Produced by Wigan Museums & Archives Issue No. 68 December 2014-March 2015 £2 WONDERS OF THE WORLD EGYPTOLOGY IN WIGAN BOROUGH Visit Wigan Borough Museums & Archives ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS Follow us on twitter : @WiganMuseum NEW ADDITION TO THE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS TEAM We’re delighted to be able to welcome Contents Letter Becky Farmer to the Archives and Museums teams. Becky is joining us as our new Digital Archives Trainee, and will be working with us for the next year, part time at the Archives and part 4-5 Ashton's First World War from the 'Alien Enemy' time at Archives+ in Manchester. Becky’s post was created as part of a three year programme administered by The National Archives and 6-7 Memories of Scholes: funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund’s, Skills for the Future scheme. A Town within a Town 8-9 News from the Archives and Editorial This unique project gives people the skills they need for future careers Local Studies in archives, and aims to open up the profession to wider audiences. The programme has created 12 traineeships at archives around the 10 Homefront to Battlefront country, including in Wigan. It will offer trainees the opportunity to 11 Museum of Wigan Life wins develop practical archiving skills focused on areas such as community Heritage Lottery Fund Team engagement, collections development, online interpretation and support Forward digital preservation. 12-13 A Life of Service: William Welcome to PAST Issue 68 . Blackshaw and the Leigh After our special commemorative issue, we’re back Becky’s role will involve working with digital collections held by the Archives & Local Studies – both those born digital records and those Spiritualist Temple to the normal collection of varied and fascinating articles about all that we have digitised from paper records. She will be running our 14-15 Back to the Pits: aspects of the Borough’s local history. Wigan Colliery in 1923 social media pages, working on our First World War digitisation project and tackling the catalogues of some of our hybrid paper-digital record 16-17 Edward Hall – We are delighted to announce the winners of the Past Forward Essay collections. Becky’s background is in biology and nature photography War and Peace Competition, kindly sponsored by Mr and Mrs John O’Neill and the Wigan Borough Environment and Heritage Network. The entries and she has a wealth of new skills to bring to the service; we look 18-19 Egypt Study Day forward to working with her over the next year. received were of the usual high standard and we would like to thank 20-22 Gullick Dobson and the everyone who contributed an article. British Coal Industry Becky Farmer, Digital Archives Trainee 23 Ellen Weeton The winners were announced at the Environment and Heritage 24-25 George Orwell's visit to Network annual prize giving and are: Wigan – Slagged off? FORWARD Copy Deadline for Issue 69 1st Place: Anthony Pilgrim; 2nd Place (joint): Thomas McGrath; PAST 26-27 Giving Nature a Hand: 2nd Place (joint): Alf Ridyard; 3rd Place: Tom Walsh. Contributors please note the deadline for the Maternity Care in Leigh receipt of material for publication is 1902-1931 You will find the first and third placed articles published for your Subscription Form Sunday, 1 March 2015. 28-29 Using Electorical Registers enjoyment in this edition; the joint second placed articles will appear in for your Research Issue 69 in April. 30-32 The Old Police Station, Elsewhere in the magazine you will find some details of our successful Past Forward Subscription Name Leigh – Memories of Magazine subscription is £9 for joint event with the Wigan Horus Egyptology Society to celebrate and the Weights and three issues (incl. UK delivery). Address Measures Service raise funds for work on the Museum’s Egyptology Collection, a Payment by cheque (payable to 33 Your Letters reappraisal of George Orwell’s visit in the 1920s, an examination of the Wigan Council), postal order or history of Gullick Dobson in Wigan and fond memories of life in credit/debit card (telephone 01942 828128). 34 Society News Postcode weights and measures in Leigh. For worldwide subscription prices and 35 Events Calendar information, please contact us. Telephone No. We hope you will find much to enjoy – and remember that a Past Digital subscription (delivered by email, Forward subscription makes a wonderful gift for Christmas for those Email FRONT COVER worldwide) is £6 per year. Payment options as above. difficult-to-by-for friends and family members! 