HIGH BANK TIGERS Cycle Speedway Team

From our emails...

Hi there,  our names are Trevor Kay and Dave Oates we and others are celebrating what will be fifty years this year since we were lucky enough to win the British national junior team championship at cycle speedway in September of 1964 at Raynes park in Surrey Is it possible to have brief mention of this on the Thameside blog It all started out as just a bit of fun but in the enclosed brief history it will tell the story better

Team picture are from top left to right: P.Groome manager, Trevor Kay Capt. Ronnie Boote,Dave Newton, Bottom left to right: Brian Wheatley, Bernard Shaw and Billie Rutter.

The poem was all Dave Oates work 

Updated

Over head view from the 1970s

The left arrow points to The Talbot Pub, the right to the cycle track

White Hart Football Team

Today's post is by Cliff Ball and is in memory of his uncle George who sadly passed away last year (2012)

This photograph is of the White Hart Football Team with the Reporter Cup

Taken in the late sixties

Back Row
Irvin Swindells – ? – Kevin Swindells – Eric Gregory – ? – Cliff Ball – Brian Parkes – ? – Alf White – Terry Hadfield

Front Row
Graham Chadwick – Lawrence Brady – George Ball – Eric Swindells – ?

Cliff Ball

MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS

MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS

By Eric Lancashire   Written in 1993

If you were to stop most people in Hyde today and ask them if they could direct you to the rowing club, they’d probably look at you as though you were stupid.

“Rowing?  Don’t be daft!  There’s nowhere in Hyde that’s suitable for rowing!”

However, if you’d asked that same question sixty or so years ago, most Hydonians would have directed you down Woodend Lane and across Captain Clarke’s Bridge.  There, adjoining Woodend Farm and built into landscaped gardens that sloped down to the canal, stood St Georges’ Rowing Club, an elegant single story building, housing sports and leisure facilities, plus a boathouse that accommodated three craft.

In those days, before the war, all the churches had thriving ‘Young Mens Sections’, and it was from the ranks of these organisations that football, cricket, table tennis and billiards teams were raised to compete against each other in local leagues.  There was intense rivalry between the various teams and at St Georges, Harry Renshaw was one of the undisputed stars of the table tennis competitions.

St Georges, however, also had an additional and unique attraction.  Their rowing club!

I’ve read that the club had originally been founded in the 1880’s, but had been disbanded and re-formed in 1903.  By the early 1920’s they had managed to obtain land beside Captain Clarke’s Bridge and in 1922 they built their clubhouse and laid out the gardens.  In the middle of this well-tended terraced landscape they had erected a war memorial inscribed with the names of those young men from the rowing club who had fallen during the Great War.

To be a member of the rowing club you also had to be a member of St Georges’ Church, and a condition of membership (as it was with all the sports teams) was that you attended Church or Sunday School at least twice every month.  The club was always well patronised and in my days it was organised and supervised by Mr Nicholas Warburton.

The clubhouse incorporated a games room, which contained a table tennis table and billiards table.  There was also a smaller card room, plus a tuck shop where you could buy biscuits, snacks, cups of tea and soft drinks.

War Memorial
 In remembrance and deep gratitude to their chums who fell in the World War 1914 - 1919. 
Private's T. H. Metcalfe, W. Whitehead, Corpral A. Robinson, Private's W. Wilson and H. W. Bancroft

Below the clubhouse, at canal level, were housed the boats.  Two of them, the ‘Grace Darling’ and ‘St George’ each had two pairs of oars and including the rowers could carry six people, one of whom acted as steersman.  A small skiff, the ‘Mary’ had room for one rower plus two passengers.  In addition there was also a canoe, but this was not a popular craft on account that it was prone to capsizing and depositing its occupants into the canal.

