Wigan Album

Albert - the officer on the left is Ivy Brooks (nee Russell). She married Joe Brooks.
Ivy was Inspector at Pemberton in the late 1970s for a spell. A real lady, and a good 'boss'.
I remember Amy well, although she retired a couple of years before I joined.

Great photo You will never see policewomen like that again These days they look like school girls.. What use are they?

This is a good one. Also good to see outside the polic station. I wonder what happened to the blue lamp.

MICK L D. I visited Amy three or four months prior to her passing away. She was residing in a nursing home in Ormskirk Road, Pemberton. I also attended her funeral.

have you ever watched those Police Interceptors programmes Ron, the young police women shown give back as good as they get and don't take any nonsense from those who think they are a pushover.

As Ron says, the young policewomen these days look like schoolgirls but I think it is because we are all getting older! I went to Ireland for my 50th birthday and had to ask a policeman where the Molly Malone statue was, and even then, (nearly 19 years ago), I remarked to Peter that he looked like a schoolboy! I agree with Cyril about the young policewomen on Police Interceptors.

There was a series on TV some while back about the early police women. I think it was called PC49. It was on mainly in the afternoon. I would love to watch the series again. There was a lot of issues about what the women had to put up with from some of the disdainful male colleagues. Just the fact that women were allowed in the Police Force. They were ok to brew up, look after children and women's problems at the station etc.... ! They were proved otherwise however.... :o)

The building shown in the background would have been one of the public houses, on the corner of Chapel Lane.

I remember Amy, she was a lovely lady.

Darby Arms chapel on in background

Mick.L.D. Mick.When they posted me up to Pemberton Sub Div, at the end of 1962. Inspector Henshall was the one I/C.
Was the pub I mentioned, the Derby Arms?.

Veronica. The programme was called WPC 56 on BBC at 1.45. There were 3 series understood they were. They are available on DVD as a full set (we have them) and are repeated on the Drama Channel. I believe the are also available on Britbox.

Thank you Carolean, I don't know where PC 49 came from! Must be Dixon of Dock Green!? They started getting some respect when they were used as Nightclub 'fodder' to trap criminals! Don't know whether that goes on these days. I really enjoyed the series. Mainly because it was set in the fifties I think. They scrubbed up well in their evening dress after wearing the uniform which wasn't very attractive in those days.;o))

Albert - yes, the Derby Arms.
Insp Henshall was before my time, but I remember the ex Borough men I worked with at Pemberton mentioning him.

I recollect many years ago, at a police station where I was stationed. They were using the area for a police series. I was the station sergeant, and a female came and stood in front of me. She had loads of make up on. She asked. “ Can I use your toilet?.” I said. “ Are you acting as a scrubber?.” “No, I am the make up technician”. “ Yes you can use the toilet.”

Veronica. PC49 was a radio series in the 50s played by Brian Reece.

I must have heard it then Jack but I can't rememember listening to it! Either I was 'playing out' or the wireless wasn't working at the time due to the 'battery' needing replacing. Happy days! Thanks for that anyway.

Veronica. Just watching BBC 1 lunchtime news and discovered they are repeating WPC56 from today at 1.45 from the beginning.

How strange PC 56 is on the telly now! I'm just going to watch it ... what a coincidence !

MICK.L.D. Mick. Can you furnish a name to the pretty young lady on the right?. It isn’t Kitty Holden, is it.?.

The lady in the middle is Alice Jewell, she was born and brought up in Golborne, she was a one of the best, a wonderful lady.

Veronica - there was also a PC 49 comic strip, and PC 49 annuals, in the 1950s.
As a result, the term PC 49 got used jokingly to refer to bobbies on the beat.

Albert - I've just had a look at the photos in James Fairhurst's history of the Borough force, and the fourth officer seems to bear a resemblance to Dorothy Lavery.
Can't be sure though.

I knew I had heard it somewhere Mick LD...I still can't remember where though!

Thank you Mick.L.D. The three I definitely remember. Cannot remember Dorothy Lavery. She may have arrived after I moved to Pemberton.

The lady on the right could well be Dorothy Lavery, but she had left Wigan before I joined in 1960. There was another police lady that had left just before I joined, but I cannot remember her name.

Aubrey. There was Christine. She married Insp. Basil?. Shortly before he retired. They took a post office in Wales. He retired about the time that I went to Kent. Veronica and I met them, at a service area, on the motorway. We were going back to Kent, they were going back to Wales. There was another police lady. A short name, an unusual name, somewhat like Amy, or Ivy, but I can’t bring it to mind. I must have known Dorothy Lavery, but I just can’t bring her to mind. Margret Higham was in Wigan Borough Police. She went into the Lancashire Constabulary, on promotion to sergeant.

All through my Schooldays I wanted to be a poilcewoman,the bobby that took us across the road coming home from School used to say "Don't forget where you're going when you leave School".I met him years later and asked why I hadn't applied..but of course children came early so that was that..I would have loved to join the Police Force.
Re 'Big Amy' she was a lovely lady..when she was on the bus she was forever giving up her seat when the bus got full..even helping old ladies off at the bus stop even though she'd been long retired herself..I don't think I ever saw her in her seat for more than five minutes...that is a lovely photo Albert of three very proud looking ladies.

