off St Helens Show organisers contact a weather prophet, the Robins Lane attendance watches and an update on Knowsley Safari Park.
We begin in the early hours of the 26th when fire destroyed an upstairs flat above a confectioner's shop in Newton-le-Willows. The flat in Crow Lane West was occupied by Barry Rolland, who was employed by A and B Cars in Newton. Firemen had to use breathing apparatus to tackle the blaze and James Singleton, the owner of the flat, said: "Barry lost everything. Nothing in the lounge escaped damage. No window frames remain attached to the brickwork, the fire completely destroyed them." A Newton-le-Willows fire brigade spokesman said: "It appeared that the flames had been building up for several hours. As soon as the door was opened, the flames were fanned and then everything burst into flames at once."
It has to be said that Ernie Buckley tended to enjoy rather mixed publicity during the 1970s. The police did not look too favourably on some of the magazines and books that the Duke Street newsagent sold and the ensuing prosecutions were well reported in the Press. The St Helens bobbies tended to prefer Ernie's wife Janet who in 1976 they called "very courageous" and "very plucky". That was after the 40-year-old had chased after a thief who had snatched £600 from her inside the Westminster Bank in Hardshaw Street. Mrs Buckley then jumped onto the bonnet of his moving getaway car and – holding onto its windscreen wipers – was carried for about 30 yards before the car braked and she was flung into the roadway.
There was nothing so dramatic in the publicity that Ernie received at the start of this week – but it was still remarkable. The 39-year-old was awaiting delivery of a £2,000 Rover 2000 that had he had bought with cigarette coupons. About 18 months ago, Mr Buckley had written to a Nottingham tobacco company asking how many coupons he would need for a new Rover. Back came the answer – 1,247,000!
"At first, I did not think I would be able to manage it", Mr Buckley told the Liverpool Echo on the 27th. But they just seemed to snowball. I eventually managed to get that number together and send them off. I am now waiting for the car. It should arrive in about a fortnight." When he received the new car – the colour of which was expected (appropriately) to be tobacco leaf – Ernie Buckley said he would be getting rid of his old shooting brake.
Just where the coupons came from wasn't stated but I expect they were mainly bought from customers in his shop. I doubt he smoked that many cigarettes in 18 months! What was not revealed in the article was that Mr Buckley was presently facing charges of possessing obscene literature for sale and would soon appear in court.
Several new magistrates from the St Helens district were appointed on the 27th. Raymond Tapken at 30 was the youngest magistrate to sit on the Newton-le-Willows Bench and was full-time resident youth leader at Newton Boys Club. Estate agent Frank Brown of Springfield Lane in Eccleston was a founder member of St Helens Round Table and a director at Saints. Also appointed was John Wellens of Tennyson Drive in Billinge, Alma Howarth of Church Road in Rainford and dentist Richard Pennington of Church Lane in Eccleston.
In the St Helens Newspaper on the 27th the retiring Robins Lane Secondary School headmaster Joseph Woods was pictured at his last school speech day. Several years earlier the longstanding head had introduced the practice of giving watches to pupils with outstanding attendance and punctuality records. Mr Woods firmly believed that it drove up attendance rates: "It's certainly achieved results", he told the paper.
I don't think the prospect of a watch would do much to motivate attendance today. But 15-year-olds Karen Porter from Irwin Road and Satindra Dawar from Bentinck Street (pictured above) looked very pleased to receive their prizes. However Albert Homer trumped their 100% school records over the previous four years. The 16-year-old had received a timepiece in 1970 but had stayed on at school for a fifth year. Albert still hadn't missed a single lesson but wasn't given a second watch. Instead Albert received a 50p book token.
During the evening of the 27th while riding his bike on Croppers Hill, Kenneth Hale was involved in a collision with a car. The 15-year-old from Alder Hey Road was taken to Providence Hospital with a broken leg and later transferred to Warrington Infirmary.
A fortnight ago I described how Gerry Caughey – the leader of last year's devastating Pilkington strike – was in dire straits. In an interview with the Guardian he claimed that he was penniless and that for the last three weeks his family of five had lived on food begged from relatives. That was because his £10 a week unemployment pay and £4 supplementary benefit had been stopped as Social Security investigators claimed he had been working. The 37-year-old from Kipling Grove in Sutton Manor denied that and said he had applied for 80 jobs and been turned down for every one.
The other main strike leader in last year's dispute had been John Potter and he was having better luck. On August 2nd he would start work as a community liaison officer to Skelmersdale and Holland Urban Council on £35 a week. However his appointment had greatly upset the Digmoor Tenants Association and they planned to hold a special meeting to discuss it.
