FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (27th SEPT. - 3rd OCT. 1971)
This week's stories include the sanctuary setback for Eccleston's "Dr Dolittle", a child drowns in a Haydock canal, the soccer-mad Sutton Manor schoolboys, the deserved Pocket Nook pools win, the Billinge cut-throat razor attack and the nocturnal pile-drivers that were preventing people from sleeping.
Tommy O’Neil from Pool End (near Berrys Lane) in Parr played 54 league games for Manchester United between May 1971 and 1973 – but spent most of his career at Southport FC. On the 27th the Liverpool Echo reported that the 18-year-old full back had been hurt when skinheads threw a stone through a window of the Man Utd team bus. The assault occurred on the East Lancs, near Kirkby, as players and officials returned from an away game at Anfield.
The skinheads had been lying in wait in a field by the roadside until the United coach – that was painted in the team's colours and bearing the club emblem – came into view. The coach drove on after the attack but after about half-a-mile, the United manager Frank O'Farrell reported the incident to a police patrol car. George Best said: "It was a nasty experience. A missile about the size of half a brick shattered one of the windows of the coach, spraying glass all over us. It hit Tommy O’Neil on the arm and bounced off on to David's [Sadler] ribs. They were both stunned and shaken."
On the 28th a court heard that when a Liverpool girl went with her boyfriend to a dance in Billinge, she ended up in hospital. As 14-year-old Sheila Oldfield and 16-year-old John Williams arrived at the British Legion Club on a scooter, a gang fight took place. A youth from Sutton was alleged to have rushed at the couple brandishing a cut-throat razor. The 18-year-old from Hoghton Road in St Helens pleaded guilty to possessing the razor but not guilty to assaulting Miss Oldfield and causing her actual bodily harm.
Sheila told the magistrates: "As we were parking our scooter, a gang of lads came running out of the club towards us. John and I got back on the scooter and as we were riding away a youth ran at us. I didn't see him because I turned my face away. I was frightened. As we were riding away from the club I noticed a split in my knee. I had to go to the hospital to have it stitched."
Miss Oldfield then showed her long scar to the magistrates. It was decided that there was no case to answer on the assault charge. But the magistrates remanded the man in custody on the other two offences for a Borstal report, after hearing he had only been released from an institution in June.
The Echo described on the 28th how the dull, monotonous thud of a pile-driver was driving folk in parts of Prescot and Huyton up the wall. The pile-driver was being used to drive 50ft piles into the railway line between Huyton and Rainhill. But because they were not able to interrupt train services, the contractors were undertaking the work through the night at weekends and during the early part of weekday evenings. Local people were complaining that the noise was making it impossible for them to sleep and causing some to suffer from headaches.
However, public relations in 1971 were pretty poor compared to today and no apology was offered to the sleep-deprived populace. All that the British Rail spokesman had to say was: "The work is upsetting us as much as anyone else. We have had to divert trains and alter the time-table at the week-end." Oh dear, what a shame for them! However, the rail company's response was better than the firm of contractors. Their so-called spokesman said he could make no comment.
Also on the 28th, there was a sad tragedy in Haydock when Helen Sutcliffe drowned in the canal. The 6-year-old from West End Road had fallen in the water, just 100 yards from her home, after taking the family dog for a walk. Her father Edward would later threaten to personally drain the water unless St Helens Corporation acted swiftly to remove the danger.
Margaret Shuker from Pitt Street (off Pocket Nook Street) in St Helens collected her £31,525 pools win on the 29th and said: "It will make all the difference to our lives." If a couple ever deserved to have some good fortune – then Margaret and her husband Thomas were probably the ones. Tom had been badly burned after an explosion at a shale tip in Coppull in 1956 and since then had spent a considerable amount of time in hospital enduring extensive plastic surgery. Thirty-three-year-old Margaret had herself been taken ill this year and spent six months in hospital.
