Spen Valley Through the Years
by Maurice Popplewell
1930 to 1932

1930

George V is now 65. Ramsay MacDonald is Prime Minister. The 1930s have been called "The Devil's Decade," for these were the years of depression, with dole queues, hunger marches and the Means Test. We had 2½ million on the dole in 1930, and most of these were bread winners. Germany had 4 million. In the USA 608 banks failed. The year had its proud events, however. Amy Johnson flew solo to Australia in 19½ days. Princess Margaret was born. Sir Adrian Boult led the newly formed BBC Symphony Orchestra. The planet Pluto was discovered. Bradman scored 334 in the Headingley Test. And Wilfred Rhodes concluded a phenomenal cricket career with 4,199 wickets and 39,797 runs scored since 1898. On the side side was the R101 disaster, Sir Henry Seagrave was killed on Windermere and Arsenal beat Huddersfield Town in the Cup Final.

Cleckheaton. Dr Villy of Keighley found what he regarded as a Roman Camp at Snelsins, on a bluff at the end of what may be called Snelsins Ridge, between Fieldhead and the farmhouse at Snelsins. Roman coins were found, dated 193 and 211 at Stunsteads.

Heckmondwike Secondary School (now Grammar School) was visited by Viscount Burnham, who laid the foundation stone of some useful extensions. Senior prefects Margaret Kershaw and Norman Clayton were ushers. It was a shocking dau for weather, and the ceremony took place in the main hall.

The Public Library at Cleckheaton was opened on November 14th by Mrs J.G. Mowat. It was built, stocked and presented to Spenborough by Mr John Gunn Mowat, J.P., (later Sir John) and his family. It opened with 10,685 books, with 358 in the reference section; it is a popular rendezvous for our townspeople to this day, with a particularly pleasant and efficient staff.

Boot for the Bairns. Dempster H Lister, Chairman of the Heckmondwike UDC, again appealed for funds. During the last 12 months they had dealt with 305 children, distributing 295 pairs of boots, 10 pairs of clogs and 354 pairs of stockings.

South Parade School was opened on October 10th by Sir John Simon, accommodating 480 pupils at a cost of £16,018.

Spen Valley Women's Liberals ran a trip to Bristol on July 12th. Leaving Cleckheaton in the small hours, they had a BIG breakfast on the train at 6am, reaching Bristol at 7.30am, They visited Wells Cathedral, Cheddar Gorge, and had a BIG lunch of lamb etc. at Weston-Super-Mare, followed by a BIG tea back at Clifton, and a very BIG supper of beef and pud on the return train. At 33s a head it was a good day's outing!

The Olympia Ballroom in Artillery Street, Heckmondwike was completely destroyed by fire on January 2nd. The Heckmondwike Bowling Club held a whist drive in the place on January 1, which finished at one o'clock in the morning. It had previously been the barracks of the Heckmondwike Battery of the Artillery Volunteers.

The Springwell Brewery, buildings and plant in Church Street was sold for £1,900 to William Walker, who always had a keen eye for a bargain. Brewing had been discontinued since the amalgamation with Hammonds Brewery, Bradford...a case of buying up the competition and closing it down! Mr Walker finally sold the buildings, except for the pumping tower in Beck Lane, to Schluepers, a German manufacturer of furnishing fabrics, who I have no doubt spied out our local area for the Nazis. P.S. I attended an Intelligence Officers' course during the war and took the opportunity to look at some captured German maps of quite a number of locations in our Valley. I remember a large garage in Cleckheaton quoted in metric dimensions, even down to the fact that the floor sloped 1½ degrees to the west!! And heights of the Calder at various time were included!

Local Unemployment. We had 1,330 out of work in the Valley, plus 1,334 on short time, a total of 2,664. Total benefit paid in one week £1,639.

The 'Talkies' The British Thomson Houston system was installed at the Savoy, Cleckheaton, and the Pavilion, Heckmondwike. 'The last of Mrs Chayney,' with Norma Shearer and 'The Broadway Melody,' with Anita Page and Bessie Love were shown in Cleckheaton, while at Heckmondwike 'Sunny side up,' with Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrel was a typical programme (April 28).

Mr & Mrs G. Burnley. On June 3, at Staincliffe Church, Geoffrey, the son of Mr & Mrs A.F. Burnley, was married to Edith, the youngest daughter of Mr & Mrs Sam Fitton, of Staincliffe. I wonder if they've still got the silver table lamp, a gift from the staff of Old Silkstone Collieries?

Desertion Case. John William Ripley of Batley, was proceeded against by his wife for desertion. Mrs Ripley said they were married in 1898 and there were eight children. They quarreled about another woman in the case, who threatened to drown herself. She said she would leave, but the defendant said that if there was to be any going, he would go. He took some of clothes and buzzed off. But he wasn't to get away so lightly for he was brought to court and told to give his wife 15s a week. I reckon the wife would be at least 50, and fifteen bob doesn't seem to me to have been too generous!