Mr Potter (who was also a St Helens councillor) lived in Parbold Avenue in Blackbrook and had been chosen from 11 applicants. The suggestion appeared to be of cronyism – that the Labour-controlled management committee had chosen Mr Potter because of his left-wing credentials. On the 28th Steve Woods, chairman of the association, said they were calling for an investigation: "We intend to ask the regional Labour Party to investigate the way in which the decision was made."
On the same day it was reported that St Helens police were seeking cheeky thieves who had jacked up a mini car parked outside Robins Lane Junior School and stolen a battery and two wheels that were worth a total of £17. Jewellery and other property worth over £110 had also been stolen from a house in Cowley Hill Lane and tools worth £5 had been taken from Evans sawmills in Bewsey Street.
There were two more fires on the 28th. The rear bedroom of Mr and Mrs William Kendle's home in Carmelite Crescent in Eccleston was severely damaged by fire while they were both out of the house. A short circuit in an electric blanket is thought to have been the cause, which badly damaged the ceiling, walls, furniture, bedding and personal belongings.
Children playing with matches were also believed to have been responsible for setting alight the garage premises of roofing contractors W. Swindells and Sons of Duncan Close, near Borough Road. However St Helens Fire Brigade prevented the flames from spreading and only a door and some fencing were damaged.
On the 29th the Echo reported that St Helens Show organisers were considering calling on the services of a celebrated gipsy weather forecaster to help set the date for the next show. They needed expert assistance to forecast three consecutive fine days because rain had spoilt the last three shows in Sherdley Park – including the one that had just ended.
The centenary show in 1968 had enjoyed perfect weather. However last year it rained every day and gale-force winds caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to show marquees. This year it again rained on all three days and thunderstorms caused some of the outdoor events – such as the Royal Marine motorcycle display – to be cancelled.
Earlier this week Prince Gipsy Lee Petulengro had collected a cool £100 (around £1,500 in today's money) after his predictions had come true. That was after the 70-year-old had fulfilled a guarantee to keep local rainfall below half an inch during Nottingham's annual 15-day festival. As a result, St Helens Show officials were planning to contact him. They were also looking into the question of getting the show insured against rainfall (which sounds eminently more sensible).
"As you can imagine", a town hall spokesman said, "we are getting browned off with rain putting a damper on the proceedings." This story was published on July 29th and NOT on April 1st. I think I could set myself up as a weather prophet too – only getting paid when it didn't rain. I would bound to be right on some days!
With visitors sat in enclosed cars or buses, it didn't really matter too much what the weather was like in Knowsley Safari Park. It was announced on the 29th that over 200,000 people had been to the reserve since it opened at the beginning of the month. £1 million had already been spent – but there were grand plans to extensively develop the park on a five-year programme that would cost £5 million. Next week work was expected to start on a covered amusement arcade priced at between £70,000 and £80,000.
It would be constructed between the restaurant and the children's pets corner and it was also planned to install a covered shooting gallery nearby. The arcade should be finished in about seven weeks and then a covered dolphinarium costing £150,000 would be built. It was intended to have that ready by next Easter and the joint owners Lord Derby and Jimmy Chipperfield intended the dolphin aquarium to be one of the best in the country.
The lead story in the Reporter on the 30th bore the headline "Yes, It's True – Black-list Of ‘Marked Men’ Does Exist At Pilkington, Reveals MP." The town's MP, Leslie Spriggs, had stated that Lord Pilkington had told him that a handful of men sacked in the wake of the 1970 strike would never be employed by the glass firm again – despite their denials of a black-list being in existence.
The story of the "phantom sniper" that had shot construction worker Gerry Ainsworth of Upland Road in his backside also made it to the front page. The Reporter wrote that his union was hoping to "get to the bottom” of who had fired an airgun at the 40-year-old when his back had been turned on a building site.
There was also an update on the Mayor's appeal to raise £20,000 (around £300,000 in today's money), to wipe out Providence Hospital's debts. Two groups of kids had held fundraising events to boost the "fighting fund" that now stood at nearly £2,500. 9-year-old Elaine Smith of Borough Road and her friend Carol Britland had raised £2 by selling toys in their front garden. A group of Haydock children had also sold their dolls, cars, trains, books and cuddly toys on three stalls outside their homes in Haweswater Avenue and made £3.80.
The 'Whalley's World' column in the Reporter discussed old pubs in St Helens, with a claim that the "Parr Blood Tub" had been the nickname of the British Legion in Ashcroft Street.
And Saints new "first-aid room" was featured in the paper. Converted out of an old laundry room, club doctor John Clegg thought it "probably the best of its kind in the game." He added: "It means we can treat injured players away from the dirt and heat of the dressing room if they are injured during a match".
And finally seven-year-old Philip Hosker of Walkers Lane in Sutton Manor had an accident with a car on the 1st and needed treatment at St Helens Hospital.
