Wigan Album

A Book is Immortal.


Tom Walsh.

It is often said that a book is immortal, how very true in the case of ‘The Road to Wigan Pier', the people of of Wigan know the truth of the saying to their cost. Wherever you travel in the world and you mention your place of birth it often becomes the topic of conversation . The book has done untold damage to the town since its publication in 1937 and that harm will continue because of books longevity. He claimed to like the people of Wigan, God knows what he would have written if he hadn't. The book will hang like an albatross round Wigan's neck for decades if not centuries to come.

On the 75th anniversary of the publication of the book The Wigan Observer carried a special feature. I was fortunate enough to be invited to contribute, mine was a very harsh critique . Quentin Kopp from the Orwell Society fought Orwell's corner. At an event at the Museum of Wigan to commemorate the anniversary, I pointedly didn't say celebrate. Mr. Kopp seemed less than pleased with my criticism of the work , I think it would be fair to use the phrase 'if looks could kill'; however I was, and still am, firm in my assertion that Orwell came to the north with an agenda and we're told, with a retainer in his back pocket.

My criticism was not of his writing, he is an outstanding descriptive writer and his chapters regarding coal mining were of great significance, and brought the terrible working conditions to the attention of the nation. Because of the upcoming unveiling of the mining monument I have revisited the book, to see if I had been unfair in my opinion that his description of Scholes and Wallgate were largely exaggerated to the point of being biased in the pursuit of a good story!

I must say that on rereading or should I say listening again on ' Audiobooks’ ; incidentally, many are free including this one . I can recommend this method of ‘reading by ear’, particularly helpful to me as I'm a very poor reader and can easily lose concentration, this is not a problem with the spoken word . However back to the subject at hand; in chapter 4 he speaks of back to back houses and reports he was told during his research, of 36 people sharing a lavatory, this is not in Wigan I should add , he doesn't identify which town. To be fair to Orwell he says a miner told him, and he doesn't know if this is true; why then include it in a book that claims to be factual ?
speaks of 'back to back houses’ frequently, and for clarity I would like to point out there were few if any of these dwellings in Wigan, we had hundreds, possibly thousands, of terraced houses where the back yards came 'back to back', these are not the same animal. Houses of that description share party walls on three of their four sides, with the front wall having the only door and windows. This may seem a trivial point but as many in Wigan use this terminology for the latter, I think it right to highlight the difference lest people draw the wrong conclusion , easily done as in the earlier chapters the book goes from town to town . The book has had a world-wide readership and of course most will see it as a report with facts and figures to be trusted. I say report because this is how the format of the first part of the work purports to sound.

I was born 8 years after the book was published so obviously have no recollection of the period itself, however I was born in Scholes as were my parents and grandparents . On first reading the book at about the age of 13, I took it upon myself to ask questions from my extended family. I can assure you not one had a good word for Mr Orwell. They felt betrayed by someone who had gained the trust of many people from all over the north, whom they now see as an interloper from the south who damaged the reputations of many northern towns; none more than Wigan because of the title he chose for what I consider to be a biased and unfair depiction of my town .

I do not argue there was not great poverty in some areas, of course there was, that cannot be denied. Many houses were unfit for habitation, that is also true ; but I do take issue with his betrayal of the cleanliness of the dwellings. I have no doubt there were houses as he describes but they would be in a tiny minority, a minority he sort out diligently to suit his paymaster Victor Gollancz. That the vast majority of the houses were in need of repair and demolition is also a truism, but they were spotless; women mopping their steps on a daily basis even including an oblong of the pavement .

I think I can best show how unfair the book is by an article in The Wigan Observer on the13th March 1937, the same month as the publication of the book . The article reports that Mr. Bennett the Director of Education for Wigan was being interviewed on the wireless 'The National Programme'. The woman announcer who introduced Mr. Bennett to the microphone paid this tribute to Wigan - I paraphrase . 'As you approach Wigan, the traveler will be shocked and surprised as he draws near to what must be to south countrymen, the most fabulous of all northern towns. For you come into it through suburbs filled with thoroughly good modern houses, none look jerrybuilt, all suggesting an air of social content

No Lancashire town can show as many well built small houses as can Wigan on it eastern side; indeed there is nothing about Wigan that looks as though it had fallen into decline. Wigan is not a cotton town though a certain amount of cotton is spun and woven there . It is a colliery town , the difference between a colliery town and a cotton town is the coal pits are kept well away from the town centre whereas cotton mills are always protruding themselves into the very heart of the towns of their choice.