The win is the equivalent of around half-a-million in today's money and the couple and their four children planned to move from their two-roomed terraced cottage. They would also buy a new car and possibly invest in a small business. And a special treat was planned for children Carol (14), Stephen (13), Thomas (7) and Gary (1). The St Helens Reporter on October 1st described the win as a "pools fortune".
The paper also profiled Eccleston's "Dr Dolittle". He was Tom Watkinson of Church Lane whose plans to build what was described as a "guard house" to protect his animals had been rejected by Whiston Council. The 77-year-old had been left heartbroken after hooligans had shot his peacock 27 times, wrung the necks of four of his ducks and repeatedly raided his hen house. The attacks had occurred after a new footpath had been opened and Tom's response was to create a sanctuary for his critters – which included horses, dogs and wild rabbits.
The guard-house was to be built adjacent to Tom's house on his own land and be watched over by a relative – but the council felt there was insufficient room. The Reporter wrote: "Tom, whose armchairs are often occupied by wild animals having a snooze, said: “This place used to be heaven. But since the footpath was established we have had no peace. Life is no longer a precious thing to some young thugs. Hurting people and animals has become a hobby.”"
The newspaper also described how plans to build two more supermarkets in Rainhill had been turned by Whiston council's planning committee after a campaign by local residents. The stores had planned to open in Warrington Road (pictured above) and in View Road. However, 1,700 people had signed a petition concerned about the effect of more supermarkets on local traders and the shopping precinct that had opened in Rainhill just five years earlier.
A group of soccer-mad Sutton Manor schoolboys – who were members of West Sutton United – were also pictured in the Reporter, along with Eric Galt. Eighteen months earlier the 37-year-old from Farndon Avenue had started two football teams along with two neighbours to keep local youths out of mischief. Eric spent many hours each week in training the teams called Parkside but was eventually left on his own as joint manager, coach and secretary. He paid for most of the boys' bus fares out of his own pocket and even forked out for some of their kit. The Parkside teams then consisted of about 20 boys, aged 11 to 14, but they folded after fourteen months. Then after four months the boys pleaded with Mr Galt to start the club off again. Said Eric:
"They're soccer-mad. I told them I would willingly get a team up, but I needed more help – a committee. It would have been too much work for one man again. Within 30 minutes they were back. They'd got four local adults for the committee. The boys arranged a meeting for us and the new club got off the ground. We've got very well organised – we obtained use of an excellent pitch at Sutton Manor Colliery, and when a local Labour club offered to help us out financially, our troubles were over." The club under its new name of West Sutton United now had 56 members with teams for under 12s, under 14s and under 18s.
"Reporter Suntime ‘72", was the name of a holiday advertising feature in the paper. The advertisers included Howard Travel from Cotham Street ("We have the holiday your looking for"); Helena House Travel Service, Baldwin Street ("Cruising – Take your pick now for 1972 from as little as £30)" and Phythians Travel Agency of Baldwin Street.
Also on the 1st, Crone & Taylor announced the awarding of a new contract to supply equipment for mechanically handling solid fuels at a depot in Liverpool. They were a business for whom the phrase "where there's muck there's brass" might have been invented. Founded in 1886, the Sutton firm specialised in fertiliser for decades before moving into engineering.
There was a happy picture of four-year-old Wendy Clements and her six-year-old sister Joanne in the Echo on the 1st with a dog called Fred. Their father was Norman Clements, the superintendent at the RSPCA Kennels in Leigh, who told a terrible tale about how Fred had ended up at the dogs home. Stan Gregg worked as a lorry driver shuttling between Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows and a quarry at Winwick where colliery waste was dumped.
The 51-year-old from Fairholme Avenue in Ashton-in-Makerfield saw a man stop his van by the grass verge, seemingly to let his dog stretch his legs. Stan initially thought the man was a thoughtful owner – particularly as he went on to throw the dog a stick. But the van driver then got back into his vehicle and drove away. Six hours later the dog was still on the verge waiting in vain for his master's return. Mr Clements said: "We've called him Faithful Fred, although I'm afraid that in this case his trust was terribly misplaced."
