July 2007 Archives

HAPPY memories came flooding back for resort resident Peter Blockley when he saw a recent Scouts march in the town.
The octogenarian, from Emmanuel Road, re-kindled thoughts of carrying the troop flag as a youngster.
Mr Blockley paraded on St George’s Day at both Holy Trinity and West End and on one occasion when camping at Clarach Bay in Wales.
He said: “In Wales we paraded on the Sunday morning over Constitution Hill into a church in Aberystwyth. I was in the 24th Southport (St Andrew’s). It was a happy troop.
“Our group scoutmaster was Ben Morgan, our scoutmaster was Eddie Hitchen and his assistant was Jimmy Schofield. They looked after us very well and in the course of general scouting activities they taught us well for adulthood and had us regularly campaigning.
“We had a site right beside the lake at Grasmere and we had our own site lower down from Ashurst Beacon. I swear I can still smell the bacon cooking on the wood fire for breakfast and hear the bells of the church on Parbold Hill ringing out across the valley and look down on the Manchester trains steaming along with 11 or 13 carriages.�
There was always a great competitive spirit in the Scout movement, Mr Blockley remembers – and apart from competitions held at Tawd Vale he recalls one event, a camping competition for one patrol from each group held in the grounds of Meols Hall.
He said: “We had to push our trek carts with our equipment, and set up a kitchen only using our scout stoves. We were given a set menu in advance which we had to cook and be judged on and a programme of various scouting events. Just before we struck camp after tea the result was announced. We had won the painted shield.
“Looking back over the past 70 years I have always been grateful for my few years in the scouts and for those leaders that seem to give us endless time and taught us how to stand on our own two feet.�
And the Scouts’ old motto of ‘Be Prepared’ and ‘help other people at all times’ has stood Mr Blockley, 86, in good stead.
He explained: “During World War II I became part of a very small group from the RAF transferred to combined operations for invasion purposes and having arrived in Italy spent almost the entire Italian campaign with two of my colleagues operating a specialised radio van which was forever located away from the airstrips. That meant we had our tent and had to look after ourselves.
“My camping experience with the scouts suddenly paid off, it proved invaluable and became quite a lifesaver as far as cooking was concerned. To this day I have great admiration for anyone who gives their time to organise and run scouting.�
The Southport Visiter has been informed that Peter Brockley sadly passed away this week. Funeral arrangements will be in Wednesday’s Midweek Visiter.

KENNETH Farr, of Willowbank Farm, Woodvale, brought in his diaries of his Scouting days from the 30th Southport Boy Scouts, Summer Camp 1955, July 30 to August 6.
The camp took place on the site of Wray Castle, Windermere. Here is an excerpt of what he wrote on one Sunday evening:
“Well as I write this everything is grand in all ways. The weather up to now has been marvellous and Sunday has been spent bathing, games and church.
“We rose at 7am and breakfast was served about an hour later. The quality was poor as patrols were not properly organised. We had cornflakes, bacon and tomato and fried bread.
“Inspection was caused out with due formality at 10am and it was quite good but there was a lot of paper about.
“After inspection and finishing any jobs we went swimming in the bay by the boathouse... The food was dished out by QM and the cooks get on with dinner while the rest did a bit of fishing. The easy way was to catch minnows in a jam jar.
“Lunch consisted of liver, onions, potatoes and peas, the liver however was of poor quality.
“The troop had a rest and Pete and I took four people to Amberside. It earned us five shillings.
“When we got back we had a bathing parade, this time in front of the camp.
“On return we had a game of cricket. The Swifts beat the Kestrels by about 15 runs.
“Next we came back and had our cocoa and turned in at 10.15pm. At last boys went to bed.
“I was having trouble with the mast while cooking. After spilling some of it I got Bill to help. Pete, Bill and I had a cup of Nescafe and then turned in.�

HILDA and Eric Sutton from Crossens re-lived happy memories of their son’s Scouts days when they stumbled across these old photographs.
They are of their son Barry who is now 49 and was either 10 or 11 at the time of the photographs.
The Scouts group was run by Clifford Sckoyles who has since passed away but is fondly remembered for his valiant efforts to establish the Scouts’ base at a building in Mosley Street, Southport.

