A Royal Celebration - Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust

throated roar’ was said to
have erupted from the
crowds. Lord Derby
introduced the King to the
Mayor and Mayoress. During
royal visits local luminaries
would be presented to the
visiting royals, on this
occasion, Alfred Wilkinson,
the Leigh Victoria Cross
winner, was introduced to the
King. Alfred told the King he
had met him before at a
garden party in Buckingham
Palace. Alfred won the
Victoria Cross for volunteering
to deliver a message under
600 yards of heavy machinegun
and shell fire which had
killed four messengers who
had tried before him. Alfred
received the Victoria Cross
from King George VI’s father,
George V at Buckingham
Palace in 1919.
The King and Queen met
other veterans including Mr
Riding who had been
awarded a Queen Victoria
medal for his part in the Boer
War and a Mr Cheetham who
had fought at Ypres.
Local legend and font of local
knowledge, Sarah Aspinall had
been given a special seat of
honour in the square. At 92
years old Sarah had been
dubbed Leigh’s oldest lady
and was known for her energy
and vitality. A wonderful
source of Leigh’s past, Sarah
could recall the first ever
edition of the Leigh Chronicle
in 1852, old cattle markets
and Market Street being so
narrow that if a load of hay
was taken through on a cart,
the hay would brush each
shop on either side of the
building. Despite all these
memories, Sarah said seeing
the King and Queen was “the
proudest day of my life”.
Five miles of cheering crowds
are said to have greeted the
royal couple as they made
their way from Leigh to
Atherton and Tyldesley. The
inmates of the Leigh Poor Law
Institution assembled in front
of the workhouse to see the
passing royal couple. School
children holding flags in the
rain had dye running down
their hands as they waited to
catch a glimpse. The royal
couple passed employees
of the Lancashire United
Transport and Power
Company, members of the
“B” Company of the 5th
Manchester Territorial
Regiment and schoolchildren
waiting by the Atherton War
Memorial. Staff and
It rained heavily during the royal visit.
councillors waved to their
majesties from the steps of
Tyldesley Town Hall.
The King had visited the local
area several times before. In
March 1932 he visited
Atherton Collieries and had
lunch at Briarcroft Club where
he expressed a desire to
sample hot pot. The 1938 visit
to Leigh is believed to be the
Queen Mother’s first but she
had visited Wigan three years
earlier when she was still the
Duchess of York. The then
Duchess came to inspect the
Wigan Subsistence Production
Scheme for the unemployed at
Parbold and Upholland which
had been organised by the
Order of Friends. The King and
Queen also visited Wigan in
1938. Greeted by the Mayor in
Market Square the Queen was
overheard to say “I think
Wigan is a lovely town”. It is
nice to know we have the
royal stamp of approval.
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