Wigan Album

Looks like the bully he was.

janice owd bill was not a bully he was bulled himself . one day he said to me jimmy lad if i get any money again ill buy you a chicken farm those were the days x x

i can see young bill in his father on this pic, would love to have met owd bill, i heard tales of him being a rum lad good old days.

Hi janice, where did owd bill live on dgreen.

ey sid if thats your name, its a good job hes not around to read your comment, or you would have to be living in sidney.

Hi Dave, he was born next door to were pat raff used to live on leyland green road, then they moved across the road next door to the chippy on boothsbrow road, then moved to a farm at earlstown were young bill was born, then moved back to billinge road downall green next to the police houses, thats when he had his haulage yard on dam corner, young bill would have been 76 yesterday the 10th.

Thanks for that janice, my dad gerry would have been 76 last month i know they was in same class at school, i wish they were here to see these pics on album and tell us some more good old tales.

My Dad (Old Bills cousin) used to say he didn't look for trouble, but when they heard of his reputation as a wrestler and how he was able to handle himself, some used to see it as a challenge to take him on. From what my Dad said, he often didn't seek bother, but when they brought it to him... Well... they paid the price. I remember my Dad visiting him an Ashton when I was little.

Hi Dave, remember young bill had many a pint with him in bluebell & village club, he went school with my father and they both had us all in stitches with things they got up to, also went king of clubs when bill was on door lovely respected fella.

Hiya David just seen your comment from the 7th Feb, knew your dad,we met him and your mum a few times they helped us a great deal when we were reserching the Ryder family history your dad was the last surviving cousin of old Bill,but sadly your dad is no longer with us now,we met your sister at the funeral but didnt get the chance to speak to you. What your dad told you about old Bill is correct and has been verified by lots of people who knew him.

Hiya Dave just reading through the comments and funilly enough talking about young Bill today is the anniversary 25th Feb its 17years ago to the day when he died.

Sorry David getting you mixed up with David Houghton as you will see from my last comment. I only realized who you were when i read your comment on the photograph showing old Bill holding up young Bill.

Sidney said owd Bill was a bully, Only when he had drink in him, Otherwise you couldn't meet a nicer chap,

Hi I am vicky the first grandchild the one he said he been deprived of seeing cos mum was a good dad was a daddy lol love u grandad xxx

Obviously I never knew the man but it’s a cracking picture, reminds me of a Chicago Gangster, one of the more pleasant ones. Obviously I never met one of those either!

I only ever met Bill on one occasion . The year would have been around 1961 or thereabouts .

Three of us I think it was had decided to bunk off school and go into Wiggin for the afternoon.

We caught the bus from the stop just outside the Jubilee club on Wigan road in Ashton … Bill at that time lived in one of the houses adjoining .

I recall , he came upstairs , sat in the seat directly behind the one where we were sitting , started chatting then cadged a Woodbine off one of us … me probably … as the other two were smoking Senior Service or Capstan full strength or summat .

The guy came across to me as being both jovial and friendly and to this day I still retain a positive image of the chap .

He regaled us with tales of his adventures wandering around the southern counties and becoming inebriated due to gorging on over-ripe fruit he found by the roadside .

Talk about wondrous stories eh ?

I’ve subsequently heard that he had a darker side , but the bloke never did me any harm , and I shouldn’t imagine at my age that I’m ever likely to forget those ten minutes or so that I spent in his company .

Rest in peace Bill .

( p.s. , I won’t hold you to that Woodbine ).

That is a wonderful photo and he does look like a star from the old film noir period - aka
‘’The Big Sleep’’ with Bogey. I wonder if the photo was taken for his bus pass. He looks a character.