I was contacted last week by Jude Kenny who now lives in Spain to tell me that she was clearing out her late, Uncles house a keen amateur photographer, Austin Slater who had taken literally 100s of photographs mostly of Eccles and would I like them.... yes please!

Austin would take his camera with him and take photos of what he thought were of interest and many of them were taken at his workplace Lankro/Akcros Chemical, Eccles in the mid 1990s.

There are lots more showing Manchester Ship Canal, Barton Aquaduct, Eccles Town Centre, charity events such as three legged races, pram races. marches, parades, shoppers etc.

We shall scan them all for our archives but if anybody recognises themselves on the photos we shall be glad to give you a copy, the rest will given to the Salford Local History Library for the photographic archive.

Today's photos show the workforce at Lankro/Akcros at both work and leisure, I posted some yesterday on our Salford History and the response was fantastic.

So a massive thank you to Jude Kenny for rescuing them and contacting me, hope you enjoy looking at them...I did.

I was perusing the pages of the long defunct Salford City Reporter from March 1924 when I came across two similar stories from the Before The Bench pages and realised they were the same case and so I have merged them both in this heartwarming tale of Salford.

Salford Magistrates Court in Bexley Square saw James Brierley aged 27 who lived in Portland Avenue appear charged with being drunk and disorderly.

Constable Jaggard told the Bench that he saw Brierley outside a public house drinking from a bottle of beer, he told him to put the bottle away and go home, Brierley asked the Constable if he wanted a sup of the beer and refused to go home.

Jaggard decided to take him into custody but a large crowd surrounded them and a struggle took place, a woman in the crowd managed to get his police whistle and place it in his mouth so he could summon assistance.

Brierley said it was the crowds fault there was any trouble and he wanted to go home quietly but was manhandled to the police station and locked up for the night.

He was fined 25 shillings or 21 days in prison.

But what of the mystery woman who helped P.C. Jaggard in his hour of need?

The very next case before the Magistrates answers that question.

Mary Ellen Barratt summoned Mary Schofield for alleged assault, she told the Court that she was walking along Cross Lane when she saw a crowd around a Police Constable and managed to put his police whistle into his mouth despite Mary Schofield attempting to pull it out of her hand.

When the man was taken into custody Schofield struck her twice in the face and said that the police don't need any help from the likes of you and struck her again, Barratt's friend saw the assault and hurried her away.

Schofield told the Court that she was outside her house when she saw the Constable and the young man, and then alleged that Barrett was hysterical and shouting and that she was scared that she was going to be hit by her.

Detective Inspector Smith said that Schofield was addicted to drink and for a long time had been a problem to both her family and the local police.

The Stipendiary Magistrate thanked Mary Ellen Barrett for her assistance to the Police Constable saying he was much obliged to her.

He then fined Schofield £3 or 26 days imprisonment and said that he had thought of sending her to prison for her "brutal attack" and then added that out of the £3 fine, £1 would be given to Mary Barrett and her unnamed friend in what seems quite poetic justice...

I came across this sad story in the Salford City Reporter from February 1924 and it shows that attitudes have become more enlightened and changed considerably since this court case,

William Bland aged 37 described as being, "a coloured man" who lived at Garden Lane, Salford appeared at Salford Magistrates Court charged with,

"Being an alien, to wit an American you did fail to furnish to the Registration Officer of the Registration District of the district in which you lived, contrary to the Alien Order of 1919"

Bland had been remanded in custody for a week prior to this court hearing whilst enquiries were made with the American Consulate. he was asked if he wished to have the case tried by a Higher Court, he replied that he wished to be tried here and pleaded guilty saying he was ignorant of the facts relating to registration being necessary.

A police sergeant told the court that Bland had been born in Virginia and came to England in 1903 where he worked as a stage assistant, he had acted as a bookmakers "tout" in Dublin and as a showman in Wales.

He came to Manchester in 1913 and was again a showman until 1915 followed by a brief spell working at the docks but since 1924 he had done no regular work and had been arrested four times for vagrancy.

The court was then told that the woman Bland was living with was married but even then was seeing him without her husband's knowledge who was a hard working man who had served in the army who was now living at his parents home with the children in a home.

Her estranged husband said that all his family troubles was due to this "coloured" man, his three children were in a home and that the woman had visited them there and had tried to prejudice them against him to such an extent that the authorities had forbidden her from seeing the children.

And rather oddly said that she was living with Bland in a furnished room in the "black quarter" of Salford...I do know that Greengate and the Bloom Street areas of Salford had large black communities, many ex seamen who stayed in Salford.

Inspector Smith said that Bland had recently been brought to the police's attention by his behaviour at a shipping office where he had given false statements to the staff.

The Stipendiary Magistrate then told Bland.

"I do not think you are a desirable citizen, I intend to recommend your deportation after you have served a months hard labour in prison"

The unnamed woman shouted at him..."what about me? what about me in the state I am in now, with a coloured child here. if he is to be deported I suppose I shall have to go on the streets, and this is a court of justice?"

Astonishingly the Stipendiary Magistrate  replied,

"You are as disgrace to your sex!"

With that Bland was taken to Strangeways and the courtroom was cleared.

The stigma of having a "coloured" lover and having a child was taboo in those times and the language bandied around the court was sadly considered the norm in those days, can you imagine the furore if a woman was to be called that in a court room today?

The poor woman would have certainly been left to fend for herself, her husband had made it clear their marriage was over, also those three poor children in care, what kind of live would they face?

Bland does seem a feckless character, not holding down a steady job, being arrested for vagrancy numerous times, he hardly seems a catch does he?

All in all a sad story with so many people damaged many of them innocent, sad times to be live in and not really, "The Good Old Days" as we are so often reminded.

The following tragic story is from January 1924 and so as not to upset anyone after 100 years I have decided not to use the names of the people involved just local locations and with the help of Sue Tydd  we have searched for any living relatives to no avail

On the evening of Thursday 10th January, P.C.s Stockdale and Turner were on duty outside The Crown Theatre, Liverpool Road when they were approached by a young man who told them he had just murdered his Aunt who lived on nearby Chadwick Road.

They accompanied him back to the property and found the front door locked and proceeded to break in through the kitchen window were they found the body of an elderly woman lying on the floor in a pool of blood with her throat cut, ear to ear. a Doctor was summoned but she was beyond help.

The man was taken to Green Lane police station for questioning  where he admitted killing her and in a rambling statement he said that.." It was her or me and if I have done her in then I should get hanged".

He was remanded in custody until the Monday morning to appear at Eccles Magistrates Court, were he was then remanded to Strangeways Prison to be under the strict observation of the Medical Officer to ascertain his sanity.

An inquest into the death was held at The Bridgewater Hotel, Patricroft under the supervision of Mr R. Stuart Rodger the Manchester District County Coroner where the Father of the accused gave evidence, he told the Inquest that his son had, had an unhappy marriage and lived in Southport before moving back to Eccles, he had a close relationship with his Aunt who doted on him and he would visit her regularly, however he would dwell on things and made himself ill with worry over imagined things after the failure of his marriage.

On the day of the murder the accused left work at his job in Ardwick where he worked at his Father's company, he complained of stomach pains and asked to go home which was granted and he made his way to Eccles.

Flora Rogers a postmistress at 72 Liverpool Road, Eccles said she had known the deceased for 12 years and about 3.45pm on the Thursday she had  called in to purchase a postage stamp and had a chat with her for about 10 minutes and told her she felt a lot better than she had in a long time.

The police gave their evidence stating that the accused approached them on Liverpool Road and told them he had killed his Aunt, they went to the house, found the body and he was arrested and remains in custody.

The following week he was brought from Strangeways Prison in a taxi cab under police escort to Eccles Magistrates Court were several people including a photographer who took photos of the murder scene gave evidence and spoke off the horrific scene in the kitchen. far too distressing to publish,

Detective Sergeant Dunbar questioned the accused at Green Lane police station who told him that he had ruined his family by killing his Aunt and admitted that he had carried around with him for a week a razor with the intention of cutting his own throat but couldn't pluck up the courage to do it and so tried it out on someone else...but couldn't remember doing it to his Aunt.

Dr Alexander Sturrock a Physician and Neurologist to Salford Royal Hospital told the Court that he had examined the accused three times once at the police station and twice at Strangeways and had formed the opinion that he was of an unsound mind.

A date was set for him to tried at the next Manchester Assizes Court to stand trial for Wilful Murder.

The court after hearing evidence from his family, police, several doctors including Dr Alexander Sturrock the jury gave the verdict that he was insane and could not be tried and that he should be detained at His Majesty's Pleasure.

A sad and disturbing story my theory is that due to his failed marriage which was quite a messy affair and made the local newspapers, had preyed on his mind and he had decided to commit suicide and by murdering his Aunt he would be hung as some form of bizarre punishment, a very troubled mind.

I came across much, more evidence thanks to Sue Tydd which raises even more questions about the aftermath of this case...but not for me to disclose obviously as the family concerned have suffered enough, a truly sad and tragic case

I loved this story which was in the October edition of the Eccles and Patricroft Journal in 1970 and talk about gripping the reader by the throat with the first line, have a read of this, word for word.

"Soccer hooligans, skinheads, hippies, yippies, Hells Angels - the headline hoggers of today.

"Youths with a vengeance and a vandal breeding boredom, quite incomprehensible to their forefathers with the abundance of recreational facilities available.

"Gangs sharing the view that violence and theft are OK, offloading their consciences onto friends by collective action, Nomadic groups sharing an ideology.

"A small element who through their rejection of society's accepted standards, make the news, yet those who do help their "neighbour", so often go without a mention".

Have you any idea what he is wittering on about?

Hold on because it's not all wild and crazy kids, slashing the seats, shooting and a looting.

Into the limelight come Phase 70 a Peel Green based group devoted to aiding charities, one of the founder members was The Rev Dick Hatch, Vicar of St Michaels and All Angels, who was alarmed at the falling numbers at the church's youth club.

