Cross Lane in Salford was once a busy, bustling thoroughfare with 18 pubs, three music halls, an Army Barracks, an open market, shops galore and one of the largest open cattle markets in the country, hard to believe if you drive or walk along it today.

November 1920 and Emily Johnson was helping out at her Grandmother's tripe shop at 26 Cross Lane, James Smith and Samuel Royle came into the shop and ordered some pigs trotters, they stood at the counter and began to eat them, as Emily came out of the kitchen area, she saw Smith leaning over the counter, he asked for some trotters and was served with them.

Just then a young boy came into the shop to tell her that the coal delivery had arrived and she had to go in to the back so that they could drop the coal in the yard which she did.

Coming back into the shop she was horrified to see Smith behind the counter tampering with the cash drawer, she rushed to the shop door and asked a passer-by to call the police as she was being robbed, they tried to push her aside but she blocked the doorway.

They then ran through the kitchen into the yard pursued by Emily, who managed to drag Smith to the ground, after a struggle he managed to escape,  with Royle opening the back door for them to get away.

However this isn't the end of the story you may be pleased to hear.

By a simple twist of fate (courtesy of Bob Dylan) the two men were arrested a few days later for attempting to steal a half hundred weight of currants from a parked lorry on Oldfield Road but were seen by a Mrs Ogden who raised the alarm and gave the police such a good description they were arrested the same day and taken to the local police station.

Who was in the police station? none other than the coal delivery boy who recognised the two men who had stolen the six shillings from the tripe shop and they were charged with this offence as well as the attempted theft of the currants.

They appeared before Mr. C. C. Goodwin at Salford Magistrates Court and it was revealed that both men had numerous convictions for theft.

Detective Sgt, Needham told the court that. Smith was 

"One of the worst characters in Salford, and never does anything but look for trouble and hasn't worked for two and a half years since leaving the army and lives on his pension of £2, five shilling a week"

This seemed to strike a chord with the Magistrate who said that this matter of his pension would be investigated and then gave them both six months imprisonment with hard labour.

A harsh sentence, possibly but these two chaps do appear to be petty criminals with not a care in the world, no idea if Smith's army pension was stopped, be the final slap in the face for him if it was.

Last week I wrote a story about a murder/suicide that happend in Eccles, November 1920,  it was met with mixed results, many more said they enjoyed the story than the few including a distant member of the family who complained that she hadn't been contacted and so I removed it.

This week I was contacted by a good friend, Angie Shepherd who told me the strange, story of the death of her Great Grandmother in Eccles, 120 years ago, she was aware of this family tragedy but wanted to learn more, so she turned detective and tracked down the newspaper reports that covered the death and her inquest in Patricroft.

Margaret Salmon, 38 was a mother of seven children and lived at Pembroke Avenue, Patricroft with her husband, Charles and a lodger in the house, George Mather.

Following an evening of drinking in August 1910, in which she and Mather visited several public houses in Patricroft, he left for home and Margaret stayed in the pub, she returned home around 11pm and went upstairs to bed.

She was found dead the next morning at the foot of the stairs and an inquest into her death was held at Patricroft Congregational School with the County Coroner Mr J. F. Price in charge of proceedings and Mr D. Timperley was the foreman of the jury.

Charles Salmon, her husband took the stand and his wife was in fairly good health but had, fainting. fits at times, but as a rule she always recovered and never fell over, but added, "she was very much addicted to drink".

He went to sleep on a sofa in the front room, telling the Coroner that he slept there because he had to be up early for work in the morning at Pendlebury, Margaret had gone to bed at about 11pm.

Charles was then awakened at 3am by George Mather asking him if he had seen Margaret who was lying on a hearth rug in the  room, cold and showing no sign of life, he called in  a next door neighbour for help and went for the police and a Doctor Thorpe who pronounced her dead.

He then told the court that he thought she must have been coming downstairs for a drink and had missed her step and that, Mather had told him that, he had found the body when he stepped on her on the stairs, and had then placed her on a hearth rug near the fire.

When asked about the bruising on her neck, he said that the stairs had an awkward turn on them and were very steep, and she may have hit her head on the skirting board.

George Mather then took the stand and told the jury that he and the deceased had been out drinking from 8.30pm until 10.45pm and that they had, had taken a drink in, The Black Boy, The Diamond and The Bird in Hand' he left because he had, taken enough but the deceased wanted to stay, he could not say how much they had drunk, he went home and straight to bed without noticing Charles Salmon asleep on the sofa.

He had occasion to get up at 3am and at the bottom of the stairs he put his foot on her body, she had her feet on the bottom step and her head against the skirting board between the kitchen and parlour door, she was cold and so he put her close to the fire, he noticed a cut above her eye but no other bruising and then awoke Charles Salmon.

Mrs Yates the next door neighbour then gave evidence, telling the jury that the Salmon family had lived in the house for just over a month, she had never seen the deceased in drink but had heard  that, "she took it"

At 3.15am she was called into the house and saw the deceased on a hearth rug, there was a scar on the right side of her face and neck as if she had rubbed against something and a wound over the eye. adding that she heard no noises during the night and had, never heard any quarrelling there.

Finally P. C. Davies told the jury that he was called to the house at 3.40 am, the deceased was lay on a hearth rug, Dr Thorpe told him she had been dead some time, he too noticed the cuts and abrasions on her face, tellingly he said he knew the woman and she was of intemperate habits and that he had, seen Mr Salmon at night trying to get her home, also the stirs in the house were, very steep and there was no handrail.

