{"id":1567,"date":"2024-03-29T14:05:43","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T14:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/?p=1567"},"modified":"2024-03-29T14:32:53","modified_gmt":"2024-03-29T14:32:53","slug":"northern-salvo-318","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/northern-salvo-318","title":{"rendered":"Northern Salvo 318"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Northern Salvo<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Incorporating \u00a0Weekly Notices, Sectional Appendices, and Northern Weekly Salvo <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Published at Station House, Kents Bank, Lancashire-North-of-the-Sands, LA11 7BB and at 109 Harpers Lane, Bolton BL1 6HU (both Lancashire) <\/strong>email: paul.salveson@myphone.coop<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Publications website: www.lancashireloominary.co.uk<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 318\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 April \u00a02024\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Salveson\u2019s half-nakedly political digest of railways, tripe and secessionist nonsense from Up North.<\/p>\n

Easter special<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Quite a lot has happened since the last Salvo, with some positive developments with the Station library and some big news about the Rocket 200 celebrations of the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway \u2013 2030 may see a good way away but it will soon come round and there\u2019s lots that can be done in the run-up to the anniversary. I’ve steered clear of politics (apart from an historical piece on English Socialism). What is there to say? It’s so bloody depressing, particularly in Ukraine and the Middle East, but not a lot of room for optimism here at home. But, for all that – have a lovely Easter break.<\/p>\n

Rocket 200<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I\u2019m delighted to say that I\u2019ve recently been appointed chair of Rocket 200. Here is the press release from Rocket 200 \u00a0which was sent out earlier this week:<\/p>\n

\u201cManchester Histories, in collaboration with partners National Museums Liverpool, Metal, Manchester Science Museum, Manchester University, Liverpool City Council, Manchester City Council, St Helens Council and Network Rail, is proud to announce the appointment of two distinguished individuals to steer the Rocket 200 project towards its ambitious goals for 2030 after a public recruitment process. Professor Paul Salveson will serve as the Chair, accompanied by Jessica Bowles as the Vice Chair.<\/p>\n

The Rocket 200 project was originally developed with Manchester Histories and partners in 2021 to explore how best to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the world\u2019s first inter-city railway between Liverpool & Manchester. This encompassed several key objectives: fostering community regeneration along the railway line, delving into the depths of the UK’s industrial past, shining a global spotlight on the<\/p>\n

\"\"
Salveson with a gradely group of St Helens council leaders and community activists at a recent meeting in the fine town hall. I was presented with a wonderful painting of ‘Rocket’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

North West as a hub of innovation and international influence, and providing a distinctive platform for cultural, engineering, and community engagement. During 2023 the Steering Group has been consulting and researching options for these activities with partners. It is now ready to develop the next phase of its programme, supported by Paul and Jessica\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

Professor Paul Salveson brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role as Chair. With a career deeply rooted in the railway industry, Professor Salveson has been a trailblazer.\u00a0 He is credited with originating and developing the concept of ‘community rail’, which has led to establishing over twenty community-rail partnerships across the UK and Eastern Europe. As president of the South-East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership and a member of Bolton at Home’s Operations Committee, his commitment to community engagement and empowerment is unwavering. Rocket 150<\/p>\n

\"\"
Rocket 150 – a scene at Bold Colliery in May 1980 with replica ‘Rocket’ and Deltic (built just down the road…)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Professor Salveson is a visiting Professor at Bolton and the University of Huddersfield in the Department of Transport Logistics where he shares his knowledge and expertise to the next generation of leaders. Additionally, his role as manager of the new Kents Bank Station Library underscores his dedication to preserving and promoting local history. Paul is also the author of the recently published book ‘Lancastrians – Mills Mines and Minarets’ which highlights the role of railways in the North’s industrial transformation.<\/p>\n

Jessica Bowles will be joining him as Vice Chair and her public and private sector experience will complement Paul’s.\u00a0 Jessica brings over 25 years of experience in generating investment and fostering growth in cities through expertise in economic policy, strategy, and commercial development. Her career has seen her emerge as a trusted leader in various capacities, including the senior civil service, local government in Manchester, and at the board level of Bruntwood, one of the UK\u2019s most forward-thinking property companies.\u00a0 As Director of Strategic Partnerships and Impact at Bruntwood since April 2016, Jessica plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s strategic direction and driving cross-sector partnerships to enhance both business value and the wider economy.<\/p>\n

