THE FEATHERSTONE .......CHRONICLE........ ..........the 1960s...........: 1964

A HISTORY OF FEATHERSTONE

1964

THE COUNCIL

JANUARY There was more vandalism at the new toilets in Green Lane. Cr F G Smith said it seems as if they don't just don't care, but the whole thing is getting beyond a joke. The West Riding County Council approved the purchase of 1,390 square yards of land at Andrew Street from Albany Plant Ltd as a site for a new fire station at a cost of £350 plus fees.

Two firms erecting housing on the Common Lane Estate, F B Dyson and Harlow and Milner Ltd, were to be asked to increase the rate of progress and if not to come to the council meeting and explain why.

The use of the bungalows common room by a funeral director for funeral teas was refused, but the residents would be allowed at a charge of £1 10s.

Featherstone Road Club asked if a banked cycle track could be built in Purston Park for track racing. The council refused because it would take up an area equivalent to three football pitches.

Lincolnshire Packing Co. were hoping to erect a factory on Wakefield Road to make containers for the glass industry. The council agreed if the planning application was successful 20 houses would be made available for key staff.

Messrs A Copley and A Duckett owned three acres of land next to the NCB housing estate and wished it to be used for housing. The county council and Featherstone Council refused so they appealed, and an inspector of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government held an inquiry at the Town Hall. After hearing evidence from both sides the inspector visited the site and said his decision would be announced later.

The plan to abandon the Snydale sewage works and treat it at the new South Featherstone sewage works was considered too costly. A meeting was arranged with the consultants and amendments made which would save £3,500.

FEBRUARY Plans were approved for extending the cricket pavilion and providing showers. Hinchcliffe and Son would be asked to clear rubbish and dirt left in Phipps Street after shale removal.

MARCH The county council said it would meet the cost of installing ramps and railings in houses for disabled and blind people. The West Riding Automobile Co. agreed to move the bus stop at the bottom of Station Lane further up the lane and eliminate the Wilson Street bus stop.

Both rents and rates were increased. The finance committee chairman, Cr F G Smith, said it was two years since the rates were last increased. He claimed that despite the increase the rates were still lower that neighbouring local authorities. The reasons for the rises were the Lister Baths modernisation scheme, the start of a superannuation scheme for council workmen, and having to pay loan charges on housing schemes before the houses were ready to be let.

APRIL The surveyor, Mr G F Adamson, said every night vandals armed with air guns are shooting and breaking two street lamps near Green Lane bungalows. Police had been asked to provide a plain clothes patrol and anyone caught would be prosecuted.

The council received a letter from the National Society for Clean Air but decided until the National Coal Board provided smokeless fuel at a reasonable cost, it could not arrange a scheme for smokeless fuel or smokeless zones.

The council said it would do all it could to obtain county council aid in providing facilities for disabled people. The medical officer, Dr J F Fraser, was asked to provide a list of disability which would need special help.

MAY Plans were approved for the erection of 121 houses off Ivy Street and Mount Pleasant Street. Construction would be by A Gregory and Sons Ltd, Castleford. The firm doing demolition work in George Street would be asked to speed up the work.

The attendance at the improved Lister Baths was much higher than before it closed. It was proposed to open it for dancing in October. Because of rowdyism before the baths closed for refurbishment dance promoters would be asked to pay a £10 deposit, returnable if no damage is caused.

The election results were:

Central Ward F G Smith (Labour) 635 J Holt (Tenants and Ratepayers) 537

East Ward Mary Lily Fox (Labour) 939 A Edgar (Tenants and Ratepayers) 450

South Ward D Gray (Labour) 804 D Cameron (Tenants and Ratepayers) 397

North-West Ward T Morgan (Labour Unopposed

The county council banned parking on either side of the junction at the bottom of Station Lane, and also at the bottom of Station Lane. The only exceptions were for buses and delivery vehicles.

At the annual meeting the retiring chairman, Cr H Woodcock, wondered what would happen to Featherstone if the objections to the Boundary Commissions proposal to merge Pontefract, Knottingley and Featherstone failed and it came about. He said if we fail and become a member of Ponteknottstone - a phrase coined by the Express - Then i can think of no better mayor for it than Cr Morgan. Cr Thomas Morgan was then unanimously elected the new chairman.