Summing up the Coroner told the jury that if they were satisfied that the death was due to an accident, it did not matter much what the cause was, although they could have a post mortem if they wished and that both the deceased and Mr Mather were drunk.

A verdict of Accidental death was recorded on poor, Margaret Salmon and she was buried in Weaste cemetery.

It would be far too easy suggest that George Mather had pushed, Margaret down the stairs in a drunken argument, nobody including the neighbour heard any noises, it is more probable that in her befuddled state she has come downstairs, possibly for the toilet and has slipped, banged her head and died, we will never know.

I leave the last words to Angie Shepherd

"I feel sad about what happened to her and that she died so young and that my Nana lost her mother at the age of 10. We will never know what really happened that night, for me there are unanswered questions but for now, I'm grateful that we still have a couple of photographs of her and I visit her grave in Weaste quite often"

I came across this story from November, 1920 in the pages of the Salford City Reporter and tells of the misfortunes of the doziest thief in Salford.

Thomas Callaghan, 30 was a seaman from Liverpool appeared at Salford Magistrates Court charged with attempting to cheat or defraud by false pretences, James Clark, which seems a clear cut. case.

Callaghan was on Trafford Road close to the dock gates, when he approached Mr Clark and asked if he was interested in buying a ring from him, for £1 and going as far to say that the ring came from a jewellers shop that he had burgled in Liverpool, and that he had a few more to sell.

He gave Clark the ring to examine, who looked at it underneath a street lamp to ascertain if it was genuine, only to be told, "be careful there could be a policeman about"

Clark said he was interested but only had ten shillings on him but if Callaghan would come home with him, he would give him the full amount, to which he agreed.

As they walked along Trafford Road, Callaghan was unceremoniously bundled into the Trafford Road, Police Station by Clarke who then revealed his identity as, Dock Police, Superintendent Clarke,,

I can just imagine the look on Callaghan's face as he realised what a clanger he had dropped.

The ring was examined  by a local jeweller and found to be a cheap brass and glass copy, a further cheap, brass signet ring was found on Callaghan when he was searched, not looking good for him, is it?

He appeared at the Magistrates Court the next day after a night spent in the cells, no doubt kicking himself, silly.

To his credit he pleaded guilty and said the rings were one's he wore himself, then added that he thought Superintendent Clark was an old shipmate and that it was meant as a joke.

This was met with laughter from the Magistrates bench, but it didn't last long.

They sentenced the hapless, trickster to three months in prison with hard labour.

Last month I wrote a story about two young Salford lads, Arthur Smith and Cecil Wilkinson who lived at the Height area of Salford, who were charged with causing over £1,000 worth of damage to homes, shops and businesses including the strangulation of a cat whilst burgling a factory.

They were sent to the Assize Courts for sentencing and at the time I had no access to give you what sentence they would receive and what the judge would have to say about their shameful behaviour.

I have found the relevant story from November 1920 and to be quite honest the sentence they received wasn't what I was expecting considering the charges laid against them.

To their credit they pleaded Guilty to the three charges of breaking and entering a private school in Acresfield Road, arson at the Olympia Cinema and damaging motor cars at Messr Carter's motor works, in Trafford Road.

Mr Gilbert Jordan, prosecuting told the court that the boys had broken into properties and at the private school, smashed eggs, threw flour about then tried to light a fire with some scrap paper.

On October 24th they broke into The Olympia Cinema and set fire to it causing damage estimated at  £326 and on the same evening they broke into the motor works causing damage estimated at £150 also strangling the works cat.

Mr J. B. Sandbach defended the boys and said the boys were "respectfully connected", they had excellent school records and their character at work was good and both of the boy's employees wrote them a character reference.

Mr Justice Ashton who was in charge of the proceedings, said, 

" What they really want you know, is a good thrashing, nobody wants to make a gaol bird of boys like these"

Mr Sandbach then went on to offer a possible explanation for the boys behaviour, he said that when they were arrested they were found to have in their possession, what were described as "Penny Bloods", cheap. lurid. comics of the times, he then suggested that the boys were trying to emulate the criminals that were depicted in these comics.

He then added that he, had, the rector of the parish with him, Rev H. Boddington who would tell of the boy's home conditions, to which Justice Ashton suggested that perhaps he could administer the punishment?

Cecil Wilkinson took to the stand and told the court that the only explanation he could offer for his son's behaviour was the reading of the Penny Bloods as he had never given any trouble at home.

Justice Ashton then said, 

"What he wants is the best thrashing a boy ever had, and you are the man to give it to him, will you see that it is done?"

Mr Wilkinson agreed to this.

Arthur Smith's Father told the court he had no answer for his son's behaviour, and was told by Justice Ashton.

"Oh it is perfectly simple, these boys have been reading this disgusting and pernicious literature and from what I have been told your son is the leader"

He then retired into his chambers for a consultation with the Governor of the prison, Mr H. FitzClarence.

The boys were brought back up for sentencing and Justice Ashton said they deserved the biggest thrashing, consistent with humanity.

He then sentenced the boys to be bound over and warned about coming up before him, again and then impressed upon the fathers the need for severity in their thrashings which he left in their hands, and they were free to leave the court.

I can't but wonder if the same sentence would have been handed out if say, the two lads came from an impoverished background and were unemployed, I doubt it very much.

Hopefully the two miscreants went on to live happy, honest and worthwhile lives and reflected upon their close call with imprisonment.

