http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/ Taking a LookBack on Southport through the ages. If you recognise any faces or are familiar with any of the places, share your memories right here... en Copyright 2008 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:04:57 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss THE celebrations at 22 Stamford Road were in full swing for little Jack's first birthday. Though strapped for cash, Lynsey Quy had gone out of her way to shower her son with gifts and a party atmosphere enveloped the new Birkdale home she had secured through Sefton Women's Aid. Autumn 1998 represented a new beginning for the pretty 21-year-old mother-of-two. Her violent husband Mitchell had been out of the equation for months and life was improving with every day. "Everything's great - never been better," Lynsey had scrawled in her diary, "I don't miss Mitch at all." Quy, a casino croupier, had met Lynsey in 1995 and a whirlwind romance saw them wed within five weeks at Southport Town Hall. An argument on their wedding night which resulted in Mitchell storming off was a sign of sinister things to come. Father Peter Wilson said: "There must have been some happy times with Mitchell but most of the time they were at each other's throats. "They were always arguing and he would beat her. I told her she was better off without him. I told her I didn't want her to marry him, but you know what kids are like. They always do the opposite of what you say." Lynsey's parents would often witness arguments during family gatherings in which neither wanted to back down. On one occasion Lynsey even greeted them to her home with the words: "Welcome to the house of horrors." Lynsey twice tried to divorce the man who would frequently rape and beat her but the fatal attraction of Quy proved too much. There were never enough second chances. Her husband had walked out seven times in four months, before walking out 'for good' in April 1998. But then he returned. Peter added: "It was Jack's first birthday and that was when he weaseled his way back in. He brought a present for him and charmed his way back into her life. "He won Lynsey over and soon he had moved back in to her home. We never knew this until it was too late - she never told us. "We always thought he had left the scene." Tensions were fraught by the end of October and by December, Lynsey told Mitchell once again that she wanted a divorce. On December 17, 1998, she was due to attend an important solicitor's meetings to discuss the separation. She never made it. Quy strangled Lynsey to death three days before after a blazing row about missing benefit money he had cashed, before hauling her body into the attic where it lay for 48 hours. Mitchell then dragged the body into the bath, where he carved Lynsey up. With the help of brother Elliot, her body parts would be disposed in railway sidings in Birkdale and off a footpath in Princes Park. Her head and hands are said to have been thrown among rubbish destined for the tip. Lynsey was only reported missing on February 5, 1999, when social workers became concerned for her welfare. Peter said: "We hadn't heard from her for a few weeks, but from previous experience that meant all was well at home and she was doing okay." Quy's calculated cover-up began in earnest, with the 24-year old telling the press Lynsey had packed her bags on Christmas Day. "I think she has run off with another fella, but I just wish she would get in touch," he told the Visiter. But to suggest that Lynsey, whose love for her children was infinite, would do such a thing was farcical to the Wilson family. "When police knocked on my door telling me they were investigating her disappearance, I knew straight away he had killed her," said Peter. "Lynsey would never have abandoned her children, there is no way she could have done that. "I told the police straight away that Mitchell had murdered her." The former casino croupier continued to protest his innocence in the glare of the public spotlight, even shedding crocodile tears on national television. Detectives targeted Quy as their prime suspect, yet during a period of more than a year he evaded being charged. It resulted in Quy growing in arrogance - at one point even having the gall to send greying Det Sup Geoff Sloan, the head of the investigation, a bottle of hair dye. "Quy would go into the newsagents and scan copies of the Visiter to see his picture was in it," said the retired officer. "He loved the fame and the notoriety. It overcame him. "Even when he confessed he was still trying to seek out the cameras. It overtook his life. He became cocky and arrogant and it just made me even more determined to bring him to justice." Lynsey's parents had to summon strength on a weekly basis to collect Robyn and Jack from Quy as the investigation dragged on. Peter added: "To be honest, every time I saw him I could have killed him, but there are right ways and wrong ways. I had to drag back a lot of the family from going round there intent on hurting him. "While he was protesting his innocence, we all knew he'd done it." The breakthrough came in June 2000, when nearly 18 months after murdering Lynsey, police forced Quy to confess. He was jailed for life in January 2001, with Elliot sentenced to seven years for helping to dispose of the body. Three months later, the Wilsons suffered a second tragedy when one of Lynsey's older brothers committed suicide by hanging himself. Peter Wilson Jnr, 24, was discovered in the loft of the family home in Southport. He was said never to have got over his sister's death. ]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/12/10th_anniversary_of_lynsey_quy.