Dear Have Your Say team,
I sincerely thank you for publishing my late husband’s poem in the Christmas issue, it made me feel very proud as I know Tony would have been. I was interested in Mr Stan Howard’s comment about Tony and his poem and wondered if he knew my husband.

Keep up the good work I always look forward to receiving the magazine.
Mrs Pat Hankinson

Dear Have Your Say,
Thanks for the Christmas edition, a few mistakes on the front inside cover, bet you have heard about that!! We really do enjoy the magazine, even with the mistakes.

I would like to reply to two of your correspondents, the first one is Gladys Russon Nee Brown. I lived very near to Gladys in Collyhurst. She is wrong about Mrs Lever being the mother of Harold Lever M.P,. he was born in Leeds Yorkshire. I have spoken to my friend Eddie Hobbis who worked as a decorator for Mrs. Lever’s son (F.W. Lever Decorators) and he agreed with me that Harold Lever was not the son of Mrs Lever of Collyhurst. Could the name of the boy she could not remember be Derek Midgley and his brother Gordon? They lived in Seal Street as I did.

The second correspondent I wish to correct is Nosey Nelly. She states in her letter that “Hardman & Holden, later became Manox, then later again became Degussa, which a dye works.” Hardman & Holden was never a dye works. They were a general chemical manufacturer, just like I.C.I. and Clayton Aniline, and you couldn’t call I.C.I, or the Analine a dye works, could you? How do I know all this? It’s because my father worked there all his life. He worked for over forty years at Canal St and at Vickers St. I know the streets turned blue and other colours beside - but it was NOT A DYE WORKS.

Two men Mr. Hardman and Mr. Holden started the company, later they changed the name to Manox which means Manchester Oxide Company. Eventually the German company Degussa bought them out. Which in German means “The gold and silver company of Germany”.

Hope this explains it all to Nelly. I was born on Atkin St, which is now Varley St.
Norman Stacey

Dear All,
Re: the letter from George Lydon:
we had many happy days, working in the most respected service that served the British public, the old General Post Office, on Her Majesty’s Service. We had to strike once but we received the backing of the British public.

Many hard working first class males worked on Her Majesty’s Service. Civility and smartness were our watch-word. Lads and lassies made the old G.P.O a respected service. We had to be sure to get the mail there on time every day, without automatic machinery; we hand balled every parcel, package and letter.

Also, regarding ‘Where’s The Shield’ Pat O’Dowd: the swimming shield was purchased by an old soccer referee and presented to the local FA, becoming the Fairhurst Shield (the name of the ref who bought it). The Green Dragon Ancoats won it. Referee Tom Fairhurst will never be forgotten by those who played at amateur soccer.
Mr L Kane

Dear Friends,
Please find enclosed my subs, plus a little extra. It was great to see all my old classmates from St Luke’s in issue 23. It only seems like yesterday when we were all together. I well recall Norma Howard, Joan Cane, Betty Bardsley, Jean Gibson, Eunice Plested, Josie Reynolds, Sam Davis, Ronnie Wade, Stan Pennington, Ian Foulkes. Please excuse me if I missed you out.
John Fenton

Dear Team,
I attended a school and neigh-bours reunion a while ago and took my Have Your Say magazines with me. They were read and found very interesting, so I gave them the magazines to keep.

Some of my friends and neighbours asked for back copies, I said I would write and ask for some. I hope this is possible.
Irene Griffin
We always try to accommodate our readers wishes. Though we don’t have every issue left in stock:

Dear Have Your Say,
Thank you for Have Your Say Magazine. One of the letters in issue 22 about John Boardman took me back to when we used to go to his shop in Lime Street for fish heads for our cat. Mother used to boil them up and stink the house out, we couldn’t afford cat food in those days.

The Boardman’s used to stable their horses in our street (Fir Street) at the bottom end.

Just after I got married in 1945, John did some removing for us on his horse and cart. A journey from Chorlton-cum-Hardy to Miles Platting and he only charged me 10shillings (50p). Those were the days, thanks for the memories
R. A. Beddall

Dear Have Your Say,
Your magazine is always very interesting. I do believe I am on the front cover of issue No. 22. It’s the photo of Corpus Christi, I am one of the boys holding the May Queen’s train at the May -Crowning. I have also appeared in another edition! I was born at 50 Dyson Street (opposite the City View Pub).

My best regards to all the Miles Platting people they are ‘the salt of the earth’
Bill Armstrong

Dear All,
Very many thanks for putting my two aunties’ names on your mailing list as I requested. They are thrilled to bits each time their magazine arrives and read it from cover to cover. It brings back lots of memories of their childhood in Ancoats.

They lived at several houses before the slum clearance in the 1960s. From Ancoats they moved to Wythenshawe, then onto Peterlee Co Durham, where they went with their husbands whose work took them there, and where they are now settled. They come to visit Manchester now and again but can get lost now, as it has all changed so much since their time here back in the 60s as you can imagine!!
Keep up the good work, I hope you have a good 2007.
Barbara Sidebotham

Dear Have Your Say,
Thanks for my Christmas issue of the magazine. A lovely read as usual. Keep up the good work! Thanks for the extra copies, one of which will go to Perth in Australia to my friend.
Anne Boyle.

Dear Have Your Say,
Thanks for the magazines, which you send me. It’s nice to think you keep these going as it brings back a lot of memories of the old days.

I was brought up in Naylor Street. On Saturday nights, I used to down Oldham Road to the fruit market with my mother and father, brother Fred and sister Gertrude.

We went to Corpus Christi school in those days. I married from Lewis Street and my husband lived next door to us with his mother, who was a lovely lady. Her name was Mrs Florence Burke. Afterwards my husband’s mother lived in Kenwyn St, she used to clean Corpus Christi church for a number of years.

I also would like to mention to you that my niece who spent all her childhood in Miles Platting and now lives in America has been trying to contact you on the internet.
W. Burke.
*Does your neice have our new email and website addresses? Ed.

Dear Have Your Say magazine,
Many thanks for issue 23.
I’m Tom Mc Alister, born Cowan St off Pollard St East on 30/1/21.
I attended St. Philips School Bradford Road until1934, then Newton Heath Technical until 1936. I worked at Mather & Platt until 1939, then I joined the Manchester Regiment for the duration of WW2.

I have memories, which may be of interest and will try to relate.
Tom McAlister
We are always happy to hear about people’s memories. Ed.

Dear Have Your Say,
I was interested to read Harold Foulkes letter in your issue 22. I too went to Holland Street School from 1935-1939 when the school was evacuated to Disley. I loved living in the country. My uncle would not let his children Hilda, Jean and Joe Wilkinson be evacuated. Sadly they were killed along with their father in the 1940 blitz. Only my aunt was saved. They lived on Energy Street. I lived in Sandal Street across the corner from the dairy, where we used to watch the milk bottles going round to be cleaned.

Enclosed newspaper copy of school photo just a year before evacuation. I think the teacher was called Miss Maynock. I am stood next to her on the middle row.
Sylvia Darnley, nee Fielding