Wigan Album

Great memories x

It was still the Empress during the sixties

memories flood back,Dick Stanley's band, Jan Smits the singer, jiving Joe Bertrand, Derek Lynch. Those were the days!!

I remember Jiver Joe very well, he worked in the PX stores at the American base Burtonwood.
I got a golf iron off him that could be adjusted from 1 to 9. He ended up working at Halls Bread, Buckley St. Last I saw of him..

The archway was the entrance to the beachcomber club this was a club for the under 18s only orange and pepsi on sale here we had some great live bands too, my friend Maurice Furlong from Ince played Bass Guitar in one of them but I cant remember the name of his grouip

New Year's Eve in the 60's. Big band sound, the sprung floor, packed in like sardines. Got a new red dress for Christmas from Joan Barries. The day after I met the lad I was courting in town and the white shirt and his vest had turned pink, the dye had come out of my dress and so it went back to the shop. Memories. Can someone turn the clock back.

Gerry, the entrance to the Beachcomber was in the middle opposite the door into the "Emp Cafe" It was originally a snooker hall

The Beachcomber was a great place and my M8 Mike Rawlinson (AKA ROLLO) later to be a DJ at the Casino and MrMs got me started on my life long affair with SOUL music god bless you Mike

I remember Mike Rawlinson he went to Wigan Grammar School when I was there, didn't know he went on to be a DJ though!

I remember the Casino(th'Emp) when I first went. There was a cafe next door were everyone would meet. A resident big band played and several groups would appear in various parts of the dance hall. Also a DJ played the top ten during intervals. What a great place to pull girls ;-)

Waited on table late 1965 for 6 months,served drinks to Dusty Springfield ,gorgeous! .Was sent down to Beachcomber to protect Manfred Mann from the mad hordes of teenagers, got ripped to bits.