FORWARD PAIssue No. 41 S T November 2005 – March 2006 Produced by Wigan Heritage Service FREE Letter from the Editorial Team A WARM welcome to issue 41, and the first WRVS, the Homeguard and ARP personnel who put together by the new editorial team. We were ready to help and protect us in times of know that Alastair greatly valued all your crisis. contributions. We also set great store by We hope you enjoy and find useful our new them, as do all our readers (after all, where feature, Can You Help? (page 15). So many of would we be without them), and look forward you write to us for advice, or trying to trace to receiving more for future editions. We can long lost friends and ancestors, that we assure you that, although Alastair has now decided to set up a page especially for you. left us, we will be building on his good work, We have had two suggestions for the identity to take Past Forward into the future. It will be of the picture which appeared on the cover of a hard act to follow, but with your help, we are issue 40 – the waiting room at Central Station sure we can succeed. Wigan, and the tea room at Leigh Co-op. Do An equally warm welcome is extended to the either of these strike a chord? Further new manager of Wigan Heritage Service, Carole suggestions welcome. Tyldesley. Her formal title is Heritage Services Finally, Christmas is upon us once again, and and Wigan Pier Manager. Her task is to develop in the centre of this issue, you will find a special the heritage of the borough and increase access pull-out section with a competition to raise for our varied communities (see article on page funds for Wigan Hospice. Please enter, they need 3). It promises to be an exciting time for all! your support, and you could win yourself a print This year is the 60th anniversary of the by renowned local artist, Gerald Rickards ending of World War II. Many of you have written Everyone at Wigan Heritage Service, wishes in with your memories. We too, have paid you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy tribute to those who gave so much to ensure that New Year. Britain remained undefeated. On page 18 and 19 PS – looking for that special Christmas present ? is a selection of pictures from our photographic Look no further – see page 8 for what’s on offer archive, featuring the many services such the at the History Shop! Notice to Goodbye to Our Editor Contributors AT THE beginning of August we him something of an authority on Copy should be sent to The bade farewell to our long serving Wigan’s heritage. Unfortunately, Editor, Wigan Heritage Service, editor Alastair Gillies. His there was one area where Alastair History Shop, Library Street, retirement from the Wigan Leisure remained an outsider, he decided to and Culture Trust, where he had make his home in St. Helen’s! Wigan WN1 1NU email served as the Heritage Services His achievements, with first the [email protected] Manager since 1988, has meant a Archive Service and then the It would help us greatly if very sorry goodbye to the magazine Heritage Service, have been clear copy could be submitted he created fourteen years ago. for all to see. He is remembered as electronically, either by email Alastair, as all who met him will the Council’s lead officer for the or disk. However, if you can know, was originally from Belfast. municipal Charter Celebrations in only manage hand or type He graduated from Trinity College, 1996 commemorating the 750th written, that’s fine too. We Dublin, studied Archive anniversary of the granting of reserve the right to edit Administration in Wales, and began Wigan’s first charter, and its material for publication. his career in Berkshire. He was creation as a borough. Three years welcomed to Wigan in 1978 when later he was invited to lead the Copy deadline for issue 42 he joined the Metro as Archivist. Council’s activities again, as is 18th January 2006 Despite his ‘cosmopolitan’ past, he Millennium Festival Co-ordinator. became a Wiganer through and On a more sombre note, he was through, and twenty-seven years called upon again in 2001 to Cover: Victorian Christmas card; dealing with the subject, has made Heritage Service Museum Collection. ¶ 2 Carole is new champion for borough’s heritage WIGAN’S award-winning heritage She’s a chartered member of the services have a new boss…but Management Institute, gained she’s no stranger to the borough’s after 4 years night study at historical attractions. Wigan and Leigh Management Born and bred Wiganer Carole College, and has a diploma and Tyldesley has been general post graduate qualification in various elements of our manager at Wigan Pier for the management services.” past six years. Carole said: “I’m lucky to Carole says she’s a great In her new role as Wigan manage a diverse team of believer in the importance of Leisure and Culture Trust’s dedicated heritage professionals heritage-related tourism, born heritage services manager, she and operational managers who out of six years at the helm of has now taken on responsibility bring history into the community one of the country’s top tourist for heritage sites across the and offer an excellent service. attractions. She added: “From my borough - including the History “Part of the team has been work at Wigan Pier, I understand Shop, Leigh Archives and Wigan rewarded by achieving the the importance of putting visitors Pier. ‘Charter Mark’ for the quality of at the heart of everything we do. She takes over from former service they provide, and the rest Currently a new vision for heritage services manager are very near to submitting an heritage is being developed and Alistair Gillies, who retired in application for the same accolade. work will start very soon to find July. “My concern now is how to out what is wanted in the Her new role also includes build up long term interest and borough for the future.” responsibility for the borough’s increase access to heritage sites, Carole has recently played an pioneering heritage magazine, museums and the collections and important role in helping the Past Forward. also generate wider usage within Romanian mountain resort of Carole has lived in the area all the local community. Sinaia – with whom Wigan has her life and is an active member “Another area I want to close links through the council’s of the Tourism Society and a develop is our volunteer development company – develop member of Wigan Leisure and programme and recruit a high its tourism and visitor Culture Trust’s Tourism Forum. calibre of volunteer to support management policies. organise the Council’s first Of course, Alastair will be the first floor of the old library commemoration of Holocaust remembered most of all for the building on Library Street in Wigan. Memorial Day (27th Jan). This was History Shop, and your very own Since then the venue has grown done with such effect and Past Forward magazine. In these, physically – now occupying the efficiency that he continued in he has left not only fantastic whole of the building, intellectually that role until this year’s event, and successes, but also valued provisions – now containing art and exhibition his retirement. for us to build upon in the future. galleries, local history resources and Past Forward, as family history study facilities, and no readers need of course grown in popularity - now reminding, is now an essential destination for local well established genealogical study and a regular being as it is on its visit for those interested in Wigan’s 41st issue. As heritage from far and wide. Alastair himself said With the international flavour of about the launch in the Past Forward mailing list, the 1991 “we thought web site and the email audience, it we would give it a go is fair to say that Alastair has really for a couple of put Wigan on the map! We have editions and, here much to thank him for and we will we are 14years all miss him very much. However we later!” can all enjoy his legacy, in the The History Shop continued success of the History opened its doors to Shop and of course this magazine. Alastair delivering the Holocaust Memorial Message the public for the Good luck Alastair, and enjoy in a showery Mesnes Park first time in 1992 on your retirement. 3 Wigan Old Boys Rugby Union Football Club Memorials of Old Boys Killed in Action World War II The story of the quest to reunite war memorials and families IN SEPTEMBER 1950, as I left Arthur Hampson, the Mayor school, I found my way to by formally dedicated the tankards, Prospect Park, Standish, and Gordon Unsworth and appropriately, was asked to joined Wigan Old Boys RUFC. start the game by kicking off. After training sessions (such as they were then) you could not In October 1941, committee The Quest Begins help noticing a row of tankards member Peter Walkden proposed, on a shelf behind the bar. They and everyone agreed that “the club The tankards remained behind were different in size (both pint should buy tankards inscribed with the bars at Prospect Park and later and half pint) and shape. These his name and other particulars as a Douglas Valley. Sadly a number of were memorial tankards, I was personal memorial of each Old Boys them disappeared, largely as a result told, to commemorate the lives of member killed on active service”.