1919-1929 | bolton-encyclopedia

1919 (19 Feb) Ernest Forrest (1919 – 1987), English footballer who played as a right-half in the Football League, born in Sunderland, England. Died Jan 1987.

1919 (8 Apr) A walnut spinet bearing the inscription Stephanus Keene Fecit Londini on the name board above the keys has been at Hall i th Wood since it was bought as part of the Cohen Collection at Christies, with funds provided by Lord Leverhulme.

It is thought to date from about 1680 to 1685, and as such is one of the earliest English spinets to have survived

1919 (Apr) John Robert Tognarelli established a private hire business in April 1919, just after the end of the First World War, using some of the lorries he had acquired for use in the war.

1919 (8 Jun) Willard Alexander Sandys-Clarke, born in Southport

Awarded the V.C.

1919 (25 Jun) Major Frank Hamer was born in Bolton, the only son of a clerk at a cotton mill.

He won a Military Cross at El Alamein in 1942 and a Bar to the award in Sicily seven months later

He died 2 Apr 2009

1919 (5 Jul) The Green Bicycle Case involved the killing of a young woman named Bella Wright in Little Stretton, near Leicester, England on 5 July 1919. Wright was shot in the head. According to reports at the time, a raven was also found dead at the scene. The leading suspect, Ronald Vivian Light (34 years old at the time) was tried, but acquitted. In a trial at Leicester Castle presided over by Judge Thomas Gardener Horridge.

1919 (31 Jul) Richard “Dick” Gorton Barlow (born 1851), cricketer, died in Stanley Park, Blackpool. He is buried in Layton Cemetery. On his tombstone is inscribed 'bowled at last'.

1919 (Jul) Richard Crowther (1855-1919), Chairman of Horwich Urban District Council: 1918-19, died. He lived at 6 Pioneer Street, Horwich but was at the home of his son when he was admitted to Bolton Infirmary where he died a few days later of self-inflicted wounds. A verdict of suicide whilst temporarily of unsound mind was returned by the Bolton Borough Coroner at the inquest held at Bolton Infirmary.

1919 (12 Aug) Knowles Edge was knighted for Public and Local services

1919 (10 Sep) Robert Spencer Redmond, British Conservative Party politician, born

MP for Bolton West 1970-1974

Died 12 Mar 2006

1919 (2 Oct) Lord Leverhulme opened the YMCA premises on Deansgate, Bolton as Mayor

1919 (6 Oct) Thomas Lawton, English footballer, born in Farnworth

His father a signalman on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, left home when Tom was 18 months old. His mother a weaver took Tom to live with her grandfather James Riley. His mother worked a 12-hour day at Harrowby Mill

He was capped 23 times for England scoring 22 goals

He scored 235 goals in 383 league appearances

Died 6 Nov 1996

1919 On his sixteenth birthday Harry Pilling started his own import/export business, The Astley Dye and Chemical Company in Astley Bridge, Bolton

He began manufacturing Acdo detergent on his mother’s kitchen table.

1919 Edmund Peel Potter gave Fernclough to Bolton.

It has since been known as the Edmund Potter Hospital. It is a continuation hospital for surgical cases.

1919 David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister 1916-1922 and Liberal politician was invited to be admitted as a Freeman of Bolton in 1919, alongside the Conservative politician (later Prime Minister), Andrew Bonar Law. Bonar Law politely declined the invitation but Lloyd George accepted. The traditional silver Freedom Casket was prepared and his name and citation entered into the book of Freemen. The then Mayor, Lord Leverhulme and the Town Clerk both signed their names to the citation. Come the appointed day and Lloyd George was 'indisposed'. Attempts to reschedule all fell through and as months passed into years Lloyd George moved from being 'the man who won the War' to a much more controversial and divisive figure, tainted by corruption and scandal. He never received the honour. The unused casket was finally delivered to Bolton by the amazingly patient silversmiths (who stored it for over 25 years) in late 1945, several months after its intended recipient's death. It is now displayed outside the Mayor's Parlour.

1919-1920 Alex Donaldson (1890-1972) helped the club to sixth place in 1919-1920

1919-1921 Robert Parkinson - Mayor of Bolton

1920’s A two-seat aircraft crashed on Winter Hill

1920’s Bolton Wanderers FC became the most successful cup side of the twenties, winning in 1923, 1926 and 1929, beating West Ham United, Manchester City and Portsmouth respectively

1920s W Foster & Sons produced some of the most highly-regarded running shoes in the world in the 1920s.

Bolton's Hebron Hall has played a part in the lives of thousands of local families. Set up by the Brethren, popularly known as the Plymouth Brethren, in 1910, its Sunday School was averaging an attendance of more than 700 during the 1920s. No cushioned pews, pulpit, or deep voiced organ, the Hall offered the simplest of organised worship.

1920s The original time globe at Prestons was erected and stood on top of the clock tower dome, supported by three columns.