The centre of Wigan is very attractive its shops are made out of old black and white timber houses. The centre of Wigan is still further dignified by its magnificent Parish Church and the Market Place adjoining it. Altogether the face of Wigan is anything but what musical hall comedians suggest; it isn't place where the collier beats his wife is a matter of course every Saturday. There are many things in which Wigan is a shining example to all the Lancashire boroughs.' I am sure there is an amount of hyperbole in her comments, but what she has said, was said.

Can these two observations possibly be of the same town? I don't try to expunge the poor housing conditions in Scholes and Wallgate in 1937, but fairness demands that if you are to give a balanced view of a town , you should show some of the good side too! As Cromwell said 'paint me warts and all.' This programme didn't seek to gloss over Wigan’s problems, on the contrary, in Mr Bennett's address he mentions the high unemployment in Wigan, and says there were 11, 000 children of school age and confronts the free school meals issue.

The woman announcer , (the article doesn't give her name) entered Wigan from Chorley coming through Standish and presumably Wigan Lane , and I imagine left by the same route ; consequently didn't see the poor housing conditions in Scholes and Wallgate . I cannot but think had she visited these areas her judgment would have been more merciful and considered than that of Orwell .

This programme was not broadcast as a rebuttal of The Road to Wigan Pier it was a coincidence that it was broadcast in the same month as the publication of the book. Talking of rebuttal, I in my own tinpot way have written a rebuttal. The last chapter reads - I hope that some of the contents in this book leads readers to look at my home town with fresh eyes (mine) and in so doing see through the mist of bigotry and misinformation deliberately peddled by a one-time police officer from Burma. Today I think it could be described as 'fake news’. I may seem to have been dilatory in taking up the cudgel to right a wrong that incensed me on first reading it almost 60 years ago at St John Fisher Secondary Modern School, but is no less heartfelt for the delay. I hope I have managed to portray my love for Wigan ; to show why I have been moved to put pen to paper, or more correctly finger to i- pad . You see for me WIGAN has no PEER !

The book, is in truth a collection of articles, many of which have been published in The Wigan Observer which perhaps need serious editing and refining, but if any reader would like to have a copy, in the raw, so to speak, email tom.walsh45@me.com I will forward a copy with pleasure.

Although I seem to have upset George Orwell's devotees and am in danger of doing so again. I'm not alone in criticising the book , The Manchester Guardian carried this -' Set down in Wigan or Whitechapel Mr Orwell would still exercise an unerring power of closing his vision to all that is good in order to proceed with his wholehearted vilification of humanity.' I would remind the devotees of his passion for freedom: one of the quotes attributed to him "Intellectual honesty is a crime in any totalitarian country; but even in England it is not exactly profitable to speak and write the truth.” and another "Freedom of speech is real ". If he has the right to that freedom, then so have I. I imagine he would defend my right to it, at least I hope he would !

Well said Mr Walsh, Too many people are quick to run down Scholes and Wallgate.A lot of people from those area's were the salt of the earth

I agree EMc , I have read this article before from Tom, as I have told him before his loyalty to Scholes and district knows no bounds. A worthy piece of writing and well researched.

True and conscientious, was your return to Audiobooks, Tom.

I take your point about the way that Orwell tended to overdo his criticism of the housing conditions Thomas, but do you not think that maybe that was a small price to pay considering the bright light that he shone on the appalling conditions that miners were having to endure at the time?
I don’t say this as any sort of criticism of your excellent essay, I am just interested in your opinion.

Thank you for your kind comments about the article.
DTease, I fully understand your point of view , and as I highlight in the third paragraph he did describe the appalling working conditions; many attribute the book width improvement in the mines however I don't subscribe to that notion entirely . I sure it did shine a much need light on the industry , but in my opinion WW2 , when the miners were at last recognised for their effort in that war . The biggest improvements in conditions came as a result on nationalisation. I ought say I am from a mining background, my grandfather lost a leg in a mine accident in 1929 , he received 5 shilling a week as compensation to keep a wife and family.

Was it the case Tom, that, after the effort that most people had put into winning the War, they were not prepared for things to return to the way they had been previously?
When the Mines were nationalized the Miners must have felt that they now had a share in the Mines that they worked in and that this was their opportunity to do something about the terrible state that the Pits had fallen into.
Working in the Mines was never going to be easy, but Nationalization made conditions a little more tolerable.