Photo-a-Day  (Wednesday, 4th December, 2024)

Who remembers even when the ground was frosted and as hard as concrete, they still sent you out at school to play football and sometimes even rugby? I remember the plastic football whizzing past your frozen legs and your willy retreating backwards, terrified to show its head , in fear it would break off like an icicle !
I would go inside afterwards and make love to the nearest radiator.
Ps what was the name of the marks you got when you stood with your backside facing the coal fire too frequently? I can’t think ?

The Title for this photo (taken by my son) should have been ‘Why Do You’ not ‘You Do You’. A simple typo on my part. Sorry Dion!

A bit of a remote place to get to for folk who can't walk so far; no problem for me to do it on my bike.

Big Harold, photo was taken near Gathurst Bridge a short walk from Gathurst Station after taking a free train ride from Wigan Wallgate if you have topped up your GM Bus Pass. No bike needed and not taxing on the legs.
Pity the Navigation isn’t still open for a hot toddy to get your warmed up

Mark, but when I started school at Ince Central in the late 1950s, (the present school was in the process of being built), we had a coal fire in the classroom and the teacher would stand with her back to it holding up her skirt! Also women who sat too near to the fire for long periods got mottled legs which people used to call "corned beef legs". ....is that the name you're thinking of, Mark? Lovely photo, Colin, but looks cold.....brrrrr!

What no buildings ...? only kidding.
Lovely quiet scene of Winter with a light covering of frost. Great for a walk to gather your thoughts.
Colin your a star.

Mark. We went to Belle Green School in Ince, the worst snow storm in 1963, we were about 10 years old at that time.
No mobile phones, not texts, no health and safety we just got on with it. The school was open and greeted by a roaring coal fire. We just go on with it.

I remember ‘ mottled’ marks on legs Mark.
A nice dusting from Jack Frost. The ‘barge’ looks like it’s ready to capsize…

Mark on showing backside.
None out of ten.

'Can't think' could be due to confusion during hypothermia and the nearest radiator not being... turned on!

No snapping here or retreating.
It never happened.

Put kettle on cocker.... bi reet.

Cracking photo Colin.

The photo was taken just over 3/4 of a mile away from Gathurst Bridge; on the left is an inlet full of old sunken canal boats, and on the right, you can get to the river Douglas Weir after three hundred yards through the tree on the edge of the field.

Robert, you must have been in "Junior Three", as we used to call it, at Belle Green School when I was in the same year at Ince Central, (but we were in the "new school" in Pickup Street by then). How odd to think we are now commenting on Wigan World via the internet....we'd never have believed it, would we?! I assume you lived in the Belle Green Lane area.

1962-63 was a really bad snow storm.
Something we haven't see for years.

Spot on Irene,corned beef legs.

Yes Irene, we lived in Battersby St, not far from the old school, the new Belle green school was at that time being built. It opened in 1965. I missed out gone to the new school and attended Rose Bridge secondary. Left school at 15. Retired now and live at Orrell.
Remember the old school days well, but not as clever as you Irene.
Have a lovely Christmas.

1981 was bad and 2010 but not as fierce as ‘63. I believe 1947 was really bad as well as other winters in the ‘40’s

I put another comment up earlier today before turning out. So much for my advice to Irene on how to avoid comments not appearing!
That said, I’ll try again.
I don’t think I have ever burned my bum on a radiator but in the 1950’s mottled legs were quite common on children through sitting too close to coal fires. Your legs would be burning and your backs freezing, on some those red mottles would turn brown and last for days. As I recall there was a stigma attached to this as it was associated with being poor but we probably all had them to a degree.
My biggest pain was when in short pants, those chapped red rims you got around your legs from the tops of rubber wellies when your socks had slipped down. Ouch!

I remember one frosty morning at school in Ormskirk ( travelled there on the bus from Wigan ) We were sent out to play netball on a concrete pitch. I slipped on a patch of ice cutting my lip & mouth. was trotted off to the hospital had it stitched & then packed off home on the next bus...no Smartphone in those days to let my mother know...she was out & I had to sit outside & wait for her to come home......today questions would be asked .
PS...can anyone tell me why PAD photos appear for abt 5 seconds on my Samsung tablet then disappear...though its ok on this PC. I can view Album pic ok on the Samsung...I think the gremlins must be partying..... should I be signing in or something ?

