Celebrating 50 Issues of Past Forward
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Produced by Wigan Heritage Service Issue No. 50 December - March 2009 CELEBRATING 50 ISSUES OF PAST FORWARD £1 YOUR HERITAGE in partnership with Wigan Council HERITAGE SERVICE Contents Letter 4-6 Amsterdam 1928 - from the Leigh’s Olympic Athletes 7 Friends of the Editorial History Shop 8-9 My Grandfather Team 10-12 Wigan’s Railway Heritage PAST FORWARD has reached a notable landmark, with this, its 13 Maypole Colliery 50th edition! It first appeared on the Disaster Centenary ‘heritage scene’ in the summer of 1991, boasting eight pages! Now there 14-15 Our House are 36, packed with fascinating insights 16-18 Old Age Pensions - into the borough’s heritage provided by you, the Leigh Experience the readers. Well done! The magazine is constantly evolving, and we plan to introduce new features, our first is the Friends of 19 Society News the History Shop Newsletter. However, we do need your help, and you can do that by letting us know what you would like to 20-21 The Highways see in future editions. of Atherton We would like to say a big thank you to Stephen Lythgoe, 23 Christmas Day Reader in Residence at Leigh Library, who has very kindly in the Workhouse assisted in the editing of this edition. 24-25 Trencherfield Finally, if you are still on the lookout for that elusive Christmas Mill Engine present with a local flavour, we have it here at the History Shop. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, 26-27 Brook Lane Memories and keep reading PAST FORWARD! 28-30 Your Letters 31 Wigan Archive Service Copy Dates for Issue 51 32-33 Family History Contributors please note that the period for receipt 34-35 Can You Help? of material for the next publication is from Friday 30th January until Friday 20th February. 36-37 A Personal Road to Wigan Pier The Editor, Wigan Heritage Service, The History Shop, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NU 39 Past Foward [email protected] Down Under 2 Information for Contributors Contributors often ask questions about submitting articles for publication. We have listed some useful information below. It is rather dry reading, but hopefully will help you send in your article, and let you know what to expect. Publication Publication of articles is at the discretion of the editorial team, who cannot guarantee publication, and reserve the right to edit material submitted. Material selected for publication will remain on file until published, after which date it will be disposed of. Rejected material will be disposed of immediately. Submission of Articles Contributions are preferred in electronic format, however, type and handwritten submissions will be accepted. The maximum length should be about 1500 words. Articles are much more interesting if they are accompanied by illustrations, so if you have them, send them in. If you wish to be published in a particular edition, please ensure that you submit by our advertised deadline. Good Luck Hilary! Your submissions must include your name and Hilary Fairclough, well known to many of you address. Anonymous articles will not be published, who regularly visited the History Shop, retired nor kept on file. at the end of August. She was our longest All contributions received, will be acknowledged. serving staff member, and has seen many changes in the Heritage Service. Originally the We cannot return material, with the exception of photographs, unless requested and accompanied by custodian of the Powell Museum, she was a stamped addressed envelope. involved with the development of Wigan Pier and the History Shop, working on many Requests for Information to be exhibitions, with collections and archives. Passed to Contributors Latterly, Hilary was a valued member of our We occasionally receive requests from readers or front of house team. Hilary is passionate other contributors to pass information on. We will about photography (we all admired her not pass on your contact details unless you have given us permission to do so, eg published on our photographs, which captured the very ‘Can You Help’ page. We will ask if you wish to essence of Lakeland life, on show in our Feast receive such information, but of course you are of Photography exhibitions) and will now under no obligation to do so. have more time to indulge her hobby! We will all miss her, but wish her the very best of Contact Details luck in her retirement. [email protected] or The Editor, PAST FORWARD, History Shop, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NQ. 3 British Olympic Team, Amsterdam 1928 Amsterdam 1928 Leigh's Olympic Athletes By Tony Ashcroft In the summer of 1928, the IX illness, but he was