Loftus Town Crier Group kindly loaned us a Scrap Book of Loftus and District Arts Club that was compiled in 1951 by M. Lindsey and W. Shaw, Camera Section – Joint Secretaries. This image and the following ones are a selection from the book. The cast of ”A Play for Ronnie” pictured in the newspaper cutting; back row (standing): Mr. Lewis Snowdon, Marian Lindsey, Albert Allen, Maurice Trembath (standing) and front row (sitting): Margaret Duffy, Irene Fowle, Margaret Wood, Muriel Hollis and Derrick Richards. Miss M. Goldsborough was the producer. Proceeds were in aid of Loftus Festival of Britain Funds.
Loftus and District Arts Club presented a Festival programme of three one-act plays on Tuesday, 3rd July, 1951. Musical items were given in the intervals. The first play was ”Dragons in the Caves.” After the interval the scene was a station waiting room for the mystery, ”Mr. Hunter”. Jim Duffy, the producer, is pictured with the cast – Joan Dickens, Margaret Harmer, Rona Miller and Betty Ripley (standing), and Olga McLaren and Mary Watson (kneeling).
”Down to the Sea” was the third one-act play in the Festival programme. It was produced by Muriel Hollis and the members of the cast were: Irene Fowle, Winnie Veale, Bill Carter, Margaret Duffy, Bill Shaw and Albert Allen. The scene was the Venner’s cottage in a fishing village. Portraits by Bill Shaw and M. Wood.
In this scene from ”The Late Christopher Bean” the actors are:- Myra Dawson, Margaret Duffy, Rona Miller, Vera Evans and Albert Allen. The play was produced by Nick Marshall, who took one of the parts. Bill Shaw, Tom Dack and Maurice Trembath were also in the cast. This photograph was taken by Bill Shaw.
A newspaper cutting in the scrap book is headed ”Another Successful Production” and starts – ”Lack of stage room is an obvious handicap to Loftus and District Arts Club in presenting plays, but in the adaptation by Emlyn Williams of Rene Fauchoi’s ”The Late Christopher Bean” in the Town Hall on Tuesday and Wednesday, producer Nick Marshall and stage manager W. Carter solved the difficult problem. The setting demands three entrances to a room and the manner in which this was contrived was very commendable.” This is a water colour sketch for the design of the set by H. Kitchener.
This photograph of the presentation to Jim Duffy at his farewell party was taken by Bill Shaw. Pictured are: Councillor L. Senior, Mrs. J. Duffy, Mr. Jim Duffy, Mrs. L. Snowdon, Mr. Lewis Snowdon (President), Mrs. Hollis (General Secretary).
All images in this series courtesy of Loftus Town Crier Group.
Members present at the official opening in 1937 of the new golf course at Loftus. The group includes, secretary Mr H. Davey and the ladies secretary Miss F. Knaggs. Do you know any of the other people on the photo and exactly where Loftus golf course was and when did it close? Once again more questions than answers. J. Wilson assists with: “It was on the cliff top behind Hummersea according to my father.”
Images are from our cuttings file (in the main from the Evening Gazette). thanks to J. Wilson for the update.
It tells on the photograph where it was taken but I don’t know when do you? Graham Harrison told us: ”The man behind the accordionist is Thomas Jackson of North Skelton, my grandfather”. He has also advised: ”I have just found a newspaper clipping showing the above photograph. It gives the dancers names (left to right): R. Wallis, J Hugill, J.T Hunter, B. Harrison, T. Batterbee, George Hugill, T. Jackson, G. Porte. Kneeling: Robert Evans and George Tremain.” Keith Thompson assists with: “The picture was taken in 1925 when the team won the Cowen Trophy at the seventh North of England Musical Tournament held on the 23rd May in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was a trophy presented by Miss Jane Cowen in memory of her father Frank who was a philanthropic owner of a Brick Works, he formed the first Co-operative Store in the North East based on the Rochdale model. The trophy was normally competed for and won by Rapper Dancing Teams (short sword or Pit Man’s dancing) by teams such as Winlaton or Newbiggin; their winning it caused a lot of upset. So much so that the next year 1926, Long Sword teams competed for a new cup presented by the same lady, The Cecil Sharp Memorial Trophy, which they duly won on 28th May 1926.The Cowen Trophy disappeared and resurfaced in 1998 the whereabouts of the Cecil Sharp Trophy isn’t known. Reports of the victory in 1925 were reported in The North Mail & Newcastle Daily Chronicle 25th May 1925 & similarly in the same papers there next triumph featured on page 2 on the 31st May 1926.” Peter Appleton advises: ”Based of the facial features and the date, the R Evans kneeling on the left side of the photo will be one of my great-uncles: Robert Evans. He was born in 1900, married Melinda Muriel Thomas in 1927, had at least three children, and died in 1966.”
Image (from The Key magazine) courtesy of Eric Johnson and thanks to Graham Harrison, Keith Thompson, Peter Appleton and Geoff Porte for the updates.
We now know this photograph was taken at Whitby and and we have the names of the lads. Brian Webster tells the Archive: “This was an away match at Whitby having travelled on the train with the Club Leader Mr Johnson in 1947?”
Back row: Bill Purver, George Cox, Tommy “Twizzie” Andrews, Abel Roberts, Keith Sayer, Geoff Rowland
Front row: Brian “Biddy” Webster, Morris Dixon, Aden Bennet, Desmond Hodgson, Ron Scott
Image and names courtesy of Marian Smith, thanks to Brian Webster for the update.
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