Next week's 25 stories will include the Dubliners IRA songs dispute at the Theatre Royal, St Helens Council's derelict land reclamation programme, the woman who gave cooking sherry to a 4-year-old in Victoria Park, the Pilks strike leader prosecuted as a benefit cheat and the demolition of the covered market.
Tommy O’Neil from Pool End (near Berrys Lane) in Parr played 54 league games for Manchester United between May 1971 and 1973 – but spent most of his career at Southport FC. On the 27th the Liverpool Echo reported that the 18-year-old full back had been hurt when skinheads threw a stone through a window of the Man Utd team bus. The assault occurred on the East Lancs, near Kirkby, as players and officials returned from an away game at Anfield.
The skinheads had been lying in wait in a field by the roadside until the United coach – that was painted in the team's colours and bearing the club emblem – came into view. The coach drove on after the attack but after about half-a-mile, the United manager Frank O'Farrell reported the incident to a police patrol car. George Best said: "It was a nasty experience. A missile about the size of half a brick shattered one of the windows of the coach, spraying glass all over us. It hit Tommy O’Neil on the arm and bounced off on to David's [Sadler] ribs. They were both stunned and shaken."
On the 28th a court heard that when a Liverpool girl went with her boyfriend to a dance in Billinge, she ended up in hospital. As 14-year-old Sheila Oldfield and 16-year-old John Williams arrived at the British Legion Club on a scooter, a gang fight took place. A youth from Sutton was alleged to have rushed at the couple brandishing a cut-throat razor. The 18-year-old from Hoghton Road in St Helens pleaded guilty to possessing the razor but not guilty to assaulting Miss Oldfield and causing her actual bodily harm.
Sheila told the magistrates: "As we were parking our scooter, a gang of lads came running out of the club towards us. John and I got back on the scooter and as we were riding away a youth ran at us. I didn't see him because I turned my face away. I was frightened. As we were riding away from the club I noticed a split in my knee. I had to go to the hospital to have it stitched."
Miss Oldfield then showed her long scar to the magistrates. It was decided that there was no case to answer on the assault charge. But the magistrates remanded the man in custody on the other two offences for a Borstal report, after hearing he had only been released from an institution in June.
The Echo described on the 28th how the dull, monotonous thud of a pile-driver was driving folk in parts of Prescot and Huyton up the wall. The pile-driver was being used to drive 50ft piles into the railway line between Huyton and Rainhill. But because they were not able to interrupt train services, the contractors were undertaking the work through the night at weekends and during the early part of weekday evenings. Local people were complaining that the noise was making it impossible for them to sleep and causing some to suffer from headaches.
However, public relations in 1971 were pretty poor compared to today and no apology was offered to the sleep-deprived populace. All that the British Rail spokesman had to say was: "The work is upsetting us as much as anyone else. We have had to divert trains and alter the time-table at the week-end." Oh dear, what a shame for them! However, the rail company's response was better than the firm of contractors. Their so-called spokesman said he could make no comment.
Also on the 28th, there was a sad tragedy in Haydock when Helen Sutcliffe drowned in the canal. The 6-year-old from West End Road had fallen in the water, just 100 yards from her home, after taking the family dog for a walk. Her father Edward would later threaten to personally drain the water unless St Helens Corporation acted swiftly to remove the danger.
Margaret Shuker from Pitt Street (off Pocket Nook Street) in St Helens collected her £31,525 pools win on the 29th and said: "It will make all the difference to our lives." If a couple ever deserved to have some good fortune – then Margaret and her husband Thomas were probably the ones. Tom had been badly burned after an explosion at a shale tip in Coppull in 1956 and since then had spent a considerable amount of time in hospital enduring extensive plastic surgery. Thirty-three-year-old Margaret had herself been taken ill this year and spent six months in hospital.