Let's roll back the clock to the golden, idyllic, Summer of 1970 when Brazil won the World Cup, 4-1 against Italy, The Beatles disbanded, 600,000 people gathered at The Isle of Wight to watch, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Tiny Tim, Mungo Jerry were top of the charts with, In The Summertime and the Drug Squad in Eccles were flexing their truncheons.

At 12.15am, Saturday, July 11th  the police raided a house on Abbey Grove, Eccles and several people there were arrested and taken to Green Lane Police Station for questioning, and were told there was reason to believe that they had been smoking, cannabis!

The accused were, Anne Higginson, Patrick Mullin, Alan Goldson, James Smith and a unnamed 15 year old boy, who became my Brother in Law, Mick Scahill, and what an excellent chap he was. a fine husband, father and friend, R.I.P. 

Several of them admitting smoking "pot", including Mick, bless him and according to Chief Inspector Wood, Higginson said, "

"Why charge everybody?, it's my room let the others off"

In court she denied saying this.

Chief Inspector Wood told Eccles Magistrates Court that the warrant was executed at Abbey Grove, which was described as being a large house, divided into flats and damningly the occupants had no right to be living there and paid no rent to the owner and were basically, squatters!

He then went on to describe the living conditions of the house, which at times is laughable, he said the premises were in a dilapidated condition with "paintings on the wall in bright colours, including flowers and other articles"

"Most of the rooms are in an indescribable condition with filthy walls and floors, and no attempt has been made to clean them, they are squatters and should not be there"

When the police went into a room rear of the house on the first floor they found, 30 home made cigarette ends and a piece of substance which was believed to be cannabis.

D. C. Park really got into the swing of it when he told the Magistrate that when he entered a room it became obvious that cannabis had been smoked and.

."It was quite apparent to me a drug orgy had taken place"

Yes he actually used the words, "drug orgy" this was Eccles not The Sphan Ranch with Charlie Manson and his gang.

Mullin objected to the police description of the rooms and said they were being treated as "queer people" and that this was going on all over the world.

The Chairman of the Court, Mr B. Hodgson told Mullins hat as long as he obeyed the law he could within reason do what he wanted.

Mr Mullins then went into a wonderful speech in which he said there was no loud music as the record player was broken and they were chatting about, the Universe, The Cosmos and love when the police broke into the room and ordered him to strip off whilst they searched him for cannabis, a bit of a rude awakening I should imagine.

"Basically I am a peaceful person, but know I am more antagonistic, how would you like it if a stranger came to your house, when you are having your tea, and tell you to take your clothes off for an examination for cannabis"  He has a point.

The Deputy Clerk of the Court told him that it was illegal, to which he replied. ..."It was illegal to be a Christian at one time"

The trial was quickly descending to farce when he was asked what he did for a living, he replied, "I simply smile at people"

The others admitted smoking cannabis but denied they were doing anything wrong and awaited their fate.

The Magistrate fined them all £25 each and were given a warning about their future conduct and ordered out of the house on Abbey Road, justice had been done.

I can remember the "Eccles Commune" as it became known and to be honest it was a bit of a novelty and not den of iniquity the police made it out to be, laughable really.

Mick Scahill told me they knew they were due for a visit from the police because two days earlier, two men with fake Irish accents knocked on the door asking to buy "pot" and asking if there were and "chicks" living there...Hmm who could that have been.

The house has since been demolished but they say if you walk past on a hot Summers night, the smell of patchouli oil and Red Lebanese can be smelt on the evening breeze...

A rather sad and cautionary tale from the pages of the Salford City Reporter from October 1920 which gives an insight into the way that habitual drunkards were treated at the time and how times have changed.

Violet Whittle a 40 year old woman of no fixed abode appeared at Salford Magistrates Court,  charged with being drunk and disorderly on Chapel Street, Salford the night before.

It would appear that Violet was no stranger to the court and was "fond" of a drink as they say.

Superintendent Clarke told the Magistrate that Violet was last before the court on September 16th (less than a month ago) and had been fined £1 for drunkenness and that within the last twelve months had been arrested for the same offence, seven times, giving her a total of 34 criminal convictions.

The previous evening when arrested on Chapel Street she was abusive to the arresting officer, P,C, Nolan. and in the cells she behaved, "in a disgraceful way", then added.

"If she cannot conduct herself properly when sober, I can imagine what she will be like in drink"

The newspaper reported that Violet has, "stood erect and attentive" when the above was read out to the court, the suddenly burst into tears and shouted out,

"I'm cast down!, I'm broken hearted, I only came out of prison yesterday, I don't have a dogs chance, the police are always locking me up"

The Magistrates Clerk tried to reason with her and explained it was because she always went back on the drink.

Poor Violet answered, "I would be better off dead, for I'm always in prison".

Superintendent Clarke then told the court that Violet had been sent to the Langho Inebriates Reformatory in 1906, but had not seemed to have cured her..

Langho Inebriates Reformatory opened in 1904 and housed some 300 women, was situated, seven miles from Blackburn, it later became a hospital for people with learning disabilities and closed in 1992, and have heard some terrible stories about the way the early patients were treated.

Having heard all the evidence, the Magistrates, Alderman Mather and Mr F. P. Nathan in their wisdom saw fit to send Violet to prison for one month with hard labour added for good measure.

How on earth is sending her to prison going to help this poor woman, who by her own admission stated she would be better off dead than in prison, she did need medical help and I'm certain the harsh regime in Strangeways prison didn't extend to this.

The Height and Bolton Road areas of Salford were subjected to a fortnight's rampage of burglary, arson and theft which only ended when two youths aged 15 and 16 appeared at Salford Magistrates Court in October 1920 and the full story unfolded.

