November 2010

Your letters

A hardy bunch of swimmers

In the article ‘Unique film preserved’ (Sept), there was a most interesting reference to Sheffield Spartan Swimmers, of which I was a member.

A film of our activities was shown on TV a few years ago which featured me climbing out of the pool where a channel had been cut from the ice on Christmas Day 1950. Still pictures were printed in several of the national newspapers the day after Boxing Day.

Your picture was taken in the 1930s and this causes me confusion. The tale I tell regarding this club is that the five Sheffield Water Rats left the open air Longley pool in northern Sheffield to swim at Millhouses in 1950. Two friends and I joined them and I believe changed the name of the club to Sheffield Spartan Swimmers.

All five Water Rats have subsequently died. We used to meet daily before work at all times of the year and changed in the open air. In other words we were stupid. One of our members, Brian Asquith, an internationally famed designer, died a year or two ago after swimming every day for nearly sixty years in the river which ran through his grounds at Youlgreave in Derbyshire.

The point is that the Sheffield Spartan Swimmers club must have run before ‘my day’ in 1950 and I was totally unaware of this, as we had badges made for members.

The odd thing is that I seem to be on the older photograph and I believe I knew a few of the others in the photo. Perhaps I am ninety-seven and not the seventy-seven I thought I was.

In winter we could only swim on Sunday mornings as the lack of light dictated otherwise. We would gather around 9am or 10am. In summer some of us went to the pool at 6.30am to enable us to commence our day jobs at 7.30am. Saturday mornings were worked in those days. Thus weekdays saw members arriving at odd times, when the attendant, also a member, was present to let us in.

At the time when the photograph was taken, it being festive, we gathered outside to have a rum or brandy and mince pie. At an early stage we learned a series of exercises to restore circulation. I still use these most days for the same reason, but not after a dip.

If there were three or four inches of ice, and it was not a special occasion, we only cleared a gap of a yard or two square at the first and second set of steps to allow us to swim the forty yards under water.

This was not as daunting as may be imagined as the second hole shone out brightly giving us easy directions. The rest of the covering ice showed grey with a sprinkling of small stars. When no ice was present we just swam a length or two of the pool which measured 40x120 yards. Then the greatest discomfort was an intense cold where the air met the water.

Michael Hill, Sheffield

Hands-on Midden Men

The mention of middens (Aug) took me back to my childhood. I grew up in Hunslet Carr, Leeds, and our midden was up a yard near the allotments which backed into four toilets, and the midden and toilets were shared by eight houses.

Friday mornings the midden men came with horse and cart to empty it, and men with shovels climbed in and shovelled it all out into this open cart… so much for health and safety.

Mrs E Pritchard, Leeds

Family of Stonemasons

In the September issue, a Mrs Smith of Shipley queried Swales Stonemasons of Harrogate. My mother’s name was Skerry, one of five sisters and one brother born at Acklam near Malton in the 1880s.

Rosie married Stephen Swales, monumental mason of Harlow Hill, around 1910-11. They had one son, Stuart in 1913. Stephen fought in France until 1918 when he returned to the business. Stuart joined the business until 1939, married Mabel Thompson and returned to the business in 1946 after the war.

They had one daughter, Wendy, who lives in Harrogate.

In 1965 Stephen and Stuart both died within a week and the business was sold to H A Green of Ripon. Both are buried in Harlow Hill cemetery with their wives.

I am eighty but spent holidays with Rosie as a child. The stone house had a quarry in front with a view to Queen Ethelburga’s School, which has now moved, and Harlow Carr Gardens. Since 1965 the quarry was filled in and many houses built. It is still possible to view the original house from the cemetery.

M W Hesp, Ripon

Thanks to Alec Clegg

The tribute to Sir Alec Clegg by Ian McMillan (Sept) is yet another reason to celebrate the life and work of the former Chief Education Officer of the West Riding.

I thought I was a bit of an expert on West Riding education but was not aware that it was Alec Clegg who inspired Ian McMillan to become a writer.

I have long been a fan of Ian, was delighted to read his touching tribute to Alec Clegg, and will now appreciate yet another dimension to Ian’s work.

I had the privilege to go through my entire education under the influence of Alec Clegg, which included West Riding infants, primary and secondary schools and a West Riding grant to university after which I worked for the West Riding as a teacher and later was an elected member of the West Riding County Council.