The win is the equivalent of around half-a-million in today's money and the couple and their four children planned to move from their two-roomed terraced cottage. They would also buy a new car and possibly invest in a small business. And a special treat was planned for children Carol (14), Stephen (13), Thomas (7) and Gary (1). The St Helens Reporter on October 1st described the win as a "pools fortune".
The paper also profiled Eccleston's "Dr Dolittle". He was Tom Watkinson of Church Lane whose plans to build what was described as a "guard house" to protect his animals had been rejected by Whiston Council. The 77-year-old had been left heartbroken after hooligans had shot his peacock 27 times, wrung the necks of four of his ducks and repeatedly raided his hen house. The attacks had occurred after a new footpath had been opened and Tom's response was to create a sanctuary for his critters – which included horses, dogs and wild rabbits.
The guard-house was to be built adjacent to Tom's house on his own land and be watched over by a relative – but the council felt there was insufficient room. The Reporter wrote: "Tom, whose armchairs are often occupied by wild animals having a snooze, said: “This place used to be heaven. But since the footpath was established we have had no peace. Life is no longer a precious thing to some young thugs. Hurting people and animals has become a hobby.”"
A group of soccer-mad Sutton Manor schoolboys – who were members of West Sutton United – were also pictured in the Reporter, along with Eric Galt. Eighteen months earlier the 37-year-old from Farndon Avenue had started two football teams along with two neighbours to keep local youths out of mischief. Eric spent many hours each week in training the teams called Parkside but was eventually left on his own as joint manager, coach and secretary. He paid for most of the boys' bus fares out of his own pocket and even forked out for some of their kit. The Parkside teams then consisted of about 20 boys, aged 11 to 14, but they folded after fourteen months. Then after four months the boys pleaded with Mr Galt to start the club off again. Said Eric:
"They're soccer-mad. I told them I would willingly get a team up, but I needed more help – a committee. It would have been too much work for one man again. Within 30 minutes they were back. They'd got four local adults for the committee. The boys arranged a meeting for us and the new club got off the ground. We've got very well organised – we obtained use of an excellent pitch at Sutton Manor Colliery, and when a local Labour club offered to help us out financially, our troubles were over." The club under its new name of West Sutton United now had 56 members with teams for under 12s, under 14s and under 18s.
"Reporter Suntime ‘72", was the name of a holiday advertising feature in the paper. The advertisers included Howard Travel from Cotham Street ("We have the holiday your looking for"); Helena House Travel Service, Baldwin Street ("Cruising – Take your pick now for 1972 from as little as £30)" and Phythians Travel Agency of Baldwin Street.
There was a happy picture of four-year-old Wendy Clements and her six-year-old sister Joanne in the Echo on the 1st with a dog called Fred. Their father was Norman Clements, the superintendent at the RSPCA Kennels in Leigh, who told a terrible tale about how Fred had ended up at the dogs home. Stan Gregg worked as a lorry driver shuttling between Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows and a quarry at Winwick where colliery waste was dumped.
The 51-year-old from Fairholme Avenue in Ashton-in-Makerfield saw a man stop his van by the grass verge, seemingly to let his dog stretch his legs. Stan initially thought the man was a thoughtful owner – particularly as he went on to throw the dog a stick. But the van driver then got back into his vehicle and drove away. Six hours later the dog was still on the verge waiting in vain for his master's return. Mr Clements said: "We've called him Faithful Fred, although I'm afraid that in this case his trust was terribly misplaced."
Next week's 25 stories will include the Dubliners IRA songs dispute at the Theatre Royal, St Helens Council's derelict land reclamation programme, the woman who gave cooking sherry to a 4-year-old in Victoria Park, the Pilks strike leader prosecuted as a benefit cheat and the demolition of the covered market.
This week's stories include the sanctuary setback for Eccleston's "Dr Dolittle", a child drowns in a Haydock canal, the soccer-mad Sutton Manor schoolboys, the deserved Pocket Nook pools win, the Billinge cut-throat razor attack and the nocturnal pile-drivers that were preventing people from sleeping.