Together, Paul and Jessica will spearhead Rocket 200 towards achieving its mission of celebrating and preserving the story of Rocket 200 past, present and future. Manchester Histories is acting as the lead organisation for the project for the next three years. \u201c<\/p>\n

For media enquiries or further information, please contact: \u00a0Karen Shannon CEO Manchester Histories: karen@manchesterhistories.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

Manchester Histories<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Manchester Histories is an award-winning charity that works collaboratively to reveal and celebrate the stories of the people and places of Greater Manchester and beyond. It connects people through histories and heritage to explore the past and shape the future, valuing all voices in the telling, preserving, and celebrating stories.<\/p>\n

It was established in 2012 and delivers a year-long public and community engagement programme, and the biennial Manchester Histories Festival is now in its 9th<\/sup> edition.\u00a0Manchester Histories is proud to be part of GMAST (Greater Manchester Arts Sustainability Team). This network brings together the cultural and creative community across Greater Manchester to address the climate and ecological crisis.<\/p>\n

Past projects include Peterloo 2019<\/em>, a project to mark the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre; DigiFest 2020, a celebration and recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (1970); Manchester Histories Festival 2022,<\/em> History of Climate Change<\/em> which explored the local and global climate crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistory Matters. It connects people with those who’ve gone before and those who’ll come after. We support people to explore these connections. It’s why our work is vital.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

www.manchesterhistories.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

Facebook \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 facebook.com\/manchesterhistories\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 instagram.com\/manchesterhistories\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter (X)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 twitter.com\/mcrhistfest<\/a><\/p>\n

Happy anniversaries<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Liverpool and Manchester isn\u2019t the only important railway anniversary \u2013 2025 is the 200th<\/sup> anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Local authorities in the area have been very active in developing their plans with Railway 200 formed to promote railways<\/p>\n

\"\"
Councillor Derek Bullock inspects one of the original B&LR stone sleepers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

on a national level. More in future Salvoes. In 2028 it\u2019s the 200th<\/sup> anniversary of the Bolton and Leigh Railway, Lancashire\u2019s first public railway and two years ahead of the Liverpool and Manchester. The first locomotive was \u2018Lancashire Witch\u2019 \u2013 wouldn\u2019t it be great to have a replica built! A committee is being formed to take forward ideas \u2013 email The Salvo if you\u2019re interested in being involved. The Cromford and High Peak and Canterbury and Whitstable are also 200 in 2030.<\/p>\n

Station Library doings <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Kents Bank Station Library continues to develop with well-attended monthly open days and talks (see below). For now, the Library will be open once a month, normally on the second Saturday of the month \u2013 the next open day is Saturday April 13th, from 11.00 to 3.30 pm. Entrance is via steps next to Beach Hut Gallery (also open). Teas, coffee and biscuits available \u2013 as well as sale of surplus books there is also an expanding ‘lending’ section.<\/p>\n

The library is open for reference\/study purposes by appointment – ring 07795 008691 or email info@stationlibrary.org.uk<\/a> . We continue to receive generous donations of books and railway ephemera, which are very much appreciated.<\/p>\n

The Library has started a series of monthly talks. We\u2019ve christened them our \u2018Mutual Improvement Class\u2019 (MIC) reviving a railway<\/p>\n

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One of our regular users!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

tradition that goes back to the beginnings of the Railway Age. The most recent talk was by retired Blackburn locoman Raymond Watto, speaking on his \u2018Memoirs of a Lancashire Engineman\u2019. Raymond started his railway career at Lower Darwen shed, moving to Blackburn and then Preston depots. He was fireman on 70013 \u2018Oliver Cromwell\u2019 on the famous \u2018Fifteen Guinea Special\u2019 marking the end of steam on August 11th<\/sup> 1968.<\/p>\n

The next talk is on Wednesday April 10th<\/sup> with Tony Parker speaking on how the impressive station buildings at Carnforth were saved from demolition and became what is now the Railway heritage Centre. The talk is at 14.00 and must be pre-booked. Ring 07795 008691 or email info@stationlibrary.org.uk<\/a> .<\/p>\n

We\u2019re also going to start publishing \u2018occasional papers\u2019 on aspects of railway social history.<\/p>\n

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A hundred years ago….<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first will be a three-part paper by John Kolodziejski, \u2018London Bridge Freight Guard: Life on BR on the 70s\u2019. John went on to become a journalist with the FT; this memoir offers a fascinating glimpse into life during a period of rapid transition on the railways. It will be posted on the library website shortly.<\/p>\n