Mrs Lewthtwaite owned a supper bar on Broad Street, Salford and on the previous Thursday evening at 10pm, she was in the kitchen of her house, when she heard a loud bang and glass breaking, she saw Cecil Wilkinson drop into her yard.

Her son ran out and apprehended him, only to be told that he was looking for his ball, he then saw another boy nearby, who ran away when approached, the police were sent for and Wilkinson was taken into custody for questioning.

Wilkinson soon told the police the name of his accomplice,  Arthur Smith and he was soon arrested and brought into custody.

Superintendent Clarke questioned the boys and they readily admitted that, they intended breaking into the barbers shop next door to the supper bar and were looking for money to steal.

However once they started confessing they couldn't stop and told an astonished Superintendent Clarke a long list of their misdemeanours, they had carried out in the past fortnight.

At the Magistrates Court he applied to have the boys remanded in custody for a week whilst further cases might be investigated, the remand was granted and both boys. despite their age where remanded to Strangeways prison.

One week later the two boys, Cecil Wilkinson of, Saxby Street and Arthur Smith of Bolton Road, Pendleton stood in the dock and a remarkable catalogue of their crimes was read out.

Breaking and entering, 34 Acresfield Road and stealing foodstuffs to the value of £1, 18 shillings and ninepence.

Setting fire to The Olympia Picture Palace, West Street, stealing 10 shillings and a quantity of chocolate. damaging seventeen seats and a piano.

Damaging and spoling five motor cars, a planing machine and a band saw at Messr Thomas Carters Motor Works, Trafford Road.

Setting fire to St Thomas's School, Broughton Road, Salford.

Breaking and entering Messr Lancaster and Tonge's offices, Withington Street, Salford stealing £3 19 shilling and 7 pence, and a box of cigarettes.

Breaking and entering the schoolroom on King Street, the Height and stealing 11 pence.

Breaking and entering into St Anne's School, Brindleheath, damaging six panes of glass, two pairs of curtains and lengths of woodwork.

Breaking and entering Halton Bank School, Bolton Road damaging five electric globes, 38 pound of flour and a water pipe.

The boys pleaded guilty to all these charges.

Superintendent Clarke told the Court that there had been, "a fifteen day scare" as shops, homes, businesses  and schools were targeted, in addition over £1,000 worth of damage had been caused by arson and wilful damage.

He asked the Magistrate Mr P. W. Atkin that the boys be sent to the Assizes for sentencing considering the severity of the offences and then dropped the bombshell that at the premises of  Messr Thomas Carters Motor Works, Trafford Road, the boys had hung, the workshop cat and killed it.

The boys were defended by Mr Howard Flint, who asked the Magistrate if the boys could not be dealt with on this day by the court, adding that they were both from respectable families and had been influenced by reading "trashy cheap, literature"

The Magistrate turned down his plea for a trial at the Magistrate Court and added that there was no reason why they should be cruel to a cat.

The boys were sent to the Asizes for trial and here is the cliff hanger, I have no idea how they went on there, considering the amount of damage and mayhem they caused I am certain they would be sent to prison and it would that their act of cruelty to a cat ensured they would face the wrath of an Assize Judge.

Another story of love and romance from the pages of the Eccles and Patricroft Journal, October 1920, when love breaks down...

John Henry Robinson who lived at Barlow Street, Patricroft appeared at Eccles Magistrates Court, charged with assaulting May Jackson in her home at Blears Buildings, Eccles and smashing crockery belonging to her mother, Margaret Jackson.

Margaret Jackson told the Magistrate that Mr Robinson had been "walking out" with her daughter until three months ago and on the night of September 27th he called at the house to see, May.

She went to bed but was woken by screams and heard Robinson, cry out,

"I have got you now and I will do you in!"

He allegedly ripped the blouse off her back and threw her over the table smashing the plates, cups and saucers, laid out.

A passing neighbour, Emma Woodhall heard the commotion and rushed in to help, she grabbed hold of Robinson who had forced May to the floor and was twisting her arm and managed to separate them.

Robinson took to the witness box and gave a completely different story.

He claimed he had called at the house to chat with May, when Margaret Jackson burst into the room and threw a glass at his head, and as for the smashed crockery, he said that he had bought it for them, so it was his, furthermore he had spent between £300 - £400 on the pair of them and this was the way they treated him.

Getting into the swing of it, Robinson claimed that May and her sister had been seeing other men behind his back and on one occasion he had been, "brutally assaulted" by the men and had his wallet, containing £7 stolen from him.

With a final flourish he told the Magistrate that the two women should have been in the dock, not him.

However the Magistrate didn't share his views, and he was fined 10 shillings for the assault and five shillings for the damaged crockery, and warned about his future conduct.

Reading between the lines it would appear that Mr Robinson was being strung along by May and her family, showering money and gifts on them. and was better off without them, an unrequited love indeed.

This  story from the pages of The Salford City Reporter, October 1920 tells the story of a Salford man whose actions were truly heart-breaking and you have to find pity for him.

On a Tuesday evening on the North Pier, Blackpool, a man named as William ***** residing in the Broughton area of Salford, (I haven't given his full name and address for personal reasons) approached a pier attendant and told him the following.

"I have dropped my five week old baby son, into the sea"

A quick look into the empty baby pram confirmed that, what he had said, was true.

Eye witnesses say that his behaviour beforehand was strange and the empty baby pram confirmed their suspicions.

When asked why he had done this, he replied,

"There were 5,000 of them that went out, and only 50 came back"

Whilst telling this he was groaning and holding his head as if in agony, which added to the scene of confusion and horror.

