BRIGHOUSE & DISTRICT Heritage Newseum Issue 10 Autumn 2020 Edited and Published by Chris Helme Superintendents come and go in the police service; they make an impact on the policing of the town for a few years and then someone else would come and it would start all over again. In 1992, Brighouse was in for a surprise the new Superintendent was from Hong Kong, Superintendent Henrique Koo. It is now 28 years since he walked into the police station at Brighouse, completed his six month secondment and then left. In 2014, I managed to catch-up with him in Leeds. We managed to chat for an hour about his visit to Brighouse all those years ago. He thoroughly enjoyed his stay in the town and he tried to meet as many of the local people as possible. He was encouraged by the dedication and conscientiousness of the Brighouse personnel. Whilst the law was very similar to that of Hong Kong, the lifestyle was completely different. He retired from the police service in 2010 and now spends most of his time travelling and spending a couple of months during the summer visiting his family. He is also a part-time university lecturer, which, he pointed out, is voluntary. This allows him the choice of whether he is available, or will be travelling the world a passion he has now that he has more time. The situation in Hong Kong has now changed significantly since our meeting in 2014. © Christopher D. Helme (2020), Tower House, Holme Mews, Wakefield Road, Lightcliffe, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 8TY. This publication is copyright and apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of study, research, criticism, review or as otherwise permitted under the Copyright Act, no part including text and/or photographs and/ or other images may be reproduced by any process without written permission. All enquiries and payments should be directed to the author and publisher. Frontispiece: Walking along the canal towpath these days, it is difficult to remember how bad it was underfoot before the canal-side walk was completed 29 years ago. It was HRH Prince Charles who unveiled the plaque, which was set in a large piece of local stone, on June 12, 1991. Standing in front of the stone next to Prince Charles is Roy Feather, who joined the Calderdale Inheritance Project and the Build a Better Brighouse (3Bs) and was instrumental in bringing almost £250,000 funding into the canal-side walk scheme. BRIGHOUSE & DISTRICT HERITAGE NEWSEUM From the Editor Issue 10 Autumn 2020 Welcome to the 1 Notes from the Editor. 10th issue of t h e 2 Memories of Saturday’s riding the 570. magazine. This is a milestone, the 3. The Painful story of Fiery Jack. magazine has now 4 The Wireless Licence. reached double figures. It may only 5 Brighouse Follies and the show goes on. be 10, but when, in 2018, I decided 6 Who can remember Hangram Street? to ‘have a go’ at producing and 7 Halcyon Day with Bands in the Park. publishing the magazine, it was more in hope that we get to this 8 Crimean War Peace Celebrations. milestone. 10 Brighouse Wheelers / Cyclists. I must thank so many people for 11 All Change at the Ritz. helping: Inprint+Design the printers, who do so much more than just print it, 12 Notes from the Council Chamber 1905. my proof-readers John Brooke, 13 Looking back at Banking in Brighouse. John O’Grady, and not forgetting 15 What we did before the Lottery. my wife Barbara, who all help to 16 Where have all the Characters Gone? keep it as accurate as we can. 17 The Missing Poetry Book. The shop outlets, who have very kindly supported the magazine. Of 18 Champion Boxer George ’Kid’ Eastwood. course, thank you the readers for 19 Decades supporting the magazine by continuing 20 In the Public Eye - Richard Kershaw. to buy it every quarter or subscribe to it each year. 22 Local author’s childhood memories. We have a really interesting issue 23 A Letter from Palm Springs, USA. for you this quarter. ‘The Letter from…’ series is featured again, this time Remember to look at our website where you from Palm Springs. Whatever can also contact the editor and you are happened to the old-time characters, able to purchase various local books, including we have a story about some of them as w e l l . some that are no longer in print, through the online shop, where PayPal is available: We have a lot more local history and nostalgia for you to enjoy. If you have www.chrishelme-brighouse.org.uk a story or photograph you would like to share with the readers, please contact the editor 07854755756. Chris Helme 1 Memories from the weekly journey on the 570 Saturday morning as a child meant after I had either Woolworth's or Rotate records — whichever watched Going Live for a bit and Dad was home was the cheapest. Of course, no trip to Woolies from work, we would all go to Brighouse in Dad’s was complete without a £1 worth of pick-n-mix white Ford Granada. We always parked in the car sweets for the bus journey home. park at Hillard's and took a trip to the outdoor market There was time for a browse for some fruit and veg and maybe some sweets, if I at the football shirts in was lucky. Sportsworld on Bethel We would walk to the other Street and to call for a Cornish end of town via Webster's pasty at Thurston's before interiors and various stores heading to the old drafty and to allow Mum to peruse the dirty but somehow quite fashions of the day in pleasant bus station to wait Sunwin House, no matter for my ride home. how floral and dubious they To some, a short bus ride were. After a further mooch to a small town on a Saturday morning may not be around we would often end very interesting, but to me, it is something I cherish up at either the Dolphin or and look back on fondly... I may have to do it again Stoney Lane fish and chip shop, before going to my just for nostalgia even though I still do not know Grandma Turner’s on East Street to share the fried what time the bus comes! delights. What a treat I thought fish and chips were Dom Turner (Hipperholme) back then. When I was a little older, I was allowed to go on my own with my pocket money which I think was about £6 a week. Down to Brighouse on the 570/71 bus from the end of Bramley Lane at Hipperholme with my Saver-Strip ready to pay the driver - kerching -. For months I had no idea what time the bus came so I would just go and wait, sometimes I had just missed one as I would be stood there 30 minutes or so. I really enjoyed the journey down Wakefield Road, around Stoney Lane Estate and Whinney Rotate record shop 3 Market Street, closed in April 2000. Hill before dropping down through Waring Green and to the bus station. Even now I can remember some of the passengers who would get on and off, week in, week out. I even see some of these people now when I am in town or having a drink in the Black Bull. I have a smile to myself as, in some way, they are indirectly part of my growing up years and memories. I felt so grown-up even though this was the early 90s. I was only 12 or 13 walking around on my own, having a look at the huge magazine selection in Martin’s newsagents, usually buying Match or Big magazines for the posters they had. Or purchasing my favourite song that week on cassette tape from Woolworth’s, Commercial Street opened in 1933 and closed in January 2009 — Here it is in August 1993. 2 The Painful Story of Fiery Jack More that 50 years ago I recall being asked at hand to the left of the man in the middle and is school if I wanted to go to Marsden, in Huddersfield. stood next to her teammate of those days, Jean Why would I want to go there you may ask? It was Megson. Greta recalled the event as though it were to take part in some open swimming in the Sparth but a few days ago and pointed out that the Reservoir. Well, I am sure the very mention of swimming coach back then was Esther Sandford that huge expanse of who is standing at the back open water will bring of the group of onlookers. back memories to some The other youngsters in readers. the photograph came Back in those days from various Swimming once you had attained a Clubs in the Yorkshire certain standard at the No. 3 District, as it was Millroyd Street swimming then known. This occasion baths, you could was probably the No. 3 undertake a more District Open Water Long adventurous type of Distance Swimming Trials. swimming. If my memory Swimmers at Sunny Vale preparing for their long This was a first-time effort serves me correct I think distance open water swimming trials in 1947. for Greta and her friends who you had to be able to surface were members of the Lockwood Ladies from the dive down to the bottom of the six-foot end and pick Ramsden Street Baths in Huddersfield.