Every day at 9am it travelled upwards and after reaching the top at 10am, travelled back down

1920 (19 Jan)

Before the First World War there was an ex policeman called Reuben Mort. He travelled every day from Little Lever up Hall Lane to Farnworth. Then one day he was found battered to death in the cottage he lived in Little Lever. They never arrested anyone for it but one of the suspects was the local blacksmith.
Early in the morning of Monday, January 19, 1920, the inhabitants of Little Lever, safe and snug in their beds, slept on peacefully unaware that a brutal attack had been made on one of their neighbours.
The victim of the crime -- still unsolved -- was an ex-councillor, Mr Reuben Mort, a 78-year-old recluse known to most folk in the village as 'Owd Reuben'. For years he had been the village blacksmith.
Although his best friends would have had to admit that he was, to say the least, 'a bit peculiar', Reuben hadn't an enemy in the world. At least that seemed to be the case until he was found in his shop at 3, Market Street, suffering from shocking head injuries. He was taken to Bolton Infirmary and died from the injuries.
A bachelor, Mr Mort had followed his normal routine on the previous (Sunday) night. He had been last seen alive and well by his nephew, Mr W H Stringfellow, who had a drapery business at 88, High Street, Little Lever. That was about 8pm on the Sunday evening.
The first inkling of the tragedy that shocked the neighbourhood came at 4.20am. Mr and Mrs J T Lomax, who had a tripe shop next door to Mr Mort's property, heard a knocking on the wall. They weren't too alarmed at first because they knew that Reuben often came downstairs about 3am. to make himself a cup of tea.
However they got up and dressed, and before going in to see what was wrong, roused a Mrs Davies of 6, Fletcher Street, who had formerly been Mr Mort's housekeeper.
They then all went round to the rear of the house where they knew there was broken window-pane, which had been smashed in a gale some weeks before.
Mrs Lomax called out to Mr Mort through the window, and at once they heard him say: "Hello, is that You? Ahm fain you'n come."
Despite his injuries, Mr Mort managed to open the back door to let them in to his home. When they saw him they were shocked at his appearance.
The old man had terrible wounds about his head and there were pools of blood on the floor.
Faint from loss of blood, Mr Mort was able to tell them that he had gone downstairs in the early hours to make himself a cup of tea.
Then, he told them, a man had suddenly appeared in the room. The intruder demanded the keys of the safe. The old man said he hadn't got them with him. At this, the intruder suddenly began to hit the victim about the head with savage blows, calling out "I'll kill you!"
Mr Mort then lost consciousness and did not know how long he had lain there, until he came round and began to knock on the wall to arouse his next door neighbours.
All he could add to the story was that his attacker was 'a big man' and that he was 'disguised' but in what way he was unable to tell them. By that time he was very faint and hardly able to speak.
Dr Nuttall was sent for and he at once had the old man sent to the Infirmary, where he died not long after admission. There was plenty of evidence discovered by the Police that the murderer had made a thorough search of the premises after the attack, yet the safe, which was upstairs and was reported at the time to have held about £2,000 was still intact.
Obviously the assailant had not been able to find the keys -- yet ironically enough they were found on a small shelf at the foot of the stairs where apparently they had gone unnoticed.
The motive was fairly obvious, Mr Mort was known to have plenty of money and owned property in the village.
Rumours soon began to sweep the village. One was that 'some' men had suddenly disappeared from the locality, but this was later discounted. Police stated that they had received an anonymous letter regarding the murder, but would not disclose any details.
A reward of £100 was offered (quite a sizeable sum in those days) to anyone who could give any information likely to lead to the person responsible for the outrage, but without any success. No trace was ever found of the weapon used to attack Mr Mort. The police theory was that it may have been a piece of wood which had been taken away by the intruder.
Huge crowds turned out to watch the funeral on Friday, January 23. The coffin bore the simple inscription 'Reuben Mort, died 1920, aged 78 years'.
There was a strange incident as the cortege prepared to leave the home of Mr and Mrs J W Stringfellow in High Street. The horses pulling the first coach carrying relatives refused to move -- and finally the mourners had to get out of the carriage and walk behind the hearse to St Matthew's churchyard.
This gave credence to another rumour that had been prevalent, that if the murderer was in the vicinity the horses would show some unusual sign.
The last rites at the graveside were conducted by the vicar of St Matthew's, the Rev W Horrocks.
The bearers who carried the coffin to the graveside were all personal friends of the deceased, Messrs Peter Whitehead, Robert Fogg, James H Edge, T Wilkinson, R Tatlock, H Rothwell, and James Tonge.
The Chairman of Little Lever UDC, Cllr T H Chatton, attended the funeral, accompanied by almost every member of the council, Mr Mort had been a councillor from 1906 to 1912.
He had also been a sidesman at St Matthew's, and was a well-known member of Little Lever Conservative Club. At the inquest on January 31, a verdict of 'Murder against some person or persons unknown' was recorded.
The Coroner, Mr J Fearnley, said he did not propose to take any heed of the many wild rumours that had swept the village.
He went on: "You will probably have heard all sorts of silly, idiotic rumours -- 'Such a person had done it' -- even such cruel rumours that relatives have done it." He said he mentioned this because of hints made to him, and he thought it very cruel of people to make suggestions of that description.
Police carried on with intensive inquiries. A 'retired burglar' came forward with an offer to help the police in their investigations!
For month after month those painstaking inquiries went on, not only in the district but throughout the county, and even in other parts of the country, but without the slightest success.
Finally, the dossier on the crime took its place along with many other unsolved murders. A police spokesman said that the file is still open, and if any important facts came to their knowledge the inquiries could be reopened -- but after 80 years this seems hardly likely. Now the murder that shook Little Lever to its foundations is probably now forgotten, unless some of the very old residents still recall it. But, for the most part, younger people would comment: "Reuben Mort? Who was he?"
The murderer is no doubt dead - if not, he will be approaching his century! - carrying a secret that went with him to the grave, and to his final judgement.

1920 (20 Mar) Thomas Hall (1920-1941), born the son of William and Gertrude Hall, of Bolton, Lancashire.

