“Would You Believe It”

By Harold Cunliffe

Moses Deakin’s Men’s Hostel

In this article we take a look at events which took place which when related make you sit up in your seat, those tales which have a totally unexpected ending.

Such as a coincidence or items which make you think, “Well, would you believe it?”

An example of this phenomenon came about a few days after I had submitted the story of how Moses Deakin ran his Men’s Hostel, in which I detailed his unique way of awakening those clients who desired to have a lie-in. He cut the rope supporting the hammock. What was totally unexpected and a pleasure was that I was contacted by the daughter of a man who I had known since the mid 1960’s, Alan Halkyard. Anne requested visiting my home to return a book which I had loaned Alan prior to the start Covid virus. On the day Anne paid a visit she brought along a collection of retro, and mainly black and white, photographs taken by her father in which, to my amazement was a photograph which gave an amazing view of the former Deakin’s Men’s Hostel. Best of all was the fact that Anne, who lived with her parents and brother in the rooms above her father’s camera shop, which incidentally was located next door to the hostel, was that Anne commented that as a child, knew the character named Les which I featured. She related that at that period, as a young girl, would sit on the footpath chatting to him. Many people referred to him as “daft Les,” but I think that he was quite clever and far from being daft.

The collection of old photographs was taken by Alan Halkyard who was a expert photographer, Alan, who once became a household name in parts of North Manchester, mainly due to him being a photographer for the local newspaper plus owning at one point, three camera shops. Alan’s first camera shop was at 60 Old Hall St, Middleton, which is well documented in the collection of black and white photographs. The collection which give a glimpse of this former Lancashire mill town in the 1950’s and 60’s are now of historical interest, mainly due to the locations being captured have been developed. One of his former homes at Oldham Road where he ran his business and had a dark room is now demolished and is currently a car park. The shop at 60 Old Hall St has also been demolished and forms part of the car park to the Middleton Arena. One of the customers at his Old Hall St shop was Jack Bagot, a

Alan Halkyard outside his shop with son David

THEN: the former Co-op shop at Oldham Road NOW: the former Co-op shop at Oldham Road

friend who was the owner and Editor of the Middleton Guardian newspaper which was located a short distance away. At this period Jack personally took all the photographs for his publication, no doubt purchasing his materials from Alan, then one day he decided to capture the changing face of the central area of this Lancashire Mill town from an elevated position, obtained by climbing the gas holder to acquire a bird’s eye view. Mr Bagot was given consent to climb the holder, but in practice found that he was unable to tolerate the height he had to encounter to acquire the image. Next he had a word with his photographic friend, Alan, who took the challenge and captured an amazing shot from the gas holder. I have since been informed that Alan did not like heights, but on that day he bravely climbed the gas holder and took the picture. The photograph which he captured overlooking the central area of town has such clarity that upon close inspection the Middleton Wakes fairground, located on its dedicated site on the opposite side of the centre of town can be seen with in the distance. From this assignment Alan was asked if he would consider taking on the position of press photographer. It is my opinion that it was due to Mr Halkyard attaining this appointment, which lasted for around five years, that the town now has so many classic images which document the changes which have taken place topographically. The Middleton Guardian, following their weekly publication donated many of the black and white photographs to the Local Studies section at the Central Library. At one period of time the Librarian would visit the newspaper office each Friday to identify the published photograph’s which he thought would be of benefit to their photographic archive. Sadly, the man who instilled the art of photography into so many people passed away April 2021. On a personal note, I had known Alan since the 1960’s. My position as an apprentice gardener in the Centre Garden was in sight line with Mr Halkyard’s second shop at Manchester New Road, where he could observe yours truly at work maintaining the Central Gardens, plus on many occasions Alan would photograph myself and other gardeners as he demonstrated the various camera’s to customers. It was when I was to be married Alan kindly offered to arrange for one of his friends to film the church service. This he did and would only accept the cost of the exposed film.