Cleveland No.1 Petrol was 1s 1½d a gallon. Pratts High Test was 1s 4½d. William Bennets had washed house-buts at 24s a ton, and a local colliery wanted 'thin seam miners.' Hudsons at Batley offered a 7 piece Chesterfield suite for £23 10s, and whiskey was now 12s 6d a bottle.

Songs of 1930. Georgie, I got rhythm, Three little words, Walkin' my baby back home, With a song in my heart, Happy days are here again, Body and soul, Falling in love again, The King's horses, If I had a talking picture of you, Dancing with tears in my eyes and quite a few more.

1931

George V is now 66. We had a Labour Government. Ramsay MacDonald was Prime Minister, and also of the National Government, which followed in October, with Baldwin and Chamberlain members of it. 1931 has been described as 'a truly awful year.' There was a world-wide slump. We had 3 million unemployed. Paying benefits and repayment of war debts to the USA were a great strain. MacDonald wanted to cut benefits - his colleagues wouldn't have it and his Labour Government resigned. He formed a National Government in October, cuts were made and taxes increased. We abandoned the Gold Standard in September. Sir Oswald Mosley was expelled from the Labour Party. The Monarchy in Spain collapsed. Japan invaded China.

Local Situation. Railway wages were cut, and there were demands for wage reductions throughout the Valley. Some local teachers attended a rally of 10,000 in London, protesting against a 15% cut. In September they agreed to a 10% cut.

Rotary. A Spen Valley Movement started. Instructions arrived from Rotary International to form clubs in Batley, Spenborough and Heckmondwike. An inaugural lunch was held in the Masonic Hall, Heckmondwike on April 16th, and the local clubs were soon formed, with their motto 'Service above self. He profits most who serves best.'

The Liberal Ladies had another successful trip, this time to Scotland, for 34s 6d. A steamer trip on the 'King George V,' right up to Inverary was a highlight.

A Liberal Opinion. Colonel James Walker, President of the Spen Valley Liberal Association, in a talk to Heckmondwike Young Liberals, said "If Liberals give their support to the new Trades Dispute Bill without very careful consideration, and if they record their votes from any point whatever other than on the merits of the Bill, they will be doing wrong, and as far as the Liberal Party is concerned it will suffer very seriously indeed. If the unions possessed the power they were seeking in the Bill at the time of the General Strike, they would have been the masters of England and able to stop the industry of the country. Sir John Simon had very plainly told the Socialists what HIS position was: in Sir John Simon we have a first-class member."

Stolen Lamp. Eddie Syke Brook, apprentice plasterer, of Bleak Street, Gomersal, was charged with stealing an acetylene bicycle lamp and a tin of carbide, value 5s 4d. He told the court "I had my own lamp taken last week, and I thought I would take someone elses. I am very sorry." The Magistrates said it was no good being sorry, and bound him over for 12 months plus 19s costs.

A Local Poet's Contribution in 1931:
The barber gazed, it was his way,
And chatted, nothing loath:
'Your hair is rather thin on top,
'You must promote its growth.
'Just try a little of this cream
'And on your scalp rub well,
'You'll find 'twill quickly grow again,
'I've still some more to sell.'
'How dare you venture thus to talk
'And ask a man to buy?
'Your own head looks like a billiard ball
'I can't imagine why!'

Philip Snowden's Budget increased income tax from 4s 6d to 5s. Cigarettes, beer and petrol went up, and the dole was reduced from 17s to 15s 3d for the adult man, and from 9s to 8s for his wife. After 26 weeks the Means Test applied. An unemployed miner with six children was cut off because he had £15 in the Co-op! Homes were visited and values of furniture discussed, with possible sale of some of it. Income from pensioners or sons living at home were taken into account. A big proportion of Spen Valley families were subjected to these indignities, and many of my readers will have been amongst them. War disabled in the Valley, who were on small pensions (not sufficient to keep them off the labour market), were 'costed' as to the limbs they had lost. A missing whole right arm was valued at 16s, and 14s if below the shoulder. If below the elbow it was 11s 6d. Left arms were 1s less!!!

The Bank Rate went up on September 21st to 6% to attract foreign capital.

General Election Local Results on October 27th:
Sir John Simon (Lib Nat) 28,647
H.H. Elvin (Lab) 15,691
It was a National Coalition landslide.

Entertainments. Henry Hall took over from Jack Payne with the BBC Dance Orchestra. Littlewoods top prize was £750 for 1s, or £1,233 for 2s. Whipsnade Zoo was opened. Films going the rounds were Charlie Chaplin in City Lights, Cavalcade (Noel Coward).

Songs of the year included: Today I feel so happy, Goodnight sweetheart, When the guards are on parade, You are my heart's delight, Sweet and lovely, Peanut vendor, Lady of Spain, Mood indigo, Would you like to take a walk and I'm happy when I'm hiking.