We continue to get donations of railway and transport-related books. Thanks to Peter in Altrincham for donating 400 Oakwood Press titles \u2013 filling in some major gaps in our collection of branch-line histories.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Library trustee with Frank Paterson and Mike Webb have lunch in the NRM Great Hall, in good company. John is explaining the intricacies of Gresley’s valve gear<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We recently had a trip to York to meet Frank Paterson and Mike Webb from Friends of the National Railway Museum. We did a mutually beneficial \u2018book swap\u2019 and we came away with some real gems, including several bound volumes of the Great Western Railway staff magazine, going back to 1907. I\u2019ll give you a few examples of their stories in later Salvoes<\/em>. Keep an eye out on www.stationlibrary.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

Postal address: Station House, Kentsford Road, Kents Bank, Grange-over-Sands LA11 7BB<\/p>\n

Footplate Passenger<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I’m delighted to tell you about a very special event we’ve got coming up on Friday April 19th at the Station Library, on Kents Bank Station.
\nBob Waterhouse will be launching his book ‘Footplate Passenger: the Locomotive Journal <\/em>writings of E.S. Waterhouse’ (with a foreword by myself). \u00a0This is no ordinary railway book. It is a selection of the writings of E.S. Waterhouse, a Methodist minister between the 1930s and 1960s. The book is illustrated by the great photographer Denis Thorpe, who worked with Bob on The Guardian.
\nLike many clerics, Waterhouse had a love of railways and steam engines, but he took this to amazing heights. With the permission of the railway companies he had a footplate pass to ride in the cab of express trains across the British railway network. He become good friends with many ‘top link’ engineman and wrote about their exploits.
\nThese were published in the loco drivers’ union paper – ‘Locomotive Journal’ under the heading ‘As The Passenger Sees It’. Some of the articles are politically radical; Waterhouse was aware of the looming threat of fascism in the 30s and the importance of strong unions to protect workers’ interests.
\nHis grandson Bob Waterhouse, a retired Guardian journalist, has put together several of his articles and is publishing the book next month; we are really proud to be hosting the launch at our unique station library at Kents Bank, on the scenic Lancaster – Barrow line, on Friday April 19th at 12.30 for a 12.45 start.
\nSalvo readers are very welcome to join us – but please let me know if you can come as space is limited. \u00a0There will be drinks and light refreshment and review copies of the book will be available.<\/p>\n

Railwaymen (and women!) remembered<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The following personal accounts of railway life came out of an oral history class I taught, called \u2018Railwaymen Remember\u2019, for the University of Leeds in 1994. The class members were mostly retired drivers, a few former guards and signalmen and one remarkable lady, Eunice Bickerdyke, of Normanton (below). The stories were put together as \u2018Messroom Gossip\u2019, but were never published. I\u2019m hoping to feature some of the stories in the next few issues of The Salvo. Hope you enjoy them! <\/em><\/p>\n

Eunice Bickerdyke<\/strong><\/h5>\n

\u201cI started in January 1949 on the London Midland at Normanton. I had to attend formal classes in Railway Operating and Railway Geography. These were evening classes. I also had to attend HNC typing class on two other evenings, and the Ambulance Class on the fourth evening! I attended some education classes organised by the TUC and the National Council of Labour Colleges.<\/p>\n

I started in the clerical grades in the 1940s and was sent bto be trained at Wakefield College. I then went to a post in Manchester. There was a Ms Glydill who ran the typing pool. There weren\u2019t so many opportunities for women then. By the 1960s it became easier to get promotion, including into management positions. Very often your prospects were tied in with your boss\u2019s. If he was promoted, you were promoted with him.<\/p>\n

As well as looking after pay and conditions, there was a great social life in the RCA (Railway Clerks\u2019 Association \u2013 now TSSA). There were weekend trips to the seaside and all sorts of excursions.<\/p>\n

Railway work used to be seen as a job for life, but you were often forced to move. Sometimes, if the company wanted to get rid of you, you\u2019d get instructions on Friday afternoon to \u201creport at 6a.m. at Port Talbot, Monday morning.\u201d If you were forced off like that, you couldn\u2019t sign on, as you had, technically, resigned. Sometimes you were forcibly promoted! My father was station inspector at Normanton during the war. He was \u2018invited\u2019 to become station inspector at Bletchley, but he refused. It meant that any future promotion would be virtually impossible. Firemen were often instructed to transfer, if there was a shortage. And you had to go.<\/p>\n