Service: Royal Marines. Rank: Marine. Service Number: PO/X 2844. Joined Hood:

1920 (13 Feb) Capitol Cinema, Churchgate, Bolton, opened

1920 (8 Apr) Harold McShane (1920 – 2012), Scottish football player, who played as a direct and speedy winger, born. He was the father of actor Ian McShane. Died 12 Nov 2012.

1920 (13 Apr) Emma, Lady Holden, cut the first sod on the site of the proposed “largest cotton concern in the world”. It was a six-storey building and was powered mainly by electricity. It was never actually finished, as, soon after Sir John Holden’s death, the cotton industry slumped and never fully recovered

Membership certificate presented to Percy Douglas Worsley by the Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners. Dated 24th April 1920.

1920 (24 Apr) The 1920 FA Cup Final, the first since the end of the First World War, was contested by Aston Villa and Huddersfield at Stamford Bridge. Aston Villa won 1–0, with the goal coming in extra time from Billy Kirton, to clinch the trophy for a record sixth time. This was the first ever F.A. Cup Final to require extra time to be played. The referee J.T. Howcroft (Bolton) .

1920 (Apr) William (Billy) Butler joined Bolton Wanderers

1920 (28 Jun) Ralph Banks, professional footballer, born in Farnworth, Bolton

Played for Bolton Wanderers 1940-1954

Brother of Tommy Banks

1920 (17 Jul) Kenneth Wolstenholme, football commentator for the BBC in the 1950’s and 1960’s, born

He attended Farnworth Grammar School

Died 25 Mar 2002

1920 (20 Jul) The Bolton Artillery Memorial, to the rear of Nelson Park, was unveiled by the Duke of York (the future King George VI) with Robert Parkinson (Mayor 1919-1921) leading the ceremonies.

Within the Memorial itself is a shell case which contains copies of the regimental records from the First World War

1920 (22 Jul) Hubert "Bertie" Lewis (1920 – 2010), a World War II RAF airman who went on to become a peace campaigner in the UK, born in Chicago. Bertie Lewis became well known for his opposition to nuclear weapons and the wars in which his adopted and his native country were engaged. After the war he married in Bury, Lancashire moved between there and the US several times before settling in Bolton, Lancashire, in 1961 Died 21 Dec 2010

1920 (Aug) Ted Lune, British actor, born Harold Garnett in Ainsworth, Lancashire

Best known for playing Private Len Bone in the TV series The Army Game

Took his stage name from the River Lune that flows through Lancashire and his older brother’s name

Died 7 Jan 1968 in London after a long illness

1920 (22 Dec) Two rolls in memory of pupils at Clarendon Street Primary School who fought in he First World War were officially unveiled by the town mayoress at the school. One roll, a Roll of Service lists 383 former pupils who served in the war. The other, a Roll of Honour, lists 52 pupils who lost their lives in the conflict

The Rolls are hand painted on card and in oak frames

A former pupil John Hamer funded the original commission of the memorials. They are thought to have cost 125 guineas approximately £2,800 today

They were painted by W A Kelsall a local artist who created many of the memorials in the 1920s

In the 1970s they were donated to Bolton Museum.

1920 (Dec) David Jack was in great form for Plymouth Argyle and Arsenal and Chelsea both tried to sign him. After scoring 11 goals in 48 appearances, David Jack was transferred to his father's former club, Bolton Wanderers, for £3,500, in December 1920.

1920 Ephraim Longworth’s England debut. They fought back from 4-2 down to beat bitter rivals Scotland 5-4 at Hillsborough

1920 Cenotaph in Nelson Square to commemorate Bolton Artillery

1920 Trustee Savings Bank opens in Hotel Street

1920 UCP was formed in 1920 with the amalgamation of Vose of Bolton, Mason of Burnley and Cox of Bury. Part of the agreement was that the Vose name would continue to appear as well as UCP.

1920 Yates: In 1920 the company bought farm land in Cheshire and raised a herd of Hereford beef cattle. The meat was sold at Yates's Butchers shops in Blackpool and Manchester, as well as in some of the larger Wine Lodges.

c. 1920 The Queens Park cenotaph was erected to commemorate the Soldiers & Officers of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.

1920-1921 Alex Donaldson (1890-1972) helped Wanderers to third-place in 1920–21.

1920-21 Bolton Wanderers finished 3rd in the First Division of the Football League.

Joe Smith scored a club record 38 goals, this included hat-tricks against Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle United

Circa 1920-1932 Bury-born musician Andrew Norrie Allen lived in St Georges Road, Bolton

He composed “I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside”

Allen died of cancer in 1949

1921 (30 Jan) Kenneth Dagnall (1921 – 1995), English former football referee, born in Blackburn. He officiated in the Football League and for FIFA, especially during the 1966 World Cup held in England. He played as an amateur for Accrington Stanley. However, it was as a referee that he was to make his name in football. Outside football he worked as housing officer in Bolton. Died Mar 1995.

1921 (Jan) David Jack made his league debut for Bolton Wanderers against Oldham Athletic.

1921 (1 Feb) Walter Sidebottom (1921 – 1943), English professional footballer, born in Hunslet, England. He played as a winger in the English Football League for Bolton Wanderers. Died 23 Oct 1943.

1921 (21 May) After service during the First World War, Jack Fort returned to Millwall, where he won his solitary full international cap against Belgium in a 2–0 victory on 21 May 1921, thus achieving the rare distinction of playing for England whilst on the books of a Third Division club.

1921 (Jul) Charles Foweraker, the manager of Bolton Wanderers, paid £5,000 for Dick Pym. At the time, this was a record fee for a goalkeeper.

1921 (4 Sep) Frederick "Fred" Norris (1921 – 2006), British long-distance runner born in Tyldesley, Lancashire. He competed in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Died 13 Dec 2006.

