100 YEARS AGO: SALFORD WOMAN GETS STUCK IN TO HELP SAVE SALFORD POLICEMAN

I think it would be fair to say that the lovely ladies of Salford are not only intelligent, attractive, amusing, debonair and can get stuck in, if it goes off, as this story from the Salford City Reporter of July 1922 shows. 

Nicholas Keriakides, Joseph Prudholm and Harold Davies, described as being seamen appeared at Salford Magistrates Court charged with being drunk and disorderly.

Prudholm was also charged with assaulting, P.C. Breeze and damaging an umbrella belonging to Mrs Ellen Swarbrick, a married woman from Halliwell Street, whilst Davies was charged with assaulting P.C. Breeze and a man called Benjamin Ferguson.

Pc, Breeze told the Court that he saw the three men, singing and shouting on Regent Road and then jostling passers-by, he told them to behave, but they continued with their behaviour, rather bravely or foolishly he decided to arrest all three men and take them into custody at Regent Road Police Station.

Rather than go quietly as he hoped, they set about kicking and punching him, then pulled him to the ground and kneeled on him, several passers-by came to his assistance, Davies then bit and kicked Benjamin Ferguson so badly he needed hospital attention.

Up stepped the plucky Ellen Swarbrick who without a thought for her own safety began walloping the three men around the head and body with her umbrella, this infuriated Davies so much, that he snapped it in half and threw it onto Regent Road. undeterred Ellen grabbed the Constable's whistle and blew for help.

Police reinforcements arrived due to Ellen's quick thinking and the desperados were taken to the police station, once there Davies tried to throw away a razor he was carrying in his jacket when he was being searched.

In Court the Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr Atkin warmly commended Ellen for her courageous actions and wished it to be placed on record.

He then turned his attention to the three men in the dock,

Nicholas Keriakides was fined 12 shillings and sixpence, Harold Davies was fined £1 for being drunk and disorderly and three months imprisonment with hard labour for assaulting P.C. Breeze and Mr Ferguson, Joseph Prudholm was fined £1 for being drunk and disorderly, ordered to pay Ellen,13 shillings and sixpence for a new umbrella, and a months hard labour for assaulting P.C, Breeze.

Justice of a sort was done, the guilty men were sent to Strangeways and Helen got a new umbrella for her public spirited behaviour, would it happen today, though is another question.