Mark, one of my aunts who had poor circulation would practically sit on her coal fire and would get those marks on her legs, I can remember my mother saying a possibly akin to Wigan name for it, but I can't recall what it was. There is however numerous names for it on the web, with tartan legs or rash being a common name, Wikipedia has the medical or dermatological term for it :-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythema_ab_igne

Looks as though the towpath has been tarmacadamed, it's 16 years since I and our Ollie tried to have a walk to Crooke along there from the Navigation, and I could see that a little further on from the pub it had lots of cycle wheel ruts looking to be ankle deep in mud, so we turned back.

Can't remember if I put this link to fire marks on as well as the Wiki?
https://www.advanced-dermatology.com.au/erythema-ab-igne

It was much worse in 1947 but yes we still went to school

Mark, I wonder if the phrase was CHILL BLAINS you are trying to think of. I'm not sure of the spelling, I've never had to write it down before. By the way Colin a good shot, it gives me chill just looking at it.

Malc,. that winter is etched in the bones.
Before the days of the combi boiler, it was prolonged, bitter and without doubt the most brutal in living memory.
Most of our youth would possibly not know how to survive a similar event on one hearth, a sack of coal and next to sod all else. 1962 - 63 (brrr - wicked!) .

Remember the freezing temperatures and the snow of January 63 my first month of work on Snydale Gate Farm and Cow Lees Farm after turning 15 in October 62,no gloves barrow shafts sticking to your hands but you just got on with it,the canal boat would have been stranded as they were driving cars across the Frozen Thames 63 .

Little Sam, I have been trying to avoid buildings in favour of ‘Boats and Water’. Although I must say there are probably more ‘Bricks and Mortar’ to come from me as I love the history connected with them.

Thanks Big Harold, I’m thinking it must be on the way to Appley Bridge.

Great photo Colin,a chip of the block as they say,posted this hours ago and only just checked it never appeared.

Obviously I weren't around in 1947, but have seen film footage of the hard times then. Livestock dead and farmers digging out sheep buried under the deep snow. People cold and starving. I'm not saying 1963 was as bad as 1947, but the worst I've seen around since I've been alive.
1963 had a little more technology to remove snow than 1947 too, and today technology is even better to shift snow.

As I said Colin only kidding. Your a star and look forward to your photos and words of history.

Helen, my laptop or whatever it is called is rubbish. After I purchased it three years ago within size months I could not send or revive emails, none one could get to the bottom of the problem. I can google things but now have to rely on my iPhone. I’ll never get another Samsung.

It's on the way to Gathurst. The M6 viaduct is just coming into view.
Cyril, you need to get yourself another dog. If I had not been somewhere local for 16 years, I would make a point of going there as soon as possible.

Robert, I am certainly not "clever"! The only thing I am reasonable at is spelling and grammar.....I can't add up, drive a car or change a plug....I bet YOU can! I am constantly appealing to other Wigan Worlders to help me with uploading things....(I am absolutely USELESS with technology!), and everyone is so kind and helpful. But I remember happy days in Ince when I was a child; it was a lovely place in which to grow up and I share your memories. I hope YOU have a lovely Christmas too.

Colin,I had forgotten about the chapped legs caused by wellies,they hurt like hell.

I remember going on a works do on the "the Kitewake "and they had already done a run earlier to break the ice but when the boat took us it still bounced from one side to the other of the canal not a pleasant journey

I think what Robert ment Irene is you went to Grammar school were he went to secondary school. There is a difference.

I was born in March 1947 and because the roads were impassable in the Carmarthen area, Italian prisoners of war were given the job of clearing the snow. When we were children, I remember my sister and I sitting on little stools with our backs to the fire - pyjamas with jumpers over the top of them. Our backs were toasting and fronts freezing - my father's work clothes drying out on the fire guard and blocking what little heat there was! Christmas Carol comes to mind! Happy days!

Fuller’s Earth cream always comes to my mind after playing out in the snow in the fifties. Above my knees were red raw where my skirt would end to the top of my wellies. When the cream was rubbed in the skin it stung something shocking even worse than before.
Fuller’s Earth Cream came in a round tin. I don’t know if it’s still available to buy.

I worked in a chemists on leaving school, Veronica, and remember those round tins of Fullers Earth Cream. Also Snowfire Cream, Germolene, Fiery Jack and Algipan. Not seen them for years!

That’s another blast from the past Irene
“ Snowfire Cream’’ That one was in a tiny tin and if I remember there was a picture of a red flame at the top. If only we had saved those tins!