You couldn\u2019t move from one company to another, or, after nationalisation, from one region to another. But both the LNER and the LMS covered a vast territory. The LMS went down into South Wales and up to the west of Scotland.<\/p>\n

The railway police often had to lodge. My husband left home on Friday afternoon and went up to Newcastle, for a football special going to London. He slept that night in a sleeping car in the sidings. He got home Sunday dinner time! I worked for a time in York. I was sent on a course in Devizes on \u2018How to deal with staff problems\u2019 \u2013 but I\u2019d never had any staff problems before! Anyway, I had a lovely time. It helped make me more aware of potential staff problems, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fred North<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Fred came from a West Riding railway family. His father was a driver at Manningham shed, Bradford, later Holbeck. He drove the famous test runs over the Settle-Carisle Line with Jubilee loco 5660 \u2018Rooke\u2019 in 1936. Fred started his footplate career just before the outbreak of the Second World War and retired in the 1970s. He was booked as a driver in the 1950s and worked at Manningham, Copley Hill, and finally Holbeck sheds. <\/em><\/p>\n

Company rivalries<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s always been rivalry between the different railway companies. It’s still there among older railwaymen! We used to call the LMS ”Let Me sleep”! But there was often a nasty edge to it. I can remember drivers on the GN saying about a transferred driver, ”Don’t talk to him, he’s a Midland man”. I used to like the GN gauge lamps, and I’d often<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Railwaymen Remember’ group at Leeds station. Ralph on extreme left<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

try and swap a few cloths for one of them! \u00a0The rivalry could get serious when promotion was involved. When someone came in from another shed he’d put you back for promotion. It wasn’t his fault of course. But often these transferred men were treated with hostility.<\/p>\n

I remember worrying when I transferred to Copley Hill, the GN shed, I was a Midland man, and I’d seen men at Holbeck sent to Coventry by some of the other men. I always challenged this, and I’m glad to say that I was well received at Copley Hill.<\/p>\n

Fun and games \u2013 and ghosts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many Tunnels had their own resident ghost, often near running water, for special effects. Bramhope was particularly wet, the ghost must have worn a mac all the time. Some tunnels were built on rising gradients and you’d often start slipping on the wet rails: Sometimes you’d lose all sense of whether you were moving forward, standing still, or going backwards! The only way you’d know was by sticking your shovel out of the cab, to touch the tunnel wails.<\/p>\n

In the days of loose-coupled freight it was easy to end up breaking couplings or giving violent snatches which could result in the guard at the back of the train being thrown across the van floor and getting badly injured. There was one place which was notorious, near Bingley. I was a young driver and my father advised me the best way to tackle the dip. “Keep the buggers going! ” he said. He insisted that the best plan was to keep steam on hard after slowing down before Bingley. I tried it out, and we went storming through Bingley tunnel, only to find the distant was off for us but for the slow line. There was a 20 mph slack from fast to slow. We hit the points at something more like double that. Anyway, we held the rails but I was a bit angry with my dad. He repeated his opinion, adding that I must have just been a bit soft to worry about coming off the road. There wasn’t any snatch, was there?<\/p>\n

A Passed Fireman once took the quickest way into the Holbeck Mess Room, he ran a locomotive into it! He was on the turntable with a loco and the road off the table was on a rising gradient. He had trouble<\/p>\n

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Normanton, 1967. Railway workers’ housing in background<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

moving the loco so he wrenched the regulator fully open. The loco moved all right, straight into the mess room wall! The main casualty was the mess room cat: it ran off in terror and obviously found a less dangerous abode.<\/p>\n

There were some perks in working on the footplate. We had jobs to Heysham where you could sample the nettle beer. It was delicious! And at Kentish there was a place that sold lemonade, not ordinary lemonade. You could taste the lemons!<\/p>\n

We used to have a regular express passenger job to Carlisle; We’d always get sandwiches from the dining car lads when we got to Carlisle. One day, we arrived and there was no sign of our ‘treats’. I got up on the tender and ‘put the bag in’ to take water, and then one of the attendants appeared. ”1’m sorry we’ve no sandwiches today” he said, ”the chef has been busy. But would you accept this?” And he pulled out an enormous pork pie, together with a silver tea service! We split the pie in half and took most of it home.<\/p>\n

