50 YEARS AGO - ECCLES BOY HITS THE BOTTLE

I came across this amusing story from the pages of The Eccles and Patricroft Journal for October 1970 and relates the story of a young lad who took the bottle at far too early an age.

Ronald Dempsey Dixon lived at 23 Police Street, Patricroft and one evening he brought home half a bottle of whiskey for "medicinal purposes" and put it in a cupboard for safe keeping and told his three sons , Jeffrey (8), Alan (7) and Kenneth (4) that they must not touch it.

You just know this isn't going to end well.

On the Sunday morning two of the boys went downstairs, when Kenneth shouted up the stairs, 

"Dad, Alan's been at the bottle!"

Jeffrey explained to his Dad that they had each had a sip, but did not like it, however Allan wasn't going to be off that easy and continued drinking...

Ronald explained what happened next.

"I checked the bottle and it was empty! Allan had drank the lot, I called him downstairs to explain what had happened.

" He walked down the stairs quite naturally then was violently sick on the living room floor and then collapsed, so I ran to the nearby Police Station for help".

On duty was Policewoman, Nancy Rushton , she raced to the house but Allan was unconscious and could not be revived, an ambulance was called for and Allan was taken to Eccles and Patricroft Hospital.

He was given a stomach pump and the alcohol was washed out of him with Allan howling as he regained consciousness, he was then detained in hospital overnight for observations.

He was released the next morning, with no doubt a splitting headache and returned home a sadder and wiser boy.

He told the Eccles Journal that he got a stool and climbed up to the cupboard and added that it did burn his stomach but carried on drinking.

The last word went to his mother who said,

"Colds or no colds I don't want to see any more of that stuff in this house!"

So did young Allan learn his lesson? Is he a Tee-Totaller, I think we should be told.

If anybody knows Allan please let him know or us!

Cheers!