Rev Hatch explains all or most of it,

"There are no individuals in Phase 70, we are a non - denominational group who have gathered together in a form of experimental communism, that is we sit down and plan projects which we execute together for various charities."

"There were 17 founding members whose occupation range from labourer to tax inspector and we have five new members all eager to pool their talents"

One of their first projects was a marathon dictionary read outside Eccles library in February, working in relays and finishing at five in the morning after having completed 60 hours of continuous dictionary reading which raised £100 for the Moat Hill Autistic Unit in Peel Green.

Since then they raised money for a concert for Senior Citizens, £20 for Shelter, a folk concert at Worsley Court House and £20 to sponsor a boy in Nigeria.

The group meet on a Sunday and take it in turn to act as Chairman and listen to talks by the Police, Probation Services etc and regardless of age it's Christian names all round.

"Young people wishing to become members have to apply in a fairly formal fashion" said Rev Hatch.

"We only accept those who are prepared to give themselves to the aims and works of the group"

Were you a member of Phase 70? I have read quite a bit about Rev Dick Hatch and he was quite a character by all accounts ending up having a Radio Show on the BBC.

Would the youngster of today join such a group though? to be honest I can't see it, sound in principle but those days have gone I'm afraid and as for standing outside Eccles library reading aloud from a dictionary for hours on end.....

Juvenile crime has for the past 100 years or so been part and parcel of daily life in the UK, as this story from the Eccles and Patricroft Journal nimbly illustrates.

Clegg Street, now long demolished, stood virtually in the centre of Eccles near Silk Street and was in the 1910s a rather dubious area with the locals famous for having little or no respect for authority.

Boys age 8 and upwards gathered here under the name of the ‘Clegg Street gang’, and were notorious in the local area for stealing and generally making a right old nuisance of themselves.

100 years ago in Eccles: Davis Street ‘gang’, 11 and 13, flogged for stealing

But as we all know now, justice – when it does come – is rarely fair.

The story starts with PC Bridge doing his rounds of Eccles one evening in July 1916.

Normally the good officer would make sure all premises were safe under his watchful eye.

While examining the storeroom at the rear of Boots chemist on Church Street he was horrified to find that it had been broken into and trashed, and the place “was in great disorder”.

Central Eccles in 1916, Boots would have been to the right of the picture

With detective work that would have put Sherlock Holmes to shame, he had tracked down the perpetrators within a few short hours: the finger of suspicion pointed firmly in the direction of the Clegg Street gang.

Seven lads aged between 10 and 16 were arrested and charged with breaking into the premises and stealing eight tins of paste; six bottles of scent; three books; seven spring shooters; a rubber stamp; a pair of men’s socks; a tube of solution; and two flash lamps, a total value of 3 shillings.

All of this booty was recovered from each of the boys’ homes on Clegg Street.

The daring gang of robbers appeared at Eccles Magistrates Court where further incriminating evidence was heard.

The Manager of Boots said that it was around 11.30am on a Wednesday morning when he had last seen the building secure.

Later in the day when he returned after the robbery, it had been broken into by the removal of boards.

PC Bridge said he found the place ransacked and property scattered about the floor.

But it seems these young boys were not irredeemable crooks; there were those in the police willing to speak in their defence.

Inspector Harnby from Eccles took the unusual step of asking the Magistrate if the boys could be charged with theft only – dropping the breaking and entry charge.

Silk Street: The poorest streets tended to have the roughest gangs

Also speaking on their behalf was Mr SH Neave from the Education Authority.

He said that the Clegg Street gang of school age did not have a particularly poor attendance record, but that it was their parents who were “indifferent to their education”.

The Chairman of the Bench, Mr E Everett, wasn’t not in the mood for leniency. He told the two oldest lads, age 16, that they were old enough to know better and fined them five shillings each with a warning to their future conduct.

Four others were bound over for good behaviour for six months along with their parents.

Perhaps he, too, was was concerned about lack of parental control in Clegg Street.

Mr Everett saved his wrath for the youngest boy, age 10, telling him that he would be receiving four strokes of the birch with his parents in attendance for good measure.

I must admit I feel a tad sorry for the poor lad being thrashed, perhaps as a warning to the others on his street.

It was a message they tried to get out both to parents and children regularly, if the 1916 court lists in Salford are anything to go by.

Main image: By Nick Harrison via Flickr

Tragedy is never far away as we look back into the pages of the Eccles Journal.

Making headlines in early August 1916 was the sad tale of the drowning of a young boy in Cadishead, but which introduces us to the bravery of the common bobby.

John Tighe, 6, lived at Whitfield Street (now Angler’s Rest) off Liverpool Road in Cadishead, where, over 100 years later, the main offices for local charity Hamilton Davies Trust sit now.

The turning for Atherton Lane and Angler’s Rest is just beyond Cadishead Bridge © Google Street View

John and a group of young boys had gone down to a manure wharf at the end of Hayes Road.

At some point in the 1800s, it was realised that the daily human effluent would make great improvements in the quality of farming land in the UK.

So the nightsoil industry was born.

The Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, bringing thousands of ocean-going ships down its length from the Irish Sea.

Partington Train Shed was accessed via Whitfield Street, and huge amounts of work was going into building the Partington Iron and Steel Company, with additional junctions and sidings built between 1911 and 1915 expanding at Glazebrook east to help the war effort.

Partington Basin (so named even though it was on the Cadishead side of the Manchester Ship Canal) © Stretford Library

In 1916 industry was booming in Irlam and Cadishead and for young boys these giant steel structures rattling away at the side of the Manchester Ship Canal must have been very tempting to explore.

The boys were dipping their toes in the no doubt filthy waters of the canal when young John spotted a tin can floating in the water and in trying to reach it, overbalanced and fell in.

His young companions panicked and fled, however two men, Mr Dalby and Mr Brooks, had witnessed the incident and rushed to the canal bank.

By the time they reached the water’s edge the boy had sunk beneath and was nowhere to be seen.

Partington Iron Works in full flow in 1915 © Stretford Library

PC Chadwick, who was on duty on nearby Liverpool Road, heard the shouts for help and raced to the bank, stripping off his uniform and diving into the water on no less than three occasions in an attempt to rescue the boy.

It would be no heroic rescue, sadly.

A professional diver was brought into to retrieve the boy’s body and it was recovered the following morning.

An inquest was held at the Council Offices in Irlam the following week. It was here where the full details of the tragedy unfolded.

PC Chadwick told the inquest that he had run to the scene and ascertained that the boy had been in the water for five or six minutes.

The water was some 30-35 feet deep and undoubtedly filthy and polluted.

His determination is to be praised: the water would have been inky black and contaminated almost to the point of being poisonous, with all the chemicals that would leach into the canal from the many ships transporting all manner of goods along it daily.

Cadishead’s own Banksy? Stunning Bob’s Butcher Shop artwork gives area a lift

The Coroner, Mr G. Leresche, told the constable that he was very plucky to have jumped into the water and asked him had he suffered any ill effects?

PC Chadwick replied that he was “sickened at the amount of water that he had swallowed but he would soon recover”.

The Coroner said that there could only be one verdict and that John Tighe had accidentally drowned.

He also recommended that PC Chadwick’s conduct would be brought to the notice of the Chief Constable and of the Royal Humane Society and would be awarded a medal for his bravery and given a merit badge to wear on his tunic sleeve.

Medals of the Royal Humane Society, awarded to those who put themselves at great risk in attempting to save a life

PC Chadwick rather modestly replied that he was much obliged to the Court, though he felt that he was only doing his duty.

One can only feel for the Tighe family, to lose their young son in such a tragic way, sadly his death would not the the last in the murky waters of the Manchester Ship Canal.

With additional info and thanks to The Railways of Irlam and Cadishead

We came across this beauty from the pages of the Salford City Reporter from August 1966 which features a fascinating character by the name of ‘Lord Foulmouth’, alongside the judgement of legendary Salford Stipendiary, Leslie Walsh.

The story begins when two men, one named Harper and the other only known by his moniker ‘Lord Foulmouth’ – one can probably guess why – got a taxi to the Town Hall Tavern in Manchester.

They were set to meet a mutual friend, Mr Sheffield, all three then decided to that they would patronize the Ship pub on Cross Lane in Salford.

At the time the Ship was rather notorious, famous for its clientele of dockers, foreign sailors and ladies of the night.

Mr Sheffield drove there in his van, no doubt a little tipsy, whilst Mr Harper and Lord Foulmouth got a taxi.

When they arrived the Lord insisted on paying with a £5 note but the driver insisted that he hadn’t got enough change.

An argument broke out and Lord Foulmouth lived up to his name by giving the poor taxi man a earful of colourful abuse.

As a small crowd gathered to watch the spectacle unfold, Mr Harper offered to nip this in the bud and pay the fare with a 10 shilling note.

Lord Foulmouth said in “picturesque terms” that the cab driver, “was getting nowt” and breezed past the commotion into the pub, no doubt to oil his vocal chords.

The cab driver flagged down a passing policeman PC Darby who asked Mr Harper what the fuss was all about, no doubt in the most civil terms.

The gentleman in question proceeded to think it was a good idea to repeatedly poke the bobby in the chest while making his point.

To make matters worse, Mr Sheffield appeared on the scene and joined in the altercation, despite being told to keep out of it by the exasperated copper.

Sadly it all went pear-shaped as PC Darby arrested both Harper and Sheffield for being drunk and disorderly.

But the mysterious Lord Foulmouth had melted into the crowd and made good his escape.

At Salford Magistrates Court both parties gave conflicting reports of what had happened after the men were arrested and allegations of police brutality were bandied about the court.

Mr Harper alleged that when he was thrown into the police van, PC Derby punched him twice.

He then alleged that the constable undid his tunic and stared belting the life out of him whilst another police officer allegedly said, “I’m having no part of this” and jumped out of the police van.

Mr Harper then told the court that at the Crescent police station he received two black eyes, several cuts about the head, one which required three stitches, and his body was ‘one mass of lumps and bruises’.