Hilda, 75, of Rufford Road, said: “Clifford worked really hard for the building and to set the Scouts up there. A lady called Lassie still runs it and we still do whatever we can for it.
“In one of the pictures our son Barry is holding a flag of St George because all the Scouts were having a parade of flags in the town. The other picture is taken at the Mosley Street address where the building was established.�
Eric, 77, who married Hilda at Emmanuel Church 54 years ago, said: “I played a part in making the Scout group into Air Scouts. They have an event coming up in September so we are looking forward to that.�

THIS photograph was brought in by Trinity Mirror North West Regional Health and Safety manager Paul Bates who was the former leader of the 62nd Cub Scouts.
The Scout troop pictured is the 16th Southport (formerly 1st Ainsdale St John's) which merged with Ainsdale Methodist (30th) and Sacred Heart (54th) to become one troop.
The picture was taken around 1963/64 at an event to mark the retirement of the late Mrs Leonora Eccles who was Group Scout Leader during the war years when men were away fighting and after the war she returned to being Cub Scout Leader.
Also on the photograph is the late Bob Foster who was a former District Commissioner, Miss Bills, who ran the cub pack at the Bradstock Locket Home (and who was ADC special needs), late Canon Dixon, Rikki Horridge and her husband Stan who were ADC Cubs during their service with Scouting.
Phil Allison of Ladygreen Nurseries is pictured third from right back row.
Paul Bate himself is pictured back row, fourth from left. Paul was assistant Cub Scout leader of the 16th (St John's Ainsdale) before he became Cub Scout Leader of the 62nd (St Cuthbert's).

By Steve Hirst

FIFTY years ago today, July 20, 1957, the Southport area was basking in the glory of one of the greatest days in British motor racing history.
On that date, Stirling Moss took the checkered flag at the British (and European) Grand Prix, at Aintree in a Vanwall, providing the country with its first all-British World Championship Grand Prix victory, since the series was instigated in 1950, and the first in a major GP since 1923.
The story of the race was straight out of Boys’ Own.
In its race morning edition, the Southport Visiter reported that Moss, who stayed at the resort’s Royal Hotel on race visits to Aintree, “had not recovered from his sinus trouble� and was having treatment in Southport Hospital.
But he made it to Aintree to take up pole position on the grid, sharing the front row with French ace Jean Behra (Maserati 250F), and his Vanwall team-mate Tony Brooks, still suffering from leg injuries sustained in an accident at Le Mans.
Behra led off the line, but Moss was in front at the end of the first of 90 laps in the 270- mile race.
Already the 100,000 crowd was anticipating a repeat of 1955, when Britain’s racing hero won his first World Championship Grand Prix at Aintree, driving a Mercedes-Benz.
Suddenly, on lap 21, Moss pulled into the pits with exhaust trouble. Any chance of victory looked doomed.
Vanwall team manager, David Yorke, had a brainwave and called in Brooks, clearly in pain, to hand over his car to Moss.
Leaving the pits in Brooks’s car and now in ninth place, a win seemed impossible.
Relentlessly, Moss pursued the pack ahead, smashing the Aintree lap record (at over 90 mph), and was up to sixth place in nine laps.
At half distance Behra held a comfortable lead, until the clutch/flywheel assembly shattered on his Maserati.
Britain’s Mike Hawthorn took over up front, but almost immediately, his Lancia-Ferrari picked up a puncture.

The commentator announced that Moss was in the lead which he held, apart from a fuel stop, to the finish.
History had been made and the Visiter reported: ‘‘There were wildly enthusiastic scenes at the end of the race. The crowds rushed across the track to acclaim Moss.’’
A recreation of that historic day was featured at GP Live at Donington Park recently, where now Sir Stirling, 77, and Tony Brooks, 75, who shared the win, were reunited with a Vanwall.
The heroic pair are still great pals and firmly believe that victory that day, was a turning point for British racing manufacturers.
Sir Stirling, who wrote regular motoring articles for the Visiter in the 1950s, said: “It was an enormous fillip for British motor racing.�
Brooks compared it to Roger Bannister’s feat of breaking the four-minute mile: ‘‘It broke a psychological barrier.’’
Last week Sir Stirling was at Silverstone for the British GP to see young star Lewis Hamilton in action and believes he has the potential to be as good as his own hero and race rival, five times World Champion, Juan Manuel Fangio.
But looking at the changes in safety, Sir Stirling told the Visiter: “Hamilton would not get into one of our cars today. If you made one mistake it could be your last in the 1950s.�

l For you chance to win a copy of the full results from the race in 1957, bearing the autographs of Sir Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks, simply answer this question:
In which year did Stirling Moss win the British Grand Prix at Aintree in a Mercedes- Benz?
Answers, on a postcard, to: Stirling Moss Competition, LookBack, Southport Visiter, 26-32 Tulketh Street, Southport, Merseyside PR8 1BT.
Closing date is July 26.

Delving deep in the Southport Visiter Nightlife picture files turns up lots of interesting images of party people in the resort.
But do you recognise any of these faces?
Perhaps you were there?
Share your memories by commenting below ...