The police were summoned and he was taken to the Blackpool Central Station for questioning, a search for the missing child was carried out. to no avail.

Inspector Seed and Detective McKenna were put in charge of the case, they brought the man's wife to the station to see if she could shed any light on this tragedy.

She told them that her husband had suffered from shell shock in The Great War and was being treated for depression at a local hospital and that they had come to Blackpool for a few days in the hope that the rest and change would do him good.

Dr R. H. Dunderdale was called to give him a psychiatric examination and as a result he was declared insane and removed to a mental institution.

He was not brought up before a court and it was expected that owing to his condition, no charge would be made against him.

Despite a careful search the infant's body had not been recovered from the sea, it was stated that the high tide was a t 5.30pm yesterday the time of the tragedy, and at 7pm there was a strong current running out to sea and the body would have been quickly carried away.

A further search of the beach was carried out the next day extending to Bispham but still no sign of the body.

I looked through several weeks' editions of the Salford paper and there was no story of the body being found, a tragic tale.

The poor man must have seen some terrible sights in the army to drive him insane. many thousands of men suffered from shell shock and it's hard to believe but for a while the army considered soldiers suffering from this lacked moral fibre, i.e they were cowards.

The poor wife must have been dealt a hammer blow in losing a child in such an awful way, would she ever recover?

Without doubt the saddest story I have ever come across in the years of writing these stories.

I loved this story which was in the October edition of the Eccles and Patricroft Journal in 1970 and talk about gripping the reader by the throat with the first line, have a read of this, word for word.

"Soccer hooligans, skinheads, hippies, yippies, Hells Angels - the headline hoggers of today.

"Youths with a vengeance and a vandal breeding boredom, quite incomprehensible to their forefathers with the abundance of recreational facilities available.

"Gangs sharing the view that violence and theft are OK, offloading their consciences onto friends by collective action, Nomadic groups sharing an ideology.

"A small element who through their rejection of society's accepted standards, make the news, yet those who do help their "neighbour", so often go without a mention".

Have you any idea what he is wittering on about?

Hold on because it's not all wild and crazy kids, slashing the seats, shooting and a looting.

Into the limelight come Phase 70 a Peel Green based group devoted to aiding charities, one of the founder members was The Rev Dick Hatch, Vicar of St Michaels and All Angels, who was alarmed at the falling numbers at the church's youth club.

Rev Hatch explains all or most of it,

"There are no individuals in Phase 70, we are a non - denominational group who have gathered together in a form of experimental communism, that is we sit down and plan projects which we execute together for various charities."

"There were 17 founding members whose occupation range from labourer to tax inspector and we have five new members all eager to pool their talents"

One of their first projects was a marathon dictionary read outside Eccles library in February, working in relays and finishing at five in the morning after having completed 60 hours of continuous dictionary reading which raised £100 for the Moat Hill Autistic Unit in Peel Green.

Since then they raised money for a concert for Senior Citizens, £20 for Shelter, a folk concert at Worsley Court House and £20 to sponsor a boy in Nigeria.

The group meet on a Sunday and take it in turn to act as Chairman and listen to talks by the Police, Probation Services etc and regardless of age it's Christian names all round.

"Young people wishing to become members have to apply in a fairly formal fashion" said Rev Hatch.

"We only accept those who are prepared to give themselves to the aims and works of the group"

Were you a member of Phase 70? I have read quite a bit about Rev Dick Hatch and he was quite a character by all accounts ending up having a Radio Show on the BBC.

Would the youngster of today join such a group though? to be honest I can't see it, sound in principle but those days have gone I'm afraid and as for standing outside Eccles library reading aloud from a dictionary for hours on end.....

I came across this story from October 1920 in the pages of the Eccles and Patricroft Journal and was shocked to read of the treatment meted out to these men who appeared at Manchester County Police Court charged with stealing quantities of potatoes from local farmers' fields.

The background to this story is as follows, in October 1920 coal miners went on strike for higher pay, the strike only lasted two weeks but this caused hardship for many families and most of the men who stood in the dock accused of theft were colliers from local pits.

Local farmers had complained to the police that for several nights groups of men had been seen in the early hours of the morning stealing potatoes either from the soil or which had been harvested and awaiting collection in baskets.

The newspaper reported that "scores" of coal miners were in the fields, stealing the crops and at one stage 200 men and boys were seen stealing.

The police were informed and Supt. Keys raised a force of mounted policemen and several dozen policemen  who travelled in prison vans were taken to the farms.

They launched a raid on the potato pickers and arrested a dozen men, others scattered leaving half filled sacks and shovels on the ground.

Mounted police along with uniformed policemen patrolled the fields for the next few days to deter any more thefts with a show of force.

Eight men appeared in the dock and a boy aged 11 years of age, they were, George Dale, George Arden, Robert Hodgkiss, Ernest Cullis, Edward Jones, Ernest Vernon, Thomas Atkinson, and Wilson Taylor,

The case of George Dale was heard first, with Mr T. Stuttard The Chairman of the Court and Mr J, Crofton was the Prosecuting Officer.

Crofton alleged that Dale was caught with 56lb of potatoes and that this court case arose from the coal strike and then launched into an astonishing attack on Dale and the other accused by saying that they behaved as if the crop in the ground was theirs was to be taken and eaten and if this kind of behaviour was not stamped out, "the disease would grow and would ultimately lead to, as it has in the past, rioting and the usual accompaniments"

The Chairmen asked him if he was bringing a case of anarchy on the men?