“Take Two.” The art of photography by Alan

Richard Briers presents the Polariod prize to Mr Halkyard

One of my duties as Parks Foreman was to inspect buildings and playground equipment for safety. Every six months I would inspect any buildings of vintage which were the responsibility of the council. One such building is a small cottage within a wood. In fact it is named “Wood Cottage.” This ancient building comprised of two floors and was once the residence of the gardener and his family to the Lord of the Manor. Within the ground floor living area an old coal fired copper boiler was still in situ in the corner of the room. On this occasion I carried out my inspection within the lower floor. All was well, so next I proceeded upstairs. I suppose my mind was in auto-pilot, having performed this inspection so many times previously. Starting near the stair I walked towards the centre of the room, then as I projected my torch at the old wooden roof all looked to be fine. It was when I inspected the floor at the point it joins the back wall that my blood ran cold, very cold indeed. I remember that day as if it was yesterday, looking at the wooden floor I was standing upon had no means of support. The back wall had moved out of plumb by over ten inches thus leaving the floor joists in mid-air, totally unsupported. My first instinct was to try to make myself lighter, nothing of substance was supporting my weight or the wooden floor, and it was the nails in the floorboards which ran at right angles which fixed them to the floor joist which held the floor in position. Trying to make yourself less heavy is an impossible thing to do. Next crawling on all fours to spread my weight I slowly crept towards the stairs and made my escape. Upon sounding an alarm with the building section emergency action was taken. Within an hour the building was made safe with the use of wooden props and scaffolding. The building inspector confirmed the fact that it was only the century old nails in the floorboards which kept the joists in position, “You were very lucky, almost half of those nails have rusted away,” he commented.

I suppose anyone who had at some point been employed by the local council will have tales that a normal person would find hard to believe. My personal feeling regarding the council, was that they put out information which show that they are a caring authority, in other words, it is not what they are doing, it is what they are ‘seen’ to be doing. One example was the introduction of the Health and Safety policy. Rochdale Council, within their brief stated that they would “train all of their employees to avoid hazards!” This amazing comment was used as part of a staff training course at Rochdale Technical College. Having access to the annual health and safety report there were entries detailing accidents which must have been of embarrassment to the heads of the departments. Here is an example. Dated 10 December. Municipal Offices, Smith St, Rochdale. Floor 5. “Injuries sustained by a member of staff by falling from a desk whilst involved in putting up Christmas decorations. Then in the January accident report, floor 5 (Treasurers Dept) Municipal Offices. 6 January. Member of staff sustained injury by falling from a desk while involved in the process of taking down Christmas decorations.” This is a classic, “would you believe it?”

HANDS ON

From an early age Harry was a child who was ‘hands on’ so to speak. Aged five he would follow his father around the processing plant where he was employed, making a mental note of the procedures as he carried out maintenance at weekends. At school he was very proficient in subjects where he had to use his hands, like woodwork. One Christmas Harry set his heart on a construction set; he had hoped that Father Christmas would grant him this special present and he pestered his parents constantly. He had so many ideas of the items in which he could build out of the metal components. Many boys of this age were delighted to receive a Meccano set. Imagine his surprise that Christmas morning when he found the Meccano set in his stocking, “magic, how good is that” he thought. Maybe it was the cost of a new set which made his parents to decide to purchase a second hand set. Bargains could be found when members of the public would place a postcard in the newsagents shop window. This is how this set was acquired. The problem encountered however was that no one had checked the contents. The box which was in a good used condition seemed to contain the correct number of construction pieces, but lacked one vital component; there were no nuts and bolts. In the 1960’s, unlike today, the shops closed for a few days over the festive period, then a few days later when the shops toy shop opened his dad bought two packs of nuts and bolts, and to alleviate his sons disappointment a clockwork motor was purchased which could power the items which he intended to make like fairground rides. It was when he was aged 11 a family friend, who was a plumber, taught him the art of plumbing. Harry was the school friend of the plumber’s son, who displayed no interest in his father’s trade, but for young Harry watching this man working with hot liquid lead and welding pipes together, was so fascinating. Looking back to the 1960’s the plumbers blowlamp was powered by petrol or paraffin. This method was not easy to control at all. One day the plumber, Arnold Stone Heywood had an urgent job to attend too, it was a burst water main within an outside toilet, remember those? Having to put your coat on the use the toilet. Harry jumped at the chance of accompanying him when he commented, “like to come along,” “you bet I would,” he replied. Inside the freezing cold W.C. Arnold brought the blow lamp into life. This involved igniting a small piece of rag under the jet which in turn made the lamp roar into action like a jet engine. The size of the flame was determined by the pressure within the lamp, increased pressure was via the use of a pump, a release value reduced the pressure. A thick layer of ice covered the stone roof, which began to melt as the blow lamp warmed the air in the small toilet. Mr Heywood made a perfect plumb on the burst pipe from the liquid lead he had heated in a crucible, applying it with his hand which had a circle of leather for protection. Once the repair was completed they looked at each other with a feeling of satisfaction, then Arnold commented, “It is not a bad life plumbing you know. We are in this little toilet, freezing outside, we are nice and warm and cosy in here, always remember that we deal