A boundaries committee was appointed consisting of four Labour members. Cr A Davis walked out protesting it was not democratic not having a Ratepayers councillor on the committee.

JUNE The South Lodge in the park was being modernised and there were reports of children causing damage. The contractors were told they were liable during the period they were working on the building.

JULY Planning permission was given to Matmers Property Co. Ltd of Leeds to build ten shops, four maisonettes, a church and a Sunday school in Station Lane. There would be a central precinct. Negotiation were continuing with a departmental store to have a branch included, and with the Methodist Church.

SEPTEMBER Approval was given for a shopping development in Station Lane to Metrovincial Properties Ltd of London, and for a new water tower to be erected in Ackton Lane by Wakefield and District Water Board. Approval was refused for a store at the White House, Pontefract Road, owned by Mr C Raybould to be converted into a betting shop.

NOVEMBER In 1962 the council approved a resolution to allow any officer to do outside work providing it did not interfere with his council duties. Cr A J Davis said the clerk, Mr Tattersall, had been advertising houses for sale in Green Lane. Cr Davis was joined by fellow Ratepayer member, Cr G Holt, in an attempt to have outside work stopped, but the council voted for the present system to remain.

The result of the by-election in the East Ward caused by the resignation of Cr H Roberts was:

J W Betteridge (Labour) 601 A Edgar (Tenants and Ratepayers) 570.

DECEMBER The council agreed to split the district into five areas (including Snydale and Streethouse) and provide a warden for old people not living in old folk's homes.

A protest would be sent to the Yorkshire Electricity Board about the delay in connecting the already wired street lamps in Bedford Close to the main supply.

THE ROVERS

Alfred Harold Greaves of Little Lane died age 48 in January. He had been the Rovers financial secretary for nearly 30 years. Rovers players acted as bearers at his funeral.

The accounts for the season published in June showed a loss on the season of £1,990 against a profit last year of £2,031.

The annual meeting was held in the Miners' Welfare Hall in July with about 200 present. The chairman, Mr J Jepson, said it was the duty of everyone connected with the game, especially the players, to open the game up. Only then would the crowds return. The man who can find the remedy for the play-the-ball will be a genius. We ask the public to patronise us but we don't see ten minutes football. They don't want to see this sort of stuff.

The secretary, Mr R Bailey, said the loss on the season was caused by a new rule which only allowed winning pay to be not more that double losing pay. This cause a large increase on players wages. Junior players were also asking for more to turn professional. He said the financial side of the club was grave, and one can see how costly it is to earn the tag of leading Yorkshire club.

Of the future he said the brief history of two divisions was over, and it was back to one league with a top 16 play-off, so the club had to finish as high as possible in the table.

Mr Jepson was re-elected as chairman, and at the first meeting of the committee a new post of senior vice-president was created and Mr R H Jackson was elected.

In August Terry Ramshaw, a Rovers player, was cleaning out gutters at Castleford Market Hall when he fell 12 feet on to a stall below. He was taken to the Castleford and Normanton District Hospital where his injuries proved to be minor, and after treatment he was allowed home.

STATION CLOSURE

A public inquiry was held in Leeds in February to consider the proposed closure to passenger traffic of the Wakefield to Goole railway line. It was conducted by the Yorkshire Area Transport Consultative Committee with the chairman General Sir Roy Bucher presiding. There were 68 objectors.

The chairman said they were interested in hardship likely to be caused in the light of alternative services which British Railways suggested. It was not the committee's task to close lines as quickly as possible, but to make sure adequate alternative facilities were available. The committee was not interested in political issues.

The main point emphasised by many objectors was fares and travelling times would double. The Featherstone Council was represented by Mr J Pashley. He asked the committee to consider unmanned halts. For British Rail it was said there were many objections to such halts, and in any case it had been proved losses were made on operating costs alone.

GYPSIES IN ACKTON WOOD

The residents in Ackton Wood were annoyed by gypsies camping there in March and asking for water, so they organised a petition and sent it to the council and the National Coal Board's Land and Minerals Department. They alleged gypsies knocked on their doors at all hours, frightened people who passed their caravans, had ill-mannered children and allowed their horses to stray into fields and gardens.

