The Nostalgia column with Margaret Watson: Mill workers go on Festival of Britain adventure

DEWSBURY may no longer be the prosperous textile town it once was, but there are still people living in the area who remember those halcyon days.
Margaret Watson.Margaret Watson.
Margaret Watson.

Last week I wrote about Wormalds and Walker, the world famous blanket manufacturers, and I continue this week writing more about them.

One memory related to me over the years from workers there, was the day the firm took over 1,000 employees to see the Festival of Britain in London.

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It turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, and it all began just before dawn on September 28, 1951.

Mill title: Miss Shirley Young, an employee of Wormald and Walker’s mill in Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, is pictured in 1951, the year she was chosen as “Miss Dormy” – a title so named after the mill’s famous Dormy blankets. She was one of more than 1,000 employees of the mill who visited the Festival of Britain in London that year.Mill title: Miss Shirley Young, an employee of Wormald and Walker’s mill in Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, is pictured in 1951, the year she was chosen as “Miss Dormy” – a title so named after the mill’s famous Dormy blankets. She was one of more than 1,000 employees of the mill who visited the Festival of Britain in London that year.
Mill title: Miss Shirley Young, an employee of Wormald and Walker’s mill in Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, is pictured in 1951, the year she was chosen as “Miss Dormy” – a title so named after the mill’s famous Dormy blankets. She was one of more than 1,000 employees of the mill who visited the Festival of Britain in London that year.

The happy crowd boarded two trains to take them to Kings Cross station, and once on board they were handed an envelope containing admission tickets for the exhibition and Battersea Pleasure Gardens.

Also inside was a ten-shilling note, a gift from the directors, to cover the cost of a drink on the train, afternoon tea and fare from Battersea to Kings Cross.

The first meal of the day was on the train – a hearty breakfast of cereals, eggs, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast, all served by impeccably dressed waiters.

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The merry travellers wiled away the four-hour journey playing cards, singing, reading newspapers or nipping into the bar for alcoholic refreshment.

On arrival at Kings Cross, special stewards, wearing white rosettes, guided the excited throng to the Underground to catch their train to Piccadilly Station.

Next was a visit to the famous Lyons Corner House where they were accommodated on two floors for a three-course lunch of tomato soup, mixed grill, or plaice and chips, ice cream, and tea and coffee.

John Carter Garforth, aged 81, the firm’s oldest employee, caused much merriment when he asked if his favourite meal – tripe – was on the menu!

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The youngest employee on the trip was June Hetherington who was aged 15.

After the meal, the workers were addressed by P.J. Walker, chairman of the board, who described them as his large and loyal family who were visiting the greatest city in the world.

Mr Walker also invited Hervy Rhodes, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, to have lunch with them.

Mr Rhodes said the record of the textile industry in Yorkshire was first class, particularly Wormalds and Walker who had exported in the region of a million pounds that year.

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He said: “This country was built on solid foundations through good workmanship and craftsmanship.

“If you can carry a few words from me today, please let it be that you persist in this search for accurate, correct and honest workmanship.”

He added; “But before you go from Lyons’ Corner House, please may I request that you sing for me here in London two verses of “On Ilkley Moor ‘baht at.”.

His wish was granted and the entire company joined in the singing of what in those days was Yorkshire’s national anthem.

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Later that afternoon, the board of directors entertained a distinguished gathering at the Savoy Hotel, including many celebrities and newspapermen.

One of the directors, Billy Wormald, proposed a toast to the guests, telling them that a thousand very tired people would be going home that night after what they’d call having had ‘a reight good do”, and to a Yorkshireman, that was the highest praise he could ever give.

Mr P.J. Walker told the guests at dinner that Wormalds and Walker manufactured 30 miles of blankets a week and contributed largely to the success of the Board of Trade.

After lunch the workers made their way to the Great Exhibition where the director of the exhibition, Sir Gerald Barry, welcomed directors of the mill and three ladies representing employees.

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They were, Elsie Bishop, Doreen Wilson and Shirley Young, pictured above, who had been chosen that year as “Miss Dormy 1951”, a title so named after the firm’s famous Dormy blankets.

These three ladies stayed overnight in London so as to appear on the BBC’s programme “In Town Tonight” where they had the opportunity to tell millions of listeners about their trip to London.

The party then went by boat up the Thames to Battersea Pleasure Gardens, where they were welcomed by the famous comedian Terry Thomas, who during the war had been stationed in Dewsbury for a short time.

Later, many of the trippers returned to the West End to see the city’s floodlit sights, including Big Ben, the fountains in Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace.

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The travellers then began to make their way back to Kings Cross Station where the trains to take them home were ready to leave at midnight.

Everyone arrived on time and nobody was left behind, and although tired after a long and exciting day, they were not too tired to eat a hearty three-course supper which was waiting for them on the train.

Sadly, in 1983 the mill closed down, and although the clatter of their looms have been silenced forever, we still have our memories.

Happy days!

Email your bygone memories to [email protected].

I look forward to seeing them.