Next week's stories will include Saints on strike, the black smoke belched by Sidac, the old bangers breaking down in Knowsley Safari Park, the Pilkington Gala is held at Ruskin Drive, the offices for let in the new Barrow Street shopping centre and the debate over self-catering holidays.
We begin in the early hours of the 26th when fire destroyed an upstairs flat above a confectioner's shop in Newton-le-Willows. The flat in Crow Lane West was occupied by Barry Rolland, who was employed by A and B Cars in Newton. Firemen had to use breathing apparatus to tackle the blaze and James Singleton, the owner of the flat, said: "Barry lost everything. Nothing in the lounge escaped damage. No window frames remain attached to the brickwork, the fire completely destroyed them." A Newton-le-Willows fire brigade spokesman said: "It appeared that the flames had been building up for several hours. As soon as the door was opened, the flames were fanned and then everything burst into flames at once."
It has to be said that Ernie Buckley tended to enjoy rather mixed publicity during the 1970s. The police did not look too favourably on some of the magazines and books that the Duke Street newsagent sold and the ensuing prosecutions were well reported in the Press. The St Helens bobbies tended to prefer Ernie's wife Janet who in 1976 they called "very courageous" and "very plucky". That was after the 40-year-old had chased after a thief who had snatched £600 from her inside the Westminster Bank in Hardshaw Street. Mrs Buckley then jumped onto the bonnet of his moving getaway car and – holding onto its windscreen wipers – was carried for about 30 yards before the car braked and she was flung into the roadway.
There was nothing so dramatic in the publicity that Ernie received at the start of this week – but it was still remarkable. The 39-year-old was awaiting delivery of a £2,000 Rover 2000 that had he had bought with cigarette coupons. About 18 months ago, Mr Buckley had written to a Nottingham tobacco company asking how many coupons he would need for a new Rover. Back came the answer – 1,247,000!
"At first, I did not think I would be able to manage it", Mr Buckley told the Liverpool Echo on the 27th. But they just seemed to snowball. I eventually managed to get that number together and send them off. I am now waiting for the car. It should arrive in about a fortnight." When he received the new car – the colour of which was expected (appropriately) to be tobacco leaf – Ernie Buckley said he would be getting rid of his old shooting brake.
Just where the coupons came from wasn't stated but I expect they were mainly bought from customers in his shop. I doubt he smoked that many cigarettes in 18 months! What was not revealed in the article was that Mr Buckley was presently facing charges of possessing obscene literature for sale and would soon appear in court.
Several new magistrates from the St Helens district were appointed on the 27th. Raymond Tapken at 30 was the youngest magistrate to sit on the Newton-le-Willows Bench and was full-time resident youth leader at Newton Boys Club. Estate agent Frank Brown of Springfield Lane in Eccleston was a founder member of St Helens Round Table and a director at Saints. Also appointed was John Wellens of Tennyson Drive in Billinge, Alma Howarth of Church Road in Rainford and dentist Richard Pennington of Church Lane in Eccleston.
In the St Helens Newspaper on the 27th the retiring Robins Lane Secondary School headmaster Joseph Woods was pictured at his last school speech day. Several years earlier the longstanding head had introduced the practice of giving watches to pupils with outstanding attendance and punctuality records. Mr Woods firmly believed that it drove up attendance rates: "It's certainly achieved results", he told the paper.
During the evening of the 27th while riding his bike on Croppers Hill, Kenneth Hale was involved in a collision with a car. The 15-year-old from Alder Hey Road was taken to Providence Hospital with a broken leg and later transferred to Warrington Infirmary.
A fortnight ago I described how Gerry Caughey – the leader of last year's devastating Pilkington strike – was in dire straits. In an interview with the Guardian he claimed that he was penniless and that for the last three weeks his family of five had lived on food begged from relatives. That was because his £10 a week unemployment pay and £4 supplementary benefit had been stopped as Social Security investigators claimed he had been working. The 37-year-old from Kipling Grove in Sutton Manor denied that and said he had applied for 80 jobs and been turned down for every one.
The other main strike leader in last year's dispute had been John Potter and he was having better luck. On August 2nd he would start work as a community liaison officer to Skelmersdale and Holland Urban Council on £35 a week. However his appointment had greatly upset the Digmoor Tenants Association and they planned to hold a special meeting to discuss it.
Mr Potter (who was also a St Helens councillor) lived in Parbold Avenue in Blackbrook and had been chosen from 11 applicants. The suggestion appeared to be of cronyism – that the Labour-controlled management committee had chosen Mr Potter because of his left-wing credentials. On the 28th Steve Woods, chairman of the association, said they were calling for an investigation: "We intend to ask the regional Labour Party to investigate the way in which the decision was made."