Mr Brian Caswell of Wood Lane said he had got 50 signatures for his petition.. He added, many of them were scrap metal dealers and left bits and pieces all over the place. It was becoming a social stigma to live near the woods because of them.

Mr and Mrs A S Blakeston of Ackton Wood Villas said they had been pestered by gypsies wanting water. They had given it because they did not want the children to suffer. Mrs Blakeston said she found a gypsy in her kitchen filling a can with water.

The NCB began digging a ditch around the site and the gypsies moved out, but only to the fairground in Featherstone.

AERIAL ROPEWAY DEATH

Stephen Westerman of Ashcroft Road was playing on the Ackton Hall Colliery muckstack in April in Green Lane with other boys. They were hanging on to the aerial fight buckets and after about about a 40 foot ride dropped off onto the stack a few feet below. Stephen and Raydon Poxon, also of Ashcroft Road, held on too long and found themselves over a field. They couldn't hang on until the end of the ropeway and fell about 80 feet. Both were seriously injured and taken to Pontefract General Infirmary where Stephen died the same night.

Colliery worker Charles Thomas Clark of Dixon Street said he had seen boys doing this before, and he would shout at them and they would run away. He said Stephen and Raydon would have had to have held on for 240 yards before they could have dropped off safely.

The colliery manager, George Prince, said they had a terrible amount of trouble keeping children off the stacks. Local schools had been visited and children warned of the dangers. It was impossible to fence off the area because of public footpaths., but there were notices all round.

The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure, and the coroner, Mr S H B Gill, said it seemed incredible that boys should try to do what these two had attempted (ride to the end of the ropeway). He did not know what could be done to stop it. The photo, from a Frith postcard, shows where the boys should have dropped off, and the long fall to the ground when they misjudged it.

HOUSING APPEAL REFUSED

Mr T Sykes had applied to the council for permission to develop land between Little Lane and Coach Road. The council refused and he appealed. The Ministry of Housing and Local Government held an inquiry in February, and in April said the appeal was dismissed because the site would spread the developed area of Featherstone out into the completely open country contrary to the provisions of the approved town map. This should not be allowed while areas more convenient to the town are allocated for residential development in the plan and remain vacant.

He pointed out the proposal was for a peripheral expansion on a fairly large scale which had not been taken into account in the provision of schools and other services in the town map. The extension was likely to have an adverse effect on the appearance and character of the countryside, which would be objectionable in this area where there were only relatively narrow bands of open country between adjoining communities.

ARCON SITE DEVELOPMENT DELAY

The council wanted to make a start on dismantling the Arcon prefab bungalows and beginning replacing them with traditional brick built houses. The first four tenants were chosen in January because there's was the best place to start, but they refused to move.

After a three months stand-off Cr H Woodcock proposed they be given an ultimatum. They would be provided with a house, removal expenses would be paid, and they could return to Leatham Park estate if they wished with removal expanses paid again. If they refused this offer eviction proceedings would be started. He said it may be stubbornness, but they must realise they are holding up 36 other people who live on the estate. His proposal was approved.

The Express contacted the four families involved. Dennis Hill age 73 said he had been offered a three bedroom house which was no good for him. He had difficulty getting up and down stairs. he wanted an old people's bungalow. The Fosters said they had been offered a house in Beech Tree Road. If they liked it they would probably take it.

The Fosters said they did not want to leave Purston, but it seemed they would have to move. They didn't think they would come back. One move was quite enough. The Falkinders said they had been given houses to look at but didn't like any of them. They did not want to leave Purston and had got their bungalow as they wanted it and did not want to move into anything below that standard.

LISTER BATHS REOPENED

The Lister Baths were reopened in May after an £80,000 facelift. All new were dressing rooms, cleansing areas, and showers. The pools, walls and surrounds were re-tiled. For the dancers there were a cafeteria, cloak rooms, toilets and a licensed bar room. Automatically fed boilers replaced the hand fired one, and a new heating system circulated warm air. The front exterior was modernised and there were new ticket offices and manager's office. In the first four days after the reopening 2,400 people attended.

In June the Council said dancing would recommence in November and accepted a tender of £926 for the supply of 300 chairs, and another tender of £345 for 70 chairs and 20 tables for the bar and cafe. The charge to hire the Lister Hall for dancing would be £8 up to midnight, and £1 an hour after. The photo of the new entrance is by Wakefield MDC.

