On 29/6/1927 we had a total eclipse of the sun (similar to the one in 1999). Many people came to Whittle-le-Woods from the surrounding districts and went up on Whittle Hills. It took place around 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. Whilst I was in my early teens, father said there was a cricket bat available which belonged to father’s employer J.C.H. Hollins. Mr Hollins had at one time played cricket for Lancashire and Fred thought it would be a highly treasured possession. After some haggling between dad and Fred, it was decided I would have it. Believe it or not, Mr Hollins, who was very wealthy, required five shillings for the bat. In the end, Fred paid 2/6 and Dad the other 2/6. How mean one can be! Mr Hollins died of D.T.s around 1937. Having the cricket bat, I became very popular as many teenage lads played on the school field, so they all came for the bat, till finally it became unfit for use. Years later, when clearing out Dad’s home. I came across what was left of the bat.
During my time in the choir, I had the privilege of partaking in the singing of Handel’s Messiah by St. John’s choir in 1929, March. We had a large choir in those days, about fifteen men, eight or nine ladies and of course around twelve or thirteen boys. The choir was augmented by some of the choir from the local Methodist choir and one or two others from elsewhere. We had choir practise the usual Wednesday, Monday night and also Sunday afternoon, much to my dismay, as that year we had a very severe frost and Cunliffe’s lodge was frozen over and ideal for us skating. Cunliffe’s was the mill which had been burned down in 1914 but the lodges, small and large, were then intact, the large one being rather dangerous. It is now Cuerden Valley Park. The water in the large lodge was supplied via a sluice from the adjoining River Lostock which had been dammed up to the level required to allow the water to go into the sluice. The level of the water going into the sluice was controlled by a sluice gate which was operated by a wheel on the top of the gate. The same application was applied at the other end of the large lodge allowing the water level in the lodge to be controlled. The damming of the Lostock caused a waterfall where I used to paddle with my playmate Edith Salisbury, later Mrs McDonald. Whilst a choir boy, occasionally we would be required to sing at the graveside of some important person. We were allowed out of school and went to put on our choir robes. For these attendances, we received the huge amount of six old pence.
Continue to 05. School Days