with the elements, fire and water.” For a boy who was still of school age, this was amazing to watch. Arnold Heywood was the grandson of Mr Heywood of the once famous trio of builders, plumbers and painters, known as, Heywood, Jackson & Jessop. Each one of the tradesmen had their own field of expertise. When Arnold returned from his war service in 1945 he resumed his trade. First of all he required a vehicle. At a car dealership in Oldham, Lancashire, he found a vehicle which was the right size for his business and having a young family, for social use too. It was a few weeks later when he received his registration document through the post, which upon reading who the previous owner was, he could not believe his eyes. It was the Rt Hon. Winston Churchill. M.P. At that time being the M.P. for Oldham. When in the north of England Winston resided at the J.W.Lees brewery at Middleton Junction, they being friends of the Churchill’s.

HANDY LAD

Harry was a handy lad, he could put his hand to anything and was well known in the area in which he lived for his talents. This area was the vast Manchester Overspill Estate, “Langley.” During his teenage years he had a friend who was a little older than himself, who decided to start his own boiler making and repairing business. For a period of time he would call on Harry to assist him with boiler repairs, which entailed working through the night, a period when the heating plant could be closed down. It was when steam pipes were required and had to be installed high above the ground at a pig farm near Oldham that Harry spotted movement in the corner of his eye some fourteen feet below. During the early hours of the morning a number of rats were busy raiding the mountain of waste food. Being elevated on planking above, on a large vat of hot pig swill, an attempt to reduce their numbers took place. Targeting the rats and their demise was effected by dropping tools on them as they made off with items off with their booty. A few nights later, both young men having worked for three hours none stop decided to have a break. Both were sitting in the old van having a coffee. It was a satisfying experience having a hot drink from the flask on that bitter cold winter’s night. Unexpectedly there was a nice surprise in store. His friend offered a treat; he produced a square biscuit tin from behind the driver’s seat which was filled with what looked like Cadbury chocolate mini rolls. “There you go,” he commented. “Eat as many as you like.” It was so hard to comprehend that this treat was available, trying to afford food for a basic meal was the hard, certainly no money was available to be spent on the luxury of cake. Money was in very short supply, they were working with rusty second hand tools. Harry got stuck in, and quickly devoured two mini rolls. There is a saying, “your eyes are being bigger than your belly,” was true that night. Not being used to such a sweet desert only three rolls were consumed. Upon enquiring where his mate had purchased the rolls he was informed, “I called here this afternoon to measure up to see how much pipe we would require for tonight, then, as I was about to leave the Park Cakes bakery lorry arrived with all the unwanted food. As the driver was tipping the food in to the heap which is used for feeding the pigs, I managed to rescue the chocolate rolls off the top of the pile.” Park Cakes it transpired over produce each day because the high class retailers which they supply require perfect examples. Any cakes not meeting this high standard are destroyed. Feeding this waste food to the pigs is the best and most environmentally way of disposal. Harry could not believe that he was consuming food destined to be pig swill.