Crescent police station – awaiting development

(Incidentally, 28dayslater.co.uk have some fascinating pictures inside the old Crescent police station here)

In his cell Harper started spitting up blood and was taken to Salford Royal Hospital for treatment.

Mr Sheffield corroborated his story and said that at the Crescent he was held by a police sergeant and prodded with a stick and told, “if you don’t button your lip, you’ll be next” as he watched the assault on Mr Harper.

The Stipendiary Leslie Walsh asked Mr Harper why would the police invite publicity for an assault by sending him to hospital? The reply was that they became worried when they saw him spitting blood.

Walsh then turned to Mr Sheffield and asked: “Why should they hold you there as a witness to the assault/” he replied that he didn’t know the reason.

Known for his strong arm tactics with felons in his court and his casual manner in sending people to prison, he gave his verdict, which comes as no surprise.

He said: “I am satisfied that both these men were drunk and I don’t believe a word either of them says.”

He fined Mr Harper £10 or one month in prison, while Mr Sheffield got £5 fine for being drunk and disorderly.

It seems hard to believe that these men could sustain such serious injuries that required hospital treatment, and yet obvious that they hadn’t inflicted the injuries on themselves.

Sadly this was an all too common occurrence in Salford at this time.

Salford police and particularly the Crescent police station had a fearsome reputation where it was reported prisoners would ‘fall down the station steps and bang their heads’, often after being accused of ‘damaging an officer’s tunic’.

Back in 2016, the Crescent police station has long closed down, with vague news reports every now and again proposing turning it into a hotel.

The Ship pub, too, is demolished, along with most of those on Cross Lane in Salford – but are we living in happier times?

Another peep into the pages of The Salford City Reporter from November 1923 brings us the following story of Charles Walsh and his encounter with the Salford Police Force.

Walsh, a Hawker of no fixed abode appeared at the Salford Quarter Sessions charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding P.C. Henry Parker and P.C. Bainbridge on October 11th, 1923.

Mr Bennett for the prosecution told the Court that P.C. Bainbridge saw Walsh lying on the ground in a passage at the rear of Lower Broughton Road surrounded by a group of women, the Constable guessed that Walsh was pretending to be ill in the hope of obtaining money from them.

They watched Walsh go into a chip shop and then go into a workshop at the rear of the shop, they followed him and found him sat on a pile of wood, when asked to stand up he said . "If you want me you'll have to carry me".

P.C. Parker went to pull him to his feet, when Walsh struck out at him with an open razor causing a superficial wound on his neck, P.C. Bainbridge came to his aid and was struck on the knuckles with the razor causing a minor injury, two more Constables appeared and managed to restrain Walsh/

As he was on the floor, Walsh said to P.C.  Parker

"You lucky… meant to do you in, but it won't be too late when I come out" when charged with the offences he claimed he was acting in self defence.

P.C. Parker told the Court that when they followed Walsh into the workshop they had no idea that he had only one leg and had come out of hospital that day, he also denied that they twisted his wrists and dragged him along by his left foot.

P.C. Bainbridge said that he spoke to Walsh when they saw him on the floor but he refused hospital treatment and went into a chip shop on nearby George Street  and said he could corroborate P.C. Parker's evidence.

Doctor H, Hughes the House Surgeon at Salford Royal Hospital told the Court that both of the P.C.s injuries were superficial and that the razor was as hardly sharp as a knife.

The Recorder then reduced the charges to Common Assault.

Finally Walsh was allowed to give his side of the story and told the Court that he refused to plead guilty to anything and no intention of harming the policemen and had only pushed them away, he then added that he had only come out of the prison hospital on that morning, he had been in the army and lost his leg through his own fault and received no pension.

The Recorder told him that he should have gone peacefully with the police constables and had no right to strike them even with a blunt razor.

The Jury found him guilty of Common Assault and the Recorder bound him over to keep the peace for 12 months.

Reading between the lines it looks as if the police were a little heavy handed arresting him and their injuries were only superficial as the Doctor said, add in the fact that Walsh had only, one leg weakened the prosecutions case and hopefully this was the correct sentence.

This story from the pages of the Eccles and Patricroft Journal of September 1916 tells of a horrendous incident at Irlam Steel Works – then known as the Partington Steel and Iron Works.

This huge factory was established in 1911 to produce steel for industry, with three blast furnaces and 108 by-product coke ovens supplied by ships docking on the Manchester Ship Canal.

By 1916 with the First World War underway, production had been rapidly expanded with three more furnaces added and an extra 260 ovens, producing 8,000 tons of steel every week.

26-year-old Cadishead man Ernest Darley and his pal Ernest Rigby, 24, were employed as ‘slaggers’: their dangerous job involved removing molten slag in large ladles from the smelting furnaces.

These ladles were six feet long, four feet wide and when filled contained eight or nine tons of molten slag.

Tons of molten metal were drawn down in these ladles

One of the ladles had been filled up and craned to the ground and had been standing for around 15 minutes when for some inexplicable reason it toppled over, enveloping the two workmates in the molten metal.

Darley’s face and the front part of his body were horrifically burned and he rushed in what must have been terrible agony into a nearby office where Mr Toft, the clerk in charge, threw a coat around him.

Steel workers ready to cast molten metal – East Cleaveland Image Archive

This was of no use because Darley’s clothes were already alight and his flesh was described as being ‘charred’.

Dr Overend was promptly called to the scene but he was unable to do anything for the two men, so bad were their injuries, and they rushed to Manchester Infirmary in the works ambulance.

Sadly, fatherof-two Darley died without regaining consciousness, on reflection it must have been a blessing in disguise with the injuries he’d sustained.

Mr Rigby was also unconscious but remained in a life-threatening condition.

Irlam Steel Works – © Salford Local History Library

The steel works had legal representation at the inquest into Mr Darley’s death, which took place at the Manchester City Coroner’s Office.

Mr Ireland, from the HM Factory Inspectorate, cross-examined the witnesses, including Mr Toft who had rushed to the dead man’s aid.

The inquest was told that the workmen considered some of their equipment to be more safe than the rest: some of the ladles had flat bottoms while others were round, making them inevitably more unstable.

The Coroner was told this was a first-of-its-kind case: before this horrific accident a ladle had never prematurely toppled over before.

Mr Ireland said that he promised to make certain safety recommendations but declined to prosecute the company for health and safety failings.

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and expressed their deep sympathy with the bereaved family, as Ernest Darley had left behind a widow and two young children.

Darley’s funeral took place later that week at the Parish Church in Irlam with the Reverend Martin officiating.

It is recorded that local residents living on the route to the church had drawn their blinds in a show of sympathy.

There were large number of floral wreaths from Darley’s workmates, a number of whom walked in front of his hearse, whilst six of his workmates carried his coffin to his final resting place.

With the above in mind perhaps public mistrust of health and safety practices is misplaced, given the horrendous accidents of the past.

After all, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Main image: East Cleveland Image Archive

Cocaine as we all know is probably the most misused drug in Great Britain today, it was once considered to be the drug of the pop star or the filthy rich, sadly no longer as the streets are literally awash with it.

Cocaine isn't a new drug by any means and before the Great War was a common ingredient in medicines used for treating hay fever as it cleansed the respiratory track by reducing the swelling of mucus and the nasal discharge....snot to you and me. and was put on the Dangerous Drugs Register in 1920.

The following story comes from the pages of the Salford City Reporter, March 1922 and tells of a Cuban seaman, Aurelio Perez who hadn't quite got the hang of selling drugs and appeared at Salford Magistrates Court charged with being in unlawful possession of cocaine

Detective Inspector Mitchell told the Court that, the police had been told that Perez had been seen on Trafford Road, Salford asking people if they wished to purchase any cocaine, and had put two of his detectives on the case.

Detectives Squire and McPhail took up observations and saw Perez approach several people and ask them if they wanted any cocaine, they decided to arrest him and took him to Regent Road, Police Station, a search revealed that he had four bottles in each was ten grammes of cocaine, 40 grammes in total.

He told the officers that he had found the drugs outside the shipping offices on Trafford Road, that old chestnut.. he was charged with unlawful possession, he replied that he was going to take the drugs home.

Further enquiries into Perez revealed that he had failed to register himself as required by The Alien's Order of 1920.

A witness by the name of William Walker gave evidence and told the Court that he was in the Shipping Office when Perez called him outside and asked if he wanted to buy some cocaine, which he naturally refused.

As to the offence under The Aliens Order Act, Sergeant Smith told the court that Perez had been living on Trafford Road since November 1921 but had failed to register with the police, he then suggested that Perez had refrained from signing the register because of his trafficking in the drug.

Detective McPhail said that he had ascertained that Perez had paid frequent visits to Liverpool where it was believed he had obtained the drugs, but it was thought it had come from Rotterdam originally.

The Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr W.P. Atkin imposed a fine of £20 on him or the alternative of 51 days imprisonment, and for failing to register he was fined £1 or a further 13 days imprisonment.

Inspector Mitchell told the Magistrate that he had been given an order for the prisoners deportation for being an undesirable alien, as he had been engaged in serious drug trafficking.

Perez was then taken into custody with a recommendation that he be deported granted by the Magistrate, and an order for the seizure of the drugs was granted.

So, Mr Perez was bundled onto a ship and sent back to Cuba to live a quiet and normal life, which I somehow think he didn't.

Who would have thought it drugs close to Salford Docks....

Murder thankfully is still a fairly rare occurrence in this country, this story from February 1920 tells of such a terrible deed and how the perpetrator paid the ultimate penalty, death by hanging.

Ida Prescott 44, was a widow with two children Irene aged 12 and William aged 10, who lived at 90 Manchester Road, Clifton.

On the evening of Monday, February 16, Irene was seen running from the house and screaming for help, her next door neighbour, Tom Haslam heard the commotion and raced out, a passing collier, Charles Penberthy also came to the assistance, armed with pokers they made their way into the house.

They were met with the sight of Ida lying on the floor in a pool of blood, her throat had been cut ear to ear.