Tommy O’Neil from Pool End (near Berrys Lane) in Parr played 54 league games for Manchester United between May 1971 and 1973 – but spent most of his career at Southport FC.
On the 27th the Liverpool Echo reported that the 18-year-old full back had been hurt when skinheads threw a stone through a window of the Man Utd team bus.
The assault occurred on the East Lancs, near Kirkby, as players and officials returned from an away game at Anfield.
The skinheads had been lying in wait in a field by the roadside until the United coach – that was painted in the team's colours and bearing the club emblem – came into view.
The coach drove on after the attack but after about half-a-mile, the United manager Frank O'Farrell reported the incident to a police patrol car.
George Best said: "It was a nasty experience. A missile about the size of half a brick shattered one of the windows of the coach, spraying glass all over us.
"It hit Tommy O’Neil on the arm and bounced off on to David's [Sadler] ribs. They were both stunned and shaken."
On the 28th a court heard that when a Liverpool girl went with her boyfriend to a dance in Billinge, she ended up in hospital.
As 14-year-old Sheila Oldfield and 16-year-old John Williams arrived at the British Legion Club on a scooter, a gang fight took place.
A youth from Sutton was alleged to have rushed at the couple brandishing a cut-throat razor.
The 18-year-old from Hoghton Road in St Helens pleaded guilty to possessing the razor but not guilty to assaulting Miss Oldfield and causing her actual bodily harm.
Sheila told the magistrates: "As we were parking our scooter, a gang of lads came running out of the club towards us. John and I got back on the scooter and as we were riding away a youth ran at us. I didn't see him because I turned my face away. I was frightened.
"As we were riding away from the club I noticed a split in my knee. I had to go to the hospital to have it stitched." Miss Oldfield then showed her long scar to the magistrates.
It was decided that there was no case to answer on the assault charge. But the magistrates remanded the man in custody on the other two offences for a Borstal report, after hearing he had only been released from an institution in June.
The Echo described on the 28th how the dull, monotonous thud of a pile-driver was driving folk in parts of Prescot and Huyton up the wall.
The pile-driver was being used to drive 50ft piles into the railway line between Huyton and Rainhill.
But because they were not able to interrupt train services, the contractors were undertaking the work through the night at weekends and during the early part of weekday evenings.
Local people were complaining that the noise was making it impossible for them to sleep and causing some to suffer from headaches.
However, public relations in 1971 were pretty poor compared to today and no apology was offered to the sleep-deprived populace.
All that the British Rail spokesman had to say was: "The work is upsetting us as much as anyone else. We have had to divert trains and alter the time-table at the week-end."
Oh dear, what a shame for them! However, the rail company's response was better than the firm of contractors. Their so-called spokesman said he could make no comment.
Also on the 28th, there was a sad tragedy in Haydock when Helen Sutcliffe drowned in the canal.
The 6-year-old from West End Road had fallen in the water, just 100 yards from her home, after taking the family dog for a walk.
Her father Edward would later threaten to personally drain the water unless St Helens Corporation acted swiftly to remove the danger.
Margaret Shuker from Pitt Street (off Pocket Nook Street) in St Helens collected her £31,525 pools win on the 29th and said: "It will make all the difference to our lives."
If a couple ever deserved to have some good fortune – then Margaret and her husband Thomas were probably the ones.
Tom had been badly burned after an explosion at a shale tip in Coppull in 1956 and since then had spent a considerable amount of time in hospital enduring extensive plastic surgery.
Thirty-three-year-old Margaret had herself been taken ill this year and spent six months in hospital.
The win is the equivalent of around half-a-million in today's money and the couple and their four children planned to move from their two-roomed terraced cottage.
They would also buy a new car and possibly invest in a small business. And a special treat was planned for children Carol (14), Stephen (13), Thomas (7) and Gary (1).
The St Helens Reporter on October 1st described the win as a "pools fortune".