I apologise..I should have said four very proud ladies.

Yes you would have had to be quite tall in those days Maureen. That rule seems to have been relaxed, I've seen young girls not much taller than me and I'm only 5ft nothing.

Yes Veronica,I used to be 5'ft 6,but due to a collapsed disc I'm now only 5'ft 2 believe it or not..one of my nephews is in the police force and when we went to his wedding there was plenty of Police women there,and honestly they all looked like dolly birds and were only as tall as me.

I apologise..I should have said four very proud ladies.

My sons ex partner is a serving police officer and believe you me you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of that one.

I now remember the Inspector that married the police lady Christine. His name is/was. Basil Whittaker.

Basil Whittaker had a role to play in the prosecution tribunal relating to the Nazi war criminals, at the Nuremberg trials.

My father was in the Wigan Bprough Police Force. When I was about eight years old he had taken me into Wigan while off duty. I needed the loo and was taken to a gents down an alley off Standishgate somewhere near what was then Mark Williams. I was too young to know what was going on but my dad found it necessary to arrest a man who was already in there. All three of us were taken to Wigan Borough police station in a Black Maria where I was introduced to and left in the care of Big Amy. I fell in love with her immediately and stayed that way into adolescence. Over the years whenever I saw her, on or off duty, I was taken back to being eight years old again. A truly lovely lady.

Mick.L.D. Was the one that had a short Christian name. Ina Duxbury?.

There was an Ina Duxbury, Albert.
She appears in this photo, standing third from right.
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=3&id=31003&gallery=Police&page=3

I must have served with your dad Derek.B. Unless he had retired earlier in the fifties, prior to me joining.

Thank you Mick.L.D. I found the photograph under the police section.

Albert.S. It is a long time ago but we discussed you perhaps knowing my dad and discovered that you both did serve at some time together , though he would have been considerably older than you. His name was Thomas Bond, more commonly know as 'Tommy'
and he was one of the bobbies working the Beech Hill, Springfield and Gidlow beat.

That's a lovely story and memory Derek B. Perhaps Police women weren't as 'scary' to a child. That's not to say policemen weren't kind though. There was always a slight threat about police men as in saying " T' Bobby's coming!" But it was always true when older people used to say " if you get lost ask a police man"...

Derek. B. Your Dad Derek retired prior to me joining. Nothing but affectionate, and numerous good tales relating to him. I would have enjoyed the privilege of working with him. In the first place, was he a police war reserve?. There was another officer that had been, in the first place, a war reserve. He worked permanently in the front office, Danny Lowe. He was a rum old stick. He had the habit, when he wanted to knock the ash off the end of his cig, he would knock on his forearm.

Thanks Albert.S, for your comments. He did start out his time with the police as a war reserve and he and Danny Lowe were great friends.

Amy used to call in at Wigan Exchange for a brew with the doorman,Dick Passat,Who I believe was another ex copper.
Think she was summat to do with traffic at that time.

Derek B . In Danny’s capacity as the reserve man, he would make sure the giant kettle, on a lever, in the fire place, in the parade room was filled, and boiling for the troops when they came in for their refreshment break. He would also put pies in the oven, from the refreshment boxes of individual officers. One time, a long in the tooth P.C. his wife had packed him a lovely apple&black currant pie. Sparks flew, when this P.C. came in for his break. Danny had put it into the oven, thinking it was a meat&potato pie.

Albert - I remember being told a similar story about Newtown police office.
An officer brought a dinner to work in an enamel dish.
When he came in for his break, he found that Horace Staniforth was covering station duty, had failed to put it in the oven for him, to warm up.
He complained at length to Horace, and wouldn't let the matter drop.
The next time he brought a meal into work, he came in for his break, and found Horace had warmed it up for him in the oven.
Unfortunately it was a salad.
The officer never complained again.

Mick L D. One traumatic telephone call that I received at Newtown Police Station, just before 10pm, (Start of night duty.) from central was. “ Sorry to tell you, but your dad has died”. Three minutes later, another telephone call from central. “ It wasn’t your dad, it was your uncle”. Too late. Shock had already registered.

A terrible mistaske for someone to make, Albert.
I passed the old Newtown office yesterday. I believe it is now sheltered accomodation flats.

It should not have happened over the phone a message such as that... unbelievable. I remember when a policeman would turn up at someone's door to deliver a message like that.

Mick L D & Veronica.
It was a terrible mistake by a colleague, but no doubt, a mistake. I had no intention of taking any vengeful action relating to the mistake. That would have been a bigger mistake, and being vengeful is in no way, in my nature.

I wouldn't have expected anything else from you Albert... and you are right.

Ivy Brooke was my great aunt. She used to live in the terraced houses near Bill Reid’s chippy before she married. Her sister Edie lived around the corner down the side of the chippy and her other sister, my Nan Annie Edwards lived on Windsor Rd.

Ivy Brooke was my great aunt. She used to live in the terraced houses near Bill Reid’s chippy before she married. Her sister Edie lived around the corner down the side of the chippy and her other sister, my Nan Annie Edwards lived on Windsor Rd.