Just then William Thomas Aldred came into the house from the back door, Haslam asked him if he had done this, to which he replied, "It was me, there is no need to get excited about it".

The police were summoned and P.C. Holden took Aldred into police custody, a search was made of the area and a blood stained cut throat razor was found on the roof of a neighbours outside toilet.

The local newspaper reported that Ida and William Aldred were, "keeping company", he was a widower who had lost a son in the war, and was employed at Bridgewater Mill, Pendlebury.

An inquest was held into her death at Clifton Parochial Offices the following day, were a large crowd, several hundred in number, mainly women had gathered in the hope of seeing Aldred and no doubt, injuring him.

He was bundled into a taxi with two constables and Inspector Holt to make sure no harm came to it as he was escorted from Clifton and Swinton to Strangeways prison.

The Coroner recorded a verdict of "Wilful Murder" on Ida and Aldred was sent for trial to the Manchester Assizes set for May 1920.

He pleaded not guilty at his trial but the jury were told that he was a jealous and possessive man, who drank a lot and often turned up at Ida's house causing trouble.

On the day of the murder Aldred missed work, and in the evening called at her house and took her son, William shopping for chips and tripe for their supper whilst he went in a nearby pub.

They both returned home and they all sat down in the kitchen to eat the meal he had bought them, things must have turned nasty for Ida told Irene to go to bed, she refused and sat in the other room.

The poor girl then heard screams and her mother staggered into the room with blood gushing from a gaping wound in her throat, this is when she ran out of the house looking for help.

Evidence was then heard that Aldred had been in the "Imbecile Ward" at Barton Hospital on Green Lane on two occasions, once in 1916 and again in 1919 for treatment to his nerves and a nervous breakdown.

The Medical Doctor at Strangeways, Dr Shannon told the court that, he had Aldred under observation at the prison and had not seen any obvious traits of insanity when he examined him.

The jury retired to consider their verdict and came back with a unanimous "Guilty"

He was asked if he had anything to say before sentence was passed upon him,

"All I can say is that I am sorry, I must have lost control of myself, that is all"

Mr Justice McCardle the placed the black cap on his head and passed the sentence of death upon him.

Aldred did appeal the sentence on the grounds of temporary insanity but this was turned down.

He was executed at Strangeways prison on Tuesday, June 22 by the public hangman, John Ellis.

It was stated that Aldred dies instantaneously and death was recorded as being due to dislocation of the neck. 

The year 1917 saw the Russian Revolution when the Bolsheviks seized power, killed the Royal Family and sent shock waves throughout the world, with many  other countries thinking that they too, would be toppled by the Bolshevik menace.

This story from the pages of The Salford City Reporter, November 1923 shows that the word Bolshevik still carried a hint of menace and threat.

A German registered ship, the S.S. Jacob Schroder  sailed into Salford Docks and moored at Nine Dock carrying a cargo of timber from Archangel, Russia on board were a crew of 20 supposed Bolsheviks.

They stubbornly refused to help with the unloading of the timber, declaring that they had brought the cargo to it's destination their duty was finished, panic ensued and a way to end this situation was looked for.

The Dock authorities made enquiries and it was revealed that when the timber was loaded representatives of the Bolshevik Government hearing that the timber had been felled and transported to the quayside by Bolshevik labour decided that Bolsheviks should see it through to Salford Docks and the German crew were discharged.

Now that the voyage had been completed the question arose of what to do with the crew, the Immigration Office said they could not allow them to come ashore, they could only come ashore on the condition they returned to the ship and slept on board,

The steamship agents for the S.S. Jacob Schroder made arrangements for the men to be sent back to Russia, messages were sent to Germany to send a new crew over to Salford so they could enable to take it back to it's base.

A charabanc was sent to Salford Docks and the crew were loaded aboard en route for Petrograd with a police escort, headed by the formidable Sgt Lamb who was based at the Cross Lane police station and was no shrinking violet.

They were taken to London Road Railway Station heading for Fenchurch Street Station and a ship moored at the West India dock were they marched up the gang plank by Salford Constabulary and waved off to Mother Russia.

Sadly that isn't the end of this story, Sgt Lamb who was in charge of this operation sadly had a brain seizure and was taken to Poplar Hospital, were he sadly died, the following day an inquest was held by the East London Coroner, Mr Guthrie who returned a verdict of, "Death due to natural causes"

Tomorrow I shall tell of the incredible send off that Sgt Lamb received with thousands of people lining the streets of Salford to show their respect for this most well known of Salford's bobbies.

The church was fully packed with parishioners of all ages who had come to the last mass to be conducted in the church. 

All Souls church started life, not where it is now, but on Bute Street (now Kintyre Avenue), Weaste. 

In its last years, the original church became an extension of the school, housing the last year's pupils, before they migrated to secondary school. The church was unused for a few years then became a factory, making men's shirts, after which, in the early 1970s it was demolished. 

The Bishop of Salford, Bishop Terence Brain, gave the service along with eight other priests including Father Shaun Braiden the current parish priest. 

He gave a moving speech to the congregation and explained that the decision to close the church had not come easy and that since 2003 the church had been under threat of closure. 

Add to this a dwindling congregation, structural damage which the diocese could not afford to repair and the difficulty that Father Shaun had in dividing his time and energies between two parishes, the other being St James on Salford precinct. 

On a brighter note the Bishop asked the congregation not to be too upset, he agreed that there was a great sadness when a church had to close, however you still have memories of that church and that you have to move on and no matter whatever church you attend God is always with you. 

Then helped by a priest, the Bishop gave communion and blessings to over two hundred parishioners. 

Hymns were sung throughout the service by the congregation which added to the emotional atmosphere in this beautiful church. 

After the service had ended, parishioners, many of whom were in tears, were seen lighting candles for loved ones at the statues of saints in the church. 

The church was founded in 1892. The parish is now combined with Mother of God and St James, Pendleton, and renamed St James with All Souls. Lady Annette de Trafford laid the foundation stone of a new school here in 1889. This was during the Rectorship of Dean Saffenreuter, at St. James's, Pendleton. A separate parish was formed in 1896, and Canon McDermott Roe was the first Rector, but was soon followed by Fr. Salvatore Carruccio, who stayed until his death in 1903, and is buried in Weaste Cemetery. 

Fr. Henry Mom came here from Colne and worked in this district for ten years until ill-health caused him to retire. He died in 1927. A new church was opened in 1934, by Bishop Henshaw. The consecration took place in 1946, by Bishop Marshall. 

The men who descended into the mine immediately after the terrible accident - including a lad of just 16 - George Hindley - would receive the Albert Medal (now replaced by the George Cross) in recognition of their heroism. 

Known locally as Lumn's Colliery, the pit was situated on Lumns Lane in Clifton, a short distance from Clifton Junction Station on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. 

Three main seams - Doe mine, Quarters mine and Trencherbone mine - stretched some 540 yards into the earth. 

This terrible tragedy claimed the lives of 178 men and boys from the local area, but safety at the pit was generally good: there had been nothing of this magnitude in the 50 or so years since the colliery opened. 

Protector lamps - like the kind manufactured in Eccles at the time - were used underground to detect gas, although naked flames were still allowed when the ventilation was "remarkably good". 

At 9.20am on Thursday 18 June 1885, a massive explosion occurred. 

The ground shook for half a mile around while guardrails on two sides of the pit mouth were blown away and the cages which would drop men hundreds of yards into the ground were rendered useless. 

It was thought that around 200 men were underground at the time. As the cages were out of action, Colliery Manager Jonathan Hall, blacksmith William Hindley, and pit man Aaron Manley were winched down the shaft in a kibble [large bucket). 

They saw that the cages had blocked the shaft and could proceed no further. They returned to the surface for a smaller kibble in which Manley, Hindley and Peter Horsfield descended and managed to loosen one of the cages. 

Just then the surface bell rang to indicate that someone was alive down below. 

The kibble was wound to the bottom of the shaft. The scene at the bottom was horrendous with dead bodies, men badly burned and men suffering the effects of "afterdamp" (carbon monoxide poisoning). 

When the cages were working, the rescuers brought up 75 men, including 13 bodies, one of whom was 20-year-old William Reynolds, who would later be buried at Weaste Cemetery. 

The dead men were conveyed to a stable close by and laid out for identification, which in some instances was difficult given the extent of the burning on the bodies. 

The Salford City Reporter said: "There were no extravagant demonstrations of grief, but the subdued sobbing of children, the blank dismay depicted on the faces of the women and the settled melancholy visible in the men, that told how deeply they felt the losses they had sustained". 

Miners working the Doe seam were able to escape by walking along a connecting road to Agecroft Colliery about half a mile away. 

This was a torturous route, flooded in parts and air full of afterdamp sapping their strength. It was said that some men were overcome and fell into the water and drowned. 

Luckily 122 men and boys made it up the Agecroft shaft but nine bodies were recovered including Thomas Worsley, age 28. 

At 4pm another rescue party descended the Clifton Hall shaft to search the Trencherbone seam. 

Suddenly the smoke coming up the shaft changed colour indicating something had happened. 

Communication with them ceased and they feared the worst. Another small rescue party descended, but could only go down 150 yards as a dense volume of gas prevented further progress. 

They noticed that a wall had collapsed before getting back to the surface. 

Fortunately the first group had reached the Doe Seam and were able to make their way to safety via the Agecroft shaft. Some of the injured men and boys (including William Lycett, aged 16), were taken to Salford Hospital or to their homes and some died of their injuries. 

In all, 178 men and boys died in this disaster. 

The disaster victims were buried at many of the local churches and six were buried at Weaste Cemetery. 

On Monday 22 June, William Lycett, 16, of Franchise Street, Pendleton and Thomas Worsley, 28, of Kent Street, Pendleton, were buried in the C of E portion by Rev. H. Gore-Booth, Rector of Sacred Trinity Church. 

William Reynolds, 20, of Jane Lane, Swinton and Thomas Slattery, 34, of Jane Lane, Swinton, were buried in the Catholic portion by Rev Father McIntosh of the Salford Cathedral. 