succeeded by One of the most successful Olympiad was held in Amsterdam. Henri de Baillet-Latour as new IOC medallists of the Games was These Games heralded a new President. De Coubertain had swimmer Johnny Weissmuller who phase in Olympic History always been against women’s went on to become a film star in participation in the track and field the Tarzan films. The British athlete The stadium was designed by events, and consequently women Lord David Burghley became a Dutch architect Jan Wils, and won had been ineligible to compete in Gold Medal winner for the 400 him a Gold Medal at the Olympic them. However an organisation metre hurdles. Arts Competition. For the first time which represented women had a flame was ignited on the organised its own games and Amongst the competitors in the Marathon Tower in front of the forced the IOC to compromise. British team were three Leythers, newly built Olympic Stadium. This So 1928 saw women competitors one man and two women; the led to the introduction of the in track and field events for the high jumper Geoffrey Turner and Olympic Flame to the Games. first time. The total number of gymnasts Ada Smith and Hilda The creator of the modern Olympic athletes competing was around Smith. Although Turner was Movement, Pierre de Coubertin 3000 (this included 290 women) unsuccessful in gaining a medal, was prevented from attending by from 46 nations. Ada and Hilda Smith helped the 4 ladies gymnast team to third in 1930 and topped the English place and a bronze medal. rankings with 6’ 3" (1.905) at the Whilst Ada and Hilda shared the Fylde Police Sports, St. Anne’s-on- same surname, they were Sea. He was only placed sixth at unrelated. However both the inaugural Empire Games, represented the same team, that though, when a medal might have of Leigh’s Marsh Gymnasium. been anticipated. Geoffrey Turner In 1931 Turner topped the One of the longest-standing UK rankings again with another 6’ 3" records in the inter-war period at the Fylde Police Sports. He had was Howard Baker’s clearance of a good win in the International v 6’ 5" (1.956) at Huddersfield in France and cleared 1.87 (6’ 2") in 1929, a mark that survived as the Cologne in a later match v UK record until Alan Paterson Germany. All looked set for came on the scene after the another Olympic campaign in the second World War. following year. At the time Turner’s trainer was Baker’s mark was equalled, Paddy Duff, also of Leigh, who however, in 1929, by a much less worked as a collier driller up to celebrated athlete - but one who the AAAs, for instance - and 1940, then at Royal Ordnance died without reaching his full made his International debut Factory, Risley. Duff was also potential. That athlete was that summer with 5’ 9" for trainer to Leigh Rugby Club, the Geoffrey Turner, who competed for Fourth v France. Police and to several other Earlestown Viaduct Athletics Club athletes. He died in 1952 aged 63. and Leigh AC in Lancashire. Turner’s standard improved further in 1928 with a season’s By 1932, aside from his athletics best of 6’ 2" (1.87) at the Northern Born Ignatius Geoffrey Barker career, Turner had decided on a Championships. This was enough Turner on 16 May 1907, the only change in occupation and was set to make the Olympic Team, son of Mr and Mrs Alfred Turner of to take up farming - indeed he though his best in Amsterdam of Woodlawn, Green Lane, Leigh, he was about to take over a large 1.77 (5’ 8") was insufficient to was educated at Hawks Yard farm at Stretton, Cheshire. He was reach the final, as 1.83 (6’) was College near Lichfield and was engaged to Norah Spellman of needed to qualify. employed at the Pennington Mill Earlstown and they would have Company with a view to entering His “day of days” was at the married in the summer. the cotton manufacturing trade. unprepossessing Widnes Police Tragically he was taken ill with Sports on 20 July 1929, where, Turner started in athletics when, septic tonsils and his local doctor jumping off scratch in a handicap just casually visiting the grounds called in specialists from contest, Turner cleared 6’ 5"/1.956, of the Earlstown Athletic Club, he Manchester and London. A blood to equal Howard Baker’s record. saw a group of men high jumping. transfusion from another young Though the mark might not meet Without stopping to change he man of 24 was tried but despite modern specifications in terms of cleared the standard they were every effort to preserve his life the the quality of officials, it was attempting in his ordinary attire, case proved hopeless and he died nonetheless the third equal best and was persuaded soon of septicaemia at his father’s jump in the world in 1929 - and afterwards to commence training.