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Musical memories of kind man
A picture in a recent Flashback sparked memories for a former bandsman when he spotted one of his musical colleagues.
Bill Culshaw recognised George Fishwick with a Hawaiian guitar which he made himself.
Mr Culshaw, 77, of Collingwood Road, said he could build anything and had even made the guitar strings.
"He was the kindest man I ever knew. He would do anything for anyone at any time. I told him I was looking for a disco but they were expensive.
He said 'leave it with me' and he built one for me, even upholstered it.
"He only died two years ago and he was 95."
Mr Culshaw, a saxophone player, had formed his own dance band which played at The Pines Hotel in Clayton-le-Woods.
He said: "George was part of that band and we played at The Pines for about 10 years. During the interval I did a disco using the one that George made me. It was the only one in Chorley at the time.
"All the top performers were in the charts at the time, such as Elvis and The Beatles, so I got the top 10 and people went crazy. That was in the 60s. It wasn't long before others got going though."
The band also played at hotels and the Winter Gardens in Blackpool and after finishing at The Pines, Mr Culshaw went on to work at Butlins, then Pontins.
He added: "I also played in the Winter Gardens band. I played until I was 60, but I swapped my saxophone for a new model and although people said the sound was good, I missed the old one and fell out with playing."
Mr Culshaw brought in this picture of Chorley Military Band in 1948 – he is pictured far left – which he played in before setting up the dance band.
He said: "It was a proper band with three trombones, seven cornets, French horns, oboes, bassoons, eight clarinets and even the big E flat bass.
"The picture was taken in one of the parks in Bolton, Preston or Wigan.
"They are all ex-soldiers. I was an apprentice mechanic having left school at 14, but my father was in the army.
"Tommy Wilding (pictured centre) was the bandmaster and he was a captain in the army for 20 years. All of these people were in the Home Guard having been wounded, and even after it disbanded he was someone you called 'sir'.
"Albert Wilding (pictured front row, fifth from left) is the one who taught me to play."
Mr Culshaw came from a musical family – his mother was a Gillett and at one time he believes that every member of Chorley Silver Band was a Gillett.
"My mother had a natural gift. She could pick up any instrument and after trying the notes, within a short period of time could play it as if she had played all her life."
Alan Hargreaves, of Chorley, also spotted George Fishwick with his Hawaiian guitar on the photo and said: "It was his hobby and played at various functions. He was employed by the fire service and later became the caretaker of the district education office at the District Bank chambers in Market Street."
Mr Hargreaves, who was the administrative officer in the education offices for 36 years, also recognised people on a Flashback photograph on April 15.
He says that the lady in the picture is Miss EEJ Cunliffe, who lived on Southport Road and was a former Mayor.
He added: "Immediately to her right I think is John Buxton Hilton, headmaster of Chorley Grammar School, and to his right, with the glasses, is the Rev GC Storr, the minister of Chorley Hollinshead Street United Reformed Church. Next to him, I think, is the Rev J Carpenter, Rector of Brindle.
"Behind Miss Cunliffe is William Ward Dodd, the district education officer in Chorley. He was my boss at one time.
"I'm not sure what the occasion was, but there looks to be a spade on the picture. It could be an educational function."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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