Toilet tricks<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you were caught short on the bookplate, you’d use the shovel! You’d have be careful not to use the shovel for catering purposes after! I remember being on a Morecambe excursion, returning to Leeds. We stopped at Skipton and two men came up to us from out of the train.\u00a0\u00a0 They explained that their female companions needed to use a toilet (it was non-corridor stock with no toilet). I gave them a bucket which was duly returned at Keighley!<\/p>\n

I was with one driver at Manningham shed for some time. He was always playing tricks. One day he was leaving Bingley, with a young lad firing for him. When they got into the tunnel he grabbed hold of the lad’s neck. The lad was terrified and asked if he had got hold of him. The driver replied he hadn’t, he must have been grabbed by the ghost of a dead platelayer who haunted the tunnel. He was run over by an engine and had a grudge against locomen.<\/p>\n

There were different working practices. Eastern men – or GN men, as we called them – never did any hooking on. We Midland men always did! Sometimes a train would wait for hours for someone to hook on because the GN men wouldn’t do it.<\/p>\n

When I signed up during the war I was asked what I wanted to do. I said ‘railway work’ – but I ended up bridge building! I had no interest in this at all, and eventually I got my own way.<\/p>\n

Lodging Turns<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our link had 18 lodging turns in 12 weeks, We would lodge at Carlisle, Burton, Derby and other places. I had one driver who never lodged all the time I knew him! He’d always find a ruse to avoid it. He’d find a fault on the loco or claim he didn’t know the road.<\/p>\n

Some of the lodging houses were very comfortable. The house at Carnforth was run by a nice lady, Mrs Marshall, who kept the place immaculate. The food was good too. It was normal for footplatemen<\/p>\n

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Holbeck shed, 1967<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

to take their families there for a holiday in summer! The Lancaster lodge was a cold place and we always took coal to keep warm. Mrs Lockhart was stewardess at Carlisle Kingmoor lodging house (it’s a hotel now). It was rum place. On my first visit she told me to be careful if I went into town there were a lot of bad women in Carlisle. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any!<\/p>\n

The Kentish Town lodging house just had a series of cubicles, with no roof over them. You could hear everything and some drivers snored heavily! There was only one chamber pot, and when it was full someone chucked the contents out of the window.<\/p>\n

I was lodging in London after Kentish Town Lodge had closed. I was sent to Ilford but it was miles away. So I went to a place called the Hampton Castle, near Kings Cross. That was a right doss-house. The staff were ignorant. I got a meal but no spoon so I asked for one. They refused, and said I should have asked for it when I ordered my meal! I kicked up a right fuss.<\/p>\n

Carlisle had several lodging houses – Upperby, Durranhill, and Kingmoor. Kingmoor had a lot of Scotch lodgers. They were big, hefty men. In the middle of the mess room there was a table with a big bowl of fat. They’d ladle some up to make a fry-up, and then sling the fat back in when they’d finish. God only knows how old that fat was! Most of them used to make a big pot of tea, with a bowl of porridge. Their tea was something else. They’d brew up and leave their tea pot behind the back of the heating boiler and leave it there until the following day. There were dozens of these teapots, talk about liking your tea stewed. Ugh!<\/p>\n

We’d often cook onions in the cab. We’d stick one behind the injector handle and it would cook a treat. It was quite a common delicacy. It would roast slowly, and be a delicious treat after an hour or so. My mate used to take his false teeth out first, wash them out in a firing bucket, then eat his onion.<\/p>\n

War <\/strong><\/p>\n

My first trip to London as a fireman was at the height of the war. The driver was Lionel Bateson. At Bedford we were told it was ”Air Raid Alert Red”. As we headed south towards London the sky was lit up, bright red, by fires and bombings When we arrived at St Pancras the station was quiet, but we could hear bombs exploding all round the city. We headed for the lodging and found some other Leeds men already there. We then heard the anti-aircraft guns at Hampstead Heath start firing and then there was a massive explosion and lots of shattering glass. All the lights went out, but after the dust had settled nobody was injured.<\/p>\n

We went out to have a look round and collect some souvenirs. There was a huge crater directly outside the building with lots of tangled metal. It turned out to be a land-mine which had exploded on impact after being dropped by a German plane. It was a lucky escape! One Leeds fireman was killed by a bomb, it ripped his leg off and he bled to death.<\/p>\n

