Wigan Album

The baths remind me of Robin Hill Standish but it could be any baths

This is the only Pit Baths I have been in.

Believe me Peter,you haven't missed anything.

Albert, (I hope I have the right Albert) Do You know a Bill Whelan, he was 19 in 1963 when he was on the beat based at Wigan.

Good morning Peter. I more or less got out of touch with the Central Division. In 1961, I was moved to the Pemberton sub-division, as I was allocated a police house at Goose Green,and as the writing was on the wall for small police forces', I had no desire to be moved to Manchester, nor Liverpool,and as you did not have a crystal ball to know what the future held,I, in consequence, transferred to the Kent Police,in 1964. Where I remained until I retired in 1988. I joined the Wigan Police at the begining of 1958, after having served five years in the R A F Police.

The reason I posted this to you personally Albert is because, that person I asked if you knew, is on the page on this site that is under the heading: Communicate, he has left a message that he would like to be in contact with people who may know him from those days. I have found three people on this Communicate page, two relatives and a person I worked with, it is a good find for me.

Peter. There are three photographs of me, when I was in the Wigan police,(under work, down to police, then bottom of page two.)

Found them Albert, but had to struggle with the clipping as at first I went past as it didn't have a comment, but had one last look. The one of You taking a sobriety test I like best, it shows the real lawman. Two good men in my opinion were: Gordon Milner, three stripes at Standish, 50's/60's and Graham Robinson traffic, he may have retired now.

The ones you mentioned, Peter, Gordon Milner, & Graham Robinson, would have been in the Lancashire Constabulary, if stationed at Standish. At that time Wigan Borough boundry was at Boars Head. Only taken over by Lanc's Const. late sixties. Did you ever know a P C Robinson, at Standish, late fifties? Have been searching for him for ages. He was in the R A F with me, and I lost track of him. I believe he went to Formby.

Peter. When I looked at the mining section under work. Page one, shows John Pit. It has one of those square type towers,that was depicted in your first photograph.

The only P C Robinson I knew was the person I mentioned in my previous comment, and I only met him on a regular basis when I went on Haulage, and afterward I went on Ribble Motor Services as driver, and progressed to other firms when Ribble went on O.M.O., I met Graham Robinson yet again, as he lay in wait for private PCV's. He was strict but fair. If I ever met him at Standish I didn't know it was he, I knew Gordon Milner by name because he was sergeant. P C Robinson (Graham) was at Wigan. I also knew a Roy Williams (Traffic retired), he did some part time driving for a firm I worked for at the time. P C Roy lived at Beech Hill.

That square tower at Johnpit was the fire drift, before the electric fans took over at Taylorpit

Looking again at this bath house, it's very much like Johnpit. The central wall had about ten showers on each side. Also noticable are the little square polished steel mirrors between the shower fittings.
Remembering the old times, a row of men stood in line under their own shower head, scrubbing the next mans back..;o)