Wigan Album

As late as the 1980s I was working on a house demolition job next to the Gerrard Arms on Dickonson lane at Aspull and the Anderson shelters were still there when we had finished but they have gone now. E.T.

This pic says it all about young women in the 40's, the casual style of clothing, though if they had known it, nothing in the future was ever going to be casual for them again. Such a lovely looking lady.

is that eric turner who used to live at the bottom of birkett bank,,,i have asked before but i coudnt remember on which set of pics,,,,,but have got a fix on this one...

Thank you for your kind comment Helen. My mother, like her contemporaries, grew up as a teenager in the economically very difficult 1930's. I think this made them, amongst other things, very resourceful and all her life, "mam" as we called her, would alter and modify her clothes herself ( I think her favourite shop was Helen Rowes? in King Street). Mam passed away in 2001, aged 81, two weeks after celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary.

Hi Jim, would that be the same Eric Turner who lived opposite us when we lived at the Crispin Arms, Birkett Bank in the early 1950's? He went to the same school, St Catharines as we did. His house was next to the Clarington Haulage Company Offices (the Bibbys owned it).

Sorry Jim & Keith, I did not think there was another Eric Turner locally, I am 81 and was born and always lived in Hindley. Last time Jim made the querrie I gave the same answer. My photo's are on Album,assorted,723 ATC and Army plus a few others. It's funny how one gets away from the main thread of the lady and her fashions. E.T.

Confused.
Your Mam passed away aged 81 in 2001.
You are 81 years of age in 2009.
She was a very young mother?

Hi Dave, I think you've mixed me up with Eric, who is 81, I'm a mere "youngster" of 67, my mother was 22 when I was born.

Hi Keith,,yes Turners did live bottom of birket bank,,no 42 I think it was,,,the very same ones,,as you say Eric was probabley more yor age,I used to mate with his younger brother Brian who tragically died bout 4 years ago ironiclly just one his birthday or day before,,,,,

Apologies Eric,,,but couldnt remember where I had left you message asking you,,,,bt you may have known Brian a he lived in Hindley,,in deed am told he played drums in one of the local clubs,,,Hindley Green Workers if I not mistaken,,

Never knew where he lived but was told that he moved to Hindley and always kept wonedring if I wo
uld ever bump into him when I went to Hindley shopping ,,,Your mentions of Aspull seemed to fit in as Eric also lives there or did last time I bumped into him

Coincidences all,,,?????

Used to be three of us who mated in them days,,myself ,Brian and Ronald Northall,,,also died maybe 10 yrs ago,,,,had some good times and have got some very good memories ,,,fishing,footie in Bibbys Backs and Masons Hollow,,,,enuf...

Thanks again chaps,,,

Keith ,,have got to say your Anne is the image of you mother a I remember her from those long gone days



,

Yes jim, my sister looks very much like her mother even to the same auburn hair.
"Masons Hollow" not that really brings back memories of hour upon hour of playing cricket, even though it may have two or three of us. Eric Long whose parents ran a shop in nearby Manchester Road was my main compatriot, occasionally John Myers (I came across John in Wigan a few years ago) and sometimes a boy called Harrison who came from a large family and lived on the opposite side of the road to Eric's shop, I believe his first name may have been George, NO not that George, although the age may have been the same and who knows he MIGHT have gone to live in Liverpool. On one or two occasions "Jack To-morrow" actually manged a session with us, he was the owner of the Chemist shop on Manchester Road and of course his name came from the fact that whatever you went in for Jack would say "It'll be in to-morrow". (in fairness it usually was). The shop was sheer chaos, how Jack knew where anything was is a mystery but he was a great character.
Eric lives in Mexico City having settled over there when he married a Mexican girl after he'd attended the World Cup in 1970, he makes the occasional visit over here. Masons Hollow brought back all those memories from the early fifties.

Masons Hollow,,,down the bottom side of the bakery,Clarington Brook ran through and under the main road,,,remember fishing for "cocies" in there and many a time be ing chased out by the baker,,who was Laura,s husband whose shop was next to Lily Longs,,yer do remember,,on the other side of Longs ,aws Owd Alfs Pie Shop,,,who was Laura,s dad and owner of bakery,,,Lauras was the cake shop,,,yes and Jack,s,,,,a legend,,,everyone of our age remembershim,,,and next to Jacks,,was the Cloggers on the end of Kirkless St,,with the Post Office opposite,,,done a couple of recollections of "Clarington Brook the palce on "I remember " page ,in"corner shops"

On thing I do vividly remember about Lily Longs,,was that she was letting me having some chocolate without a coupon,albeit the day before coupons were no longer needed,,,can you imagine now,not being able to by chocolate and sweets without a coupon,,rationing,,,,,having said that the way we are heading ,could be straight back to that era,,,happy days,,,