He replied that he wasn't but this is where these things lead to.

Addressing Dale, the Chairman told him that he couldn't behave as the Germans did in Belgium and France and take anything they liked and fined him £5 and 12 shillings Advocate fees and told him he should be happy he wasn't being sent to prison.

Dale asked for a month to pay and was told the decision would come after the trial of the other men.

The other accused were given fines ranging from £1 to 10 shillings plus court costs.

George Dale had his fine reduced from £5 down to £2 in a rare show of leniency and was given a month to pay..

The Chairman then warned the whole district of Pendlebury that if any more men were brought up before him charged with potato theft they would go straight to prison

A while back I mentioned the shoe repair shop that stood on Barton Lane, Eccles and is now called Linda's Plaice despite it being an Indian Takeaway.

Some people remembered the shop as being called, Heywood's Shoe Repairs in the 1950s, i can recall it in the 1970s when it was owned by who I thought was a Polish gentleman.

Looking through the Eccles and Patricroft Journal for October 1970, 50 years ago, would you believe? I came across the following story and photograph, entitled, "Shoes For A Circus Clown"

The story told that anybody passing the shoe repair shop would be in for a shock as proudly displayed in the shop window, were a pair of clown's shoes, so large that there wasn't a size for them but they were 23 inches long.

They had been hand made by the owner of the shop, 57 years old,  Dymtro Ostapowycz.

We are told that last year Mr  Ostapowycz. got a call from a high wire, walker at Belle Vue Circus who wanted a pair of shoes made for him to be used in his act, he did and the chap was delighted at the craftsmanship, so much so he told all his friends in the circus.

He then received a telephone call from Sonny Fossett a clown at the circus who wanted a special pair of shoes making, a pair as big as possible and yet still one's he could walk in.

Mr  Ostapowycz.was obviously a highly skilled man as we were told that he had already made specialised shoes for disabled people and had even shod a Polish dancing troupe from Oldham.

After much trial and error the shoes have been finished and are waiting to be picked up, but in the meantime they were proudly displayed in the shop window.

Can you imagine if Sonny Fossett decided he was leaving the circus and didn't want the shoes?

Finally we learn that Mr Ostapowycz was a Ukranian and came to England in 1947 and spent some time in a displaced persons camp at Banbury.

He has had the shop since 1968 and lives in Cheetham Hill with his wife and three children.

I do remember the shop and this gentleman, however I was told that he was Polish and had been in one of the concentration camps in Europe, and also had a camp number tattooed on his arm.

I have no idea if this is true or an Urban Myth, do you remember Mr Ostapowycz at this shop and had you heard this story

Dipping my toes in the pages of the Salford City Reporter for October 1920, I came across this little story which was headlined, "Ruffians Ejected From Salford Cinema".

The Rex Cinema on Chapel Street, Salford is a lovely little building, dating from 1846 and became a cinema in 1912, it's frontage being listed as being of architectural importance, but you don't want to know that, you want to hear about the ruffians in question and how they went on at Salford Magistrates Court.

This is how the story unfolded at Court

P.C. Mulraney told the Court  was on duty on Chapel Street, when he was asked to eject two louts from the cinema who had been upsetting the other customers by shouting, whistling and using "objectionable language" during the showing of the film, you have to remember it was a silent cinema then.

The brave P.C. approached the two men and asked them to leave the cinema as there had been complaints about their behaviour, they obeyed his request and followed him onto Chapel Street.

He noticed that they had both been drinking and asked them politely to go on their way and not cause any trouble, they replied in the negative and both attacked him.

"They fought like madmen and struck me several times about the body and head, I blew my whistle for help and P.C.Cannon came to my assistance.

"We attempted to take them into custody at the Town Hall but they became so rough, we had to enlist three of four civilians to help us get them into the station"

One of the arrested men, John Boyce aged 22 admitted being drunk but denied assaulting the policemen, saying, he couldn't remember..

The other prisoner, John Brown aged 19 admitted being drunk and he too denied the assault charge.

The Clerk of the Court asked P.C. Mulrany if he thought that the men had assaulted him on purpose?

"I am quite sure they did" replied the aggrieved P.C.

"One of them said he didn't mind being locked up and was up for it"

P.C. Cannon took to the witness box and told the Magistrate that as soon as he had gone to P.C. Mulrany's assistance he was struck four or five blows without provocation by the accused men.

Detective Smith then took the stand and told the court that both men were Marine Firemen and came from Glasgow, they had arrived at Salford Docks on the Monday evening, the night before they were arrested and werd due to return to Glasgow where they would be paid off.

The Magistrate wasn't having any of it and jailed the ruffians for one month with hard labour thrown in for good measure.

This didn't mean breaking rocks in the hot sun as the song goes, you were given meagre food rations, soup,mainly, one sheet on your bed, no talking to other prisoners on the landings, no visits etc, a short sharp shock.

Once released from Strangeways, the "ruffians" would have had to make their own way back to Glasgow and explain their absence to family and friends. Good luck with that.

The Eccles and Patricroft Journal used to have a music correspondent who went by the name of "Tempo", he would review the latest albums and interview the local pop and folk groups.

I came across this story from October 1970 and tells of the the folk trio, Centre Folk.

The group consisted of and I quote, 

"The group consists of, Martin Stimson, the handsome, single, lead guitarist who plays the Tenor mandolin and banjo, a Manchester Corporation employee who lives on Worsley Road, Winton.

"Ann Rhodes the pretty one who arranges much of the groups material, she plays the guitar and mandolin, and is a housewife with two children who lives on Worsley Road, Swinton.