I seem to recall that the fee to take out the boats was one penny per person and on summer evenings the members would perhaps row up to Woodley and back.  On Saturday afternoons, however, remember that most people worked Saturday mornings in those days; the favourite trip was to row from the clubhouse along the canal all the way up to the bottom lock at Marple and then back again.  This voyage would take up most of the afternoon with different people taking their turn at the oars and having to navigate through the narrow Woodley Long and Hyde Bank tunnels.  At Woodley someone would have to get out of the boat and pull it through the long, dark tunnel by a rope, usually stumbling into unseen puddles in the pitch black and managing to get their feet soaking wet in the process.  But to get through the ‘Leggin Tunnel’ at Hyde Bank, where there was no towpath, you had to ship oars and paddle the boat through as best you could.

Apart from these minor difficulties the rowing was easy and uninterrupted, and we would glide past now long disappeared landmarks such as Gee Cross Mill and the old swing bridge.  The only other obstacle to smooth rowing on our voyage up to the locks was the aqueduct at Marple where the canal soars majestically across the Goyt Valley.  Here, yet again the canal became too narrow for rowing and one of the ‘crew’ had to disembark to tow the boat until the canal once again opened up.

Laying Of The Foundation Stone 20th May 1922

Mr N. Warburton hold the trowel

I walked down to the site of the old clubhouse recently, probably for the first time since the war.  The building and the war memorial have gone and the gardens are all derelict and overgrown with weeds, brambles and trees now, but when I was there I saw something that I’d never seen before.  Set into the ground, on a small raised patio near the old entrance gate were two stone plaques.  They were covered with moss, but when I wiped this away I was able to read them:

This land was given

by

Mr and Mrs N Warburton

as a memorial to their son

Harry Hurst Warburton

killed in Italy

February 23rd 1946

whilst on active service

with H.M. Forces

____________________________

Also to those who fell

in the Second World War

1939 – 1945

Flight Sgt R.H. Nash

Flying Officer F. Plant

Trooper H.H. Warburton

__________________________

It’s all a long time ago, but the memory of those times spent rowing with friends along the peaceful canal, passing green fields with grazing cattle will always remain with me.  I left the club shortly before I was called up to the Navy early in 1940, and when I returned to Hyde after the war, well by then I was married and had a young family.

That’s probably what happened to most of the members and I suppose the rowing club just faded out of use. Neglect, time and changing lifestyles did the rest.

Eric Lancashire

On the 1875 map the boat house is on the Gee Cross side of Captan Clarkes bridge, more towards the bridge that led towards Foxholes.

Now the 1910 maps shows the boathouse is on the opposite bank and on the Hyde side of Captain Clarkes Bridge. 

The area is now overgrown but with care underfoot it can be explored and signs of it's former glory picked out.

My thanks to Bill Lancashire and his father Eric for today's post.

Olympic Swimming Trials 1912

Olympic trials being held in May 1912 at the Queen Adelaide reservoir, Gee Cross. Hyde swimmers Wilkinson, Dean and Wildgoose took part.

The coal strike in 1912 meant that the baths were closed four days a week at the beginning of the season. This affected Wilkinson, Dean, and Wildgoose who had been selected for Olympic trials. They did their training in the Queen Adelaide reservoir, Gee Cross, where the Olympic trials were to be held on June 1st. On the day of the trials the water in the reservoir was only 50 degrees. Both Dean and Forsyth succumbed to the cold and so were not selected. George Wilkinson was selected as Left Forward and Captain. Aged 33 he had already represented England 16 times and was the only player Continentals feared. Henry, aged 27, was selected for 400 and 1500 metres and William Foster for the 400 metres. When the Olympic team left for Stockholm on June 29th, Hyde Seal sent more representatives than any other club in the country.

After preparing for water of 50 degrees in Stockholm, the swimmers were surprised to find water of 70 degrees. It proved too hot for Henry Taylor who had to retire in the 1500 metres. Foster swam well and qualified for the final of his event. In the Water Polo final George Wilkinson led the Great Britain team to a 7-5 victory over Belgium.