1932

George V is now 67. He has only 4 more years to live. Our Prime Minister is still Ramsay MacDonald, leading a National Government, representing all parties. Another disastrous year, with unemployment at an all-time peak of 2.8 million (6 to 7 million with dependants). The USA had 13.7 million out of work. Import duties were brought in, ending free trade. Sir Oswald Mosley formed the British Union of Fascists. Cockroft, Rutherford and others split the atom! 'Woman's Own' first saw the light of day, and also Jehovah's Witnesses. 

Jan 20th, Cleckheaton Rotary Club held their first lunch at the George Hotel, Mr R.M. Grylls was President. Heckmondwike Rotarians met at the Queen Hotel.

March 12th, The Duke of York (later to be our King George VI), visited BBA at Moorend. He was President of the Industrial Welfare Society, (now the Industrial Society), formed in 1918 to further industrial relations between workers and bosses. BBA had been members since 1921 and such consultation was a valued and useful part of their factory life.

Methodism. It was in 1932 that the Wesleyan Methodists, the Primitive Methodists and the United Methodist churches amalgamated as the Methodist Church. We are well served with Methodist Churches in our Valley, which seem to be both popular and thriving. At Cleckheaton we even have the Independent Methodists at the Nook.

April 22nd. Neville Chamberlain's budget. No taxation changes, and not possible to give any relief, not even a penny off a pint of beer. But our local manufacturers were glad to see a duty of 20% on imported textiles and 33% on iron and steel.

Sir Ben Turner talks to YMCA Luncheon Club. His talk was entitled 'Changes I would like to see.' He said: "Gambling seems to be in our bones, a bigger social evil than drink. There are sweeps in offices, draws in mills, toss-ups in pits and quarries and gambles at bridge. The immense gamble in and about the Stock Exchange in futures in ungrown and ungathered cotton, all tend to weaken the moral fibre of the nation. I'm not so certain that even crosswords haven't become a bit of a gamble, although I am told that skill and knowledge of the language is required to do them." He wanted less drink sold, cleaner language, less 'fratching and no feightin', less horse racing, dog racing and football matches, a cleaner daily, weekly and particularly Sunday press. "I would like to see Communism in the land," he said. "Call it Socialism, Co-operativism of Communism. Anyhow, the more we are together, the happier we shall be!"

Cleckheaton Baths. In November it was reported that it was noticed at the Swimming Club Gala that about a dozen goldfish were seen disporting themselves in the water. It was regarded as testimony to the purity and cleanliness of the baths.

A Defiant Reply. 'If tha gets mi tha'll get nowt...I don't care if I'm summoned or not!' So said Herbert Jagger, a miner of Commonside, Roberttown, to PC Nichols, who had caught him riding a bike along Clough Lane without a light. He sent his wife to court to do the talking for him. He was fined 10s.

Wood's Charity was distributed at Heckmondwike just before Christmas. The income from a trust was £5 15s 4d, made up of the rent of a field known as the 'Poor Close' of £4 1s and interest on consolidated stock of £1 14s 4d. A balance, less expenses was £4 13s 7d for disposal by way of bread to needy local folks.

Prices. 'Things were cheap, so cheap, cheap beyond your dreams.' said an expert on the BBC. Fish teas were 1s, a Rover 'Pup' was £85, and a 'Baby Morris? £100. Box's Tours charged £11 for eight days touring the Scottish Highlands. 'Digger Flake' was 7½d oz. A shaving stick and six blades cost 11½d at Heckmondwike Co-op, and Jessops had boys' suits for 7s 11d. Family food which cost £8 a month in 1927, cost £6 11d in 1931 and £6 in 1933. Houses cost £400 to £500 for the popular sizes. Mortgages were 5½% over 20 years. A Raleigh bike, under £5. 'Hercules' bike under £4. Wallaces boiled ham 5d a quarter, tongue 7d, Empire butter 1s lb, Danish bacon 9d. Heckmondwike Co-op a strong pail, good scrub, 1lb Minerva soap...the lot 1s 3½d, a teacup filled with strawberry jam, with saucer, 7d, 1 lb of prunes and 4oz tin of custard powder 6d. Sovereigns 27s 3d, half-sovereigns 13s 3d.

Entertainments. Tom Walls won the Derby with April the Fifth (100-6). The Olympic Games were held in Los ANgeles. Sir Thomas Beecham founded the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Shirley Temple's first film, 'Red Hairded Alibi.' Pavilion, Heckmondwike, 'The house with the wonderful organ,' had Bebe Daniels in 'Love comes along.'

Songs of 1932. Ain't it grand to be bloomin' well dead, Love is the sweetest thing, Minnie the moocher, Eleven more months and ten more days, Around the Mable Arch, Goodnight Vienna, Auf Wiedersehn my dear, I've told every little star and April in Paris.