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/12/10th_anniversary_of_lynsey_quy.html Det Sup Geoff Sloan Lynsey Quy Mitchell Quy Peter Wilson Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:04:57 +0000 MURDERER Mitchell Quy often called at the Visiter's Tulketh Street office and was so desperate to enlist the support of reporters he even tried to team up for a Christmas night out. It began as a missing person's story, but soon Visiter journalists Andy Hudson and Phil Coghlan found themselves wrapped up in a murderer's desperate bid to avoid capture. Quy had no qualms covering his bloody tracks in the media, spreading lie upon lie after our newspaper had convinced him to give his first interview. Andy, a senior reporter at the time, said: "Mitchell called all the time and popped into the office on more than one occasion to see if I had any news from the police I could tell him. "I never trusted him and could see how he was using interviews in the papers and TV to try and win sympathy. He was cold and never quite rang true. "He was always trying to be our friend. Once he wanted to join the Visiter editorial team on a Christmas night out!" Detectives believe Quy had an obsession with being in the public spotlight and revelled in the thrill of having an audience. Phil Coghlan, now of the Lancashire Evening Post, said: "When I interviewed Mitchell at his home he had a look on his eyes that was vacant and insincere because he was, in truth, lying to me. "He wanted me to write a story which painted him as the victim, left behind to look after the kids after his wife had left him. He had clearly gone over and over this story in his mind to be able to repeat it parrot-fashion at moments like this. "I remember leaving his home to head back to the office thinking: 'I don't believe him.' His eyes were glazed and under his outwardly-pleasant manner he had this aggressive undercurrent." Both reporters had a direct line to Linda and Peter Wilson and detectives, but received calls nearly every day from Quy. Phil added: "He wanted to know what the police were up to. With hindsight it's obvious he was desperate to know whether they were onto him yet. "It went on for months without any charges against him and I remember he was becoming cocky about the situation. When he was charged the office was electric." http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/12/southport_visiter_reporters_me.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/12/southport_visiter_reporters_me.html Andy Hudson Mitchell Quy Phil Coghlan Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:03:57 +0000 By JOHN SIDDLE RETIRED Detective Superintendent Geoff Sloan, who headed the murder team that eventually forced Quy into confessing, says he has always remained cynical of what happened to the missing body parts of the young mother-of-two. Mitchell's brother Elliot was jailed for helping to dispose of the 21-year-old's head and hands, which he said he put in black bin bags and threw among rubbish outside a Birkdale shop. Mr Sloan, who says seeing Quy jailed was the highlight of his career, believes the egotistical former croupier instead roped in someone else. The distinguished former policeman told the Visiter: "I don't accept that after all they had done, that Mitchell would simply allow Elliot to walk away with the most significant parts and throw them among rubbish. "The head and the hands were the most easily identifiable parts of Lynsey so I think they would make sure to put them somewhere they couldn't be found. "I have always thought a third party with access to hospital waste disposal got rid of them, though only the Quy brothers know the answer to that." Mr Sloan, then 45, was drafted in to review the investigation into Lynsey Quy's disappearance and soon decided to pursue a murder inquiry - main suspect, her husband Mitchell Quy. He added: "I always thought he was the one who killed her. I didn't believe him when he said he was innocent for one second. It always frustrated me when the Visiter published an interview with him because it fuelled his lies. "He was so wrapped up in the notoriety and the fame that I think he started to believe it himself. He loved the attention." As Mitchell told the world how police had unfairly branded him a murderer and were wasting public money on the investigation, Sloan and his team never had doubts about eventually pinning Quy down. Officers honed in on a period prior to Christmas 1998, when Lynsey missed several important appointments, including one with a solicitor Mr Sloan added: "When we looked into those dates, we found that Lynsey had telephoned the benefits agency from a phone box to say her benefits cheque hadn't been sent. "It transpired that Mitchell had stolen them and cashed them in himself. We knew that was probably the last conversation she would ever have." When returning home to question Mitchell, a row broke out that culminated with Lynsey being strangled to death. But without a body, police had to rely on circumstantial evidence to bring Mitchell to justice He added: "It was one of the first cases of someone being charged without a body being found. After a tough interviewing process he eventually cracked. "But what he had actually done never entered my head. I always thought that - as he admitted - he strangled her. I never considered he would have gone to the lengths he did. "It was gruesome to cut her up in a bath which he bathed the children in. It just sums up what a horrible, nasty person he is." http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/12/detective_who_jailed_lynseys_k.