DR FERNANDE HENRIQUES

Dr Fernande Henriques, a lecturer in social anthropology at Leeds University, conducted a survey in Featherstone in 1957 for his book Coal is our Life. He referred to it at a conference in London in June when he said "One pattern I found was that of condoned extra-marital sexual activity between the wives of men employed in the day and unmarried male workers on night shift"

Although Featherstone wasn't identified in his book it was common knowledge and a national newspaper picked up on his comment and identified Featherstone which enraged local feelings. A comment from Featherstone Working Men's Club was "Now he has made these ridiculous and scandalous claims again, it is all untrue".

Cr Fred Smith said "Dr Henriques is talking out of his hat. It is a totally unwarranted slur on our community. The Vicar of Featherstone, Revd R A Nelson, said "I just don't believe it. No doubt adultery is committed in Featherstone as in other places, but the whole thing is a lot of baloney". The clerk to the council, Mr H Tattersall, called it sheer nonsense. Joe Harper MP challenged him to produce his evidence.

Note: In the book was "Ashton is a fictitious name. All place names which could have been used to establish its real identity have been changed". The photo of the front cover is from Amazon.

PUB OR NO PUB

Last year the council agreed a public house could be built on the Common Lane Estate. As the time drew near for the granting of a licence the residents who lived near to the site decided in July to get up a petition objecting to it.They considered it would be a nuisance and a menace, and there would be teenagers coming, perhaps with motor bikes, and probably noise from a juke box.

The landlord of the Jubilee Hotel, Mr B Heighway, said he would object because it would only be just over the road and it would be a big blow to his trade. The council clerk, Mr H Tattersall, said when the estate was planned the land was earmarked for a public building and this was the only application received. The council had received no official protest about the proposed public house.

The licence hearing was held in Pontefract in August. The manager for Bentley's Yorkshire Breweries Ltd, Geoffrey Roberts, applied for the licence. He said the brewery directors felt the public house was both necessary and desirable. They had received a letter from the council clerk, Mr H Tattersall, supporting the application and offering to sell the site. Mr H J Gundill for the objectors asked if the land had been reserved for a public house and Mr Roberts answered yes.

Mr Gundill referred to an Express report which said the land should be earmarked for a public building. He said there are other public buildings besides public houses. Thomas Holland, an architect for the council said the site was not big enough for a playing field, and the council had applied for a sub-post office but had been refused. Some people had suggested shops, but there was a vacant shop site opposite and no one was interested.

Mr Gundhill said the council had agreed to meet people from the estate. Benjamin Heighway said the proposed public house would affect his own trade detrimentally. Marion Cousins of Priory Road produced a petition bearing 97 names against the public house. She said there would be a juke box and noisier and busier roads. The old people want a butchers and a greengrocers. Some old people were having to pay children to run errands to the main shopping centre in Station Lane. She admitted writing some names in the petition herself because some old folk could not see well enough to do it.

Robert Mason of Priory Road said he had collected 67 signatures on a petition. He said the traffic was already heavy enough and learner drivers were going up and down like lunatics.

Mr Gundlll summed up by saying "One wonders if the council really are as interested as they say. They might have supported it more in person rather than by a letter saying they were in favour. The people I ask you to listen to are those who have taken the trouble to come along and speak". But despite his words the magistrates granted the licence.

Later the Express asked for comments. Marion Cousins said "If this pub goes up then I'm off. I'm not having my family down here when there is a public house in full swing". Her next door neighbour, Amy Greenaway, said "I'm not going to stop here - not if the public house goes up. It's bad enough now trying to keep my kids off the road. And it's even going to be worse with a pub there". Minnie Cartwright commented "People use my garden as a toilet now so what will happen when people come out of the pub I don't know". Mrs G Minney said "I shall not stay here if it goes up. I shall put my name down for a new house".

The council clerk was not available but the chairman, Cr T Morgan answered "I am saying nothing. I've heard a lot of rumours, but that's all".

A NEW SCHOOL FOR GEORGE STREET?

At the September meeting of Pontefract Divisional Education Committee Cr G Lofthouse described a visit to George Street School. He said all the complaints by Crs T Morgan and J H Livesey were true. The floors were wooden boards, soaked in oil in the old fashioned way. Droughts blew through floor holes strong enough to move his trouser bottoms. Teachers were trying to teach in classrooms where was a continuous stream of other pupils passing through on their way to other lessons. He knew something was being done, but a bulldozer should knock the whole lot to the ground.