On Tuesday 23 June, George Hall, aged 42, and his stepson Leonard Charles Barter, aged 13, both of 9, Oldham Street, off Church Street, Pendleton, were buried in the same grave in the C of E portion by Rev WH Stevenson, Curate of Sacred Trinity Church. 

George Hall had previously "seen 21 years service in the army and enjoyed the pension appertaining to the rank of Farrier Sergeant of the 11th Hussars". 

A nine-day inquest opened on 30 June at Pendlebury Mechanics Institute, concluding that the cause was an "explosion of a large amount of inflammable gas emitted from a goaf (old workings) in the Trencherbone mine" which ignited at a lighted candle. 

It added that 159 men found in the Trencherbone mine died from burns, suffocation or injuries; nine died in the road to Agecroft shaft from carbon monoxide suffocation; seven died in their homes due to shock from burns; one man died at home from the effects of carbon monoxide 
poisoning; and two died at Salford Royal Hospital from shock caused by burns. 

Production of coal at Clifton Hall was to end permanently on 9 November 1929. 

Many thanks to the Friends of Salford Cemeteries Trust for the valuable help given in writing this story. 

A fight which occurred in a a Barton schoolroom in connection with a dance led to an appearance at Eccles Magistrates Court in November 1923 by Harry Massey charged with assaulting the police.

P.C. Stockdale told the Court that he attended a dance at Godfrey Ermen school. at the time he was off duty and wearing a suit and tie, when he was called to a disturbance in the corridor where he saw Massey fighting another man.

He told him that he was an off duty policeman and asked him to stop fighting, instead of doing as he was asked he continued pummeling his opponent, when he intervened Massey punched him in the face.

With the aid of another off duty policeman who was at the dance...not the policeman's ball I assure you...they managed to eject him until the police arrived and took him into custody.

John Emery took the stand and said that the dance was a fundraiser to raise funds for a local youths football team and he was assisting the M.C, on the night who told him that he had already warned several men about their conduct, they were bumping into others and making a general nuisance of themselves.

It was decided that after the interval the trouble makers would not be allowed back into the dance and given half of their admission money back.

Harry Massey had a different story to tell, he said that he was not warned of his conduct and after the interval was refused admission by Emery who then put him in a headlock and a fight started, he added that the two police constable hung back after the fight started and when he was restrained they joined in the fight.

Inspector Balshaw said that P.C Stockdale's was badly marked when he saw him at Green Lane police station and that despite being off duty they were entitled to go the dance, whilst Superintendent Yates told the Court that in theory a policeman is never off duty and when called on as these two were, they had to quell a row or a riot and were at the dance for pleasure.

The Clerk of the Court Mr Bowden said to Supt Yates that it was good to see that his men got out and enjoyed themselves sometimes...was he being flippant?

The Bench fined Harry Massey, £2 and two shillings with seven shillings six pence costs and warned him about his future conduct.

Raises the question, were the police constables just doing their duty or over zealous in restraining Harry Massey? I think we can guarantee that the Bench would take the word of the police over the accused.

Photo: Godfrey Ermen School.

Continuing our series of slides featuring long lost views across the rooftops of Salford as seen from the top of Stowell Spire in Ordsall, some of these images are a little blurry but still very much viewable.

Our many thanks to Brian Cogswell for allowing us to scan, retouch and display them.

The scene below is looking west towards Eccles, you can see what appears to be Barton Power Station to the left on the horizon and Langworthy Flats to the right of the scene.

Can you name any of these tower blocks?

Sadly the church itself has long been demolished leaving only the spire as a reminder of what once stood there, this image shows the once beautiful façade with it's stained glass windows. Does anyone know what happened to them? Were they sold, used in other churches or did they end up in the scrap?

I called in at Eccles Parish Church today hoping to take some photographs of the War memorials in there which are behind the 600 year old medieval wooden door, a fascinating piece of the church's history in itself.

A lady who I now, know as Wendy Fryer approached me and asked if I would like to go up the bell tower and take some photographs, I certainly would, I do recall making a short video in there about 10 years ago for SalfordOnline but it seems to have been lost over the years.

Entrance to the bell tower is through a small door at the side of the main entrance,and up a winding stone, spiral staircase to the small room where the bell pulls are, eight in total. and 10 huge wooden boards listing the names of bell ringers from the parish, with the earliest board dating to 1797 and the peals of bells that were rung on special occasions, remarkable examples of social history and beautifully written out in gold lettering..

I did learn that in 1928 the church of St John the Evangelist on Deansgate, Manchester became redundant and their bells, cast in 1786 were purchased by Eccles parish Church and in 1929 the present bells were re=cast using the bells from St John's and the Eccles one's by.John Taylor, bell founders from Loughborough.

The bell pulls are on the first tier of the tower the actual bells and clock mechanisms are on the two upper floors again accessible through another 30 steps, sadly I wasn't able to go up there today...one day perhaps?

I went back into the church to have a look at the Rolls of Honour, there is a brass plaque listing the names of three local men who worked at Eccles Spinning Mill and made the ultimate sacrifice along with names of others from the Mill who also served, quite poignant really.

On the other walls are listed the names of the Eccles men who were killed between 1914 and 1918 on two stone tablets, several hundred i would guess, such a sad waste of life.

Eccles Parish Church will be remembering it's fallen in special services being held at the church over the coming weeks and if you are interested in campanology ---bell ringing, Wendy tells me that they are always on the lookout for new members to join them, with bell ringing on Thursday evenings.

So if you get the chance call into the church it really is a gem in the heart of Eccles, sadly only open to the public on a Thursday from 10.30am until 3pm and obviously a Sunday morning.

The Height and Bolton Road areas of Salford were subjected to a fortnight's rampage of burglary, arson and theft which only ended when two youths aged 15 and 16 appeared at Salford Magistrates Court in October 1920 and the full story unfolded.

Mrs Lewthtwaite owned a supper bar on Broad Street, Salford and on the previous Thursday evening at 10pm, she was in the kitchen of her house, when she heard a loud bang and glass breaking, she saw Cecil Wilkinson drop into her yard.

Her son ran out and apprehended him, only to be told that he was looking for his ball, he then saw another boy nearby, who ran away when approached, the police were sent for and Wilkinson was taken into custody for questioning.

Wilkinson soon told the police the name of his accomplice,  Arthur Smith and he was soon arrested and brought into custody.

Superintendent Clarke questioned the boys and they readily admitted that, they intended breaking into the barbers shop next door to the supper bar and were looking for money to steal.

However once they started confessing they couldn't stop and told an astonished Superintendent Clarke a long list of their misdemeanours, they had carried out in the past fortnight.

At the Magistrates Court he applied to have the boys remanded in custody for a week whilst further cases might be investigated, the remand was granted and both boys. despite their age where remanded to Strangeways prison.

One week later the two boys, Cecil Wilkinson of, Saxby Street and Arthur Smith of Bolton Road, Pendleton stood in the dock and a remarkable catalogue of their crimes was read out.

Breaking and entering, 34 Acresfield Road and stealing foodstuffs to the value of £1, 18 shillings and ninepence.

Setting fire to The Olympia Picture Palace, West Street, stealing 10 shillings and a quantity of chocolate. damaging seventeen seats and a piano.

Damaging and spoling five motor cars, a planing machine and a band saw at Messr Thomas Carters Motor Works, Trafford Road.

Setting fire to St Thomas's School, Broughton Road, Salford.

Breaking and entering Messr Lancaster and Tonge's offices, Withington Street, Salford stealing £3 19 shilling and 7 pence, and a box of cigarettes.

Breaking and entering the schoolroom on King Street, the Height and stealing 11 pence.

Breaking and entering into St Anne's School, Brindleheath, damaging six panes of glass, two pairs of curtains and lengths of woodwork.

Breaking and entering Halton Bank School, Bolton Road damaging five electric globes, 38 pound of flour and a water pipe.

The boys pleaded guilty to all these charges.

Superintendent Clarke told the Court that there had been, "a fifteen day scare" as shops, homes, businesses  and schools were targeted, in addition over £1,000 worth of damage had been caused by arson and wilful damage.

He asked the Magistrate Mr P. W. Atkin that the boys be sent to the Assizes for sentencing considering the severity of the offences and then dropped the bombshell that at the premises of  Messr Thomas Carters Motor Works, Trafford Road, the boys had hung, the workshop cat and killed it.

The boys were defended by Mr Howard Flint, who asked the Magistrate if the boys could not be dealt with on this day by the court, adding that they were both from respectable families and had been influenced by reading "trashy cheap, literature"

The Magistrate turned down his plea for a trial at the Magistrate Court and added that there was no reason why they should be cruel to a cat.

The boys were sent to the Asizes for trial and here is the cliff hanger, I have no idea how they went on there, considering the amount of damage and mayhem they caused I am certain they would be sent to prison and it would that their act of cruelty to a cat ensured they would face the wrath of an Assize Judge.

This  story from the pages of The Salford City Reporter, October 1920 tells the story of a Salford man whose actions were truly heart-breaking and you have to find pity for him.

On a Tuesday evening on the North Pier, Blackpool, a man named as William ***** residing in the Broughton area of Salford, (I haven't given his full name and address for personal reasons) approached a pier attendant and told him the following.

"I have dropped my five week old baby son, into the sea"

A quick look into the empty baby pram confirmed that, what he had said, was true.

Eye witnesses say that his behaviour beforehand was strange and the empty baby pram confirmed their suspicions.

When asked why he had done this, he replied,

"There were 5,000 of them that went out, and only 50 came back"

Whilst telling this he was groaning and holding his head as if in agony, which added to the scene of confusion and horror.

The police were summoned and he was taken to the Blackpool Central Station for questioning, a search for the missing child was carried out. to no avail.

Inspector Seed and Detective McKenna were put in charge of the case, they brought the man's wife to the station to see if she could shed any light on this tragedy.