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/12/detective_who_jailed_lynseys_k.html Detective Superintendent Geoff Sloan Lynsey Quy Mitchell Quy Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:02:57 +0000 The account contains anecdotes about theatre impresario Ray Cooney, funnyman Tony Hancock, screen siren Pat Phoenix and Broadway and movie star Barrie Ingham - not to mention her actress mother Doris Wellings. Ray Cooney, now a wealthy West End producer and writer who penned the longest running comedy on the London stage, "Run for Your Wife", was Christine's first love. The pair met in Bolton repertory theatre in 1955 when they starred together in a series of farces and comedies. "I was in a haze of delight," she says. "No one had much money. Ray used to pawn his watch on Monday and receive it on pay day. "We often ate at Woolworth's, standing up at the serving counter, eating freshly cooked eggs, chips and peas for one shilling and three pennies. "'I'll be vastly rich one day with a fleet of white Rolls Royces,' Ray spoke with such conviction, I believed him." After her romance with Ray came to an end Christine went to London with dreams of making it in the West End. Along with hundreds of struggling actresses she went through an endless round of auditions and lodged in Soho and despite waitressing and scrimping to make ends meet, Christine looks back fondly on those days. Her break came when she won a role alongside Tony Hancock and Hattie Jacques. "I was sent off to take the role of a 'tart', with a comedian who later became a favourite of mine," Christine writes. "I met this small, plumpish man outside the studio. "Before asking him the way, I loaded the stranger's arms with my belongings while I searched for the scrap of paper upon which was written the address. "'I'm working with Tony Hancock. What's he like? Have I found the right place?' "The stranger gave a cheesed-off expression and replied, 'Awkward! I'd think twice about acting with that self opinionated buffoon!' "'Surely he's not that bad?' I was shocked. "'Worse!' He signalled for me to follow him. "'Are you in the show?' "He pulled a face and remarked casually, 'I've got a bit part, nothing too close to Tony. Thank God for small mercies!' "Once inside I witnessed the fuss and admiration the crew and actors gave that clever, young comedian! "I went bright red as I realised he was the famous Tony Hancock! After that he teased me rotten." Moving back to the north of England, Christine took a role alongside Pat Phoenix, the Coronation Street star and screen siren who later married Tony Booth. The girls shared digs as they performed in "A Girl Called Sadie". Christine remembers the red-haired beauty as "a lovely actress who never seemed to have a cigarette out of her mouth." "Pat adored men and they her. Well, I should say, man mad with a heart of gold!" Settling down, Christine married Dave Warwick in 1958, a director at the BBC and Granada TV producer. The couple moved to Falkland Road in Southport, near to where Warwick's mother lived. "Dave did a lot for Southport," Christine says. "Television was in its infancy and it was still privately owned. Dave brought a lot of filming to Southport with 'People and Places' and a lot of location filming for beauty contests." Although the pair later divorced, Christine stayed in Southport, where she's now putting the finishing touches to her life story, My Capricorn Summer.]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/12/southport_actress_shares_her_s.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/12/southport_actress_shares_her_s.html Barrie Ingham Christine Warwick Pat Phoenix Tony Booth Tony Hancock Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:06:14 +0000 DELVING into the history of Birkdale fire brigade LookBack came across these lovely pictures. Southport Visiter reader Mr Robinson sent in a picture of Birkdale's volunteer fire brigade from around 1880. He said: "They say that 'Peace hath it's heroes no less than war', and here are some of them. Conspicuous is the steam boiler for the fire pump, the fire station was in Weld Road near to the level crossing on the north side. "Despite their somewhat theatrical helmets they were brave men." Birkdale's eight-man volunteer fire brigade was created in 1876 when the Local Board spent £141-14s-06d on fire equipment from William Rose & Co of Manchester including a hand-drawn reel cart - but no helmets for the firefighters. Fire historian Simon Ryan explained that because the volunteers lived on Birkdale Common they were too far away to hear the alarm bell and so in 1894 a hooter was fitted to the sewage works on Compton Road to call out the brigade. In 1898 the brigade was re-organised with Mr Keeley appointed as Captain and eight new recruits enlisted. Electric alarm bells were now put in the firemen's houses and a steam powered buzzer was installed. Under the new system the first man to arrive at a fire was made Sergeant in charge and received slightly more money. By 1900 the station on Weld Road was completed by Messrs Fairbridge & Hatch, at a cost of £415 and new appliances were ordered including a horse-drawn hose carriage, horse-drawn steam fire engine and an escape ladder. From the Weld Road station the Birkdale fire brigade fought huge blazes at the 1905 rail disaster on Hall Road and the King Street market fire in 1913, until the station was closed in 1919 and the volunteer service was disbanded in 1920. The station was brought back to life to aid the war effort in 1939 when the Auxiliary Fire Service expanded, and later Weld Road was used for training, closing its doors for the last time in 1958 before being demolished in 1971. Nowadays Southport fire station is responsible for the safety of the public in Birkdale, and in 1979 it took the delivery of a new engine which was named Red Rum at a ceremony attended by the racehorse himself, Salamander and Salvor also serving the station. DO you have any memories or photos of serving in the Fire Service in Southport? Get in touch with LookBack at the usual address.]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/back_to_the_beginning_of_birkd.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/back_to_the_beginning_of_birkd.html 1880 Birkdale fireservice volunteer firemen Weld Road Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:08:17 +0000 By Philip Kirkbride LOOKBACK this week takes on a sporting theme thanks to Visiter reader Dave Gilbert. Dave, who owns the gents' hairdressers on Bispham Road in High Park, sent in some pictures he took of Blowick Football Club in the 1960s. Pictured is club captain Bobby Lloyd being presented with a cup by Southport and District League chairman Gerry Formby. Maybe you were part of the team or were in attendance on the day, like Dave. Do you remember the score and who got the goals for the victorious Blowick side? Share your memories of the Blowick team - or send us your photos or memories of Southport in years past - by e-mailing us at: visiternews@ southportvisiter.co.uk or write to us at: LookBack, Southport Visiter, 26-32 Tulketh St PR8 1BT.]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/blowick_football_club_in_the_1.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/blowick_football_club_in_the_1.html 1960 Blowick Football Club Gerry Formby Southport and District League Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:06:17 +0000 Mike, who is now secretary of Birkdale Golf Club, said: "I always go to the Remembrance Sunday service because I've lost friends in the army. "But this year was a really poignant day for me as this was the first year that Mike's name was on the memorial. "The Mayor invited us to come along this year and lay the wreath. It was a very proud day as I was very proud of Michael." Corporal Mike Gilyeat was born in Hanover in Germany and came to Southport when his parents settled there. He had previously served in Iraq and Northern Ireland.]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/rememberance_tribute_to_corpor.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/rememberance_tribute_to_corpor.html Corporal Michael Gilyeat remembrance tribute royal military police Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:05:11 +0000 Society members went to an Armistice Day service in Formby on Tuesday to pay tribute to six Polish airmen who died while serving at Woodvale air station. Beata Kowalska, the society's treasurer, said: "On Remembrance Sunday we feel it is important to remember British and Polish soldiers who fought in World War Two. "My father Stanislav Sobolewski, who was in the Polish cadet force during World War Two, died earlier this year so the ceremony was particularly poignant for us. "He used to lay a wreath every year as chairman of the Polish Combatants Association. Our daughter Ligia laid a wreath in his memory."]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/polish_servicemen_honoured_on.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/polish_servicemen_honoured_on.html forces honoured polish remembrance sunday servicemen Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:04:11 +0000 Southport MP John Pugh was among the dignitaries in attendance along with the Mayor of Sefton Cllr Paul Tweed and Graham Haywood, Sefton Council chief executive. British Legion members were at the parade along with members of the Normandy and Dunkirk veterans associations along with Royal Naval Association. They were joined by young sea and army cadets while the Salvation Army band played the music. The Last Post and Reveille was played and a two minute silence was observed in silent tribute to fallen comrades. Rev John Burgess, formerly vicar at St Phillip's Church in Scarisbrick New Road, Southport, and Father Phillip Gregory, from Holy Family Church also attended. Graham Marten, Royal British Legion Southport branch chairman, said: "It was a very moving service. The people of Southport always give good support to the Remembrance Sunday Service and I was very pleased to see so many people at the memorial. "We also had a good turnout for the two minutes silence on Armistice Day itself in Southport." Children helped make the Ainsdale service extra special by putting crosses on the memorial as their tribute. The choir from St John's CE Church in Ainsdale sang at the service, which was conducted by St John's vicar Rev Graham Birch. Eric Lewis, Royal British Legion Southport branch president, said: "The service was excellent and I was really pleased to so many children at the memorial."]