Photo-a-Day  (Sunday, 8th June, 2025)

Well Tom from humble beginnings in McCormack St and a St Pat’s lad in Scholes to the dizzying heights of a VIP gallery in Market Place. Who would have thought it and I wonder what your mam and aunties would have had to say about it.
Congratulations in all you have achieved and Well Done.

When Tom went to receive his award he wore the watch his mother bought for him for his 21st birthday. Well done and congratulations Tom.

You would go a long way to find a nicer or a more modest man than Tom. We'll done Tom, and I wonder if the little girl who dressed as "women" in the McCormick Street May Queen all those years ago passes this and remembers the little lad dressed as a "pit- mon"?

If ever a person deserved to be featured on WW it is Tom.
He strikes me as a man of great integrity who always posts a kind, appreciative and encouraging word on PAD.
He leads by example.

Sorry I've never heard of him, but congratulations to him.

On The Album, Recently Viewed today entitled ‘Scholes’ you can read one of Tom’s eloquent recollections of life in old Scholes.
A vivid portrayal of people and places that many of us from that generation and area remember all too well.
Thank you Tom.

Tom is given an MBE for his good works. How did Sir Bob get his knighthood?

WN2

I got my 'gong' for services to the sausage industry.

Well done to Tom,he deserves it.

Irene, how many "women" could a little girl dress as at the same time?

Slippery Mick, that was the answer the little girl gave to Tom when he asked her what she represented in the May Queen...."women".

PS, Slippery Mick.....go onto Album. Page three, and scroll.down to a photo of a May Queen on Beech Hill in the 1970s posted by Ron Hunt and you can read the story of the little girl who said she had come as "women". It was the little girl who was grammatically incorrect, not me, but oh! how lovely was her mistake?! I love that story.

On your recommendation Irene , I’ve just taken a look at Tom Walsh’s reminiscences of the Scholes May Queen event , and I find that even I am able to comprehend the reason why you would find the part where the little girl describes herself as coming dressed as a ‘wimmin ‘ touching … in fact … and I hesitate to admit this , but for some unfathomable reason , my eyes unaccountably appear to be a little damp as I type this …
but then I understand that the pollen count has been quite high over the past few days .

Yeah ! that’ll be it .

Good lad Tom .

Just realised , the May Queen was being held in Beech Hill and not in Scholes … oops ! …
sorry about that .

I was only ever involved in one May Queen event as a kid .
I’m unable to reveal what I went as for reasons that may find me doing bird in Strangeways , but here are a few clues …

I was kitted out with a black curly wig , a red jacket and blue trousers and had my face , neck and hands smeared with black shoe polish .

Any ideas as to what I was supposed to be ?

No ? … God you’re slow .

Well … Robertson’s had a picture of me on their jam jars if that helps .

All the very best Tom and well deserved what a decent man you are.

Ozy. Ron's photo was a Beech Hill May Queen but Tom's story was 1950s Scholes. How lovely that you were a Robertson' s golly in your May Queen Procession.. we used to collect paper gollies from Robertson's jam jars. They weren't stuck on with adhesive but were held very tightly behind the wrapper around the jar and we collected them and sent off for golly badges. I have a beautiful golly who sits under my Christmas Tree every year with other old- fashioned toys. I bet you made a lovely golly in the May Queen! And yes, the little girl who came as "women" in her Mam's hat brings a tear to my eye too!

I've never heard anyone say a bad word about Tom, if there were more people like him the world would be a better place.