1921 (Nov) Robert (Bob) Haworth made his Bolton Wanderer’s league debut against West Bromwich Albion

1921 In the census, 33,000 were employed in textiles, 7,000 in commercial and financial, 4600 in transport and communications, 4000 in mining and quarrying, 2200 in woodworking, 2000 in building trades, 900 in paperworks, 900 in agriculture, 800 in painting, 700 in leather working, and 500 in electrical industry

1921 William (Bill) Davies, theatre organist, born in Bolton, Lancashire.

Long association with the popular radio programme, Friday Night is Music Night, as conductor, arranger and featured piano soloist.

1921 Ephraim Longworth became Liverpool’s first ever England captain, in only his second appearance a 2-0 win against Belgium at the Oscar Bossaert Stadion, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Brussels

1921 Edward, Prince of Wales,visited Bolton. Signed Visitors book with Robert Parkinson, Mayor.

1921 Following the acquisition of approximately 173 acres of land in 1921, a complete reconstruction of the Bolton Old Links Golf Club course was undertaken.

1921 Bolton: The Palladium cinema built 1921 It became the Wryton Stadium in 1958 and staged wrestling matches for the next 20 years.

1921-1922 Liverpool won the League title

1922 (19 Apr) Willie Moir, Scottish footballer, born in Aberdeen

Made 325 appearances scoring 118 goals for Bolton Wanderers between 1945 and 1955

Died 1988

1922 (22 May) Harry Whittle, athlete, born in Bolton

Died 11 May 1990.

1922 (May) In May 1922, Haslam Park opened in May 1922.

1922 (22 Sep) White Bank School opened.

1922 (6 Nov) Regent Cinema, Deane Road opened

(>1967)

1922 (6 Nov) The Regent Cinema was opened on 6th November 1922 with 922 seats.

1922 (Nov) John Reid Smith was sold by Glasgow Rangers to Bolton Wanderers for £3,000

1922 The Swan Lane Cotton Spinning Mills complex had a complement of 330,000 spindles

1922 Bolton Corporation Act

1922 Horwich RMI Band Became Champions of Great Britain and the Colonies

1922 Sir James Andrews (1877-1951) married Jane Lawson (d. 1964), daughter of Joseph Ormrod, of Bolton, and widow of Captain Cyril Gerald Haselden RE. They had no children.

1922 Charles Foweraker, the manager of Bolton Wanderers, signed left back Alexander (Alex) Finney

1922-1923 Liverpool won the League title.

1923 (24 Feb) The Flying Scotsman: The locomotive, designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, was originally built in Doncaster for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and emerged from the works on February 24, 1923.

A year later it was renumbered and given the name Flying Scotsman - named after the London to Edinburgh rail service which started daily at 10am - when it appeared at the British Empire Exhibition.

1923 (7 Mar) James Seddon (born 1856) died in Bolton

Mayor of Bolton 1914-1916 (Conservative)

1923 (28 Apr) Bolton Wanderers FC won the FA Cup at their third attempt to win their first major trophy, beating West Ham United 2-0 in the first ever Wembley final. The match famously known as the White Horse Final was played in front of over 127,000 supporters. Bolton’s centre forward, David Jack scored the first ever goal at Wembley Stadium.

1923 Bolton Corporation resumes motor bus services.

1923 The first of those victories came in the very first Wembley FA Cup final against West Ham United, when approximately 250,000 people (many climbing walls to enter free of charge) packed into the stadium and a Policeman on a white horse called Billy (that's the horse, not the policeman) calmed the crowd and cleared the pitch. The game kicked off 45 minutes late and despite the ball bouncing off the fans alongside the pitch, the match continued with Bolton coming out on top2-0 before receiving the cup from King George V.

1923-24 Bolton Wanderers finished 4th in the First Division

1923-1924 Edmund Aspinall (1858-1940) - Mayor of Bolton: 1923-24 (Conservative)

1923/1926/1929 Only 17 men were used to win the trophy three times in 1923, 1926 and 1929.

1923–1928 Harry Greenhalgh (Bolton Wanderers) made 70 appearances

1924 (12 Apr) Bolton Wanderer’s William (Billy) Butler, an outside right, won an he won an international cap for England against Scotland. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

1924 (24 Aug) Alyn Ainsworth, a singer and dance band conductor, born in Bolton

Educated at Canon Slade Grammar school

Died 4 Oct 1990 in London

1924 (26 Sep) James Alan Ball, professional footballer, born in Bolton

Manager of Halifax Town and Preston

Father of 1966 World Cup hero Alan Ball

Died 2 Jan 1982.

1924 (Oct) Work starts on Bolton Corporation’s Breightmet Street Garage (October).

1924 (21 Dec)-St Thomas’s Day- An oak lectern depicting St Michael wielding a sword, with his foot on the dragon was dedicated in memory of James Seddon at St Thomas's Church in the presence of the then Mayor, John Fletcher Steele, accompanied by members of the Town Council.

1924 Foster and Son manufactured running shoes for athletes representing Great Britain in the 1924 Olympic Games.

Among the runners performing in Fosters shoes were Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell.

1924 Last tramway extension by Bolton Corporation opens.

1924 Lord Leverhulme presented Bolton with an ambitious plan to rebuild the town centre based on Mawson’s designs funded partly by himself.

The council declined in favour of extending the Town Hall and building the Civic Centre

1924 Herbert Leigh launched “Leighs Marine White”.

1924 In 1924 Ormrod and Hardcastle was evidently still successful as the Royal Sovereign Mill was expanded (spinning looms now reach 99,456 and the number of doubling spindles increased to 40,456).