On the same day it was reported that St Helens police were seeking cheeky thieves who had jacked up a mini car parked outside Robins Lane Junior School and stolen a battery and two wheels that were worth a total of £17. Jewellery and other property worth over £110 had also been stolen from a house in Cowley Hill Lane and tools worth £5 had been taken from Evans sawmills in Bewsey Street.
There were two more fires on the 28th. The rear bedroom of Mr and Mrs William Kendle's home in Carmelite Crescent in Eccleston was severely damaged by fire while they were both out of the house. A short circuit in an electric blanket is thought to have been the cause, which badly damaged the ceiling, walls, furniture, bedding and personal belongings.
Children playing with matches were also believed to have been responsible for setting alight the garage premises of roofing contractors W. Swindells and Sons of Duncan Close, near Borough Road. However St Helens Fire Brigade prevented the flames from spreading and only a door and some fencing were damaged.
The centenary show in 1968 had enjoyed perfect weather. However last year it rained every day and gale-force winds caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to show marquees. This year it again rained on all three days and thunderstorms caused some of the outdoor events – such as the Royal Marine motorcycle display – to be cancelled.
Earlier this week Prince Gipsy Lee Petulengro had collected a cool £100 (around £1,500 in today's money) after his predictions had come true. That was after the 70-year-old had fulfilled a guarantee to keep local rainfall below half an inch during Nottingham's annual 15-day festival. As a result, St Helens Show officials were planning to contact him. They were also looking into the question of getting the show insured against rainfall (which sounds eminently more sensible).
"As you can imagine", a town hall spokesman said, "we are getting browned off with rain putting a damper on the proceedings." This story was published on July 29th and NOT on April 1st. I think I could set myself up as a weather prophet too – only getting paid when it didn't rain. I would bound to be right on some days!
With visitors sat in enclosed cars or buses, it didn't really matter too much what the weather was like in Knowsley Safari Park. It was announced on the 29th that over 200,000 people had been to the reserve since it opened at the beginning of the month. £1 million had already been spent – but there were grand plans to extensively develop the park on a five-year programme that would cost £5 million. Next week work was expected to start on a covered amusement arcade priced at between £70,000 and £80,000.
It would be constructed between the restaurant and the children's pets corner and it was also planned to install a covered shooting gallery nearby. The arcade should be finished in about seven weeks and then a covered dolphinarium costing £150,000 would be built. It was intended to have that ready by next Easter and the joint owners Lord Derby and Jimmy Chipperfield intended the dolphin aquarium to be one of the best in the country.
The lead story in the Reporter on the 30th bore the headline "Yes, It's True – Black-list Of ‘Marked Men’ Does Exist At Pilkington, Reveals MP." The town's MP, Leslie Spriggs, had stated that Lord Pilkington had told him that a handful of men sacked in the wake of the 1970 strike would never be employed by the glass firm again – despite their denials of a black-list being in existence.
The story of the "phantom sniper" that had shot construction worker Gerry Ainsworth of Upland Road in his backside also made it to the front page. The Reporter wrote that his union was hoping to "get to the bottom” of who had fired an airgun at the 40-year-old when his back had been turned on a building site.
There was also an update on the Mayor's appeal to raise £20,000 (around £300,000 in today's money), to wipe out Providence Hospital's debts. Two groups of kids had held fundraising events to boost the "fighting fund" that now stood at nearly £2,500. 9-year-old Elaine Smith of Borough Road and her friend Carol Britland had raised £2 by selling toys in their front garden. A group of Haydock children had also sold their dolls, cars, trains, books and cuddly toys on three stalls outside their homes in Haweswater Avenue and made £3.80.
The 'Whalley's World' column in the Reporter discussed old pubs in St Helens, with a claim that the "Parr Blood Tub" had been the nickname of the British Legion in Ashcroft Street.
And Saints new "first-aid room" was featured in the paper. Converted out of an old laundry room, club doctor John Clegg thought it "probably the best of its kind in the game." He added: "It means we can treat injured players away from the dirt and heat of the dressing room if they are injured during a match".
And finally seven-year-old Philip Hosker of Walkers Lane in Sutton Manor had an accident with a car on the 1st and needed treatment at St Helens Hospital.
Next week's stories will include Saints on strike, the black smoke belched by Sidac, the old bangers breaking down in Knowsley Safari Park, the Pilkington Gala is held at Ruskin Drive, the offices for let in the new Barrow Street shopping centre and the debate over self-catering holidays.
This week's many stories include the toy sales to boost Providence Hospital's fighting fund, the Duke Street newsagent who bought a new car with cigarette coupons, browned off St Helens Show organisers contact a weather prophet, the Robins Lane attendance watches and an update on Knowsley Safari Park.
We begin in the early hours of the 26th when fire destroyed an upstairs flat above a confectioner's shop in Newton-le-Willows.
The flat in Crow Lane West was occupied by Barry Rolland, who was employed by A and B Cars in Newton.