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/southport_remembrance_parade.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/southport_remembrance_parade.html British Legion members Normandy and Dunkirk veterans associations Remembrance parade Royal Naval Association Southport veterans Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:03:11 +0000 The 47-year-old Churchtown builder brought his health and safety and engineering know-how to the project, fronted by Tony Robinson. "He's a nice enough guy, but this was something new for him," said Gary. "It's modern archeology, really, because you're going back just 90 years." Gary and other experts were the first people to enter the French tunnels since fighting ended in 1918. As veterans and their families prepare to mark 90 years since the guns fell silent at 11am on November 11, 1918, the Time Team documentary will serve as a stark reminder of the harrowing and hellish conditions of that truly horrendous conflict. Gary said: "Few people have been down there and it's an honour to go, but to be in the first group entering since the war, and to not know what you're going to find is nerve-wracking. "Coming across an unexploded bomb is an emotive thing and that's when you think about how daunting and frightening it is." Since filming for Channel 4, Gary has become involved with an even more emotively charged project - working with Glasgow University and the Australian army to find the final resting place of 400 Allied troops. He took part in a dig at Fromelles where bodies of almost 400 Allied troops were found in a mass grave. The men died during a mission in North East France in July, 1916 in the first battle fought by Australian troops on the Western Front. The Australian War Memorial describes the battle as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history" because more than 5,000 troops were killed, injured or captured there. Speaking of the sight of contorted bodies that met the team as they excavated the site, Gary said: "It was emotional and you do connect with it - I get a tingle down my spine now just talking about it." A special team of forensic archeologists were brought in to start the process of identifying the bodies of the fallen. "They are amazing people," he said. "They've worked on the Twin Towers and the Jersey children's home." Gary expects to return to the French battlefield again to continue the work started by the Glasgow University team. The Lost Dugout: A Time Team Special will be shown on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday evening (November 10).]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/armistice_day_time_team_specia.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/armistice_day_time_team_specia.html Armistice Day Churchtown Gary Andrews The Lost Dugout: A Time Team Special WW1 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:07:22 +0000 THERE may not be any First World War veterans left in Southport as the resort prepares to mark the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day, but the town has not forgotten its heroes. Last year LookBack reported on Paul Edwards's amazing discovery of a pair of medals belonging to Private Frank Webb. Despite their best efforts, the Royal British Legion and Mr Edwards were unable to restore the medals to Pte Webb's family, and so his Allied Victory Medal and the British War Medal were donated to the Royal Logistics Corps Museum at Deepcut barracks in Surrey. Since the medals arrived at the museum, curators say that no enquiries have been made about them by possible relatives. In a plea to find the family of Pte Webb on the 90th anniversary of the war Eric Lewis, president of the Royal British Legion, said: "I would be personally very happy to have been involved with restoring them to the family." Pte Webb was not the only Southport serviceman to acquit himself with honour during the First World War - Captain Harold Ackroyd, Private R. George Masters and Commander Percy Thompson Dean were all awarded the Victoria Cross for their acts of bravery. Their fearless acts are recounted in the 1923 Book of Remembrance, with tributes paid to the men "utterly regardless of danger" on the Western Front, France and the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/southport_ww1_heroes_remembere.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/southport_ww1_heroes_remembere.html Captain Harold Ackroyd Commander Percy Thompson Dean medals Private Frank Webb Private R. George Masters Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:06:22 +0000 Dave said: "I doubt I will ever get all of them but if I can be satisfied that I have done all I can, that'll do. The big problems are when we have played another team in Southport, because if the Visiter hasn't carried the result then it's unlikely to be in the public domain. "The last fifteen years have been covered by our own scorebooks but there are big gaps in the 1970s and early 1980s. "I'm just hopeful a reader out there will have records of our matches stored away in a scorebook that's hidden away at home." Dave spent two years researching the club's history and published a book earlier this year to raise club funds. The book reveals that, although becoming New Victoria in 1952, the club's roots go back before World War II to teams such as Blowick Wesleyans and Blowick Methodists. Blowick were reformed as Victoria Methodists in 1946 and changed