The chairman, Ald J Blackburn, said the work had gone forward as a high priority and the school was high on the list for rehabilitation. Cr H Wright said it only meant something was planned. In fact nothing was being done. When are we going to have commencing dates and completion dates for a new school?

The Divisional Education Officer, Mr K E Johnson, said the school was already on the county council list and it was in the process of getting some land to build on nearby.

ROW OVER THE SOUTH LODGE

Cr Herbert Roberts, the Labour member for the East Ward, resigned from the council in September saying it was the result of treatment from certain members of the housing committee.

The council were having the South Lodge in Purston Park renovated and there were rumours about the intended tenancy. Mrs Ida Margrave of Beech Tree Road, Purston, wrote to the Express to say "The true story is; Mrs Roberts has been trying for a bungalow since 1951. She has a priority note from Dr Fraser stating she needs a bungalow as she has a bad heart. Last October she applied for the Lodge. If Mrs Roberts had been acknowledged in the proper way she could have taken no for an answer if someone more needy had been given the tenancy.

"The truth is the lodge was offered to people who had not even applied for a bungalow and finally it was given to a younger woman in good health. In my opinion Mrs Roberts has been treated with spite because of a difference of opinion between Cr Roberts and the housing chairman,Cr Gray

"Mrs Roberts case should not have been mixed up with local politics at all. She has been a sick woman since 1941. At times Mrs Roberts has been led to believe the lodge was for her and she was second on the bungalow list three years ago. I was with her so I know this to be true."

Mr Roberts said "There are two bungalow lists, one for ordinary people and one for medical priority cases. My wife has been on the priority list for the past three years and I know she was somewhere near the top. Surely the medical list is as important as the ordinary list.

"The lodge was in a dilapidated condition and the council considered selling it, but decided to have it renovated and tenanted. This is all I intend saying, but some of the remarks at the council meeting make it look as if I was after something to which my wife and I were not entitled."

Cr A Davis, who had been critical of the whole affair, said "Almost before the ink was dry on a council resolution to modernise South Lodge, Mr Roberts made a written application for it. Because of constant rumours that the council intended to allocate the lodge to Roberts, I made it quite clear I would strenuously oppose any such step. Mr Roberts claim that he first applied in 1951 was untrue. His application was dated 1961".

GAUNSONS

Gaunson's Ltd of Featherstone Lane was advertising for extra part-time workers in October. A 6pm to 10pm shift would be introduced. The Manager, Mr L Myers, told the Express the factory produced 2,500 jackets and overcoats and 3,000 pairs of trousers a week. A new 10,000 sq ft extension had just been completed to increase trouser production to 5,000 pairs a week, Night shift and extra part-time day workers were required. It was also hoped to double the coat production. A 5,000 sq ft extension was being built for a cutting room.

There was room for up to 40 more in the coat section, and by November there would be room for another 50 in the trousers section. He hoped the labour would come from women living locally, and they were trying to offer attractive working conditions and wages. At present 95% of the workers were women and most were local. The present boom is not a flash in the pan, but part of a continuous policy.

A new training unit would be set up to provide the best possible training for young people. We want all the labour we can get. We have an abundance of work - now we need to get it all out. The photo is from the Wakefield Libraries Collection.

HEALTH REPORT

In his annual report published in November the council's chief public health inspector, Mr J E Ellison, said only four council houses were completed last year. The housing list was only two lower than at the end of 1962 and the bungalow list had increased by 25. Refuse tipping land near the sewage works was becoming scarce, and sites with suitable access might be hard to find. It might be necessary to return to incineration. Possible future subsidence from coal mining had made necessary the re-consideration of the original plans.

LISTER BATHS REOPENED

The Lister baths were officially reopened in November after a complete refit. Cr Lily Fox said the renovation had been carried out after the ravages of time, grime and fair wear had taken their toll. The work would add many years to the life of the 54-year-old baths.

The opening was performed by the council chairman, Cr T Morgan. He said thousands of children had learned to swim at the baths, and thousands more would do so. And in winter, dances and other functions would be held in the baths hall. If people used the baths with the same respect they treated their homes, he was certain the baths would continue to be a boon to Featherstone.