The paper also profiled Eccleston's "Dr Dolittle". He was Tom Watkinson of Church Lane whose plans to build what was described as a "guard house" to protect his animals had been rejected by Whiston Council.
The 77-year-old had been left heartbroken after hooligans had shot his peacock 27 times, wrung the necks of four of his ducks and repeatedly raided his hen house.
The attacks had occurred after a new footpath had been opened and Tom's response was to create a sanctuary for his critters – which included horses, dogs and wild rabbits.
The guard-house was to be built adjacent to Tom's house on his own land and be watched over by a relative – but the council felt there was insufficient room. The Reporter wrote:
"Tom, whose armchairs are often occupied by wild animals having a snooze, said: “This place used to be heaven. But since the footpath was established we have had no peace. Life is no longer a precious thing to some young thugs. Hurting people and animals has become a hobby.”"
The newspaper also described how plans to build two more supermarkets in Rainhill had been turned by Whiston council's planning committee after a campaign by local residents.
The stores had planned to open in Warrington Road (pictured above) and in View Road. However, 1,700 people had signed a petition concerned about the effect of more supermarkets on local traders and the shopping precinct that had opened in Rainhill just five years earlier.
A group of soccer-mad Sutton Manor schoolboys – who were members of West Sutton United – were also pictured in the Reporter, along with Eric Galt.
Eighteen months earlier the 37-year-old from Farndon Avenue had started two football teams along with two neighbours to keep local youths out of mischief.
Eric spent many hours each week in training the teams called Parkside but was eventually left on his own as joint manager, coach and secretary.
He paid for most of the boys' bus fares out of his own pocket and even forked out for some of their kit.
The Parkside teams then consisted of about 20 boys, aged 11 to 14, but they folded after fourteen months.
Then after four months the boys pleaded with Mr Galt to start the club off again. Said Eric:
"They're soccer-mad. I told them I would willingly get a team up, but I needed more help – a committee. It would have been too much work for one man again.
"Within 30 minutes they were back. They'd got four local adults for the committee. The boys arranged a meeting for us and the new club got off the ground.
"We've got very well organised – we obtained use of an excellent pitch at Sutton Manor Colliery, and when a local Labour club offered to help us out financially, our troubles were over."
The club under its new name of West Sutton United now had 56 members with teams for under 12s, under 14s and under 18s.
"Reporter Suntime ‘72", was the name of a holiday advertising feature in the paper.
The advertisers included Howard Travel from Cotham Street ("We have the holiday your looking for"); Helena House Travel Service, Baldwin Street ("Cruising – Take your pick now for 1972 from as little as £30)" and Phythians Travel Agency of Baldwin Street.
Also on the 1st, Crone & Taylor announced the awarding of a new contract to supply equipment for mechanically handling solid fuels at a depot in Liverpool.
They were a business for whom the phrase "where there's muck there's brass" might have been invented.
Founded in 1886, the Sutton firm specialised in fertiliser for decades before moving into engineering.
There was a happy picture of four-year-old Wendy Clements and her six-year-old sister Joanne in the Echo on the 1st with a dog called Fred.
Their father was Norman Clements, the superintendent at the RSPCA Kennels in Leigh, who told a terrible tale about how Fred had ended up at the dogs home.
Stan Gregg worked as a lorry driver shuttling between Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows and a quarry at Winwick where colliery waste was dumped.
The 51-year-old from Fairholme Avenue in Ashton-in-Makerfield saw a man stop his van by the grass verge, seemingly to let his dog stretch his legs.
Stan initially thought the man was a thoughtful owner – particularly as he went on to throw the dog a stick.
But the van driver then got back into his vehicle and drove away. Six hours later the dog was still on the verge waiting in vain for his master's return.
Mr Clements said: "We've called him Faithful Fred, although I'm afraid that in this case his trust was terribly misplaced."