During the war there was a regular train for expectant mothers. It left St Pancras at 10 am every day, for Derby. Buses were waiting there to take them to a home in Alfreton.<\/p>\n

There were a lot of black American soldiers stationed in Britain, and they were rigidly separated from the white Gls. We worked a special train which was specially for black Gls and two white Americans got in by mistake. They got badly beaten up.\u201d<\/p>\n

More to follow in next month\u2019s Salvo.<\/em><\/p>\n

Walt Whitman and Northern Socialism<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is an outline of my talk for Wakefield Socialist History Group on February 23rd<\/sup> 2024, at The Red Shed. My book With \u2018Walt Whitman in Bolton\u2019 gives a fuller account of the connections but is almost out of print. I\u2019m looking at doing a new edition.<\/em><\/p>\n

The great poet of American democracy, Walt Whitman, had a huge influence on the early British socialist movement. The man whom many acclaim as the United States\u2019 greatest-ever poet had very close ties with a group of friends, many of whom were active in the Independent Labour Party (ILP), in Lancashire. Each year, on May<\/p>\n

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Walt Whitman in old age<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

31st<\/sup>, they celebrated Whitman\u2019s birthday on the Lancashire moors with readings from his poetry, wearing sprigs of lilac and passing round a loving cup of spiced claret. Since 1985 the tradition has been revived, and has become a popular event for both socialists and the gay community.<\/p>\n

The central figure in the Bolton group was J W Wallace, an architect\u2019s assistant with Bolton firm Bradshaw Gass and Hope. He was a close friend of both the Glasiers and Keir Hardie, and a member of the ILP\u2019s National Administrative Council. Wallace used this position to promote his almost fanatical devotion to the prophet of comradeship and the open air and had some measure of success.<\/p>\n

Most socialist publications in the 1890s carried adverts for \u2018Leaves of Grass\u2019, Whitman\u2019s ever-changing collection of his writings, and his poetry featured in most collections of socialist verse. Labour\u2019s Garland \u2013 Poems for Socialists<\/em>, published by The Huddersfield Worker<\/em> and edited by James Leatham included an excerpt from Whitman\u2019s prose on the cover and part of \u2018Song of the Redwood Tree\u2019 and \u2018To a Foil\u2019d European Revolutionaire\u2019 amongst the poetry.<\/p>\n

What made him so popular? Whitman cut a striking figure, with a shock of white hair and beard, wearing a cap perched at a jaunty angle. He was almost sanctified by the early socialist movement in England, particularly in the North. The Bolton socialist Allen Clarke wrote in 1919 that \u2018it is fitting that Bolton should be distinguished above all towns in England by having a group of Whitman enthusiasts, for many years in close touch, by letter and visit, with \u2018the Master\u2019, for I am sure Walt Whitman, the singer of out-door life, would have loved to ramble our Lancashire moorlands.\u2019 (published in book form in \u2018Moorlands and Memories\u2019<\/em>, Bolton, 1920).<\/p>\n

The correspondence with Whitman started with a birthday greeting<\/p>\n

\"\"
A Whitmanite picnic at Rivington, 1894. Edward Carpenter is in the group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

sent in 1887, signed by Wallace and his friend Dr John Johnston. Whitman was touched, and there began an exchange of letters which cast a lot of fascinating light on Whitman himself and on life in Lancashire in the late nineteenth century.<\/p>\n

Whitman died in 1892, but by then a firm friendship with other American \u2018Whitmanites\u2019 had been established with this small group of enthusiasts in the town which was then at the heart of the Lancashire cotton industry. They called themselves \u2018The Eagle Street College\u2019 after the modest two-up two-down terraced house where the group\u2019s mentor, J.W. Wallace, lived with his parents in the mid-1880s. They used to meet at Wallace\u2019s home each week to discuss Whitman and other great thinkers and poets of the time. Wallace moved to Adlington, a small village on the edge of the Bolton moors, in the mid-1890s and this encouraged the group to come to visit and explore the magnificent scenery around Rivington and Anglezarke.<\/p>\n

The highpoint of the group\u2019s social calendar was the celebration of Whitman\u2019s birthday. The day included a brisk walk up to Rivington where they would be entertained by the Unitarian minister Samuel Thompson. There would be readings from \u2018Leaves of Grass\u2019 and the passing round of a \u2018loving cup\u2019 containing spiced claret. More of ten than not Wallace would deliver an \u2018address\u2019 on the political and spiritual significance of Whitman. But basically they had a good time and were able to work off the claret on the walk back down to the railway station at Adlington.<\/p>\n