A dinner was held in the hall to mark the occasion.

THE WATER TOWER VANDALISED

At a meeting of the Wakefield and District Water Board in November, the engineer and manager Mr T E S White said the water tower at North Featherstone was broken into by forcing a wooden door on a Sunday evening. The two booster pumps were stopped and the water tank emptied. The float switch in the water compartment was disabled, so when the break-in was discovered at 7am the next morning there was a delay in restoring the supply. Some people were without water for several hours, and Ackton Hospital had difficulties.

He said in recent months stones had been thrown through the windows and the lightning conductor had been ripped down. The damage totalled about £100. An iron bar had now been placed across the door and a weekend watch was carried out. New fencing would be erected.

ACTON HOSPITAL BROADCASTING SERVICE

In November the Ackton Hospital Broadcasting service had been in operation for two years. The Leeds branch of the Variety Club of Great Britain gave £50 for an amplifier for the children's ward and a portable tape recorder.

A record request programme was broadcast for two hours every Sunday from a collection of 900 records, most of which had been given by the public. The programme was organised by Peter Ward of Pontefract, and George Holt and Annie Lyman collected the requests.

There were also commentaries from Featherstone Rovers home games given by Messrs Ward and Holt. Messages from people who could not get to the hospital were tape recorded. The service was listened to via headphones so those who preferred the radio or television were not affected.

A NEW SCHOOL?

The county council agreed a new school would be provided for Featherstone and suggested it should be in Girnhill Lane. (It wasn't stated, but it was probably the infants' school Joe Harper mentioned when he opened the Girnhill Lane Junior School.

The Featherstone Council then decided the land was better suited for residential development and suggested another site, again not stated but probably Nunns Lane. However, the county surveyor considered the entrance would be a danger point for children. A deputation from Featherstone met the county council and were told the county were happy for the school to be built in Purston. Then in November a decision was taken to site the school back in Girnhill Lane.

Cr H Woodcock told a meeting of the Pontefract and District Education Executive in December the Featherstone town map had already been passed showing the school in Purston. Any change would mean going back to the beginning. "God knows we need schools without this delay" he added.

Cr F G Smith said we have been told if we did not accept the recommendation we might lose the school, as it might not be in next year's estimates. This stinks of blackmail. The Executive asked for further discussion to be held by responsible authorities.

1964 NEWS ITEMS

JANUARY North Featherstone Children's Outing Fund arranged a trip from Featherstone Station to Leeds to visit the circus.

Ernest Potter of Beechwood in Ackton garaged his mobile shop, and later found an asbestos panel had been removed from the garage and 2,000 cigarettes and nearly £7 in cash had been stolen.

At Ackton Hall Colliery the brass bearings were stolen from the axle boxes of 13 wagons valued at £160, the property of the British Transport Commission.

A 16 year old stable hand rode a racehorse across Purston Park. In court he admitted breaking a council bylaw. He said he rode on the grass because the path was slippery and the horse had slipped once. Mr T D Shaw, for the boy, said he was not a vandal or a hooligan. There was no question of jumping a wall or hedge. The horse had sidestepped on to a flower bed and some small damage was done to the turf.

Mr J D Denton, for the council, said the offence was of a technical nature. The boy had no authority to take the horse into the park. The council were not pursuing the damage. The boy was granted an absolute discharge on payment of 4s costs.

Members of the Methodist churches met to be informed of the proposals for amalgamation set out by the Leeds District Methodist Committee. There would now be separate meetings of the churches concerned so the members could discuss the proposals among themselves.

County Primary Schools Managers approved tenders for the provision of internal toilets at George Street and Regent Street Schools.

FEBRUARY Joe Harper MP wrote to Mr Ernest Marples, Minister of Transport, asking about the installation of traffic lights at the bottom of Station Lane. The reply was a number of improvements had been decided upon and their effect should be observed over a period of six months. No accidents had been reported since the improvements began. If traffic lights were the final outcome it would be 12 months before they became operative.

MARCH Mrs Kay Morris used ordinary pins and needles to knit microscopic clothes. She lived in Green Lane and was the smallest knitter in the world which gained her an appearance on the BBC programme Call my Bluff. The photo was colourised and uploaded to Facebook by Featherstone Old School Days.