Next week's 25 stories will include the Dubliners IRA songs dispute at the Theatre Royal, St Helens Council's derelict land reclamation programme, the woman who gave cooking sherry to a 4-year-old in Victoria Park, the Pilks strike leader prosecuted as a benefit cheat and the demolition of the covered market.
Tommy O’Neil from Pool End (near Berrys Lane) in Parr played 54 league games for Manchester United between May 1971 and 1973 – but spent most of his career at Southport FC.
On the 27th the Liverpool Echo reported that the 18-year-old full back had been hurt when skinheads threw a stone through a window of the Man Utd team bus.
The assault occurred on the East Lancs, near Kirkby, as players and officials returned from an away game at Anfield.
The skinheads had been lying in wait in a field by the roadside until the United coach – that was painted in the team's colours and bearing the club emblem – came into view.
The coach drove on after the attack but after about half-a-mile, the United manager Frank O'Farrell reported the incident to a police patrol car.
George Best said: "It was a nasty experience. A missile about the size of half a brick shattered one of the windows of the coach, spraying glass all over us.
"It hit Tommy O’Neil on the arm and bounced off on to David's [Sadler] ribs. They were both stunned and shaken."
On the 28th a court heard that when a Liverpool girl went with her boyfriend to a dance in Billinge, she ended up in hospital.
As 14-year-old Sheila Oldfield and 16-year-old John Williams arrived at the British Legion Club on a scooter, a gang fight took place.
A youth from Sutton was alleged to have rushed at the couple brandishing a cut-throat razor.
The 18-year-old from Hoghton Road in St Helens pleaded guilty to possessing the razor but not guilty to assaulting Miss Oldfield and causing her actual bodily harm.
Sheila told the magistrates: "As we were parking our scooter, a gang of lads came running out of the club towards us. John and I got back on the scooter and as we were riding away a youth ran at us. I didn't see him because I turned my face away. I was frightened.
"As we were riding away from the club I noticed a split in my knee. I had to go to the hospital to have it stitched." Miss Oldfield then showed her long scar to the magistrates.
It was decided that there was no case to answer on the assault charge. But the magistrates remanded the man in custody on the other two offences for a Borstal report, after hearing he had only been released from an institution in June.
The Echo described on the 28th how the dull, monotonous thud of a pile-driver was driving folk in parts of Prescot and Huyton up the wall.
The pile-driver was being used to drive 50ft piles into the railway line between Huyton and Rainhill.
But because they were not able to interrupt train services, the contractors were undertaking the work through the night at weekends and during the early part of weekday evenings.
Local people were complaining that the noise was making it impossible for them to sleep and causing some to suffer from headaches.
However, public relations in 1971 were pretty poor compared to today and no apology was offered to the sleep-deprived populace.
All that the British Rail spokesman had to say was: "The work is upsetting us as much as anyone else. We have had to divert trains and alter the time-table at the week-end."
Oh dear, what a shame for them! However, the rail company's response was better than the firm of contractors. Their so-called spokesman said he could make no comment.
Also on the 28th, there was a sad tragedy in Haydock when Helen Sutcliffe drowned in the canal.
The 6-year-old from West End Road had fallen in the water, just 100 yards from her home, after taking the family dog for a walk.
Her father Edward would later threaten to personally drain the water unless St Helens Corporation acted swiftly to remove the danger.
Margaret Shuker from Pitt Street (off Pocket Nook Street) in St Helens collected her £31,525 pools win on the 29th and said: "It will make all the difference to our lives."
If a couple ever deserved to have some good fortune – then Margaret and her husband Thomas were probably the ones.
Tom had been badly burned after an explosion at a shale tip in Coppull in 1956 and since then had spent a considerable amount of time in hospital enduring extensive plastic surgery.
Thirty-three-year-old Margaret had herself been taken ill this year and spent six months in hospital.
The win is the equivalent of around half-a-million in today's money and the couple and their four children planned to move from their two-roomed terraced cottage.