Firemen had to use breathing apparatus to tackle the blaze and James Singleton, the owner of the flat, said:
"Barry lost everything. Nothing in the lounge escaped damage. No window frames remain attached to the brickwork, the fire completely destroyed them."
A Newton-le-Willows fire brigade spokesman said: "It appeared that the flames had been building up for several hours. As soon as the door was opened, the flames were fanned and then everything burst into flames at once."
It has to be said that Ernie Buckley tended to enjoy rather mixed publicity during the 1970s.
The police did not look too favourably on some of the magazines and books that the Duke Street newsagent sold and the ensuing prosecutions were well reported in the Press.
The St Helens bobbies tended to prefer Ernie's wife Janet who in 1976 they called "very courageous" and "very plucky".
That was after the 40-year-old had chased after a thief who had snatched £600 from her inside the Westminster Bank in Hardshaw Street.
Mrs Buckley then jumped onto the bonnet of his moving getaway car and – holding onto its windscreen wipers – was carried for about 30 yards before the car braked and she was flung into the roadway.
There was nothing so dramatic in the publicity that Ernie received at the start of this week – but it was still remarkable.
The 39-year-old was awaiting delivery of a £2,000 Rover 2000 that had he had bought with cigarette coupons.
About 18 months ago, Mr Buckley had written to a Nottingham tobacco company asking how many coupons he would need for a new Rover. Back came the answer – 1,247,000!
"At first, I did not think I would be able to manage it", Mr Buckley told the Liverpool Echo on the 27th.
"But they just seemed to snowball. I eventually managed to get that number together and send them off. I am now waiting for the car. It should arrive in about a fortnight."
When he received the new car – the colour of which was expected (appropriately) to be tobacco leaf – Ernie Buckley said he would be getting rid of his old shooting brake.
Just where the coupons came from wasn't stated but I expect they were mainly bought from customers in his shop. I doubt he smoked that many cigarettes in 18 months!
What was not revealed in the article was that Mr Buckley was presently facing charges of possessing obscene literature for sale and would soon appear in court.
£2,000 in 1971 – by the way – is the equivalent of around £30,000 today.
Several new magistrates from the St Helens district were appointed on the 27th.
Raymond Tapken at 30 was the youngest magistrate to sit on the Newton-le-Willows Bench and was full-time resident youth leader at Newton Boys Club.
Estate agent Frank Brown of Springfield Lane in Eccleston was a founder member of St Helens Round Table and a director at Saints.
Also appointed was John Wellens of Tennyson Drive in Billinge, Alma Howarth of Church Road in Rainford and dentist Richard Pennington of Church Lane in Eccleston.
In the St Helens Newspaper on the 27th the retiring Robins Lane Secondary School headmaster Joseph Woods was pictured at his last school speech day.
Several years earlier the longstanding head had introduced the practice of giving watches to pupils with outstanding attendance and punctuality records.
Mr Woods firmly believed that it drove up attendance rates: "It's certainly achieved results", he told the paper.
I don't think the prospect of a watch would do much to motivate attendance today.
But 15-year-olds Karen Porter from Irwin Road and Satindra Dawar from Bentinck Street (pictured above) looked very pleased to receive their prizes.
However Albert Homer trumped their 100% school records over the previous four years.
The 16-year-old had received a timepiece in 1970 but had stayed on at school for a fifth year.
Albert still hadn't missed a single lesson but wasn't given a second watch. Instead Albert received a 50p book token.
During the evening of the 27th while riding his bike on Croppers Hill, Kenneth Hale was involved in a collision with a car.
The 15-year-old from Alder Hey Road was taken to Providence Hospital with a broken leg and later transferred to Warrington Infirmary.
A fortnight ago I described how Gerry Caughey – the leader of last year's devastating Pilkington strike – was in dire straits.
In an interview with the Guardian he claimed that he was penniless and that for the last three weeks his family of five had lived on food begged from relatives.
That was because his £10 a week unemployment pay and £4 supplementary benefit had been stopped as Social Security investigators claimed he had been working.
The 37-year-old from Kipling Grove in Sutton Manor denied that and said he had applied for 80 jobs and been turned down for every one.
The other main strike leader in last year's dispute had been John Potter and he was having better luck.
On August 2nd he would start work as a community liaison officer to Skelmersdale and Holland Urban Council on £35 a week.
However his appointment had greatly upset the Digmoor Tenants Association and they planned to hold a special meeting to discuss it.
Mr Potter (who was also a St Helens councillor) lived in Parbold Avenue in Blackbrook and had been chosen from 11 applicants.
The suggestion appeared to be of cronyism – that the Labour-controlled management committee had chosen Mr Potter because of his left-wing credentials.
On the 28th Steve Woods, chairman of the association, said they were calling for an investigation:
"We intend to ask the regional Labour Party to investigate the way in which the decision was made."