Mc Lauchlan (Knottingley) Ltd were removing 140,000 tons of red shale from Featherstone's muckstacks to consolidate former allotments in Castleford for housing. They were going to build a factory in Featherstone on eight acres of land from which the stack had been cleared. They used a vibratory roller for consolidation.

At the Featherstone road safety meeting it was said it was only a matter of time before a serious accident occurred outside the new St Wilfrid's Roman Catholic School. Children came out of school, crossed the road to get to their buses, and in general the situation was potentially very dangerous.

Brass bearings valued at £256 were found to be missing from wagons at Ackton Hall Colliery's sidings.

MAY The Featherstone and District Hospital Committee announced because of organisational difficulties the annual Whitsuntide pram race would be postponed.

JUNE The Gala was affected by heavy rain. The children's sports were delayed for a week, but the prize giving for the children who had paintings selected for display in the Town Hall went ahead, Because competitors had travelled from Lancashire and Lincolnshire for the showjumping it was decided it would be postponed until the evening.

The Featherstone and District Amateur Musical and Dramatic Society announced Calamity Jane would be next year's production. Difficulties which included insufficient men for the chorus led to this year's production being cancelled.

AUGUST K B (Barry) Lycett beat a field of 30 riders at Ashby-de-la-Zouch to retain the national five mile cycling championship that he won last year. Photo - Pontefract and Castleford Express.

Alisa Fraser age 18 of Houndhill Lane returned from a year at the Thornton Township Girls' High School in America. She went on a scholarship as an exchange student with the American Field Service. She had previously attended Huyton College, a private girls' school in Liverpool. Photo - Pontefract and Castleford Express.

SEPTEMBER Norman Longbottom of Ackworth Road saw in a newspaper how a 70 year old widower, William Sullivan, had been living in an abandoned car in Huddersfield for two months. He told the Express he had some cafes which provided bed and breakfast, and he had offered a room to Mr Sullivan. He said he could stay as long as he liked and it would not cost him a penny. After all, it would only cost me a few shillings a week. He refused to say which cafe because he did not want crowds of people to come and stare at him.

Exhibits in the Featherstone and District Horticultural Society's early flower and vegetable show decreased to 280 entries, but the standard was praised by the judges. The Raybould Cup for the overall winner went to Mr E Wensley of Featherstone.

OCTOBER Pop and crisps were stolen from Littlewood's works in Wakefield Road, and 24 quart bottles of mineral water from Baker's Garage also in Wakefield Road.

In the General Election for the Pontefract seat Joe Harper polled 32,357 votes for Labour, and the Conservative, J F Whitfield, received 10,128.

Mr E Caswell of Upper Altofts was appointed music director for the Featherstone Amateur Dramatic and Musical Society. He appealed for male singers to become members and appear in next year's production.

NOVEMBER The cooling tower at Ackton Hall Colliery was being demolished. One weekend two tons of scrap metal valued at £25 were stolen.

There was a water shortage, and Wakefield and District Water Board banned the use of hosepipes for car washing and watering gardens. There were 60 days supply in the reservoirs compared with 147 days when full.

Jean Hepworth of Beech Grove Villas, Purston, applied for a full off-licence. She had a petition signed by 72 customers. John Sheard, grocer and off-licence holder of Ackworth Road, Purston, objected say he had spent about £8,000 altering his premises to cope with demand, and he could deal with all the demand from Purston. The application was refused.

"Hymns to pop tunes" was a special event at Wakefield Road Methodist Church. About 110 people turned up, many being the younger generation.

Ada Altass age 78 of Wakefield Road died after being knocked down by a tanker at the junction of Girnhill Lane and Wakefield Road. At the inquest it was said her health had deteriorated, and she always wore glasses and a hearing aid. The inquest jury decided it was death by misadventure.

DECEMBER Featherstone Road Club held its annual dinner and dance in the Lister Hall. New president Norman Longbottom was unable to attend. A particularly warm round of applause greeted Barry Lycett who now had three national championships medals to his credit, and who this year passed the £1,000 mark in his prizewinning career.

The cricket club dance was held at the Lister Hall on New Year's Eve but the band didn't turn up. Some people left after a refund, but most stayed and danced to records.