Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

No, it's this damned key-board, sticking again.

:rolleyes::D

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

By the way, did anyone know that Blackpool Airport was the first one in the UK to run flights for fare-paying passengers?

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

.....and that is relevant to Accrington because......? :rolleyes:

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

Yes, we did.

We also know that the pilot used to announce to the passengers,
'Scream if you want to go faster.'
As he dipped the plane towards the muddy brine of the Irish Sea.

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

It's not relevant whatsoever.....but I was not the one to start this stupid thread.

By the way - what's happened to Garinda? He reminds me of Colonel Gaddafi - when the heats on, he does a runner.

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

Not quite Fermat's last theorem ... but obscure enough in its own simplistic way. Most likely the product of a simple mind.

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

I've enjoyed this thread. Better than talking about gay sailors holed up in Church.

errr sorry......bad turn of phrase! :o:o:o

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

interesting mention of the Russian ambassador turning on the lights during the 50s , seems Russia was still thought of as a workers 'utopia' in those days , remember my Grandma telling me of a big 'workers/Labour' rally at Manchester Free Trades Hall the featuring Bulganin or Molotov ... one of Stalins boys

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

It was 1955 the Russkie turned up, before the buggars went into Hungary the following year. We should have learned a lesson then, but what happened in 1957? We invited the US ambassador, one year after the Yanks - are so-called allies - had shafted us at Suez.

PS - for those of you who know nowt about history - which is most of you - the Suez campaign involved the UK retrieving one of it's oversea's assets. It was a bit like chasing a burglar and grabbing his swag bag, only to be told by the new cop on the block that what's in the bag was lawfully the burglars. The new cop, was of course, the Yanks and because of what happened we made a tactical withdrawal from Suez. Had we stuck around, there would have been no '67 war, no '73 war, no Hamas, no Gaddafi, no Ayatollah, no Locherbie, no Gulf War 1 and 2....oil would be at 50p a barrel and we wouldn't have the burka brigade taking up three out of every four beds in the maternity unit at Blackburn hospital.

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

Was too young at the time to remember much about the events , and don't necessarily disagree with your views on Suez .... But after reading a bit about the period ... think the UK Govt. had bit off a bit more than they could chew with that adventure .... the country was nearly bankrupt and trying to rebuild bombed out cities and industries which required labour which was tied up in a conscript army fighting the Mau Mau (Barrack Hussien Obama's grandad), the Malay emergency (Britains Vietnam which we won due to the fact there were no embedded journalists), and also but not sure of the timeline Aden .. we also had the BAOR (sp?) taking up thousands of conscript manpower in Germany, and had only finished fighting in Korea a couple of years earlier .

re. the the Burka filled beds , if I'm not mistaken this , the 50's was the time the UK's doors were first opened to Commonwealth labour to fill the labour shortage partially created by having conscript filled armed forces . Not sure what the UK national birthrate was during the late 30's or early 40s times of economic depression and wartime but wouldn't have thought there were not that many young men available after the Armed Forces had taken them .... just my thoughts

sorry for thread wander

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

A bit of a cult, had to read that one twice Rindi:D

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

Ah you spotted it too hey cashy, shows we're both on the same wavelength mate:D:D:D

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

Ya but spot on gynn:rolleyes:

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

The attached photo shows my Great-Grandparents and their first 6 children taken outside their Blackpool guest house(you can just see the sign for "Vacancies" in the window. During WW1 while he worked in the mine and lived at Rock Mount (Altham West) she ran the guest house for soldiers (mainly Ghurkas) -my mum still has journals with her accounts. They returned to Accy after the war -presumably she made a nice living there but it must have been hard work with the young ones to look after too! (My Grandad John is the cute little boy center front)

Re: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On
 

To harp back to comments earlier in the thread by TeaLeaf about the relevance to Accrington and area of Blackpool - it was "the" Mecca for the Lancs working class for decades. In fact, if it hadn't been for a Wakes Week holiday my Grandparents would probably never have met -she was from Padiham and my Grandad from Accy, they met on one of the piers and I would imagine that many others followed suit -it was a great melting pot...