Ashton In Makerfield, Composite c.1965

Photo ref: A137033

During the war, my stepmother, her mother and sister stayed with the Whitehills over their tobacco shop, after arriving in Liverpool in a convoy on the famous S.S. Aguila (Captain Arthur Frith) which was torpedoed on the return trip to Gibraltar with 90 wrens drowning. My stepmother said the Whitehills, who spoke no French and her family no English, were generous with their rations and kind to them. If Mr and ...see more

If this is the park north of Aston, I walked many times with my granddad. I was in Aston from the States, stayed on Old Road.

I worked in the office at Thos Crompton, as a wages clerk. I remember having to go into the sawmill to collect the time sheets. It scared me stiff seeing the saws whizzing round and the whining noise they made. My overactive imagination gave me a fear of saws which still stays with me. On quiet days I manned the switchboard. There were wires all over the place. I shudder to think how many calls I ...see more

I spent many happy days fishing in the park lake, permit purchased from the town hall for 6 pence per year, old money, then the council in their wisdom decided to fill the pond in with all the dustbin refuse, and it never had the same appeal afterwards. The photo shows what was always called the flower park, it had a bandstand and was always well cared for. The park on the other side of Wigan Road was ...see more