The group were, at least initially, mainly lower middle-class men who included clerks, a journalist, clergymen and one or two skilled workers. They were not a metropolitan intelligentsia, but neither could they be described as representative of Bolton\u2019s industrial working class. They were probably typical of the sort of person drawn to the young Independent Labour Party with its message of ethical, rather than Marxian, socialism. As Fred Wild, an early member of the group commented \u2018these young men were all from the Parish Church and for the most part were engaged as clerks or minor gaffers and were attracted to Wallace by his personality and intellectual powers.<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n

Wallace had a wider circle of friends who were infected by his love for Whitman, including Keir Hardie, founder of the Labour Party, who frequently visited him in Adlington. Edward Carpenter, Robert Blatchford and the Irish co-operator Horace Plunkett were amongst his friends and correspondents. Whitman and Carpenter were particularly close friends and Carpenter visited the poet in America. Whilst Carpenter was overtly gay, Whitman kept his sexuality something of a mystery, though America\u2019s modern gay community has claimed him as their own. Much of his poetry is a powerful celebration of love between men, with some strongly erotic themes and imagery. Equally, he was the poet of spirituality and comradeship, and love of the open air.<\/p>\n

Whitman\u2019s birthday will be celebrated, as usual, on the nearest Saturday to his birthday (May 31st<\/sup>), which means it should be Saturday June 1st<\/sup>. Details in a future Salvo.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lancastrians: Mills, Mines and Minarets <\/strong><\/h4>\n

The first three months of the year has been a busy time for talks on my \u2018Lancastrians\u2019 book. The most recent was to the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, in the fine surroundings of the Athenaeum in Liverpool. More to come in April and May;\u00a0 please contact me if you would like more details.<\/p>\n

The book itself isn\u2019t a \u2018conventional\u2019 history and covers different themes of Lancashire history, including sport, culture, politics, industry \"\"and religion. It explores the Lancastrians who left for new lives in America, Canada, Russia and South Africa, as well as the \u2018New Lancastrians\u2019 who have settled in the county since the 14th<\/sup> century. There are about forty \u2018potted biographies\u2019 of men and women who have made important (but often neglected) contributions to Lancashire.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s available, published by the highly-respected publishers Hurst whose catalogue is well worth a look at it. See https:\/\/www.hurstpublishers.com\/catalogues\/spring-summer-2023\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The book is hardback, price \u00a325 (hopefully there will be a paperback out this year). Salvo readers can get a 25% discount by going to the publisher\u2019s website (www.hurstpublishers.com<\/a>) and enter the code LANCASTRIANS25 at checkout.<\/p>\n

Still in Print (at special prices)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

ALLEN CLARKE: Lancashire\u2019s Romantic Radical<\/em> \u00a34.99 (normally \u00a318.99)<\/p>\n

Moorlands, Memories and Reflections<\/em> \u00a315.00 (\u00a321.00)<\/p>\n

Last Train from Blackstock Junction<\/em><\/strong> (published by Platform 5 Books). A collection of short stories about railway life in the North of England. Salvo<\/em> readers can get the book at a specially discounted price, courtesy of Platform 5 Publishing. Go to https:\/\/www.platform5.com\/Catalogue\/New-Titles<\/a>. Enter LAST22 in the promotional code box at the basket<\/strong> and this will reduce the unit price from \u00a312.95 to \u00a310.95.<\/p>\n

The Settle-Carlisle Railway<\/em><\/strong> (published by Crowood \u00a324) \u2013 can do it for Salvo readers at \u00a312<\/strong><\/p>\n

See www.lancashireloominary.co.uk<\/a> for full details of the books (ignore the prices shown and use the above \u2013 add total of \u00a33 per order for post and packing in UK)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Northern Salvo Incorporating \u00a0Weekly Notices, Sectional Appendices, and Northern Weekly Salvo Published at Station House, Kents Bank, Lancashire-North-of-the-Sands, LA11 7BB and at 109 Harpers Lane, Bolton BL1 6HU (both Lancashire) email: paul.salveson@myphone.coop Publications website: www.lancashireloominary.co.uk No. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 318\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 April \u00a02024\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Salveson\u2019s half-nakedly political digest of railways, tripe and secessionist nonsense from Up North. Easter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1567"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1579,"href":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1567\/revisions\/1579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}