They would also buy a new car and possibly invest in a small business. And a special treat was planned for children Carol (14), Stephen (13), Thomas (7) and Gary (1).
The St Helens Reporter on October 1st described the win as a "pools fortune".
The paper also profiled Eccleston's "Dr Dolittle". He was Tom Watkinson of Church Lane whose plans to build what was described as a "guard house" to protect his animals had been rejected by Whiston Council.
The 77-year-old had been left heartbroken after hooligans had shot his peacock 27 times, wrung the necks of four of his ducks and repeatedly raided his hen house.
The attacks had occurred after a new footpath had been opened and Tom's response was to create a sanctuary for his critters – which included horses, dogs and wild rabbits.
The guard-house was to be built adjacent to Tom's house on his own land and be watched over by a relative – but the council felt there was insufficient room. The Reporter wrote:
"Tom, whose armchairs are often occupied by wild animals having a snooze, said: “This place used to be heaven. But since the footpath was established we have had no peace. Life is no longer a precious thing to some young thugs. Hurting people and animals has become a hobby.”"
The newspaper also described how plans to build two more supermarkets in Rainhill had been turned by Whiston council's planning committee after a campaign by local residents.
A group of soccer-mad Sutton Manor schoolboys – who were members of West Sutton United – were also pictured in the Reporter, along with Eric Galt.
Eighteen months earlier the 37-year-old from Farndon Avenue had started two football teams along with two neighbours to keep local youths out of mischief.
Eric spent many hours each week in training the teams called Parkside but was eventually left on his own as joint manager, coach and secretary.
He paid for most of the boys' bus fares out of his own pocket and even forked out for some of their kit.
The Parkside teams then consisted of about 20 boys, aged 11 to 14, but they folded after fourteen months.
Then after four months the boys pleaded with Mr Galt to start the club off again. Said Eric:
"They're soccer-mad. I told them I would willingly get a team up, but I needed more help – a committee. It would have been too much work for one man again.
"Within 30 minutes they were back. They'd got four local adults for the committee. The boys arranged a meeting for us and the new club got off the ground.
"We've got very well organised – we obtained use of an excellent pitch at Sutton Manor Colliery, and when a local Labour club offered to help us out financially, our troubles were over."
The club under its new name of West Sutton United now had 56 members with teams for under 12s, under 14s and under 18s.
"Reporter Suntime ‘72", was the name of a holiday advertising feature in the paper.
The advertisers included Howard Travel from Cotham Street ("We have the holiday your looking for"); Helena House Travel Service, Baldwin Street ("Cruising – Take your pick now for 1972 from as little as £30)" and Phythians Travel Agency of Baldwin Street.
They were a business for whom the phrase "where there's muck there's brass" might have been invented.
Founded in 1886, the Sutton firm specialised in fertiliser for decades before moving into engineering.
There was a happy picture of four-year-old Wendy Clements and her six-year-old sister Joanne in the Echo on the 1st with a dog called Fred.
Their father was Norman Clements, the superintendent at the RSPCA Kennels in Leigh, who told a terrible tale about how Fred had ended up at the dogs home.
Stan Gregg worked as a lorry driver shuttling between Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows and a quarry at Winwick where colliery waste was dumped.
The 51-year-old from Fairholme Avenue in Ashton-in-Makerfield saw a man stop his van by the grass verge, seemingly to let his dog stretch his legs.
Stan initially thought the man was a thoughtful owner – particularly as he went on to throw the dog a stick.
But the van driver then got back into his vehicle and drove away. Six hours later the dog was still on the verge waiting in vain for his master's return.
Mr Clements said: "We've called him Faithful Fred, although I'm afraid that in this case his trust was terribly misplaced."
Next week's 25 stories will include the Dubliners IRA songs dispute at the Theatre Royal, St Helens Council's derelict land reclamation programme, the woman who gave cooking sherry to a 4-year-old in Victoria Park, the Pilks strike leader prosecuted as a benefit cheat and the demolition of the covered market.