1924 Moss Street baths opened (closed 1988)

1924 Moss Street Baths were built in 1924 on the site of the former Richmond Terrace and Richmond Place.

1924 Moss Street Swimming Baths in Halliwell opened.

1924 Moss Street public baths & wash houses were opened by Bolton Corporation in 1924. Here there were public baths a public wash house and an establishment laundry. The establishment laundry was needed to wash towels hired by bathers. The wash house closed in 1970 and the baths, by then known as Halliwell Baths, closed in 1988. The building was demolished soon afterwards.

1924 Bolton Old Links Golf Club’s new eighteen-hole course, was opened in 1924.

It was designed by the notable golf course architect Dr Alistair MacKenzie (1870-1934) of Leeds. With Bobby Jones he designed the Augusta National in 1933-1934.

1924 The Protyre Bolton centre was originally opened in 1924 by Mr Thistlethwaite and has retained its name. The current building was constructed in 2004 to offer state of the art premises to the motorists. The current reception was refurbished in 2013 to provide a comfortable waiting area for customers.

1924–25 Bolton Wanderers finished 3rd in the First Division

John Reid Smith scored 24 goals in 35 games for Bolton.

1924-1960 Bolton Hebrew Congregation: The Synagogue was at 12a Wentworth Street, Bolton from approximately 1924 until 1960, after which services were held in the Queen Street Mission, Central Street, Bolton.

1925 (5 Jan) Edward Partington, 1st Baron Doverdale (1836 – 1925) , English industrialist, died suddenly a few hours after visiting his mills

1925 (28 Feb) Pym won his first international cap for England against Wales . England won the game 2-1.

1925 (13 Mar) John "Johnny" Ball, English former footballer, born in Ince-in-Makerfield, Lancashire. He played at right back for Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers in the late 1940s and 1950s.

1925 (8 Apr) Donald Geoffrey Charlton, scholar of French literature, was born at Haslam Maternity Home, Heaton, Bolton, the son of Harry Charlton, local government clerk, and his wife, Hilda, née Whittle. He was educated at Bolton School Died 1995

1925 (27 Aug) Nathaniel “Nat” Lofthouse, English footballer, born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, the youngest of four sons. His father was the head horse keeper for Bolton Corporation

1925 L. S. Lowry painted a picture entitled Pit Head Scene at Wet Earth

1925 In 1925, the demolition of the steel works around Moor Lane was well under way, although the chimneys that had dominated the area were still there.

1925 Roger Hampson (1925–1996), English artist, born.

1925 Thornleigh College founded by The Salesian Order of Don Bosco at the request of the Clergy of Bolton.

The Hargreaves were a wealthy Bolton family who owned the house at Sharples Park which was bought by the Salesians when Thornleigh was founded in 1925

1925 Gregory and Porritts moved to premises in Great Moor Street.

1925 In Victoria Square, the ornate gas lamp and the circular trough surrounding its base were removed so it would not detract from the planned cenotaph and to avoid future interference with traffic.

1925-1926 Edward (Ted) Vizard scored 13 goals for Bolton Wanderers.

1925-7 The Bessemer forge east of Moor Lane, between New Street and Deansgate dismantled

1926 (Jan) The Whitman Fellowship in Bolton continued to be active in one form or another up to and beyond Wallace's death in January 1926. His death robbed the group of its leader, and the two remaining founder members died within the next decade - Dr Johnston in 1927 and Fred Wild in 1935. The movement was kept alive, however, by Minnie Whiteside, along with the few remaining members, notably John Ormrod and William Broadhurst, as well as a second generation of Whitman admirers. Whitman Day continued to be celebrated at least into the 1950s, and Minnie also maintained contact with Whitmanites in America, such as Anne and Gertrude Traubel.

Minnie devoted the last years of her life to disposing of Wallace's papers to appropriate institutions; she was keen for the Bolton group to be remembered and appreciated, and she recognised the value of the papers for research. She remarried in 1957; her wedding to an old friend, Edward Bull, took place on 4 July.

1926 (1 Mar) Dick Pym won his third and last international cap for England against Wales

1926 (4 May) Sir John Holden, died at Sharples Hall

1926 (6 Aug) Frank Finlay, English stage, film and television actor, born in Farnworth

Educated at St Gregory the Great. Meet his wife when they were both members of Farnworth Little Theatre

1926 (Oct) Edward (Ted) Vizard won the last of his 22 international caps, when he was 37 years old.

1926 (27 Nov) In 1926, F W Woolworth transferred to new premises at Britannia House in Deansgate. The new store, adorned with a statue of Britannia herself, opened on November 27, just in time for Christmas, and soon flourished as a favourite place for shoppers looking for cheap, but quality, buys.

1926 The Mining Industry Act of 1926 attempted to stem the post-war decline in coal mining and encourage independent companies to merge in order to modernise and better survive the economic conditions of the day.

1926 Woolworth’s moved to Deansgate / Bridge Street corner (Britannia House, replacing Constantine Bros)

1926 In 1926 Bolton Technical School became a college.

1926 The Bolton & District Bowling League (formerly the Bolton Workshops & Social Clubs Bowling League) was established in 1926. The Headquarters of the League is at the Railway Sports & Social Club, Green Lane, Bolton.

1926 The last big cotton mill to be built was at Astley Bridge by Sir John Holden

1926 James Wallace died

Leader of Bolton’s Whitman fellowship

1926 Bolton Evening News – one of the first offices outside London to be equipped with Cread-Wheatstone apparatus, which brought both home and foreign news over a landline into the office.