"Terry Sherwood the bearded comedian, who plays the Spanish guitar, banjo and mouth organ lives on Gilda Crescent Road, Eccles.

The group came about by accident when they were all learning the guitar at the Eccles Adult Education Centre and the class was asked to provide music for the social dance, sadly they were the only three who turned up, but the show must go on, the trio took to the stage and the band was born!

They were the resident group at The Two Brewers pub on Regent Road, Salford and played at The Hephalump Club in Eccles, never heard of that one, where was it?

A tape of their music was sent to Radio Manchester and was met with praise, the group had a manager, Keith Rhodes who was told their music would be played on the airwaves.

He then added that the band would go ahead writing and producing their own material in the Winter of 1970/71.

Success surely beckoned?

Sadly I don't think Centrefolk made the big time, I would love to know what happened to them,, the name Martin Stimson does ring a bell though.

Any ideas what happened to them or did you see them perform?

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!

I have been contacted by Harriet Heywood from Salford Now to see if I can help find the family or relatives of a Salford soldier who died in a POW Camp in Germany, April 1945.

We do know that the soldier William Charles Gee was born in Salford on 27th June 1913 and lived at number Four Lister Street, Pendleton and had a wife, Lillian.

Lister Street was situated off Brindleheath Road.

This story came about because a Dutch resident, Onno van Meurs who lives in Vernay, close to the Venray War Cemetery in Limburg has adopted the grave of William  Gee because his birthday, 29th April is the date that Gee died.

He has painstakingly researched the life and military record of him and has unearthed a wonderful record of the man, these are his findings.

"He joined South Wales Borders 1st battalion and was captured by the Axis forces during the Battle of Tobruk in June 1942 and held prisoner at Lamsdorf ( Stalag VIIIB) and died as earlier mentioned on 29th of April 1945.

He initially joined the Royal Welsh Fusiliers on 24 June 1940 and joined SWB 1st BN on October 10th 1940. After his capture, he was sent to POW camp at Coreglia (PG-52) and from there he was sent to POW camp 8B which was later called camp 344 at Lamsorf in ( now Poland)

When that region was going to be liberated by Russian forces it is very likely that he joined a march westward to southern Bavaria , which was liberated by the US Army on 29th of April 1945( the day he died).

My quest went on and is now on the point of finding, possible family members of his. I know that he had a son Charles, born in 1938 but possibly died in 2003, I know for sure that he had a daughter, Audry born 10th of May 1939, she was baptised 28 May 1939

And now I am looking if she or her relatives are still alive, she could be married to Mr Harry Marshall as I found out that that's the only marriage of a woman called Audrey Gee in 1959

Hopefully you can help me out with this or any additional info is more than welcome"

I did my own research and found a photo of Charles and his grave in Venray War cemetery which I have included in the article also a photo of Lister Street, Pendleton.

I am sure you will agree after all the work that Onno has done it would be marvellous if we could contact any of his relatives or anybody who knows any of the people mentioned, above.

Could you please contact me on the Salford History site or via tony@salford.media and all details will be forwarded to Harriet at Salford Now

At weekend I posted a photo of Borough Road showing the Swan pub on the Salford History page, it received quite a few comments and memories etc, but I was amazed to be contacted by a reader, Mike Griffin from Salford who told me that he had, an original acid etched, glass panel from a door in the pub and would I like to see it?

Today I went to his house to see it and get the full story.

Mike told me:

Quote

 

"I had been going in The Swan since I was about 16, with me living in the area and would often sit in the "News Room" as the small room was called with my mates having a few pints and had noticed the unusual glass door panel, and admired it but thought no more about it.

"About 1996 I went in for a pint and couldn't help but notice that the door to the News Room was missing, so I asked the Landlord where it was, he told me that it was outside in the backyard of the pub.

"I asked him if it was for sale and he told me to give him a £5 and it was mine, I quickly paid him and loaded it into my van and drove home, the wife wasn't too impressed with it, so I put it into the attic and it stayed there until we moved into our newer house, several years ago.

"I cleaned it up and was really impressed with the detail and craftsmanship that had gone into making it and at one time considered selling it, a chap in America offered me £500 for it and he would pay the post and package, however he lived in New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina struck and I never heard from him again!

"I think I will fit it into my living room door or possibly mount it in a frame in the hallway, not to sure what my children will do with it when I have gone though, possibly bin it, they'd better not.

"I'm just happy to have a souvenir of old Salford in my house and a reminder of my youth"

 

I have to say the 36" x 24" glass panel is fabulous with it's Art Nouveau swirls and gold, blue and pink colouring, a swan glides past and the words News Room are acid etched and raised, boldly standing out.

I did some quick research and found that the Swan was rebuilt in the 1880's and the first Landlord was John William Hicks who was here until his death in 1906, the pub did have further alterations in 1908 when the outside toilets on Eccles New Road were demolished and new urinals were installed in the yard and the ground floor layout was altered.

My guess is that this glass panel dates from 1908 and ties in with the Art Nouveau period nicely, envious? dead right I am!

However my memory of The Swan is hearing Warsaw as they were called then practising in the upstairs concert room in 1977, chatting with Ian Curtis and Hooky at the bar, wonder what became of them?

Today we paid a rare visit out of Salford to Hawkshaw above Ramsbottom to visit the grave of Roger Worthington a chap who was born in Salford  and died in Hawkshaw in 1709 and has the distinction of having two gravestones.

