Wigan Album

Remember all those skipping rhymes,
Jumping into Mam's clothes-line?
"Eeper Weeper, Chimney Sweeper,
Had a wife but couldn't keep her".
Hopscotch chalked out on the flags,
Marbles kept in draw-string bags;
May-Queens formed all over town,
Mam's net curtain, cardboard crown.
Remember Ince in '62?
We were nine then, me and you.

at the back left to right clown john crossland then his older sister kathleen crossland the clown with poited hat thomas molyneaux, mary hilton, sandra ? (i think she was kathleens friend) behind the queen carol hilton left joan crossland ? christine kitts, dorothy crossland, stephen wharton (baker)weeks before the may queen our mams would be making flowers/ruffs sewing costumes out of crepe paper we would set off from christopher st. turn left on to ince green lane down manley st,turn right on to warrington rd passed the big and little rock pubs some of the men would come out of the pubs and give us some coppers we would walk up to the derby arms on chapel lane then we would turn around to go back for a party in the wagon works canteen. we used to bump into other street may queens along the route sadly you don't see any these days.

been informed the girls name is Brenda Carless not sandra and her dad was caretaker at Rose Bridge

yes carol it is brenda careless.her dad was caretaker at rose bridge school

lovely old pic carol we lived next door but one to the kitts, and I was friends and worked with joan and Kathleen crossland joan works in greggs not seen Kathleen for ages we had some good fun at work, rapapports in anderton st ince beltin times ,I am relaited to the Hiltons through marrage of my uncle frank mawdsley he married Doreen Hilton,he passed away now ! he was 80 yrs old my mams brother ,who was the queen ?.

Josie i was the queen.I bump into Mary Kitts every now and again

Irene: Lovely little ditty...Brings back so many lovely memories of our May Queen in Lambton Street, Pemberton. I wish I could go back!

Thanks, Jarvo. It's just a little bit out of a poem I wrote for a friend's 60th birthday and I think I put the full poem on your Poetry Corner when I first joined Wigan World.