She told them that her husband had suffered from shell shock in The Great War and was being treated for depression at a local hospital and that they had come to Blackpool for a few days in the hope that the rest and change would do him good.

Dr R. H. Dunderdale was called to give him a psychiatric examination and as a result he was declared insane and removed to a mental institution.

He was not brought up before a court and it was expected that owing to his condition, no charge would be made against him.

Despite a careful search the infant's body had not been recovered from the sea, it was stated that the high tide was at 5.30pm yesterday the time of the tragedy, and at 7pm there was a strong current running out to sea and the body would have been quickly carried away.

A further search of the beach was carried out the next day extending to Bispham but still no sign of the body.

I looked through several weeks' editions of the Salford paper and there was no story of the body being found, a tragic tale.

The poor man must have seen some terrible sights in the army to drive him insane. many thousands of men suffered from shell shock and it's hard to believe but for a while the army considered soldiers suffering from this lacked moral fibre, i.e they were cowards.

The poor wife must have been dealt a hammer blow in losing a child in such an awful way, would she ever recover?

Without doubt the saddest story I have ever come across in the years of writing these stories.

Cross Lane in Salford was once a busy, bustling thoroughfare with 18 pubs, three music halls, an Army Barracks, an open market, shops galore and one of the largest open cattle markets in the country, hard to believe if you drive or walk along it today.

November 1920 and Emily Johnson was helping out at her Grandmother's tripe shop at 26 Cross Lane, James Smith and Samuel Royle came into the shop and ordered some pigs trotters, they stood at the counter and began to eat them, as Emily came out of the kitchen area, she saw Smith leaning over the counter, he asked for some trotters and was served with them.

Just then a young boy came into the shop to tell her that the coal delivery had arrived and she had to go in to the back so that they could drop the coal in the yard which she did.

Coming back into the shop she was horrified to see Smith behind the counter tampering with the cash drawer, she rushed to the shop door and asked a passer-by to call the police as she was being robbed, they tried to push her aside but she blocked the doorway.

They then ran through the kitchen into the yard pursued by Emily, who managed to drag Smith to the ground, after a struggle he managed to escape,  with Royle opening the back door for them to get away.

However this isn't the end of the story you may be pleased to hear.

By a simple twist of fate (courtesy of Bob Dylan) the two men were arrested a few days later for attempting to steal a half hundred weight of currants from a parked lorry on Oldfield Road but were seen by a Mrs Ogden who raised the alarm and gave the police such a good description they were arrested the same day and taken to the local police station.

Who was in the police station? none other than the coal delivery boy who recognised the two men who had stolen the six shillings from the tripe shop and they were charged with this offence as well as the attempted theft of the currants.

They appeared before Mr. C. C. Goodwin at Salford Magistrates Court and it was revealed that both men had numerous convictions for theft.

Detective Sgt, Needham told the court that:

"Smith was One of the worst characters in Salford, and never does anything but look for trouble and hasn't worked for two and a half years since leaving the army and lives on his pension of £2, five shilling a week"

This seemed to strike a chord with the Magistrate who said that this matter of his pension would be investigated and then gave them both six months imprisonment with hard labour.

A harsh sentence, possibly but these two chaps do appear to be petty criminals with not a care in the world, no idea if Smith's army pension was stopped, be the final slap in the face for him if it was.

Leafing through the pages of the now defunct, Salford City Reporter, you can always guarantee that you will find an amusing story from the Salford Magistrates section, later to come, Before The Bench, which most people turned to, first in the hope of reading about somebody they knew, c'mon admit it, we have all done it.

My eye was caught by the headline to the following story, which read, 

"Amazing Admissions Of Girl Who Smoked In Bed"

Bridget Purcell who resided at, Oaklands Terrace, Salford appeared at Salford Magistrates Court, in October 1921, where she had summoned her step-father, Thomas Minogue for making threats to kill her and calling her "improper names"

What could have caused him to to utter these threats to Bridget? quite simply because she was smoking cigarettes in the house until 12 0' clock at night.  The brazen hussy.

The Stipendiary Magistrate. Mr. P.W. Atkin, seemed amazed that a girl should smoke cigarettes and asked her if this was true.

Bridget answered that she did and it made her feel good, stating that before she started smoking she often felt giddy at work, she said that she was thread drawer at a local mill and worked from 8.30am - 5.30pm, but was now on overtime and worked until, 8.30pm.

I can well imagine your head would be banging, working 12 a hours a day in a mill on some noisy and often dangerous machinery, I'd want more than cigarettes I can tell you.

Mr Minogue then made the frightful admission that, one occasion he turned down the sheets on her bed and found half a dozen cigarette ends, does this girl have no shame?

When asked if it was true that she smoked in bed, she answered that she did, and elsewhere too, the girl is honest, I'll give her that.

Finally, Mr Minogue told the court that in desperation he had gone away for a week to escape the girl and the house, but there was no change in the girl's behaviour when he got back, despite her mother promising to chastise her.

Mr Atkin, asked him if he had threatened to kill her?. his reply was..."I might have used words like that...."

Mr Minogue was bound over in the sum of £5 to keep the peace for six months and told to stop threatening to kill her.

He then turned his attention to Bridget,

"It seems to me that you irritated him, a good deal, but I cannot have him threatening to murder you. I should like to hear what a Doctor has to say about your smoking and sometimes in bed, in order to settle your nerves, as for smoking being good for you, it's news to me"

Women smoking, what ever next? they will be demanding the vote next...they had to wait until 1928 for that as well.

Bridget does seem quite a feisty character and good for her sticking up for herself, working 12 a hours a day in a mill, she deserves a medal never mind a fag break.

The legendary American pioneer, William Frederick Cody better known as Buffalo Bill who was at one time was  a Pony Express rider, Army scout, buffalo hunter and in later life  the owner of the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show which toured Europe with genuine Native American from the Sioux and Oglala tribes, cowboy sharpshooters, stage coaches, wagon trains and even a herd of buffalo!

Bill rolled into Salford in early December 1887 and set up camp on the Salford Racecourse at New Barnes, later to be the site of the Number Nine Dock at Salford Docks.

As can be imagined 1,00's of visitors flocked to see this show and Bill ever the showman was only  to eager to please his adoring public with exhibitions of rifle shooting, mock ups of famous battles including Little Big Horn and plenty of blood curdling action guaranteed.

The Wild West Show ran from 14th December until 30th April 1888 and was seen by everyone from MP's, Mayors, Magistrates, merchants, traders and the people of Salford who must have been transfixed by the spectacle unfolding before them.

There were a couple of incidents on the Salford leg of the tour, firstly one of the troupe a Native American Indian, called, "Surrounded" died of a chest infection, this was seen as being a curse on the show by some, rumours of his burial have been circulating for some time, he was allegedly buried in Weaste Cemetery, which proved to be untrue, then in Brompton Cemetery in London, but no records exist to show this internment, there is speculation that that he was secretly buried on the showground by his friends, possible?

The second incident is that a baby girl was born to "Goodrobe" and "Little Chief" the first ever Native American child to be born overseas, this caused much excitement not only in the camp but in the local press.

The little girl was baptised in St Clement's Church in Ordsall, and was given the name, "Overseas" and the English name of Frances, Victoria, Alexander, the names were for Frances Cleveland who was the wife of the American President, Grover Cleveland, Queen Victoria and The Princess of Wales, Alexander,

For me the best story involving the visit to Salford concerned a court case which involved Buffalo Bill, which I came across whilst researching for my Cross Lane book (still available in all good bookshops!)

On the day before was due to leave to Salford with the show he went out drinking in several pubs and naturally decided to visit a few of the pubs on Cross Lane, I'll bet that was a sight to behold.

On the 1st May 1888, he went in the Buck Hotel to have a farewell drink with the Landlord, a chap called Thomas Twist, after a few drinks a hansom cab was called to take Bill back to his lodgings in nearby Howard Street, which shattered my illusions about Bill sleeping underneath the starry, Salford skies in a tent.

The cabdriver Mr Broadhurst duly arrived and Bill was waved off, however when they arrived at his address, Bill refused to pay saying that Broadhurst had taken him the long way round, that old trick then!

Bill went into the house and slammed the door, Broadhurst, brave chap, banged on the door and demanded his money - wrong move - Bill came out grabbed him by the neck and punched him in the face and promptly went back in the house.

Broadhurst went to the police and demanded that Bill be arrested, now this put the police in a dilemma because Salford Council had mooted the idea of naming Broadway, Buffalo Bill Way and possibly the Freedom of Salford for him, for all the charitable work he had done during his stay here.

A summons was issued and Mr Twist turned up at Court in his place, whilst Buffalo Bill sent his apologies, and pleaded Guilty but under provocation and was prepared to accept whatever the Magistrate thought fit.

The Stipendiary Mr Makinson fined Bill £3 plus costs which included ten shillings for Mr Broadhurst and his cab fare, which was paid at once by Mr Twist.

Buffalo Bill did return to Manchester but not Salford, in 1891 and 1902, perhaps he had, had enough of our cab drivers?

Let's roll back the clock to the golden, idyllic, Summer of 1970 when Brazil won the World Cup, 4-1 against Italy, The Beatles disbanded, 600,000 people gathered at The Isle of Wight to watch, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Tiny Tim, Mungo Jerry were top of the charts with, In The Summertime and the Drug Squad in Eccles were flexing their truncheons.

At 12.15am, Saturday, July 11th  the police raided a house on Abbey Grove, Eccles and several people there were arrested and taken to Green Lane Police Station for questioning, and were told there was reason to believe that they had been smoking, cannabis!

The accused were, Anne Higginson, Patrick Mullin, Alan Goldson, James Smith and a unnamed 15 year old boy, who became my Brother in Law, Mick Scahill, and what an excellent chap he was. a fine husband, father and friend, R.I.P. 

Several of them admitting smoking "pot", including Mick, bless him and according to Chief Inspector Wood, Higginson said:

"Why charge everybody?, it's my room let the others off"

In court she denied saying this.