Alec Clegg was in office throughout this period, addressing the needs of the less fortunate ‘twilight children’ of the West Riding and inspiring so many to take an interest in music and the arts.

When Alec Clegg died I was a Member of the European Parliament and returned from Strasbourg to attend his memorial service at Wakefield Cathedral. I have been privileged to be of the West Riding generation who have benefited from free education from infants school right through university.

Like so many, I owe a great deal to West Riding education and Alec Clegg, support Ian McMillan’s idea for a memorial statue, and suggest that a place near to County Hall in Wakefield, the headquarters of the former West Riding County Council, would be a most appropriate location.

Michael McGowan, Leeds

Can't escape the law

The article ‘Rough Justice’ by Martin Limon (August) was yet another contribution to bring on a wave of nostalgia, as my brother-in-law was Sproatley’s village policeman in the mid-1960s.

Ron Hunter and my sister Joan lived in the police house adjoining the court. I recollect Ron arriving home early for his dinner saying that a prisoner at Hull gaol had escaped. “I’ll just have a bit to eat and then I’ll pick him up,” he said. “Just like that?” I retorted. Ron returned later. “Did you arrest him, then?” I asked. “Yes, he’s on his way back now.”

To Ron this was routine as prisoners escaping Hull Prison often headed for the bus station and caught the bus to Preston, not knowing that Preston of course is a Holderness village just south of Sproatley!

John Q Smith, Knaresborough

Anger at Royal Mail plans

Regarding Royal Mail’s plans to drop county names from postal addresses, apparently this is because they have had too many complaints over out-of-date names.

The story started with a BBC news broadcast in the early hours of Sunday 1 August, airing Royal Mail’s plans. Since then I have contacted the Tax Payers Alliance who were very helpful with advice, Royal Mail (no reply yet), Dalesman (very positive) and BBC Radio York, where I was passed from one department to another, before eventually being told it was ‘old news’.

I believe the county name defines who you are and where you come from in this country. Your county is where your roots are. I for one am proud to say I’m a Yorkshireman and I know a lot of others who feel the same. I am not a ‘YO’, I’m not a ‘code’, I am a Yorkshireman.

I think if people from other counties were asked if they were proud of their county and their roots a lot of them would answer ‘yes’. I also think that if
they were informed of Royal Mail’s intentions to remove their county names from the mail, they would let Royal Mail know in no uncertain terms what to do with their intentions.

I am a disabled ex-serviceman who put his life on the line for this country and is rightly proud of it. I’m disappointed at the way I’ve been treated over this matter, which is clearly of major importance not only to the people of Yorkshire, but to the people of every county in the country.

C Phoenix, York

Good times at the Chevin

The article on exploring the Chevin (July) brought back fond memories of my boyhood.

My dad and I would cycle from Cleckheaton through Bradford, on Manningham Road to Shipley, then up Hollins Hill. This venture when you are ten years old was challenge. But joy of joy, when one reached the top there was that steady ride towards Guiseley and Harry Ramsden’s Fish and Chip shop. Then we would cycle to Menston and up the Chevin road to the Clarion cycling clubhouse.

All the kids used to sleep in the big barn and sometimes in the clubhouse.

We all helped make breakfast then we would explore the quarry (which was out of bounds). I remember it being very deep and full of water.
Dad sometimes took me to the Chain pub and while he was inside playing the piano I waited outside with a lemonade or half a shandy (if I was lucky) waiting for Mum to arrive by bus.

When my Dad died I could think of no better place to scatter his ashes than the place he liked best: the Chevin. I now live in British Columbia, Canada, but never forget my Yorkshire roots.

Keep up the good work.

George (Yorkie) Wilson, by email

Family Quest

I have been trying to find any information I can about a children’s home that my dad and his brother lived in from 1938-1950.

The only information I have is that it was called The Lees and was in Scholes, near Holmfirth. My dad lived there from age three to fifteen.

I have been unable to find any records on the home and would appreciate any information at all.

Thank you very much.

Michelle Crossley, email

michellecrossley@gmail.com

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Dalesman, The Water Mill, Broughton Hall, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 3AG
Or email: paul@dalesman.co.uk

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