1926 King George V introduced to the Bolton Wanderers team in 1926 ahead of the FA cup final with Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.

1926 The Chatwood Safes Company relocated to a new factory in Harlescott, near Shrewsbury, from Bolton where it was established in 1855.

1926 Scott House, 27 Silverwell Street was given in Memory of Sir James W Scott Bart and Lady Scott by their sons Sir Samuel H Scott Bart., and Francis C Scott. To commemorate the 21st year of the Bolton Guild of Help. The Sir James & Lady Scott Trust was set up in 1909, now operating from Kendal but funding many organisations in the Bolton area today.

1926-1927 Sir Thomas Evans Flitcroft – Mayor of Bolton

1926-1928 Sir Thomas Evans Flitcroft (1861-1938) Mayor of Bolton: 1926-28 (Liberal)

1927 (Feb) Beehive Picture Palace, Bark Street closed (<Feb 1913)

1927 (Mar) Joe Smith (Bolton Wanderers), 38 years old, was sold to Stockport County

1927 (Apr) In April 1927, Charles Foweraker, the Bolton Wanderers manager, paid £2,150 for Harold Blackmore. He was a replacement for Joe Smith who had just been sold to Stockport County. Blackmore joined a team that included David Jack, Jimmy Seddon, John Reid Smith, Billy Butler, Ted Vizard, Dick Pym and Alex Finney.

1927 (16 May) John Robert Tognarelli introduced a service which ran from Bolton to Manchester, terminating in a yard at the Poet's Corner at the junction of Todd Street and Long Millgate, near Victoria Station.

1927 (25 Jul) Col George Hesketh (1852-1930) was made Freeman of the County Borough of Bolton on July 25 1927.

1927 (27 Jul) Thomas Evans Flitcroft as Mayor of Bolton escorted King Faud of Egypt during a visit to the Musgrave Spinning Co Ltd, Atlas Mills, Chorley Old Road, Bolton on 27 July 1927.

1927 (9 Aug) Robert Archibald Shaw, English stage and film actor and novelist, born in Westhoughton, Lancashire, England

His mother Doreen (nee Avery) was a former nurse born in Piggs Peak, Swaziland, and his father, Thomas Shaw, was a physician.

When he was 12, his father a manic depressive and alcoholic, took his own life.

Died 28 Aug 1978

1927 (9 Aug) Robert Shaw, actor, born in Westhoughton, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London making his stage debut at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. He made an uncredited screen debut in the motion picture "The Lavender Hill Mob" in 1951. His first notable film appearance was "From Russia with Love" in 1964. He also appeared in such films as "A Man for All Seasons" in 1966 for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; "The Sting" in 1973; "The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three" in 1974; as 'Quint' in the 1975's blockbuster "Jaws"; "Swashbuckler" in 1976; "Force Ten From Navarone" in 1978; and his final film, "Avalanche Express" in 1979. He was also well regarded as an author and playwright, his novel, "The Sun Doctor", won the Hawthornden Prize in 1962; another, "The Hiding Place", was filmed as "Situation Hopeless - But Not Serious" in 1965; his play, "The Man in the Glass Booth", was made into a film in 1975. He had married three times and fathered nine children including the actor Ian Shaw. He succumbed to a sudden heart attack in Tourmakeady, Ireland at the age of 51. Died 28 Aug 1978 (aged 51) Tourmakeady, County Mayo, Ireland

1927 (11 Nov) The main ceremonial stone for Bolton’s war Memorial was laid by Sir Thomas Evans Flitcroft (Mayor 1926-1927) on Armistice Day

1927 (11 Nov) Thomas Evans Flitcroft laid the main foundation stone of Bolton's War Memorial in Victoria Square on Armistice Day, 11 November 1927.

1927 (10 Dec) Raikes Park Greyhound Stadium opened on Saturday 10 December 1927 and was named Raikes Park after the nearby Raikes Hall and Farm.

1927 (10 Dec) Saturday. The first greyhound meeting was staged at Raikes Park, Bolton. Mr A Pilkington's Conally Lass won the 7pm race. Robert Sinclair Milne, born in St Helens, was a turf accountant in Silverwell Street, Bolton, when he and his associates decided to convert the old colliery site at Raikes into a centre for the new sport of greyhound racing. It was the country's fourth track when it opened. Mr Sinclair Milne insisted that the track should remain independent of the National Greyhound Racing Club

Perhaps the best-known story about the eccentric Sinclair Milne concerned the occasion when he challenged bookmaker John Hamer to a sprint for a prize of 100 guineas. The two men tossed a coin to decide the athletics track lanes for the following morning's race. This enabled Sinclair Milne to arrange for his opponent's lane to be dug-up and watered a little before the race, which the future greyhound boss won with great glee. During his lengthy stewardship the track experimented with such activities as speedway racing, baseball, boxing, wrestling, women's soccer and military tattoos. Celebrities to visit Raikes Park in the early years included Gracie Fields, the jockey Steve Donoghue and somebody called "Daredevil Peggy," who set fire to herself and dived 80ft into a tank of water.

1927 Mount Pleasant demolished

1927 Originally established in 1927 as a Lawn Tennis Club, Markland Hill Racquets Club has progressed to offer so much more.