Picture and information from Marjorie Davis author of the book HYDE SEAL SWIMMING CLUB 

The team that beat the World   

Newton Mill Cricket Club

NEWTON MILL CRICKET CLUB FIRST X1

1960

Gwyneth Walker as sent in this smashing picture of the above team, which includes her father Clifford Cash. He was the sales manager for well over 30 years at Newton Mill/Waldorf and then Deeko when they moved to Royton.

Office staff, packing up before the transfer to Royton

The Newton Mill factory produced stationery and greetings cards and was originally founded in 1895 by Thomas Owen Jacobsen and Stanley Welch and as such initially traded as “Jacobsen and Welch”.  The factory closed in 1976 and as now been divided up and parts are very much still in use today. 

Entrance  complete with Christmas Tree.




The same corner now.... corner plot is now a car park.

The Day Hyde FC Lost 26 - 0

Hyde FC  hold the dubious record for the biggest ever competitive defeat in English football when they were beaten 26–0 by Preston North End in a match at Deepdale in 1887. Deepdale is recognised as the oldest professional footballing site in the world so if Hyde FC were going to lose properly then why not here!

Here is a newspaper cutting describing the game. The cutting is from the  newspaper ,The North Cheshire Herald ,or just plain old Reporter to most , dated October 1958.

Sorry about the quality but remember it's over 50 years old!

Thanks to Helen Hodkinson for allowing us to use this. It's very much appreciated.

Below is extracts from the Souvenir Programme

PRESTON 26 – HYDE 0

Anyone with an interest in football is able to reel off certain facts. They can tell you the first winners of the FA Cup, the record goal scorer for their team, who got the most caps for England etc.etc. A special favourite however is Hyde’s 26-0 defeat at the hands of Preston North End 100 years ago, on October 15^th, 1887. The game was played at Deepdale  and has taken on legendary proportions. People will tell you that Hyde’s players were drunk or that the referee lost track of time, but press reports of the time bear out none of this. Preston, just about the best club in the world at that time wanted the game played in midweek so they could complete their scheduled fixture with West Bromwich. Hyde declined, so the ‘Invincibles’ fielded their strongest side. A match report would be pointless – those published merely gave a list of who scored each goal. For the record, Dewhurst got 3, Drummond 2, Jimmy Ross 7, Graham 2, Thomson 4, Gordon 5, Jack Ross, Russell and Goodall got 1 goal each. The half time score was 12-0. There is evidence that the first substitute appeared in the match… even if he was illegal and unofficial. After the 3^rd goal in the 17^th minute Hyde’s centre-half  ‘Bowers’ left the pitch injured. Later another player took his place, against the rules, but Preston were not complaining …. They were winning 12-0! Astonishingly, Hyde’s best player was goalkeeper Charles Bunyan who is reported as having been “a clinking good opponent”. Later he became a coach in Belgium and was a major force in establishing soccer there. Hyde did eventually get their revenge in 1891, winning 3-1.

Extract from the Reporter, October 16^th, 1987.

Frank Johnston

A while back we posted about James Johnston  who was amongst other things a gymnast. He was famous in Hyde for once doing a hand-stand on top the flag-pole, which is itself on top of St Georges Church.   YES you read that right... on top of the church. James had four brothers, and today we can tell you about his brother Frank.



We have been contacted by David, Franks Great Grandson... who came across the posting of James and was over joyed to see the story he had heard told so often as a child featured here. David as sent in some great old photo's and pictures. I'll let David take over from here.

It was great to see an old relative on the website and I would like to   share some information regarding his brother Frank Johnston – my great grandfather. 

Frank was born 1872 and died in 1940. He was a runner and in his youth was running professional handicap races and quite successful if the trophies above have anything to do with it. He then worked as a Fitter/Engineer for Crossley Brothers in Gorton and then later he travelled and sold miners safety lamps around the Yorkshire coalfields.

