aitch

hi bro.
aitch, did you ever know jimmy Mcgurran from wigan?
he was a hard case who had more than one scrap on the tops were the local tips are now.he would be about 77 now,or thereabouts??i was looking at some old photos taken on harrisons trailor camp. jimmy was stood with me and a scotch traveller who always had a punch bag set up outside his trailor.this scotch guy would fight anyone for money, and more often than not would collect.myself and jim was stood watching him go through the moves. the scotch guy asked jimmy if he could box???
no i cant, but i can fight like a kicking mule, and you dont want to find out.
of course a match was made there and then. how much is it going to be asked the scot???
jimmy pointed to my pick-up, how much is that worth?if billy dosent mind he will back me for as much as you value it.the scrap was arranged for the following morn(sunday)it was a classic, a pure blood and guts classic. no holds barred but nontheless, a great deal of respect shown from each antagonist.
jimmy beat the guy at the expense of a broken wrist, but what a scrap.
did you know him aitch...we would go into the bell green an odd time.

JIMMY MGURRIN ?? I KNOW THAT NAME !! DID THEY USED TO LIVE IN WHELLEY AT ONE SPELL ?? FRANK ???

Knew him very well We used to play dominoes for the Engineer pub in Belle Green Lane Jimmy was the captain when Don Thompson ran the pub, good old days and you are right he was a very hard man Not many people argued with Jimmy but he was a very easy person to get along with. His brother Bernard is often in Higher Ince labour club on Saturday night.

He used to drink in the rifleman, shovel and broom, and most of the pubs over Rose bridge at the weekends, and sang piddling pete. He used to make me laugh.

Gurry died a few years ago now. He had both his legs amputated but still got in all the pubs and clubs round Scholes. He was one of the hardest men ever to live in Wigan If not the hardest. I to remember him doing his party piece of Piddling Pete.

sad to hear jimmy is no longer around.like i said, we had a few jars together,and got in some scrapes. RIP james.

i know the younger mcgurrin cant think of i first name. mi dad usued to play darts with them all. don tompson.dereck pennington.smarty.little jackie.in the engine.

hi there well i am related to the mcgurrins sadley there is on bernard left alive now jimmy, tom, frank and mary their sister have all past away, Mary was the youngest and sadley past away two years ago this christmas, i am mike her second son

Frank Mcgurrin married my cousin Kath Stock their daughter is Kay Burley from Sky News.

I remember Bernard being on the door at the Hideout club in Aspull in the early 60's. It was a non licensed premises at the time and if anybody wanted a pint they went across the road to the Moorgate.

Jimmy was certainly one of the Wigan hard men of that era, along with the McFarlaines & Paddy Farrell.The funny thing is that he was the only one in the family that was aggressive,should we say.

Bernard mcGurrin was once the landlord of the "Bird", Ince Green lane (viaducts}
Jimmy, when ever i met him was usually pi55ed, reciting his party piece:

Piddlin' pete:-

A famous dog once came to town
Known to his friends as Pete
His pedigree was ten yards long
His looks were hard to beat

And as he trotted down the road
'twas beautiful to see
His work at every corner
Every post and every tree

He never missed a land mark
He never missed a post
For piddling was his masterpiece
And piddling pleased him most

The city dogs stood looking on
In deep and jealous rage
To see this little country dog
The piddler of his age

They smelt his efforts one by one
They smelt him two by two
But noble Pete in high disdain
Stood still 'til they were through

Then when they'd smelt him everywhere
The praise for him ran high
But when one smelt him underneath
Pete piddled in his eye

Just then to show these city dogs
He didn't care a damn
He strolled into the grocers shop
And piddled on the ham

He piddled on the cornflakes
He piddled on the floor
And when the grocer threw him out
He piddled up the door

Behind him all the city dogs
Debated what to do
They'd hold a piddling carnival
The hoop they'd put him through

They showed him all the piddling posts
They knew about the town
And off they set with many a wink
To wear the stranger down

But Pete was with them all the way
With vigour and with vim
A thousand piddles more or less
Were all the same to him

And on and on went noble Pete
As tireless as a windmill
And very soon those city dogs
Were piddled to a standstill

Then Pete an exhibition gave
Of all the ways to piddle
With double drips and fancy flips
And now and then a dribble

The city dogs said farewell Pete
Your piddling did defeat us
But no one ever put them wise
That Pete... he had diabetes.

Did Bernard McGurren play for Wigan,Stand Off, and Loose-Forward also Worked at Walker Bros in Pagefield. ???

yes bernard played for wigan in 1958, i remember a a3 size pictuer of bernard holding the challeng cup hung on my grandmothers wall in botteling wood, when grandma died in 1980 the photo went to my mum, this was hung on our wall for a few years, but i dunno what happend to the pictuer.