LITTLE Edith may have been only small in stature, but as far as this column is concerned, she has had a major impact!
For those of you who are not regular readers of this column (if not, why not?), some time ago I printed a picture of a sailor with a very small lady on his lap and asked if anyone could give details.
I received a number of replies, which I have printed over the weeks, and I have now received a further letter from Mr John Watson, of Ashfield Road, Thornton, Cleveleys, who sent the original photograph.
He has also had some contacts, and he writes: "In addition to the replies from Mr Smedley, Mrs Bannigan and Mrs Corkin in your column, I got a letter from Mr K Walsh, of Thornham Drive, Sharples, to say that he had a photograph of himself with Little Edith.
"I have spoken to Mr Walsh, who tells me that his aunt, Doris Walsh, was also manager of the Regent Cinema, and brought Edith up to their house on the Hall i'th' Wood estate. He also has a picture of her at the Grand Theatre, with a man in a tail coat and wearing a monocle.
"I suspect that his Aunt Doris was cashier at the Regent when Minnie Latham was manager. In his response in your column, Mr Smedley mentions Mr Blackburn being manager around 1948. Actually Mr Blackburn was manager before the war and Aunt Minnie, who had previously been cashier at the Capitol, took over after he was called up, probably in 1940. I believe that he returned to the Regent on discharge from the Forces. From what Mr Walsh tells me, Doris Walsh appears to have taken over in the early 1950s.
"I also received a telephone call from Mrs A Wilkinson, of South Drive, Harwood, who I believe is the sister-in-law of Mrs E Bannigan, who wrote to Looking Back, telling me that the sailor in the photograph (now dead) was Albert Wilkinson, her husband's brother, a cousin to Little Edith rather than brother that we had always believed. She added that Edith was listed in the Guinness Book of Records. We knew that despite her size she had a six foot tall brother."
Well, Mr Watson, thank you for bringing us up to date.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article