18th Dynasty Egyptian, gilded Please state which issue you wish Signed Date coffin face, 1550-1292 BC. So on that note, Merry Christmas from everyone at the your subscription to begin at: Part of the Sir John Scott Egyptology collection, donated to Archives and Museum! K Please tick here if you would like to receive information regarding Wigan Museums & Archives activities and Wigan Museums service in 1924 by events.We do not pass your details to other organisations. Sir Leslie Scott. Sir John Scott, was Return to: The Museum of Wigan Life, Past Forward Subscription, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NU born in Wigan in 1841. Information for contributors, please see page 22 2 3 papers, defending himself against these voices were drowned out by On 13 May the Prime Minister 'attack... malice and personal others calling for August Reiss' re- announced that all adult German abuse'. Another petition internment. After 45 minutes of men 'should, for their own safety, circulated, calling for a public 'vigorous speeches on both sides', and that of the community, be Ashton's First World War meeting on the issue. the following resolution was segregated and interned, or, if over 'carried by a large majority': military age, repatriated'. By 1918, In fact, two meetings were held over 24,000 had been interned, on 8 February 1915. The first, a 'We, the citizens of Ashton-in- most at Knockaloe on the Isle of special meeting of the Council, Makerfield, enter our strong Man. Repatriations reduced the considered a resolution of protest against the action of the total German-born population to Councillor E. Walkden, 'That this few townspeople who signed a about 22,000 by 1919. With 'Alien Enemy' Council places on record its strong memorial which was despatched regard to property, the Trading disapproval of the action of its to the Home Secretary praying for with the Enemy (Amendment) Act Clerk, Mr Albert Sykes, in signing a the release of an alien enemy, 1916 enabled the Government to testimonial to the Home Office August Reiss, and we petition the close any business 'carried on BY ANTHONY PILGRIM praying for the release from Home Secretary to reconsider his wholly or mainly for the benefit of internment of an alien enemy who decision and re-intern the said or under the control of enemy resided in this township'. Mr August Reiss'. subjects'. Assets could be sold and August Reiss was born in Baden- Sykes said he had signed in a the proceeds held in trust by a Württemberg, Germany, in 1877. private capacity and because he Despite extensive searching I have Public Custodian. At 14 he moved to England and considered it the right thing to do been unable to discover August began working at his brother's as a Christian. Councillor Walkden Reiss' ultimate fate. A brief survey What is clear in regard to August pork butcher's shop in Crewe. In thought this explanation 'more an of the subsequent social, political Reiss is that, already by September 1907 he married Rose Heinold and insult than anything else', but and legal developments may allow 1915, a 'Mr Francis Webster (pork in 1908 secured his own premises having made his own position us to speculate about this. Anti- butcher)' was in occupation at 59 at 59 Gerard Street, Ashton-in- clear, agreed to withdraw. A German sentiment had already Gerard St and was applying in his Makerfield. Council minutes 'Citizens' Meeting' then followed at spilled over into violence in own right for a slaughterhouse confirm the award of a, Ashton library. August Reiss' October 1914, when attacks were licence. He was still there when the 'certificate... for the use and doctor said he had signed the made on the shop belonging to Seed's Wigan & District Directory occupation of a slaughterhouse' at original petition because, 'Reiss August's brother-in-law and other for 1925-1926 was compiled. that address on 19 November. The was suffering from a weak heart, German businesses in Crewe. couple settled in above the shop, and he (Dr Jones) thought that if Serious rioting, involving many Note On Sources and became popular with their he was interned it would probably thousands of people, broke out in Panikos Panayi, Professor of European neighbours and fellow- injure him for the remainder of his Liverpool following the sinking of History at De Montfort University, worshippers at St Thomas' Church. life'. Another speaker commented the passenger ship Lusitania by a Leicester, has written extensively on The business thrived. Gerrard Street, Ashton-in-Makerfield, circa 1920. − incautiously, perhaps, given the German torpedo on 7 May 1915. the experience of Germans in Britain around the time of the mood of the meeting − that the This quickly spread to other places, By 1914, Britain had about 50,000 had already arrived there, and adopted. Lord Lucas told First World War. I consulted several of King himself was of foreign the shop belonging to August's German-born residents. Many, like more and more crowded in every Parliament: his books and articles for background extraction. He too appealed for brother Charles in Earlestown the Reiss family, had migrated for day: seamen arrested on German 'When the question of the release information, in particular 'Christian tolerance'.