Genealogy Chat

Hi all, just wondered if anyone can help me. I am researching the dealth of a relative in 1927 in Burnley, Lancashire. I have received the death Cert and it says that he fell off some stairs at "the physical cluture club, mitre yard, burnley" He had the accident on the 20th, died on the 22nd and the inquest was held on the 24th. Has anyone ever heard of the physical culture club, mitre yard? I cant find any nfomartion on it what so ever....would love to find out what they did there as seemingly he was attending an opeing night event and somehow he had this accident! the plot thinkens :)
Thanks for your help
Yvonne

The term Physical Culture usually refers to body improvement either by using weights or exercise to improve the body shape through muscle tone. Today the most common name for a place where such activities are carried out would be called a gym.

I can only presume that the establishment where your relative suffered his ultimately fatal injury was just such a place.

Thanks for your help Jonesey, any ideas on who would hold infomration on such places?

Regards YVonne

just a thought but will the local libary have any old maps they may photo copy and email them onto you for a small fee or there must be a local archives center in Barnsley

good Luck

What about local papers

ive tried those too but to no avail...I know it must have exsisted as its on the coroners report! Will try emialing a local history group and see if they can come up with anything

Thanks for your help though, keep your ideas coming :)

Yvonne

Yvonne, I know the area. The Mitre is still there. My family live in Burnley so will ask for you. Dad may remember .

have you tried googling for it?

Hi all, yes ive tried googling it and ive phoned the lancashire records office and they dont have any fetail either.....its a real puzzle..Sylvia, .that would be great if you could ask him :)
Yvonne

Yvonne, I have just been speaking to someone from Burnley. He went to The Physical Culture club obviously at a later date than your relative. It was a Gym and when he went it was run by an ex army pt instructor. He also remembers being told about someone falling down the stairs and dying. Hope this has been helpful.
Sylvia.

Hi all, just thought id let you know ive just received the document form the Library and here is the cut down version:

Printed on the 26th October 1927 in the Burnley Express:
************************************************************
FELL FROM LANDING
SAD ACCIDENT AT A FIRST NIGHT
****************
YOUTH KILLED AT PHYSICAL CULTURE CLUB
*********************
The tragedy being the opening night of a physical culture club that had changed it's headquarters was reveled to the Burnley Coroner (Mr A F Sutcliffe) at an inquest held at the town hall on Monday on Thomas Walsh (18) of 21 Simpson Street.

Peter Walsh said his son left home last Thursday with the intention of going to the West End Physical Culture Club which had that night changed its headquarters to a room in the Mitre Hotel Yard. At 9.45 the same evening his son was brought home in a taxi and was in a semi conscious state. He told him that he had been leaning against some railings on the veranda of the gymnasium and it had given way and he had fallen into the yard. He was suffering with bruises on the back of his head. He died on the Saturday.

Cecil Heywood said he was present at the club last Thursday, he had been playing football with the deceased earlier on with some other youths. after a short while he, the deceased and Rueben Eastwood, left the club and went to the landing, whilst they were there they stopped fro fresh air and within 2 seconds the deceased had fallen, Rueben herd a thud and when he turned round the deceased had fallen. .................................................................It goes on to say that they boys had been standing on a platform of what seemed to have been used one time or another as a warehouse and that the railing had given way and were not adequate put into stop this accident from happening. The finally after a lengthy investigation conclude that it was an accidental death and finished the inquest by telling the caretaker to sort of the railings.

Good job they didn't have the same H&S police as we have today!

So if anyone has any information on these places I would love to hear from them..I believe the Mitre Hotel is about to be pulled down! I hope not before I manage to get a picture, and maybe some further information!

Regards Yvonne

Sylvia......I don't suppose the man who went to the gym would have any pictures would he? Would be great if he did!

Glad that you got that part of it sorted Yvonne. Shame for the young man and his family.

Thanks for the update, it made interesting reading. Nowadays it would have been shut down after the first night given what happened....... I would beg to differ on the H&S, its because of terrible accidents like this where a life has been snuffed out without so much concern for him or his family. Whilst, like a pendulum, the H&S rules go too much the other way sometimes,it is because of freak accidents and trying to prevent someone else suffering the same fate.

The remark about getting the caretaker to sort it out was a bit like the poem Albert and the Lion when the magistrate told Mrs Ramsbottom that as the Lion had eaten Albert , he hoped that they would have further sons to their name. ..or could that just have been Lancashire logic???-lol-jl

Janet, brilliant comment on the poem, ive never heard it....As for the H&S comment I could agree more, what I meant is that they were lucky they got away with it....as coincidence would have it i'm actually a health & safety trainer.....lol

best wishes
Yvonne

Yvonne,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np0YTNN3ILs

.......just on a lighter note- some would say that this isn't poetry as such but I think it is an insight into life in the ?1930's-If this is of interest then read the Return of Albert when his father saw the benefit of paying insurance of 2d per person per week.............jl

There's a famous seaside place called Blackpool,
That's noted for fresh-air and fun,
And Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom
Went there with young Albert, their son.

A grand little lad was their Albert
All dressed in his best; quite a swell
'E'd a stick with an 'orse's 'ead 'andle
The finest that Woolworth's could sell.

They didn't think much to the ocean
The waves, they was fiddlin' and small
There was no wrecks... nobody drownded
'Fact, nothing to laugh at, at all.

So, seeking for further amusement
They paid and went into the zoo
Where they'd lions and tigers and cam-els
And old ale and sandwiches too.

There were one great big lion called Wallace
His nose were all covered with scars
He lay in a som-no-lent posture
With the side of his face to the bars.

Now Albert had heard about lions
How they were ferocious and wild
And to see Wallace lying so peaceful
Well... it didn't seem right to the child.

So straight 'way the brave little feller
Not showing a morsel of fear
Took 'is stick with the'orse's 'ead 'andle
And pushed it in Wallace's ear!

You could see that the lion didn't like it
For giving a kind of a roll
He pulled Albert inside the cage with 'im
And swallowed the little lad... whole!

Then Pa, who had seen the occurrence
And didn't know what to do next
Said, "Mother! Yon lions 'et Albert"
And Mother said "Eeh, I am vexed!"

So Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom
Quite rightly, when all's said and done
Complained to the Animal Keeper
That the lion had eaten their son.

The keeper was quite nice about it
He said, "What a nasty mishap
Are you sure that it's your lad he's eaten?"
Pa said, "Am I sure? There's his cap!"

So the manager had to be sent for
He came and he said, "What's to do?"
Pa said, "Yon lion's 'eaten our Albert
And 'im in his Sunday clothes, too."

Then Mother said, "Right's right, young feller
I think it's a shame and a sin
For a lion to go and eat Albert
And after we've paid to come in!"

The manager wanted no trouble
He took out his purse right away
And said, "How much to settle the matter?"
And Pa said "What do you usually pay?"

But Mother had turned a bit awkward
When she thought where her Albert had gone
She said, "No! someone's got to be summonsed"
So that were decided upon.

Round they went to the Police Station
In front of a Magistrate chap
They told 'im what happened to Albert
And proved it by showing his cap.

The Magistrate gave his o-pinion
That no-one was really to blame
He said that he hoped the Ramsbottoms
Would have further sons to their name.

At that Mother got proper blazing
"And thank you, sir, kindly," said she
"What waste all our lives raising children
To feed ruddy lions? Not me!"

Thats fab....never heard it before...my children will love it :)

Yvonne