On the same day it was reported that St Helens police were seeking cheeky thieves who had jacked up a mini car parked outside Robins Lane Junior School and stolen a battery and two wheels that were worth a total of £17.
Jewellery and other property worth over £110 had also been stolen from a house in Cowley Hill Lane and tools worth £5 had been taken from Evans sawmills in Bewsey Street.
There were two more fires on the 28th. The rear bedroom of Mr and Mrs William Kendle's home in Carmelite Crescent in Eccleston was severely damaged by fire while they were both out of the house.
A short circuit in an electric blanket is thought to have been the cause, which badly damaged the ceiling, walls, furniture, bedding and personal belongings.
Children playing with matches were also believed to have been responsible for setting alight the garage premises of roofing contractors W. Swindells and Sons of Duncan Close, near Borough Road.
However St Helens Fire Brigade prevented the flames from spreading and only a door and some fencing were damaged.
On the 29th the Echo reported that St Helens Show organisers were considering calling on the services of a celebrated gipsy weather forecaster to help set the date for the next show.
They needed expert assistance to forecast three consecutive fine days because rain had spoilt the last three shows in Sherdley Park – including the one that had just ended.
The centenary show in 1968 had enjoyed perfect weather. However last year it rained every day and gale-force winds caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to show marquees.
This year it again rained on all three days and thunderstorms caused some of the outdoor events – such as the Royal Marine motorcycle display – to be cancelled.
Earlier this week Prince Gipsy Lee Petulengro had collected a cool £100 (around £1,500 in today's money) after his predictions had come true.
That was after the 70-year-old had fulfilled a guarantee to keep local rainfall below half an inch during Nottingham's annual 15-day festival.
As a result, St Helens Show officials were planning to contact him. They were also looking into the question of getting the show insured against rainfall (which sounds eminently more sensible).
"As you can imagine", a town hall spokesman said, "we are getting browned off with rain putting a damper on the proceedings."
This story was published on July 29th and NOT on April 1st. I think I could set myself up as a weather prophet too – only getting paid when it didn't rain. I would bound to be right on some days!
With visitors sat in enclosed cars or buses, it didn't really matter too much what the weather was like in Knowsley Safari Park.
It was announced on the 29th that over 200,000 people had been to the reserve since it opened at the beginning of the month.
£1 million had already been spent – but there were grand plans to extensively develop the park on a five-year programme that would cost £5 million.
Next week work was expected to start on a covered amusement arcade priced at between £70,000 and £80,000.
It would be constructed between the restaurant and the children's pets corner and it was also planned to install a covered shooting gallery nearby.
The arcade should be finished in about seven weeks and then a covered dolphinarium costing £150,000 would be built.
It was intended to have that ready by next Easter and the joint owners Lord Derby and Jimmy Chipperfield intended the dolphin aquarium to be one of the best in the country.
The lead story in the Reporter on the 30th bore the headline "Yes, It's True – Black-list Of ‘Marked Men’ Does Exist At Pilkington, Reveals MP."
The town's MP, Leslie Spriggs, had stated that Lord Pilkington had told him that a handful of men sacked in the wake of the 1970 strike would never be employed by the glass firm again – despite their denials of a black-list being in existence.
The story of the "phantom sniper" that had shot construction worker Gerry Ainsworth of Upland Road in his backside also made it to the front page.
The Reporter wrote that his union was hoping to "get to the bottom” of who had fired an airgun at the 40-year-old when his back had been turned on a building site.
There was also an update on the Mayor's appeal to raise £20,000 (around £300,000 in today's money), to wipe out Providence Hospital's debts.
Two groups of kids had held fundraising events to boost the "fighting fund" that now stood at nearly £2,500.
9-year-old Elaine Smith of Borough Road and her friend Carol Britland had raised £2 by selling toys in their front garden.
A group of Haydock children had also sold their dolls, cars, trains, books and cuddly toys on three stalls outside their homes in Haweswater Avenue and made £3.80.
The 'Whalley's World' column in the Reporter discussed old pubs in St Helens, with a claim that the "Parr Blood Tub" had been the nickname of the British Legion in Ashcroft Street.
And Saints new "first-aid room" was featured in the paper. Converted out of an old laundry room, club doctor John Clegg thought it "probably the best of its kind in the game."
He added: "It means we can treat injured players away from the dirt and heat of the dressing room if they are injured during a match".
And finally seven-year-old Philip Hosker of Walkers Lane in Sutton Manor had an accident with a car on the 1st and needed treatment at St Helens Hospital.
Next week's stories will include Saints on strike, the black smoke belched by Sidac, the old bangers breaking down in Knowsley Safari Park, the Pilkington Gala is held at Ruskin Drive, the offices for let in the new Barrow Street shopping centre and the debate over self-catering holidays.