PAUL Edwards was helping his daughter landscape her garden, when instead of the usual soil and stone, his spade turned up a pair of World War I medals.
He said: “I found them completely by accident.�
After a bit of thought Paul decided that Eric Lewis, now president of the Royal British Legion, may be able to help.
They met up and discovered the name of the man for whom they were intended, a Private Frank Webb.
Eric said: “In World War I medals were engraved with each person’s name and number around the side.
“In World War II they didn’t do that, you just got a campaign medal handed to you.
“The only time you got them engraved then was if you were in hospital.�
Paul said: “My first thought was I wanted to get them back to their rightful owner and Eric and I tried several avenues.�
Their first port of call was the war department medal office, but from there they were redirected to the archive department.
Eventually, and after parting with £20, Paul and Eric secured an investigation in the army archives for a Private Frank Webb who served in the Great War.

But the researcher came back empty handed, as Eric explained: “The WWI medal records department was blitzed in 1940 and they lost 90 per cent of the army records.
“They only have 10 per cent left, and unfortunately there’s no record in thise 10 per cent.�
Which leaves Paul with an exhaustive search of the deeds of his daughter’s Canning Road home to see if any Webbs lived at the address.
But he is concerned the medal could have found its way there from a darker place.
He said: “There’s a cut through to the playing fields behind the house and somebody may have cast them aside.
“They weren’t even buried and were just in the undergrowth.
“They’re pretty tattered and torn and I thought they could possibly have been stolen.�
His first thought and hope though, is to return them to the family of Private Webb.
Paul added: “This guy could have died in the war and I’m a firm believer that he should be honoured for it.�
If you have any information that could lead to these medals being returned to Pte Webb’s descendants, call Eric Lewis on 01704-540712.

Southport’s nineties nightlife was legendary.
And Visiter photographer Gareth Jones has the photographs to prove it.
Here he has captured three young ladies socialising in one of the town’s many nightspots.
But do you recognise any of the faces?
Leave your memories below ...

THE RETURN of DC-3 Dakotas to local skies awoke many memories for LookBack readers who used the commercial carriers in their youth.
June Widders experienced flying in the Dakota first-hand when she flew from Cyprus to Rhodes with her mother and father in 1946.
She explained: “It was the only way to get to Rhodes at the time.
“My mother didn’t like flying so we had to come back on a boat, but I didn’t mind it.�

June’s father, known to friends and colleagues as ‘Pep’, was a Lieutenant Commander during the war and made many contacts while he was posted in Egypt.
He set up a business in Cyprus where the family stayed until 1949.
Celia Lloyd was another Dakota flyer.
She and her family took a trip to Rome in 1957, when she was seven years old.

Celia said: “Can you imagine flying to Rome in a Dakota? My brother, Paul, tells me we were all sick on the way back, but I don’t remember.
“It was very exciting. We had to take a week off school when my mother decided we were going on holiday.
“When we got to Rome, people couldn’t believe it when they saw British children on holiday there as going abroad was still unheard of in the ‘50s.
“Paul thinks we were on the flight for six hours and we stopped off in Lyon to refuel. We had our picture taken by the plane and there were about 30 other passengers.
“I always remember that we went out on G-AMPO and came back on G- AMPY.�
The DC-3s were back in operation over Merseyside at the weekend to give previous passengers pleasure flights to remind them of their childhood journeys. A former Starways craft was being flown for pleasure flights from Speke Airport.
It is hoped the Dakotas will soar over this year’s Southport Air Show.
Among the nostalgic passengers were Celia, who lives in Daneway, Ainsdale, and brother Paul Snape.
Celia, now 56, said before the flight: “Imagine if we flew on G-AMPY again after all these years.
“That would be unbelievable.�

LookBack would love to feature memories from Starways crew, who ran the Dakota DC-3 services. If you were one, please get in touch on 01704-536655 or e-mail us at: visiternews@southportvisiter.co.uk or write to us at: Lookback, Southport Visiter, 26-32 Tulketh St, Southport PR8 1BT.
Any photos you bring into our office can be scanned in while you wait.

CAN you help piece the jigsaw of a Southport resident’s quest to find out more about his father’s footballing days?
William Sephton, 83, of Freckleton Street, has two football badges dating back to the year he was born, in 1924. There is another one from 1923.

He remembers that his father, Bob Sephton, was a keen sportsman and played both football and cricket regularly.
Mr Sephton said: “I don’t know what the badges are for, clearly they are for football but I would really like to know more. Were they won in a competition? By looking at them they were from when he played Irish teams. But he has no Irish roots.
“My dad played for St Paul’s Church of England and he lived by St Luke’s Street on Hart Street.�
Mr Sephton’s wife, Margaret, 75, said: “We would dearly love to know the background of the badges. We have tried finding out but haven’t found anything.