1927 The last mill to be constructed was Sir John Holden’s Mill

1927 Bert Fogg (1897-1942) took charge of one England international (v. Wales) in 1927

1927 Sharman’s were taken over by the Leigh brewery of George Shaw and Sons Ltd in 1927.

1927 Baths Tavern, 42 Bridgeman Place closed.

1927 Joseph Sharman acquired by George Shaw & Co Ltd 1927 with over 20 tied houses and was closed.

1927 St George’s Hotel at corner of Knowsley Street / St George’s Road rebuilt. Closed Jan 1926.

1927 Lancashire won the County Cricket Championship.

1927 King Feisal in Bolton - "King Feisal - Visits Lancashire Cotton Mills to see raw cotton from his own country turned into cloth."

1927 Thomas Evans Flitcroft was Mayor of Bolton for the Royal Lancashire Show which was held on land at the corner of Wigan Road and Beaumont Road in 1927.

1927 The Operative Cotton Spinners Provincial Association of Bolton and Surrounding Districts had 18,501 members, if piecer members are included

1927 In 1927, John Robert Tognarelli began to establish a number of express and stage carriage routes in direct competition with local municipal services.

1927 Kearsley Power Station was a coal-fired power station in Stoneclough, near Kearsley, Bolton, England. It was designed in 1927 by Dr H.F. Parshall for the Lancashire Electric Power Company. The original installation was known as Kearsley 'A', comprising two British Thomson-Houston (B.T.H.) turbo-alternators rated at 32.25 megawatts each. Further extensions became Kearsley 'B' (1936/38), with two more B.T.H. turbo-alternators each capable of producing 51.6 megawatts. Finally Kearsley 'C' (1949) was completed with two more B.T.H. machines rated at 52 megawatts each.

1927/1928 Cricket: Charles Hallows in the Lancashire County Championship sides of 1927 and 1928,

1927-1929 55 Broadway is a notable building overlooking St James's Park in London. It was designed by Charles Holden and built between 1927 and 1929. It was built as a new headquarters building for the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL), the main forerunner of London Underground

When finished it was the tallest steel-framed office building in London, until another Holden building, the University of London's Senate House, (based on similar designs and materials) took the accolade.

1928 (19 Feb) Sara Reddish, active suffragette and socialist, died at Townleys Hospital, Farnworth, Lancashire, unmarried, aged 78

Buried at Heaton Cemetery, Bolton

1928 (5 Mar) First internment at Ridgmont Cemetery, Horwich

1928 (5 Mar) Ridgmont Cemetery (Horwich) Chorley Old Road, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 6BD First Interment: 5th March 1928)

1928 (21 Apr) Liverpool’s Ephraim Longworth’s final game came 17.5 years after his first appearance for the club, it came in a 2-0 defeat at St Andrews against Birmingham

1928 (24 Apr) Opening of Crompton Way – Blackburn Road to Bury Road – by Sir Henry P Maybury, K.C.M.G., C.B., M. Inst CE, J.P. Director General of Roads Ministry of Transport

1928 (26 Apr) Los Angeles City Hall dedication ceremonies held

1928 (May) Cricket: In 1928, Charles Hallows scored more than 1,000 runs in the month of May, a feat previously achieved only by W. G. Grace and Wally Hammond and never since. He needed 232 runs to complete 1,000 in his last innings in May. He made that score and was out the next ball.

1928 (May) In May 1928, Tognarelli introduced an hourly service from Manchester (Mayes Street) to Chadderton (Burnley Lane/Garforth Street) at a fare of 9d single or 1/- return. This again provoked a response by the local municipalities.

1928 (27 Jun) Ceremonial key presented to Thomas Evans Flitcroft as Mayor of Bolton on the opening of Moss Bank Park, Bolton on 27 June 1928.

1928 (27 Jun) Thomas Evans Flitcroft opened Moss Bank Park, Bolton on 27 June 1928.

1928 (4 Jul) Bolton War memorial is situated in Victoria square at the foot of the town hall steps. There are no names engraved on the memorial. The memorial commemorates the people of Bolton lost during the First World War, and was unveiled on July 4th 1928 by the then Earl of Derby. Controversy dogged this memorial and even later the images of Walter Marsden remain powerful and awesome.(>1933)

1928 (14 Jul) Bolton's War Memorial in Victoria Square was formally unveiled (with Thomas Evans Flitcroft in attendance as Mayor of Bolton) by the Earl of Derby on 14 July 1928.

1928 (14 Jul) Bolton War Memorial, Bolton, Lancashire was unveiled by the 17th Earl of Derby on 14 July 1928. Part of the inscription on the memorial reads:

"Tell ye your children / Our brothers died to win a better / World our part must be to strive/for truth goodwill and peace that / their sacrifice be not in vain / Lest we forget."

and another

"In undying memory of the men / and women of Bolton who gave / their lives in The Great War / 1914–1919 / 1939–1945"

1928 (Summer) Ray Westwood joined Bolton Wanderers as an amateur.

1928 (19 Oct) The Astoria Palais de Dance opened, on the site of an old timber hall at a cost of £35.000.

The ballroom dancing hall had an unusual dance floor created from oak and walnut mounted on 560 spiral springs, an area of 6309 superficial feet which could hold approximately 600 dancers

1928 (Oct) Herbert Chapman, the manager of Arsenal, decided to pay a transfer fee of over £10,890 for David Jack. He was Bolton's top scorer for five of the eight seasons he was there, scoring 144 goals in 295 league matches. Sir Charles Clegg, president of the Football Association, immediately issued a statement claiming that no player in the world was worth that amount of money.

1928 (7 Nov) An evening lecture at Westhoughton was by Chief Os-Ke-Non-Ton, a Red Indian Chief and Mohawk singer. In the full ceremonial costume of the tribal head, he told stories, donned the headdress of the medicine man, sang songs of the Indian on the warpath and showed how to kindle a fire by friction.