A WEDDING ALBUM MYSTERY

Today we are all well aware of the manipulation that can be carried out with digital media. When digital photography was in its infancy many readers of magazines would comment that the stars that had been photographed had had their image “airbrushed,” or digitally manipulated in which to remove facial blemishes and to improve their looks. Today we all accept what is published without scrutiny of the images published. The press were the first I suppose to change the way they produce images for their newspapers to digital media. One of the first instances of how this worked was totally amazing. A police chase of armed robbers through Lancashire was a good example of how this media was of benefit. The criminals drove along the M61, along the M62 and attempted to make good their escape via the M66 on a route to escape from the police on the Edenfield Moors. The press were keen to report this story so sent out photographers to capture the action. The daily newspaper fraternity had the latest digital cameras; local newspapers still had roll film type cameras. The police chase ended at Spotland, where the press gained a number of images of the arrest. Then with the new digital equipment, the images were downloaded and sent instantly to Fleet Street to be reproduced for the public to view. Meanwhile the local newspaper photographers were in the dark room, processing their film. One of the local press photographers started a wedding photography business in his spare time. Best of all he could view the images instantly, in real time and retake any which were not up to standard. One of his first customers however was left a bit bemused when she and her new husband viewed the wedding album. Both of the newlyweds were very pleased with their digital photographs, the bride did have one concern; she did not recognise the vicar who performed the ceremony? Other family members had their doubts too and had no idea who he was either. The bride was delighted with her album and contacted the photographer to have extra prints made, then she happened to mention the vicar, he did not look quite right. It was at this point that the photographer came clean. Over 20 years ago we did not understand digital manipulation. The photographer named Lee was still learning his craft and had mastered the art of removing and replacing people from a photographic image. As a bit of fun, he had removed the vicar’s image and replaced it with the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is amazing to think that not one of the guests who viewed the album recognised the Archbishop. Lee, as a matter of course replaced the manipulated photograph. But it certainly gave the happy couple a talking point.

Around twelve years ago the congregation at the New Jerusalem Church at Rhodes, which is close to Heaton Park, became so depleted that the decision was made to close the place of worship. Those members of the congregation who were responsible for the building were keen to recycle and re-use anything they could rather than take to landfill. My involvement was to record the history of the church. It is a sad fact that church organs have very little value in this country. The church at Rhodes had a lovely compact organ made by Binns. In attempt to find a new owner for this instrument we discovered that normally the organs have no value and are taken apart with any metal being taken to the scrap dealer and the wooden components destroyed, many via a bonfire within the church grounds. It was a coincidence that a programme was broadcast on Radio 4 which told the story of a man in Latvia, a handyman who was also a scrap dealer who would visit the U.K. to remove church organs to be transported to Latvia, then to be rebuilt within their places of worship. It transpired that many churches in that country did not have an organ. A musician would provide the music when hymns were sung. Making contact with this man who was featured in the programme resulted in Uldis and his brother Vilnis (pronounced Vilni) arriving at the church to remove the organ. Both brothers slept in the church for two weeks while the work was carried out. During their stay in town I would visit them each day to make sure they were safe and to answer any questions that they may have. The brothers used a former Swiss Army truck to transport their material, bringing their adapted vehicle over via the ferry. It was while Uldis was on the ferry that he had a conversation with a fellow trucker, a German heavy goods driver. This driver was very interested in the way Uldis and his brother made their living. He mentioned that he had a spare sheet which would cover the rear of their vehicle; it was a spare tarpaulin and was glad to dispose of it. The only problem was that it had the company’s logo written on the side, this being “Dick Lister.” Uldis was grateful of this gift and made good use of it. Upon my second visit to the church both brothers were looking despondent. I enquired what the problem was. Vilnis commented “The people in this town do not like us at all. As we are driving around your roads they are pointing at us, laughing at us. We do not feel safe.” I made the police aware of their concerns, then after photographing their vehicle I found the reason why people were pointing and laughing, it was the name visible on his truck. “Dick Lister.” With only speaking a few words of Latvian I had a job to describe what the first four letter word related to here in Britain. Acting out in Charades style I said it was a “name” and “something else,” where I enacted the using of urinals in a gents toilet. Both brothers roared with laughter when they realised, no doubt it was the tension being released at that moment rather than my actions which caused the hilarity. Each visit I made, Uldis would have an item in which he would like to acquire to take back to Latvia. This ranged from a soup ladle to a steam engine. One day he wanted a fork lift truck, another ten ladies and ten gentlemen’s watches. I replied, “No, no fork lift truck.” A few days later we visited the scrap dealer to dispose of the lead tubing which had been removed from the organ. It was too heavy to transport back to Latvia.