We begin in the early hours of the 26th when fire destroyed an upstairs flat above a confectioner's shop in Newton-le-Willows.
The flat in Crow Lane West was occupied by Barry Rolland, who was employed by A and B Cars in Newton.
Firemen had to use breathing apparatus to tackle the blaze and James Singleton, the owner of the flat, said:
"Barry lost everything. Nothing in the lounge escaped damage. No window frames remain attached to the brickwork, the fire completely destroyed them."
A Newton-le-Willows fire brigade spokesman said: "It appeared that the flames had been building up for several hours. As soon as the door was opened, the flames were fanned and then everything burst into flames at once."
It has to be said that Ernie Buckley tended to enjoy rather mixed publicity during the 1970s.
The police did not look too favourably on some of the magazines and books that the Duke Street newsagent sold and the ensuing prosecutions were well reported in the Press.
The St Helens bobbies tended to prefer Ernie's wife Janet who in 1976 they called "very courageous" and "very plucky".
That was after the 40-year-old had chased after a thief who had snatched £600 from her inside the Westminster Bank in Hardshaw Street.
Mrs Buckley then jumped onto the bonnet of his moving getaway car and – holding onto its windscreen wipers – was carried for about 30 yards before the car braked and she was flung into the roadway.
There was nothing so dramatic in the publicity that Ernie received at the start of this week – but it was still remarkable.
The 39-year-old was awaiting delivery of a £2,000 Rover 2000 that had he had bought with cigarette coupons.
About 18 months ago, Mr Buckley had written to a Nottingham tobacco company asking how many coupons he would need for a new Rover. Back came the answer – 1,247,000!
"At first, I did not think I would be able to manage it", Mr Buckley told the Liverpool Echo on the 27th.
"But they just seemed to snowball. I eventually managed to get that number together and send them off. I am now waiting for the car. It should arrive in about a fortnight."
When he received the new car – the colour of which was expected (appropriately) to be tobacco leaf – Ernie Buckley said he would be getting rid of his old shooting brake.
Just where the coupons came from wasn't stated but I expect they were mainly bought from customers in his shop. I doubt he smoked that many cigarettes in 18 months!
What was not revealed in the article was that Mr Buckley was presently facing charges of possessing obscene literature for sale and would soon appear in court.
£2,000 in 1971 – by the way – is the equivalent of around £30,000 today.
Several new magistrates from the St Helens district were appointed on the 27th.
Raymond Tapken at 30 was the youngest magistrate to sit on the Newton-le-Willows Bench and was full-time resident youth leader at Newton Boys Club.
Estate agent Frank Brown of Springfield Lane in Eccleston was a founder member of St Helens Round Table and a director at Saints.
Also appointed was John Wellens of Tennyson Drive in Billinge, Alma Howarth of Church Road in Rainford and dentist Richard Pennington of Church Lane in Eccleston.
In the St Helens Newspaper on the 27th the retiring Robins Lane Secondary School headmaster Joseph Woods was pictured at his last school speech day.
Several years earlier the longstanding head had introduced the practice of giving watches to pupils with outstanding attendance and punctuality records.
Mr Woods firmly believed that it drove up attendance rates: "It's certainly achieved results", he told the paper.
I don't think the prospect of a watch would do much to motivate attendance today.
However Albert Homer trumped their 100% school records over the previous four years.
The 16-year-old had received a timepiece in 1970 but had stayed on at school for a fifth year.
Albert still hadn't missed a single lesson but wasn't given a second watch. Instead Albert received a 50p book token.
During the evening of the 27th while riding his bike on Croppers Hill, Kenneth Hale was involved in a collision with a car.
The 15-year-old from Alder Hey Road was taken to Providence Hospital with a broken leg and later transferred to Warrington Infirmary.
A fortnight ago I described how Gerry Caughey – the leader of last year's devastating Pilkington strike – was in dire straits.
In an interview with the Guardian he claimed that he was penniless and that for the last three weeks his family of five had lived on food begged from relatives.
That was because his £10 a week unemployment pay and £4 supplementary benefit had been stopped as Social Security investigators claimed he had been working.
The 37-year-old from Kipling Grove in Sutton Manor denied that and said he had applied for 80 jobs and been turned down for every one.
The other main strike leader in last year's dispute had been John Potter and he was having better luck.
On August 2nd he would start work as a community liaison officer to Skelmersdale and Holland Urban Council on £35 a week.
However his appointment had greatly upset the Digmoor Tenants Association and they planned to hold a special meeting to discuss it.
Mr Potter (who was also a St Helens councillor) lived in Parbold Avenue in Blackbrook and had been chosen from 11 applicants.
The suggestion appeared to be of cronyism – that the Labour-controlled management committee had chosen Mr Potter because of his left-wing credentials.