their name to New Victoria in 1952. Dave said: "The book has sold well and it has been well received by cricketers and cricket lovers far and wide. "I never thought that when I moved to Southport I'd end up spending most of my time in libraries researching the history of an amateur cricket club, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it." The club fields two senior teams in the Southport & District Amateur League from their home in Crossens. On various week nights the club runs a number of junior teams, including under 11s, 13s, 15s and 18s. Dave added: "New Victoria certainly has a future indicated by committed seniors, the thriving junior section and attractive ventures, such as our tour to Bulgaria last year." To order the book or for more information on the club, contact David Addison on 01704-546293.]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/cricket_historians_southport_c.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/11/cricket_historians_southport_c.html Dave Addison New Victoria Cricket Club Southport & District Amateur League Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:05:22 +0000 So what gave him the idea? He said: "I go down to look at the BBC archives from time to time because all the correspondence before 1980 is open to inspection. "I was working on a book about Liverpool entertainers and the BBC, and I thought that one day it would be very interesting to see correspondence about all the Liverpool artists that had been banned, and that led to this." The collection pulls together all 75 songs that were deemed too scandalous, corrupting or scurrilous to broadcast. And more than a few of the risque line-up hail from Liverpool, including Lita Rosa and Arthur Askey, but Southport comes out looking squeaky clean. "I don't think Marc Almond had any censorship problems," Spencer laughs. With This Record is Not to be Broadcast receiving critical acclaim from trendy music magazine Mojo, the Ainsdale historian, who hosts a Radio Merseyside show, has found a younger fan base. "It's very nice - it shows that people like the history of the music," says Spencer. "I think that people who read magazines like Mojo are interested in the background of the music anyway." And the glamour of being banned by the Beeb has probably lent the collection some street cred too. He says: "It's an issue that goes back almost to the beginning of recording. "I think it's an interesting subject because of instances like Frankie Goes to Hollywood in the more recent past. "Nearly every artist has got into trouble at some stage." And as for his favourite song, that would be Noel Coward's Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans. "It's a wonderful, sarcastic piece - and the BBC had great problems with that," says Spencer. "They were worried in case people took it seriously."]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/10/songs_censored_by_the_bbc.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/10/songs_censored_by_the_bbc.html BBC Beverley Sisters George Formby Noel Coward Spencer Leigh Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:20:52 +0000 Mrs Livingstone's daughter, Nan Bloom, remembers meeting the girls when she was just eight years old. She said: "My mother went to Harris House almost everyday. "She had to overcome a lot to do what she did, because other Jewish families were worried that by bringing the girls to Southport anti-Semitism would spread here. "In fact it was just the opposite, people were supportive, and I'm incredibly proud of her work." Ever keen to help, the Livingstone family opened their own home to Lottie. "She was absolutely sweet," said Nan. "Lottie came over earlier than the others and she must have been 12 or 13 years old which is very grown up when you're eight! "The others at Harris House seemed happy, or if not happy then not desperately traumatised." Remembering the reunion, which brought the girls back together after more than 40 years, Nan said: "My mother was very delighted and very touched by it."]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/10/southports_ww2_jewish_refugees.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/10/southports_ww2_jewish_refugees.html Harris House Jewish Ruth Livingstone WW2 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:18:52 +0000 Chris Booker who worked at Pleasureland for almost a decade said: "It was a late night! "There were people there I'd not seen since the park closed - I didn't recognise some of them, and had no idea who they were when they started talking to me. I did get a bit of stick from a few for passing on embarrassing photos to the Visiter!" Last week's Southport Visiter "Look Back" featured snapshots of staff in the 1990s. "About five or six people saw the paper and came along," said Chris. "It was a really good night - it was nice to hear how everyone's getting on." One notable absence was Stewart Lamont - the reunion's organiser was struck down by a bug and had to stay in bed. Luckily, Stewart won't have to wait long for the next Pleasureland reunion - Chris and the gang have already pencilled in another for December 12 this year. ]]> http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/10/pleasureland_reunion_in_pictur.html http://lookback.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/10/pleasureland_reunion_in_pictur.html capilla bar pleasureland reunion Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:17:52 +0000