Roger was a Baptist Minister and preached in the isolated moorlands around Hawkshaw and Edgeworth and when he died expressed a wish to be buried there and a local was given a £1 a year to maintain his grave.

His grave soon fell into disrepair and that would have been the end of "Old Roger" as was known, however in 1935 a chap from New Zealand, Godfrey Ramsbott0m paid for a new stone and a small walled garden which you can see today.

Not certain if he was a long distant relative but what a nice thing to do, and so today the grave is well maintained by volunteers, and has a couple of benches for the visitor to sit and contemplate on.

The entrance is through a small gap in a drystone brick wall which has the inscription, "Visitors are requested to honour this Sacred Place."

The grave lies within the Greater Manchester boundary midway between Ramsbottom and Edgworth.

It can be found at the northern end of a rough lane leading from Hawkshaw Post Office towards Grainings Farm, about 100 metres before the latter.  

Postcode and Co-ordinates in the video.

Karl and I made the trip to Weaste Cemetery today observing social distancing rules obviously to continue our filming and trace the grave of "forgotten" Manchester  United player, David Byrne.

David was born in Dublin in April 1905 and played for several teams in Ireland where he won three senior caps for the Irish Free State, making a scoring debut as a Shelbourne player on 20 April 1929 in a 4-0 friendly win against Belgium at Dalymount Park.

He joined Manchester United in 1933 with fellow Irish player, Billy Behan, the pair were the club's first Irish players for more than a decade.

David scored on his debut on 21st October , 1933 against Bury at Gigg lane, sadly United got beat 2-1, and despite scoring he only made three more appearances for the club.

His last match at Old Trafford was against Plymouth Argyle in December 1933 , again United were beaten this time, 3-0.

His last goals for United were two he bagged against Grimbsy Town in a shocking 7-3 defeat in 1934.

David left to join Coleraine in February 1934 and finished his career playing for Shelbounre in 1939.

Why he came to Salford I never found out but I do know he lived in Smyrna Street Weaste, until his death in May 1990 aged 84.

He is buried in plot J/941 at Weaste Cemetery. so if you plan to visit Eddie Colmans grave, then why not visit David's plot, he did pull on the famous Red shirt and score for us!

Today's story from March 1920 tells of a tragic accident at Agecroft Colliery, Salford which killed three local men, injured several more and left families devastated.

On the morning of Thursday, March 11th 1920 word had spread amongst the tightly knitted community adjoining the colliery that there had been an accident down the pit, the rumours said that 20 men had been killed, this quickly rose to 30 men and IO think it is worth quoting the newspaper report of this,

Quote

 

"The women in their frenzy hurried from their homes along the country lanes to the pithead and there in the warm,spring sun they awaited what they expected would be the dreaded news.

"Frightened children clung to their dry eyed, mothers skirts and all was despair.

"But the absence of the concussion of an explosion which would have been felt all over Pendleton effectively dispelled the the rumour that an explosion had taken place, it was then thought that the cage had got out of control and had gone hurtling down the 760 yard deep shaft, but this was dispelled as for the cages were seen to be working.

"Still an accident had taken place the motor ambulances and doctors arriving at the pithead showed this then the welcome news was broken to the crowd, only one man had been killed and four others were seriously injured"

 

Sadly this initial report was to prove incorrect as two of the seriously injured men would die that day from their injuries bringing the total too, three men killed.

It would appear that this was the first shift of the day and the men had descended the shaft in the cage and had walked along an incline were they would get on tubs on a rail track to take them to the coalface, but as they were halfway down the incline a safety chain had snapped sending the tubs crashing along and sending one of them off the tracks.

Israel Marsden 27, from Pendlebury died instantly, four others were seriously injured, Charles Morris, William Tattersall, Samuel Rowley and George Berry.

Berry's wife told the reporter that was the fourth time he had been injured at the pit in four and a half years, twice in roof collapses, and once when a knee injury caused him to be hospitalised for eight weeks and that he had only returned to work the previous Wednesday.

I just hope that George came to his senses and walked away from his job at the colliery before it was too late for him.

An inquest was held at Salford Town Hall by the County Coroner, Mr G.S. Leresche and the Salford Coroner, Mr A. Holmes to determine what had happened.

Thomas Worsley described as being a "gang rider" at the colliery told the court the following.

Quote

 

"About 6.30am on Thursday I was in charge of a journey of tubs in which a number of men were seated, Tattersall and Rowley were among them.

"We had travelled about 350 yards down the incline when somebody shouted that the first tub had gone off the line. so I jumped off and signalled the engine man to stop, I found that 16 tubs had bumped together so I shouted for the men to get oiut of the tubs, when suddenly they they began to move again and ran down the brow.

"I followed for about 80 yards and saw Rowley lying there injured and then I found Marsden near a manhole with his head severely crushed and two tubs lying across his legs"

 

He then explained that the tubs were fastened to a rope and then a safety chain was attached was hooked to the first tub, threaded through the axles of the other tubs and fastened to the last tub.

He put forward the idea that the bumping of the trucks had probably caused the safety chain to come loose causing the tubs to bash into each other as they raced down the incline.

Dr Sparrow, House Surgeon at Salford Royal Hospital gave details of each man's injuries which it has to be said were quite gruesome.

The Coroner then recorded a verdict of, "Accidental Death" and to him it would appear it was a pure accident, with no one to blame.

What a sad story, three lives snuffed out for nothing and as for health and safety I think you can guarantee that there was very little of that in those days and human life was cheap as these three unfortunate men found out.

Agecroft Colliery finally closed in 1991 bringing an end to over 150 years of coal mining in the Salford area.