Frank With Crossley Gas Engines

 He was a car owner through the 20’s and 30’s so must have done quite well. He lived much of his life at King George Road – next door to his son Robert and family. If anyone has any further information about Frank I would be happy to hear from them.

This is a photo of Frank with 3 running trophies – I still have the one in the centre.

Frank with his 4 brothers – James is the one that did a handstand from St Georges. I’m trying to trace the other brothers as far as I can.

This photo with the safari outfit is one I have no information about but like to think Frank travelled to Africa to install one of the gas engines.

Frank at Blackpool with his car probably in mid 1930’s

Thank you David Johnston, Great Grandson Of Frank Johnston, for this most interesting of posts... The Johnston family were surely one of Hyde's finest and must have made the Town as a whole very proud. 

UPDATE By Dave Williams

Thomas Middleton's History of Hyde says:"At the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, there were some noted runners in Hyde at 100 yards and quarter-mile; these included S.Annabel, W.Bradley, A.Halton, and A.Fletcher, the best known perhaps being Frank Johnson, who during a long career as an amateur, won over £500 worth of prizes, and later became equally successful as a professional."The book was published in 1932 and an inflation calculator I found on Google says that £500 in 1932 is now worth £24,995. 

...

Cec Duckworth

Cec's shop was on the corner of Water Street and Market Street, in was of course a bicycle shop, but one of high repute. Not just did they sell bikes but made their own frames, sponsored the odd rider and promoted and organised road and trial races. I do not recall when this shop shut so if you can add any information please do so.

Any lad who went to Greenfield Street School in the 1970s and remembers the history teacher Mr Jenner might recall he was what was known as a 'Cog Head'  a road racer on a bicycle. He also encourage quite a few lads to get involved... the one I remember most from that time was Graham ( Moggy) Harrison (RIP) He really was a good rider and won many a race and was taken on by a main sponsor. If you have a picture of the shop or know anything of the shop please comment. It would be nice to hear your memories.

Newton Mill & Newton Hurst

The Newton Mill factory which stood on the corner of Ashton Road and Lodge Street Newton, produced stationery and greetings cards, it was founded in 1895 by a Thomas Owen Jacobsen and  Stanley Welch (who later served as the Mayor of Hyde in 1914-16), it initially traded as “Jacobsen and Welch”.  

Newton Mill specialised in stationery and was renowned for it's early experiments with colour notepapers and other gift stationery. This company did quite a bit for the people of Newton and Hyde,..The War Memorials in Hyde Town Hall bearing the names of the dead were presented by Stanley Welch, when he was Mayor, and his partner  Mr T. Owen Jacobsen. They were erected annually for the duration of the great war, and the final one was unveiled by Mrs Evelyn Welch on "peace day”, 3rd August, 1919.These two also built the homes and playing fields known as Newton Hurst off Victoria Street Newton. The company had a very good Cricket Team who played at Newton Hurst, there was also an Athletics Club and Tennis Courts .

OPENING OF NEWTON MILL PAVILION

Reading from Left to right, Back Row: Mr J. Owen Jacobsen, J.P. (Chairman of Directors). Mr. C.R. Seddon (Director). And Alderman Stanley Welch. J.P. (Managing Director). Middle Row: Mrs. T. O. Jacobsen, Mrs. Stanley Welch, and Mrs. C.R. Seddon. Front Row: Master Teddy Welch, son of Alderman Welch.

Picture from the North Cheshire Herald of August 19th 1922.





Newton Hurst Cricket Pavilion

Newton Hurst lost it's cricket ground and tennis courts long ago..when houses were built on the land.. some of the roads do however retain a sporting theme with such names as Perry Avenue, Mallory Road and Charlton Avenue.

Ariel View from the 1920s, The homes on Newton Hurst are still there.. but the view as changed so much... for a start.. no ICI works .

Gala Day July 2nd 1921....

If you have anything which we could add to this post please let us know.... and we will gladly update this post and included it here.