1928 (18 Nov) Wesleyan Methodist lay preacher Frank Cheadle (Mayor of Bolton 1928-1929) became the first Mayor of Bolton to pay an official visit to a Roman Catholic Church. He delivered a sermon to acknowledge the contribution to public service that Catholics had made to the town

1928 ACDO moved in to custom-built premises in Mallison Street, Bolton.

These remain as the company’s head office to this day.

1928 Unveiling of Cenotaph in Victoria Square for WW I without statues.

1928 Civic Week - a pair of semis built in Queen Street.

1928 Plans for expansion of the Tognarelli network were obviously in hand, since proposals were made in 1928 for a depot to be built on land in Manchester Road, Bolton, with accommodation for over 100 vehicles, and it was further proposed to erect a waiting room, cloak rooms and refreshment facilities on the site at Poet's Corner. A new route was opened to Manchester from Little Hulton, via Walkden and Eccles, and Tognarelli now operated three routes in competition with a number of local municipalities, as well as a nationwide express service.

1928 In 1928, David Jack became the first player to be transferred for £10,000, when he left Bolton to join Arsenal.

1928 Moss Bank Park was opened to the people of Bolton as a public park.

1928 Moss Bank Park was officially opened

1928 Lancashire won the County Cricket Championship

1928 The first Speedway meeting was staged at Raikes Park, Bolton.

1928 The Los Angeles City Hall was completed. The building was designed by John Parkinson, John C. Austin and Albert C Martin

1928 Wet Earth pit closed – after 180 years of working

1928 In the Summer Olympics, Bolton-born swimmer Joseph Whiteside was a member of the British team that finished sixth in the 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay event

1928 Alexander (Alex) Finney was selected to play for the Football League against Irish League at St. James' Park. The team won 9-1.

1928 There was 60 miles of tramways carrying 58 million passenger - journeys per year

1928 The right to vote was extended in 1928 to full suffrage and all women over the age of 21 were able to vote in their first election, often referred to as the ‘flapper election’.

1928-1929 Harold Blackmore won a regular place in Bolton Wanderers’ first team. He ended up that year as the clubs leading scorer with 37 goals in 43 cup and league games. This included hat tricks against Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Birmingham City

1928 and 1930 June, demolition underway for the building of the Civic Centre Crescent

1928-1939 Bradshaw Gass & Hope built seven town halls

1929 (12 Jan) Hylda Baker (born 1905) married Benjamin Pearson of Doncaster at Doncaster register office.

They were estranged after four years and the marriage was later dissolved.

1929 (13 Feb) The Capitol Super Cinema was opened on 13th February 1929 with Dolores del Rio in "Ramona".

1929 (13 Feb) Capitol Cinema opened, became ABC August 1962, closed as a cinema October

1977, replaced by Stone Cross House in 1991

1929 (23 Feb) Leslie Robert James Halliwell, British motion picture historian and encyclopedist, born at 12 Parkfield Road, Great Lever in Bolton, Lancashire

Won a scholarship to Bolton School and attended from 1939 to 1947

Died 21 Jan 1989

1929 (7 Mar) Joseph Tyas Cooper (born 1852), died in Bolton

Mayor of Bolton 1909-1911(Liberal)

1929 (21 Jun) A new Marks and Spencer shop, at 45 to 49 Deansgate was opened.

1929 (Oct) Bolton Corporation’s Crook Street Garage opens (October).

1929 (10 Nov) Tommy Banks, professional footballer, born in New Bury, Farnworth

Bolton Wanderers full back 1947-1961

Attended Harper Green Central School, Farnworth

1929 (8 Dec) John Robert Tognarelli retired from the scene, a wealthier man, on the 8th December 1929, when his services and vehicles were absorbed into the fleets of the surrounding municipalities of Manchester, Salford, Bolton and Oldham Corporations and local independent Lancashire United Transport, thus ending the brief existence of one of the pioneers of long-distance express services.

1929 (25 Dec) Stuart Hall, BBC radio and television presenter, born in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, England. For many years he housed his clock collection in the St George’s Craft Centre, Bolton. Jailed paedophile Stuart Hall sold his collection of antique clocks. At least 20 women have threatened to sue him and demanded compensation.

1929 (Dec) Jack Bruton became Blackburn Rovers’ record £6,500 signing.

1929 Bedford Colliery remained in the possession of the Speakman family until it was amalgamated with Manchester Collieries in 1929

1929 In 1929, with the prospect of the regulations of the 1930 Road Traffic Act looming, John Robert Tognarelli decided to sell out. After a number of meetings, he was offered £24000 for his fleet and services, which he accepted.

1929 The power station opened in 1929 by the Earl of Derby, was to become highly regarded within the industry due to its excellent record of thermal efficiency. The power station went on to set new records for low coal consumption in relation to power output.

1929 General Election: Major Sir Cyril Fullard Entwistle unsuccessfully contested Bolton for the Conservatives.

1929 Bolton's first set of traffic lights - junction of Great Moor Street and Newport Street.

1929 There were 247 cotton mills and 26 bleaching and dying works

1929 Leighs supplied large quantities of paint for oil tankage at the Abadan Refinery.

Herbert Leigh’s nephew Philip joined the business.

1929 Dick Pym won his third cup-winners medal when Bolton beat Portsmouth 2-0. The goals were scored by Billy Butler and Harold Blackmore. Pym therefore has a record of keeping a clean sheet in all three appearances in a FA Cup final.

1929-1930 Harold Blackmore was Bolton Wanderers top scorer with 30 goals

By 1929, it is said that there were 216 cotton mills and 26 bleaching and dying works within the borough