From the Evening News, August 10, 1976

25 YEARS AGO

THE Benjamin Hick memorial, one of Bolton's oldest and best-loved monuments, has been wrecked by vandals. The marble urn, its centre-piece, and three supports were found in fragments in the graveyard of Bolton Parish Church today.

STEVE Denner had to be satisfied with two titles when the Bolton charity lawn tennis tournament came to an end at Bolton school at the weekend. Steve lost his chance of repeating the grand slam of last year when he went out of the men's doubles. But he safely retained his men's singles title by beating Graham Hodgkinson, and then took the mixed doubles title with Barbara Wadsworth, beating Peter Taylor and Margot Knowles.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, August 10, 1951

WHILE members and guests of Bolton Libraries Committee sheltered from yesterday's heavy thunderstorm in the High-st. branch library, Mr A. Hazelwood, Deputy Curator, jocularly estimated how far away the thunder was.

There came a brilliant flash of lightning, a loud clap of thunder, and Mr Hazelwood turned to Mr T.S. Barlow, one of the guests, and said: "That's just over your house."

It was. When the Committee returned to the Town Hall they were told that Mr Barlow's house had been struck and the chimney had been knocked off.

WHARF labourers unloading Japanese onion at Sydney, Australia, today, were granted "smell" money of 4d an hour. The labourers complained of the "obnoxious odour" created by the onions in the confined space of the ship's hold.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, August 10, 1876

LAST night, about seven o'clock, no little consternation was caused in the neighbourhood of Town Hall-square by the appearance of a dog which was running excitedly about the square, and having the appearance of suffering from rabies.

Two of the more courageous of the spectators succeeded in catching the animal, which was seized by both ears, and repeatedly ducked in the horse trough in front of the Town Hall, an attempt being made to drown it. The animal was afterwards taken into the police station by one or two officers, and was lodged at the Old Lockups in Old Hall-street, but its subsequent conduct led its captors to consider that it was more frightened than mad, and it was not destroyed.

THE B and C troops of the Scots Greys (2nd Regiment of Dragoons) arrived in Bolton on Wednesday, on the march from Brighton to Preston. They number 93 men, three officers and 99 horses. Their dismissal upon the Town Hall-square was witnesses by a large assemblage of spectators. They remained until the following morning, when they resumed their journey. One of the men was lodged in the police cells at the Town Hall, by order of the commanding officer, having been sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment by court martial, for a breach of military law.