100 YEARS AGO: TRAGIC DEATH OF PEACEMAKER FOLLOWING A PUB FIGHT IN ECCLES

This is the sad story of John Nicklin aged 22, who lived at Lawrence Street, Eccles who died from injuries he received following a disturbance outside The Irwell Inn, Lane End, Eccles, in February 1922,

A man by the name of Edward Bland a labourer who was residing at Kay Street, Eccles appeared at Eccles Magistrates Court the following day, charged with being drunk and disorderly at the scene of the tragedy and was remanded in custody for a week, a police officer told the court that he wasn't being charged with Nicklin's murder, but the police were making enquiries as to how he met his death.

An inquest was held a week later at Eccles and Patricroft Hospital without a Jury, headed by Mr. G. Leresche, when evidence of identification was given by his Mother, Emma Campbell who lived at Lawrence Street and that he lived at home with his wife.

She said that when he left home on the Saturday evening he was in good health and had never been subject to fits or dizziness, he was brought home about 11pm on the Saturday evening and then taken to the hospital. It was then revealed that the deceased had two young children, one being born the morning before he died.

Joseph Caswell a labourer who resided at College Croft told the inquest that he got in The Irwell Inn about 8.30pm and stayed until closing time and drank three pints of beer, during a meeting about racing pigeons.

A man named as Bland was making noises about, "spinning the road" and the Chairman stopped the meeting, not sure what spinning the road, means, a possible pigeon racing term?

Outside the pub he said that Bland wanted to tie his thumbs together with a shoe lace and pushed him away, he then saw Bland and a man called Griffin in a "fighting pose" and Nicklin got between them to stop them fighting, a police constable arrived and got hold of Bland, he then saw Nicklin on the ground but didn't see anybody hit him.

Frederick Done told the inquest that he saw either Griffin or Griffin's friend, but couldn't say who, he then saw Nicklin fall and hit his head on the ground, again he said that he couldn't identify any of the men fighting as he had drank too much beer.

Two other men, Henry Apted and James Dodman both gave evidence but couldn't say who had struck Nicklin, Charles Beresford a waiter at the pub said that he had served the men at the pigeon meeting with beer, but nobody was drunk and they were all quite friendly when they went outside, he thought, possibly the "evening air caught Bland" as he went outside.

John Griffin, a general dealer from Worsley Road then elected to give evidence after being told by the Coroner that he need not do so, he said he had been in the vault of the pub and had an altercation with Bland about tying up thumbs and a shilling, and they were going outside to fight.

He said that he never saw Done or Nicklin try to stop the fight and denied being the man who struck Nicklin, and added that there were about five men involved in the brawl.

Police Constables Law and Waterson said that they saw men fighting outside the pub and restrained Bland but neither of them saw Nicklin being struck.

Finally Dr Sami the house surgeon at the hospital said that he found that Nicklin had a fractured skull from the base to the temple and the injury was more consistent with the man having fallen, than from violence or  a fall and that death was due to shock, following the fracture of the skull.

Summing up the Coroner, said that it was evident that the deceased man was acting as the part of a peacemaker, and as so often happens, came off worse than those who wanted to fight, and there was no question of the cause of death but the evidence didn't enable him to fix the blame.

He then added that there was no doubt that one of the men had struck Nicklin a blow and fatally injured him, and that it was fortunate for that that man or he would have been charged with Manslaughter if not Murder, and gave a verdict of Death from Misadventure.

It does seem obvious that one of these men struck the fatal blow to Nicklin, and it was no surprise that anybody there saw the blow being struck, a tragic story made even sadder with the news that Nicklin's wife had given birth on the day of his death, leaving her not only a widow but having to raise two young children on her own.