Chief Inspector Wood told Eccles Magistrates Court that the warrant was executed at Abbey Grove, which was described as being a large house, divided into flats and damningly the occupants had no right to be living there and paid no rent to the owner and were basically, squatters!

He then went on to describe the living conditions of the house, which at times is laughable, he said the premises were in a dilapidated condition with "paintings on the wall in bright colours, including flowers and other articles"

"Most of the rooms are in an indescribable condition with filthy walls and floors, and no attempt has been made to clean them, they are squatters and should not be there"

When the police went into a room rear of the house on the first floor they found, 30 home made cigarette ends and a piece of substance which was believed to be cannabis.

D. C. Park really got into the swing of it when he told the Magistrate that when he entered a room it became obvious that cannabis had been smoked and.

."It was quite apparent to me a drug orgy had taken place"

Yes he actually used the words, "drug orgy" this was Eccles not The Sphan Ranch with Charlie Manson and his gang.

Mullin objected to the police description of the rooms and said they were being treated as "queer people" and that this was going on all over the world.

The Chairman of the Court, Mr B. Hodgson told Mullins hat as long as he obeyed the law he could within reason do what he wanted.

Mr Mullins then went into a wonderful speech in which he said there was no loud music as the record player was broken and they were chatting about, the Universe, The Cosmos and love when the police broke into the room and ordered him to strip off whilst they searched him for cannabis, a bit of a rude awakening I should imagine.

"Basically I am a peaceful person, but know I am more antagonistic, how would you like it if a stranger came to your house, when you are having your tea, and tell you to take your clothes off for an examination for cannabis"  He has a point.

The Deputy Clerk of the Court told him that it was illegal, to which he replied… "It was illegal to be a Christian at one time"

The trial was quickly descending to farce when he was asked what he did for a living, he replied, "I simply smile at people"

The others admitted smoking cannabis but denied they were doing anything wrong and awaited their fate.

The Magistrate fined them all £25 each and were given a warning about their future conduct and ordered out of the house on Abbey Road, justice had been done.

I can remember the "Eccles Commune" as it became known and to be honest it was a bit of a novelty and not den of iniquity the police made it out to be, laughable really.

Mick Scahill told me they knew they were due for a visit from the police because two days earlier, two men with fake Irish accents knocked on the door asking to buy "pot" and asking if there were and "chicks" living there... Hmm who could that have been.

The house has since been demolished but they say if you walk past on a hot Summers night, the smell of patchouli oil and Red Lebanese can be smelt on the evening breeze...

I came across this story from November, 1920 in the pages of the Salford City Reporter and tells of the misfortunes of the doziest thief in Salford.

Thomas Callaghan, 30 was a seaman from Liverpool appeared at Salford Magistrates Court charged with attempting to cheat or defraud by false pretences, James Clark, which seems a clear cut. case.

Callaghan was on Trafford Road close to the dock gates, when he approached Mr Clark and asked if he was interested in buying a ring from him, for £1 and going as far to say that the ring came from a jewellers shop that he had burgled in Liverpool, and that he had a few more to sell.

He gave Clark the ring to examine, who looked at it underneath a street lamp to ascertain if it was genuine, only to be told, "be careful there could be a policeman about"

Clark said he was interested but only had ten shillings on him but if Callaghan would come home with him, he would give him the full amount, to which he agreed.

As they walked along Trafford Road, Callaghan was unceremoniously bundled into the Trafford Road, Police Station by Clarke who then revealed his identity as, Dock Police, Superintendent Clarke,,

I can just imagine the look on Callaghan's face as he realised what a clanger he had dropped.

The ring was examined  by a local jeweller and found to be a cheap brass and glass copy, a further cheap, brass signet ring was found on Callaghan when he was searched, not looking good for him, is it?

He appeared at the Magistrates Court the next day after a night spent in the cells, no doubt kicking himself, silly.

To his credit he pleaded guilty and said the rings were one's he wore himself, then added that he thought Superintendent Clark was an old shipmate and that it was meant as a joke.

This was met with laughter from the Magistrates bench, but it didn't last long.

They sentenced the hapless, trickster to three months in prison with hard labour.

All of these photos were taken over a period of 12 months by Alan Cogswell between 1969 and 1970 and show views mainly from the roof of Stowell Church whilst renovations were being made, They show rooftop views looking over Ordsall, Trafford Road, Eccles New Road, Cross Lane and Salford Docks.

They were captured on slides and have now been cleaned, restored and converted to digital format.

We have identified Elizabeth Street with the the off licence on the corner, looking up Cross Lane you can see the white tiled Railway pub a Groves and Whitnall pub with the Falcon across the road facing it and The Carlton cinema.

Take a look yourself and see if you can identify any of the long gone buildings which ones dominated the skyline.

Part Two will come tomorrow but until then we leave you with this stylish chap, Stowell parishioner Tony Russell, out for a casual stroll, possibly to pick up a Salford Mug? Who knows?

On Trafford Road you can see The Clowes pub and the magnificent Salford central Mission Building, Salford Docks with the mighty grain elevator which took some blowing up, the cranes of Salford Docks and so much more.

We would mention the old Gasometers which were pulled down a few years back to make way for yet another proposed trendy neighbourhood, however, we won't as it could tempt Tony Easom to break out in song.

All together now, Dirty Old Town, Dirty Old Town.

Can you name any of these long lost streets and buildings? Let us know in the comments.

We will be back tomorrow with the next nostalgic instalment thanks to Alan Cogswell who scaled the scaffolding to capture them for prosperity. Our many thanks for doing so.

As war was raging throughout Europe and the death tolls were rising daily, tragically one soldier would loose his life, not upon a battlefield but closer to home...

Salford had supplied many troops for this war effort and many soldiers left for their new posts on the Western Front from Cross Lane Barracks in Salford.

Cross Lane, which sits at the entrance to Salford proper, off the A6 Broad Street, is not the anonymous street it now appears to be.

It was once a bustling thoroughfare, with a beautiful Art Deco market clock tower – now demolished, of course, thanks to bungling council planners in the 1970s.

It is worth interjecting into this history story that outrage over the madness of decisions to knock down beautiful parts of our city’s heritage goes on to this day in Salford.

The market clock tower looked out over all on Cross Lane © SLHL

50 years ago: 150-strong mob in Cross Lane beat club riot

In its heyday Cross Lane was crammed with shops, transport and life out on the street and soldiers would be a regular sight for passers-by.

In April 1916, Salford would be scandalised by an horrific murder at the army barracks.

The lurid details were splashed across the pages of the Manchester Guardian and thousands read about an innocent soldier, Private John Francis Kelly, brutally slain.

The son of Henry and Ellen Kelly, Pvt John Kelly, 27, was an iron worker who had served with the 7th Lancashire Fusiliers and had seen action in the Dardenelles.

He left the army in January 1916 to return to his former profession, but just a month after going back to work volunteered to return to the horrors of the First World War front lines.

7th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers meet American troops on the Front – IWM

Kelly took up his post as a guard at the Barracks gates, and in the evenings he stayed at his sister’s home in Armitage Street, Patricroft.

He was, she said, in good health when she last saw him – when he left her home on the morning of his death saying would be back for dinner at 12.45pm.

She told the inquest that he owned a relatively new knife which army bosses had given out with his uniform on the morning he re-enlisted.

He had seats booked for a show at the Hippodrome Theatre that night.

Cross Lane was full of life in 1916, with theatres, pubs, grand buildings and banks © SLHL

On the afternoon of April 28, Kelly was sent to a house on nearby Bridgewater Avenue – a demolished street between Clarendon and Liverpool Road – along with Private Harry Walker, to detain a soldier who was absent without leave: Private Walter Taylor.

It was reported that Taylor came quietly and didn’t put up a struggle at the time of his arrest, but he was told not to leave the Barracks again.

Kelly’s superior officer at Cross Lane, Captain Cartwright, had ordered he be detained in the small guardroom for questioning, while Kelly was stationed in the same room to watch him.

Things took a sinister turn when at 2.15pm that day, a Corporal Cooper was returning to the Barracks after finished his lunch when he spotted the prisoner, Taylor, casually walking along Cross Lane with his hands behind his back.

© SLHL

When asked why he was out of the Barracks he told Cooper the man guarding him had “let him out for some fresh air”.

Cooper hurried back to the barracks were he was met with an horrific sight.

Private Kelly was lying on his back on the guardroom floor in a pool of blood with his throat slit almost from ear to ear.

The blood had collected around his shoulders and was seeping across towards the door.

Kelly sister was the one to identify her brother’s body at the Silk Street Mortuary.

She told the judge in the inquest that he had mentioned the name Walter Taylor to her before, and said that he was “a sailor, a fine man, but very quiet”.

The police were summoned and Detective John Smith was first on the scene.

In Kelly’s pocket he found a bloodstained knife and on the floor an empty wallet which had contained £4 in notes.

The post mortem revealed that Private Kelly’s throat had been completely severed and the wound inflicted with six separate strokes of a knife.

The cuts were so deep that it had gone through to his vertebrae and had cut through all his blood vessels.

An official manhunt wound into action, but Taylor had a 20-minute headstart.

Police managed to ascertain through eyewitness reports that the fleeing man had jumped aboard a train from Cross Lane train station (yes, Cross Lane had its own station once) to Warrington.

Cross Lane Station looking west © SLHL

Cross Lane Station looking east © SLHL

Manchester Territorials load horses for transport at Cross Lane Station © SLHL

Trying to give his captors the slip Taylor leapt off the train at Tyldesley and went into hiding in a nearby farmer’s shed.

The farmer noticed the unkempt Taylor after a matter of minutes and informed the poice who arrested him and took him to the nearest police station for questioning.

The Salford police arrived in the neighbouring town and found that Taylor, unwashed since the incident, had blood-stained hands.

He quickly pleaded guilty to the offence of murdering Private John Kelly.

He was taken back to Salford under police escort and put on trial at Salford Magistrates Court, charged with ‘Wilful Murder’. Taylor had no intention of pleading his innocence so was sent straight to the Quarter Sessions for sentencing.