Removal of the lead tubing The brothers carefully dismantle the organ

Udis became very excited when we arrived at the scrap dealership. Firstly at the engine sound then the vision of a fork lift which was used to lift the lead from the vehicle. Our Latvian friend’s eyes lit up, he shot out of his cab like a bullet, “Har-rald, we must buy fork lift, How much, fork lift.” It was not for sale.

It was a Sunday morning when I invited them both to attend the ancient Middleton Parish church. Both men had been in the newspapers so were known to many of the townsfolk, including the scrap merchant. Vilnis and Uldis were delighted at being welcomed into the church, where upon spotting them enter, Canon Nick Fiest personally welcoming them. Uldis however was very interested in the organ. He spent a little time working out the way it had been installed. Next he commented to his brother, “Vilni, if vicar prove to be no good, we come back for the organ.” I doubt that this ancient church would ever close. When the organ was fitted at the church in Latvia a loose fitting paving stone which was under a carpet was repaired. Lifting the large stone a number of items of precious metal were unearthed. It transpired that when the Russian Army entered the town the church Elders buried their vestments for safe keeping, and then were forgotten.

“AFTER 30 YEARS”

Henry Lesley Lionel Whelen, who was a driver for the Co-operative Furnishing Dept in 1969, would relate his time spent on active service during the Second World War. This was his main topic of conversation. No doubt he was one of those brave souls who had witnessed the horrors of war and did not receive treatment for his trauma, unlike today. Lionel would relate how he was based at Ardwick Barracks, Manchester, and how he received his orders to march to the railway station on his journey to France. He mentioned that as they were marching towards Piccadilly Gardens a man with a camera took their picture. He related “Someone shouted and we all turned around to face the camera.” In 1969 with the 30th anniversary being celebrated that year the press were keen to publish photographs and memories of the war, and put out an appeal asking readers to send in their material. When the series began Lionel was an avid reader so purchased a copy each day. You may well imagine the look on his face when one day, to his amazement; the photograph which was taken in 1939 showing the Manchester Regiment going to war was featured. This photograph took pride of place on top of his television until his demise.

HEARD IT HERE FIRST

And finally. On a personal note, I was surprised to unearth some information recently where a man who was once my neighbour, living four doors away from my home was once a famous body builder, a Mr Universe type, in fact he was one of the contestants for the title at the London Palladium in 1956. Mr Ken Latham won the title of Mr Manchester, Mr Oldham and at the 1953 Queen’s Coronation Gala was awarded the title as the “Perfect Man.” Ken was a physical training instructor in the R.A.F., then following being demobbed took up the sport of body building after being inspired by the American Olympic team of 1948. This team was based at Uxbridge where Ken happened to be based in the R.A.F. There he noticed that their champions used weights in training, so Ken tried this out himself. He gained a stone in weight and increased his physique to a level where he could take part in competitions.

Another surprise was that a musician, Mr Ronald Wood, who once lived on the same road as my home was the “First ever” person in Britain to play an electric organ. This was to a packed audience at the College of Technology, Manchester. Searching newspapers of this period we discover that two electronic organs were flown over from America for Mr Wood to demonstrate. The information published at the time stated that two types of electronic organ arrived from America, which was to be dismantled and copied after the concert so that they could be manufactured in this country. Both organs delighted the audience at the concert by the various sounds in which they could produce. Organs of this type were to be available in 1956 and intended to be used to replace the traditional church organ, plus used in pubs, clubs and theatres. Mr Wood lived in this part of Alkrington twenty years before I took up residence so I was interested to know more about this person. Ronald Wood was a choirmaster and organist at the Parish Church of St John, Failsworth, Manchester. Also organist at the Odeon Theatre, Manchester, for the Rank Organisation. Mr Wood was also a close friend of a well-known Middleton organist, Frank Gordon and it transpires that they worked together at the Paramount Theatre, Manchester.

