Re: accy pubs
 

I've just PMd Eric about John, Margaret, he still goes in Ossy Con, infact he's on the committee, used to see him every week, but ain't been out much lately, have known John for over 50 years

Re: accy pubs
 

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That's the reason. My list is for the borough only. Church had a different police and set of magistrates.

Re: accy pubs
 

Was Ray Barker a bookie if so I Knew him well?

Re: accy pubs
 

Gets any smaller Eric I will be disappearing up my own???:hidewall:

Re: accy pubs
 

That's Ray ... always a guy for the horses ... Ray, Sid and I used to hang around together .... Sid joined the Royal Marines, and the last I heard of Ray he was running a News Agents (somewhere on Blackburn Rd, I think) ... he was married and had twin girls ..... I was last in touch with him in the early 70s ... but lost contact ....

Re: accy pubs
 

With the world going to hell in a handbasket, that might be a good place to be;)

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Was he the one selling ice cream? :)

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Donald Vaughn, Billy Walmsley and Raymond Barker used to run their own chemistry lab in Billy's cellar using items recovered from various sources around Ossy. They were fairly successful building rockets until one blew up in Billy's face and burned off his eyebrows. Took them about a year to grow back in. Raymond went to work in a "Turf Accountants" on Union Street I think.
Donald lost his mother quite tragically when still at the grammar school. Raymond lost his dad in about the same time frame. Very sad. Was Ian Wade a Butcher?
I remember 3 card brag at Vaughn's as if it was yesterday.

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Ian Wade had the butchers shop at the corner of Park Road and Countess Street Accrington, can remember billy having the accident, I think his dad (Jack) band the experiments in he cerlar after that, Billy is a dentist, as a practise somewhere in East Anglia not far from Great Yarmouth, John Marsden used to go down there for a holiday each year and occasonally bill used to come this way and stayed with his brother, saw him a few years back in Ossy Con when he came in with John, before that hadn't seen him for years

Re: accy pubs
 

That's Ian ... It was his dad's butcher shop I believe ... he had an old black van, Austin I think, I can definately remember piling into that old jallopy. I remember when it was replaced by a new mini ... luxury. Ray left the bookies after he got married and had a newsagents (on Blackburn Rd, near the viaduct). His wife was ok., but on the only time I met her, she seemed like a real ball breaker. Enough rambling ..... ;)

Re: accy pubs
 

The Australian was so named because it was built in 1846 by a returning penal colonist with rubble from an adjacent stone viaduct.

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The Australian pub was at the bottom of Castle street must have been open in the early sixties fell of a stool was so sozzled when the piano was going. It was famous for the
30s murder by Bronco Bill when the other guy came down from the Slater's arms which was at the top of Broadway where those benchs are now, I think the the other chap was called Joe something or other. Bronco was sentenced to hang but saved the life of a warder in Strangeways and was reprieved. Wuddy

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There's a photo of the Australian on page 86 of the book called 'Industry & Prudence; a plan for Accrington' It was taken from the railway viaduct c 1948. Put your nose close to the page and you can smell the river

Bronco was Bill Hodson. He killed Joe Hurley in 1934

Re: accy pubs
 

I thowt tha were supposed to be sumat of a historian, little Joe Hurley were killed in 1935.
Joe Hurley served in the East Lancs in WW1, and won the M.M.
Retlaw

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The Horseshoe "Thwaites House" was a good boozer back in day. First Landlord when i was goin yon was "Duggie" a dark chap who took oer the Mill Gap in Darren, Was a real good bloke went oer to see him a couple of times, After him Bob Sharples took it, another great bloke.:)