Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 9th April, 2021)

I've heard it's a good indian restaurant and was recommended.

I would much preferred it still as a pub, too many restaurants whether Indian, Chinese or what ever. We are definitely a society of "just eat". This was always a lovely pub clean and tidy.

Thanks Dennis, lovely reminder of the area we once called home. Many, many years ago this was the "local" for us, lovely PaD.

Good capture Dennis, the trees frame it quite nicely. i've not been in since it's been a food establishment, what's it like ?

Another nice pub which had gone and turned into something innapropiate not needed, and doesn't fit into this lifestyle today for a small village.

Very good photo Dennis.You have not only got the pub in, but also the beautiful daffodils.

What a lovely, cheerful photo of a Spring day. As WN1 Standisher says, the trees from a natural frame. I think we all wished pubs were still pubs but they are sadly closing down as times change, and I would rather see the building in use and well-kept, (as it seems to be), than derelict or demolished.

Very good photo Dennis.Enjoyed the food there when I went but would have preferred it to have stayed a pub.Still better than it being boarded up though.

The old Methodist Chapel and school was next door - the hall was used for weddings, square dances etc but, being Methodist, teetotal - wedding toasts with Cidrax!
The number of men at these events who said they needed a stroll, get some fresh air, when the fresh air was in the bar at the Queen's Head was staggering.
My great grandad (decd 1940) was a regular in there - the Gregorys were Catholic- and he used to get the bus from thowd co op down Bolton Road, up to the Queen's Head.

Nice to see the flowering cherries just peeping in at the side..
not be long before the daffs are gone .. brief as it was, they certainly made an impact.

Excellently frame photo Dennis, and a little bit of the old railings from my old school ,Aspull Methodist School on the bottom right.
Stood there a few times with your David ,watching the Maroon Ambrose tipper wagons going past , when they where taking stone from the Delph Quarry, for the motorways, the drivers used to wave and give a blast on the horn, happy days ,great photo.

Nice photo could not place it at 1st. Like the pencil to denote a crossing what colour is the other pencil?

Thank you Dennis, for posting such a lovely photo of the former Queen’s Head Pub. My grandad Thomas Hulme lived at the Pub in the early 1900’s when his Dad David and mother Alice were the landlords. His brother William is named on the nearby cenotaph. It’s a shame it’s not a pub anymore but at least it is still standing and being kept in good repair by the present owners. Not been back to this area for a long time as I have lived in Essex for 40 years. Will keep a screen shot of your lovely photo.

William Hulme (Private, 26721, 5th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers) died of wounds, aged 25, on April 14th in the German offensive of 1918, and is buried at Doullens. He was a clerk in the Electrical Dept. of Kirkless Works' Fitting Shop - so is commemorated on the Wigan Coal & Iron Co's plaque, which is now in Aspull Royal British Legion Club nearby. He's also on the Roll of Honour at St Elizabeth's Church, and on Wigan Cenotaph.

David, you reminded me of my childhood days at the Methodist school back in the early 1950s. Dennis will remember like me, the WIMPEY lorries that came past the school on their way to Westwood Power Station from the opencast mining at Red Rock carrying coal, those drivers also sounded their horns and waved at us kids looking through the fence. Seventy years ago now, where did the years all go !!.

I remember those Wimpey wagons Walt, they looked like monsters to us little kids. At that time they came down Haigh road to the Fingerpost and turned right onto Wigan Road (You could do that then without having to do the double somersault that you have to do now) any coal that fell off going round the bend was soon snapped up by the locals.
Seventy years Walt? It seems like yesterday. Do you remember the Bobby who used to come to the school with his ventriloquist’s dummy to teach us how to cross the road? “Look right” he said “look left and if nothings coming cross the road quickly” I still do it today!

Peterp the other pencil is yellow, they denote a school crossing manned by a lollipop person.

Rev David, it’s over a century now since the First World War ended and yet there seems to be a never ending queue of descendants looking for information about the men who took part in that conflict. You seem to take a great interest in the local men and their families who served in that war and I’m just wondering if you yourself get many people asking you for information.

Dennis - interest in those who died in the World Wars has seen a resurgence over the past few years. The various wW1 and WW2 anniversaries have obviously boosted interest - but I think the sight of the bodies being brought back into Brize Norton from the most recent conflicts has perhaps brought it home to people that the names on the country's war memorials are also those of sons, lovers, husbands.
Yes - I get enquiries - but hopefully my work in helping to record all the country's war memorials will help folk access information directly.

You will go down in history Rev for your work in helping to record all the country's war memorials.

Rev David Long, just read your post and appreciate the additional information about my grandad’s brother William Hulme. Have been dabbling into my ancestry over lockdown, but did not know about the plaque in the British Legion and roll of honour in St Elizabeth’s church. Keep up the good work recording the war memorials.

Thanks to digital photography and the internet, Mick, it's a relatively easy, if time-consuming, task. When Carol Littler was recording the local memorials with pen and paper and printed photographs, it was a much more long-winded job.
EG - if you put 'Aspull' into the IWM Search facility you'll find the memorials among the results: https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/search
Also, I've just looked again at his Obituary in the Wigan Examiner: https://archives.wigan.gov.uk/archive/first-world-war-records/wigan-newspaper-extracts-1914-1918/187740-w1918f14p260jpg?#prettyPhoto/0/ - and saw that he'd been more associated with St David's, Haigh than St Elizabeth's. I checked their memorial - and he's on that, too.

Hello Yvonne,I hope your feeling better now since your Anita moved down to Somerset,she told me
she was missing you a lot and Aspull still is a lovely
Place and always will be to me.
The photograph with the daffodils proves it.