Foods of the Caribbean

By Sharmen Frith-Hemmings

Learning about and experiencing the foods of the Caribbean is one of the great experiences of recent times.

The truest taste of the foods is gained from visiting the restaurants and ‘cook shops’ where the local people get their meals.

Fish is a regular part of any Island diet and although it can be prepared to tourist standards the best way to enjoy it is prepared in the local and sometimes old-fashioned way. Fish is enjoyed fresh from the sea. In some of the islands, they are brought to the villages by the local fishermen on the back of a ‘pickup truck’ blowing the shell of a Conch to alert people that they have a fresh catch or can be bought on the beach when the fishermen have returned from fishing.

Fish is prepared in several different ways, the most common of which are Fried, Steamed, or roasted on a barbeque grill. A fish is transformed using local herbs and spices. Fish is cooked and eaten with the head-on as a matter of fact some people prefer the head of the fish. It can be eaten on its own or with just about anything. Locals will eat fish with cooked green banana, yams, sweet potatoes, vegetables, even with dumplings and other ground provisions. Whichever way it’s done it is always delicious.

I have included a recipe for you to try. Have fun trying and please post your pictures on our Facebook page @mamashars for a chance to win a meal either at our shop or when we are out and about this summer. Winners will be announced next month.

M 5 Brennand Street, Burnley BB10 1SU E info@mamashars.com N 07988 890974 F @mamashars I @mamashars

MAMA SHAR’S CARIBBEAN COOKING

We boast authentic, delicious and affordable Caribbean meals and Celebration Cakes. We can work with any budget and give you amazing flavour and homemade taste.

SHAR FRITH EVENTS

We provide event planning, catering, festivals, street food. We provide an altogether high standard of service to all our clients.

Photography credit: John Cox

MAMA SHAR’S CARIBBEAN COOKING E info@mamashars.com N 07988 890974 FI @mamashars

SHAR FRITH EVENTS #E info@sharfrithevents.co.uk N 07988 890974 FI @sharfrithevents

Mama Shar’s special Fried Fish and Sauté Cabbage

By Sharmen Frith-Hemmings

MAMA SHAR’S SPECIAL FRIED FISH 1kg fish fresh of your choice, cut into pieces 1 onion finely chopped/grated ½ bell pepper grated ½ tsp black pepper 2 cloves garlic crushed 1sprig of thyme stripped off the stem 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning Oil for frying Vinegar/lemon Coating Mixture Mix together: 1-1½ cup self-raising flour ½ tsp black pepper 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning 1 tsp herb of choice (dried) Method Sprinkle with dry seasoning and rub this in. Spread the wet seasoning and rub well. Cover and set aside for ½ hour to marinade. Heat the oil until rings appear in the oil. Dip fish in the coating mixture and ensure that all the fish is covered, shake to knock off all the excess flour. Place gently into the oil allow to seal. When golden brown on one side, turn and allow to brown on the other side. Reduce the heat and allow to cook on the inside. Prick to ensure that juices are clear in colour not opaque. Repeat until all fish are fried. Arrange on a plate and garnish with sliced peppers or chopped spring onions/ scallion. You can use lots of onions and pepper sautéed as per cabbage recipe. It gives the fish added flavour. SAUTÉ CABBAGE 1 small cabbage sliced 2 medium onions sliced 1 medium bell pepper sliced A sprig of thyme Salt & pepper to taste Method Add oil to a pan and heat. Add onions and thyme sauté for about 30 seconds. Add cabbage, stir ensuring that the cabbage is covered in oil and herbs. Reduce the heat to low, allow to steam until crunchy soft. Add salt & pepper to taste. Remove and serve with a favourite dish. Goes great with fish.