BOB Curzon in his last two features highlighted the behaviour of Winsford working men, from my own experience and in conversation with others, notably Mr Robinson, the High Street barber, one of that generation, it was a myth that Winsford was full of drunkards and there was not the money about.

If any person was drunk they were promptly arrested, taken to the lock-up and appeared before the beak Monday morning.

The pigeon races Bob mentions were for the local man with little money, short distance races usually from the Top Flash. The moneyed pigeon fancier belonged to a Homing Society who staged races through the season starting at Worcester and finishing with the old birds at Nantes and sometimes Pau.

My father was probably one of the best of Winsford pigeon fanciers, he won regularly at all distances including Nantes with his birds.

The young bird season started with a race from Worcester and ended at Weymouth usually with young birds, disasters occurred and that could affect next years race programme.

Those days gone by with poverty apparent through the town, were also times of dignity and respect for each other young and old. I never heard an adult swear in public and if any youngster transgressed they were quickly brought to book. You were taught to ride your cycle properly in the schoolyard usually by a policeman who also taught you the Highway Code. You also attended Sunday School and other character forming organisations who taught citizenship.

What a far cry from these times are the public standards of behaviour today. The glory image of multimillionaire pop and soccer stars permeates down, as the young of today worship them instead of doing the proper thing.

As you move about the town all you can hear are four letter words inside and outside buildings, lack of respect for people and property.

In the past week I have had to avoid children twice on the dual carriageway, two on a cycle and four playing chicken. I also asked a youth to remove himself from one of the town war memorials and received four letter abuse from him and his four companions.

The memorials themselves are getting damaged by constant abuse by the public and amusement appliances encroaching the consecrated ground they stand on. No one seems to have the time to care that this abuse is going on.

I know what the men, some of whose names appear on the war memorials, would have done.

A RAVENSCROFT

Winsford resident.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.