The police enquiry uncovered clues that Taylor had overpowered Kelly in the guardroom and slit his throat with Kelly’s own knife. Not done there, the unrepentant Taylor then stole Kelly’s cash from his wallet and his keys, taking the time to lock the cell on his way out to delay anyone finding the body.

Taylor had escaped the short distance from the Barracks to the Station © SLHL

Private John Francis Kelly was buried at Weaste Cemetery on Monday 11 April with full military honours.

The proceedings were “distinguised by military honours of a very impressive character”

200 uniformed men from his Regiment escorted the coffin along with the Royal East Lancashire Band who played suitable dirge music on the route.

Crowds lined the route from Cross Lane to Weaste Cemetery along Eccles New Road, with hundreds more crammed into the cemetery.

Private Kelly’s grave at Weaste Cemetery © Peter Kilvert

As the coffin was lowered into the ground, the Band played ‘The Dead March’ from Saul and as the Last Post was sounded, three volleys were fired by 15 soldiers from the Regiment.

A huge wreath with a Union Jack was presented from the men from the Barracks along with hundreds of other smaller wreaths from Salford and Eccles people who knew the deceased.

Mounted Soldiers on West Albert Street © SLHL

Private Walter Taylor pleaded guilty to the murder of Private Kelly at Manchester Assizes, however instead of facing the death penalty he was found to be criminally insane by the Medical Officer at Strangeways Prison.

The judge ordered him to be “detained at the King’s Pleasure”.

This meant the prisoner had to stay as long as the King wanted; essentially it was a life sentence with no fixed time to serve and no possibility of parole.

These sentences were intended for those who showed no remorse and could be a danger to society if released.

For Kelly, it was a sad ending for a man who had served his country and had re-enlisted to do his bit, only to be slain by a fellow soldier in such a brutal fashion.

His grave is still visible in Weaste Cemetery today, on Cemetery Road in Salford.

Main image: © Salford Local History Library (SLHL)

An amusing story from the pages of the Salford City Reporter, December 1920 in which two chaps reason for being on enclosed premises was taken with a pinch of salt.

Herbert, Henry Green and Thomas Costigan who both resided at Mottram Street, Salford appeared at the Quarter Sessions charged with breaking and entering, Wolf Halons, outfitters shop on Lower Broughton Road, Broughton.

Police Constable Roberts told the Magistrate that he was on duty, when he heard the crash of glass from the rear of Mr Halons, outfitters shop, he went to investigate and found a pane of glass had been smashed.

As he peered in to the shop, something was thrown at him, narrowly missing his head and hitting the window frame, he cautiously entered and found Green and Costigan hiding in the cellar.

He asked if there were any more people with them, to which, Green replied,

"We have pals outside and if your not careful, you'll be shot"

Not the wisest of things to say even if in jest I would have thought.

Mr McKeever for the Defence asked P.C. Roberts,  "

Was it not true there were a crowd of civilians outside the shop, and that these two men, did what you were afraid to do, and entered the shop?"

This was denied by the P.C,.

He was then further asked if that the two men inside the shop were pulling his leg when they said he would be shot.

Again the less than amused P.C, denied these accusations.

Henry Gilbert Green took the stand and gave his account of the night in question.

"We were both a bit inebriated and we heard a smash of glass so we went to investigate, we went into the backyard of the shop and found the door open., so we decided to go in and look for the robbers.

"The constables arrived and found us in there, we thought we were doing them a good turn looking for the robbers"

The jury found them both guilty, Green was sent to prison for four months with hard labour, Costigan was said by the police to have been led into the affair by Green was bound over to keep the peace.

Justice was served and no doubt Mr Green was able to reflect on his wicked ways and wicked quips in his cell at Strangeways prison.

I think we have all heard the Mother In Law jokes and how they make their Son in Law's life a misery with constant nagging, but this story from the pages of the Salford City Reporter, September 1921 puts a new spin on that old chestnut.

Leah Perry, 49, and her daughter, Cecillia, 27, appeared at Salford Magistrates Court charged with assaulting, Molly Perry, her Daughter in Law, who had the misfortune to marry her eldest son.

Molly appeared in court with her head swathed in bandages and sporting, two black eyes, she told her tale of woe to the Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr P.W. Atkin.

She told him that that Leah and Cecillia had made her life a misery for the past four months, beating her, stealing her wages, called her, "filthy names" and had threatened  to split her head open if she didn't leave her husband.

When her, husband, Frank got in from work, she told him what had happened, his remedy to this solution was that they both go for a walk and chat to avoid any trouble.

Their walk took them along Cross Lane which was famous for the number of pubs there, and also it's colourful clientele in the evening, hardly the place to calm one's shattered nerves I would have thought.

Frank as noble as ever, nipped in the pub for a pint and left, Molly outside waiting for him, I think you can guess what is going to happen...

Leah and Cecillia just happened to be taking a stroll along Cross Lane when they spotted her, incredibly, Leah produced a hand grenade and struck Molly over the head with it, she then passed it to Cecillia who, walloped Molly over the head with it twice, knocking her out, and the poor girl remembered nothing until she woke up in Salford Royal Hospital.

Frank who had possibly finished his pint came out of the pub to see what the commotion was all about, only to see his Mother and Sister knocking the living daylights out of his poor wife.

P.C. Wilson who happened to be passing arrested both women and took them to Cross Lane Police Station, both women denied ever having seen a hand grenade and that they were the one's who had been attacked.

The Magistrate adjourned the case for a day and warned the women that he was considering sending them for trial at the next Quarter Sessions.

The following morning, Detective Smith told the court that drink was the cause of this quarrel  and the family squabbling, and that the hand grenade had been brought home from the war by one of Mrs Perry's soldier sons, and was harmless...unless you were hit over the head with it several times, presumably?

MR Atkin then told the accused women that he had thought of sending them to prison but he would bind them over for 12 months if they promised to stop drinking and leave Molly alone.

They agreed to this and were discharged from the court.

I have a nagging feeling that the Magistrate had made the wrong decision and that he hadn't seen the last of these feuding ladies.

A shocking exploration of the stories of the Black and Brown people brought to Victorian Britain - and exploited for popular entertainment and scientific experimentation, so the by-line reads.

The documentary shines a much needed moral spotlight on the inhumane and degrading exploitation of human beings from other countries and cultures conquered in the name of Empire, who were paraded prodded and some sadly photographed naked as nothing other than exhibits and curiosities in Human Zoo's for an eager Victorian audience.

Watch: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/britains-human-zoos 

The program is available via Channel 4's catch up service More 4.

Thankfully times have changed as have social attitudes towards race and culture (for the most part) but the story casts a dark shadow on a society which claimed at the time to be civilised.

One of those people featured was none other than our very own adopted Prince, Peter Lobengula who was co-opted as a performer and brought to England at the request of Frank Fillis, a showman entrepreneur, in a show called Savage South Africa which alleged to show the battles that Cecil Rhodes had fought against the Matabele tribesmen. 

Peter Lobengula professed to be the son of King Lobengula of Matebela, which became Rhodesia after the Matebela wars of 1893, and is now modern-day Zimbabwe. 

Fillis had heard about the success of the Buffalo Bill Wild West tours and saw this a great chance to jump onto the bandwagon and make a pile of cash into the bargain. 

Prince Peter was the star of the show and even got to drink champagne with the Prince of Wales in 1899 when he visited the London show at Earls Court. 

Controversy dogged the show with the London press complaining that local women were becoming too friendly with the African showmen, going so far as to describe the Africans as "savages". 

Matters were not helped when Prince Peter announced that he was going to marry a white woman called Kitty Jewell, thus causing further outrage, with the London Evening News going as far as to say, "there is something inexpressibly disgusting about the mating of a white girl with a dusky savage". 

Their attempts to get married were obstructed by the local vicar, the owners of the show and by Kitty's mother, this prompted Lobengula to quit the show and threatened to return to South Africa, which he never did. 

The Savage South Africa Show moved to Salford in 1900 and set up camp at Broughton Football Club where Prince Peter reappeared but lower down on the casting; the Boer War had just started and the show's main attraction were families of Boers that Frank Fillis had brought over. 

Again the show ran into trouble, local people were often in the Magistrates court for causing trouble with the black performers, also more trouble occurred when Kitty Jewell ran away from Lobengula threatening suicide going so far as to leave a suicide note on the canal bank. It has to be said that Kitty was never seen again, but there is no evidence of suicide. 

The show lasted for eight weeks before moving to Blackpool, Leeds and Liverpool, however losses of £1,800 a week meant that Frank Fillis sold the props and moved back to South Africa. 

Peter Lobengula remained in Salford and little was known of him apart from the odd court appearance for drunkenness, it is known that he married an Irish woman called Catherine and had four children, living in Gladstone Street, off Indigo Street, Pendleton whilst working as a collier at Agecroft colliery. 

He made the news again in 1913 when he appeared at Salford Magistrates Court saying that as son of King Lobengula of Matabele then part of Rhodesia he was entitled to vote. 

He won the case and was allowed to vote in the Salford East ward. 

His health had deteriorated over the years and he contracted consumption, the local vicar of his parish applied for a pension for him, this caused further controversy when The British South Africa Company investigated Lobengulas family tree and declared him to be a hoaxer and therefore not entitled to the money. 

Sadly Prince Peter Lobengula died from consumption in November 1913 and was buried in a public grave in Agecroft cemetery. By 1920 his wife and four of their children were to join him in the cemetery. 

As a footnote I was pleased to read that after his death, his funeral cortege passed by Agecroft colliery and that his workmates dropped their hats as a mark of respect to their friend, also crowds lined the route to the cemetery. 

We will never truly know if he was a Prince or not, but he certainly conducted himself like one and showed better manners than many of his so called superiors, an extraordinary man who led an extraordinary life.

Since his death a family member has come forward claiming that he was not the son of King Lobengula but instead his Grandson which adds weight to his claims.

Many thanks to Salford Local History Library for allowing us to use the image of Peter Lobengula.