On the 28th Steve Woods, chairman of the association, said they were calling for an investigation:
"We intend to ask the regional Labour Party to investigate the way in which the decision was made."
On the same day it was reported that St Helens police were seeking cheeky thieves who had jacked up a mini car parked outside Robins Lane Junior School and stolen a battery and two wheels that were worth a total of £17.
Jewellery and other property worth over £110 had also been stolen from a house in Cowley Hill Lane and tools worth £5 had been taken from Evans sawmills in Bewsey Street.
There were two more fires on the 28th. The rear bedroom of Mr and Mrs William Kendle's home in Carmelite Crescent in Eccleston was severely damaged by fire while they were both out of the house.
A short circuit in an electric blanket is thought to have been the cause, which badly damaged the ceiling, walls, furniture, bedding and personal belongings.
Children playing with matches were also believed to have been responsible for setting alight the garage premises of roofing contractors W. Swindells and Sons of Duncan Close, near Borough Road.
However St Helens Fire Brigade prevented the flames from spreading and only a door and some fencing were damaged.
They needed expert assistance to forecast three consecutive fine days because rain had spoilt the last three shows in Sherdley Park – including the one that had just ended.
The centenary show in 1968 had enjoyed perfect weather. However last year it rained every day and gale-force winds caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to show marquees.
This year it again rained on all three days and thunderstorms caused some of the outdoor events – such as the Royal Marine motorcycle display – to be cancelled.
Earlier this week Prince Gipsy Lee Petulengro had collected a cool £100 (around £1,500 in today's money) after his predictions had come true.
That was after the 70-year-old had fulfilled a guarantee to keep local rainfall below half an inch during Nottingham's annual 15-day festival.
As a result, St Helens Show officials were planning to contact him. They were also looking into the question of getting the show insured against rainfall (which sounds eminently more sensible).
"As you can imagine", a town hall spokesman said, "we are getting browned off with rain putting a damper on the proceedings."
This story was published on July 29th and NOT on April 1st. I think I could set myself up as a weather prophet too – only getting paid when it didn't rain. I would bound to be right on some days!
With visitors sat in enclosed cars or buses, it didn't really matter too much what the weather was like in Knowsley Safari Park.
It was announced on the 29th that over 200,000 people had been to the reserve since it opened at the beginning of the month.
£1 million had already been spent – but there were grand plans to extensively develop the park on a five-year programme that would cost £5 million.
Next week work was expected to start on a covered amusement arcade priced at between £70,000 and £80,000.
It would be constructed between the restaurant and the children's pets corner and it was also planned to install a covered shooting gallery nearby.
The arcade should be finished in about seven weeks and then a covered dolphinarium costing £150,000 would be built.
It was intended to have that ready by next Easter and the joint owners Lord Derby and Jimmy Chipperfield intended the dolphin aquarium to be one of the best in the country.
The lead story in the Reporter on the 30th bore the headline "Yes, It's True – Black-list Of ‘Marked Men’ Does Exist At Pilkington, Reveals MP."
The town's MP, Leslie Spriggs, had stated that Lord Pilkington had told him that a handful of men sacked in the wake of the 1970 strike would never be employed by the glass firm again – despite their denials of a black-list being in existence.
The story of the "phantom sniper" that had shot construction worker Gerry Ainsworth of Upland Road in his backside also made it to the front page.
The Reporter wrote that his union was hoping to "get to the bottom” of who had fired an airgun at the 40-year-old when his back had been turned on a building site.
There was also an update on the Mayor's appeal to raise £20,000 (around £300,000 in today's money), to wipe out Providence Hospital's debts.
Two groups of kids had held fundraising events to boost the "fighting fund" that now stood at nearly £2,500.
9-year-old Elaine Smith of Borough Road and her friend Carol Britland had raised £2 by selling toys in their front garden.
A group of Haydock children had also sold their dolls, cars, trains, books and cuddly toys on three stalls outside their homes in Haweswater Avenue and made £3.80.
The 'Whalley's World' column in the Reporter discussed old pubs in St Helens, with a claim that the "Parr Blood Tub" had been the nickname of the British Legion in Ashcroft Street.
And Saints new "first-aid room" was featured in the paper. Converted out of an old laundry room, club doctor John Clegg thought it "probably the best of its kind in the game."
He added: "It means we can treat injured players away from the dirt and heat of the dressing room if they are injured during a match".
And finally seven-year-old Philip Hosker of Walkers Lane in Sutton Manor had an accident with a car on the 1st and needed treatment at St Helens Hospital.
Next week's stories will include Saints on strike, the black smoke belched by Sidac, the old bangers breaking down in Knowsley Safari Park, the Pilkington Gala is held at Ruskin Drive, the offices for let in the new Barrow Street shopping centre and the debate over self-catering holidays.