Golcar Socialist Club
Also known as Golcar Labour Club
The Golcar
Labour Club was opened in Cow Eye Road, Golcar in October 1892 by Tom Mann. The premises consisted of three rooms divided
by wooden partitions which could be moved to create one large room when
necessary. Although it was a very wet day the occasion drew a large crowd and
the president of the club Thomas E Thorp
addressed the audience. He said that
some people might think there were already enough political clubs in the area
but that...
“the two great political parties had ignored the interests of the
working classes and so they had decided to establish the club.”
Tom Mann also addressed the crowd and
went on to say that he believed that the club would become "a very important centre of usefulness" in as much as members would be able to learn and discuss
political thoughts and ideas. In the evening a public meeting was held in the
national School chaired by J. A. Fletcher, president of the Huddersfield Trades
Council. Once again there was a large
crowd. At this meeting it was put forward that Tom Mann should stand as Labour
candidate for the Colne valley.
Tom Mann stands for the Independent Labour Party
Tom Mann returned to Golcar in March 1894 as
the Labour candidate in the general election of the next year. He attended two
public meetings in the area one at Wellhouse in the open air and the other in
the evening at Golcar Socialist Club. At 2.30 in the afternoon the members of
the club gathered at the club premises and were joined by members of other
organisations. They then formed
themselves into a procession headed by the Scapegoat Hill Brass Band and
marched through to the village of Wellhouse. Charles Whitwam, the president of the Golcar club presided over the
proceedings and introduced Mann to a very large audience. Mann was well
received and spoke for over an hour to the gathered crowd. Although the crowd
were invited by him to ask questions after his address none did so. They then returned to the Labour Club for a
“meat tea” before the evening meeting began.
Following on
from Tom Mann’s visit the ladies sewing
class at the Labour club held a tea for around 40 people in the club rooms in September. The proceeds were in aid of a planned bazaar
to defray the expenses of Mann’s candidature in the
election. In the evening an address was
given by Pete Curran of London who was Independent Labour candidate for Barrow
in Furness. His address was entitled...
“The folly of party politics.”
Mann received 13% of the Colne Valley vote and would defeated by Liberal's James Kitson.
Social events
Social events at the club included a series of monthly tea meetings during the winter months in 1894. In December between 50 and 60 people sat down to tea, which was given by the members of the club. There then followed a variety of entertainments including music played on piano and violin, recitations, glees and solos on the mandolin by Miss Liversedge plus comic pieces. A fair attendance was reported at the event.
(Huddersfield
Chronicle 17 October 1892 & 30 March 1894; Leeds Times & Huddersfield
Chronicle 29 September 1894: Huddersfield Chronicle 12 December 1894)
In 1895 the
building that the club occupied was put up for sale by auction. However it did not reach its reserve price
and so was withdrawn from sale. The building was again put up for auction in
July 1900 along with a neighbouring building that was occupied by a shop and
dwelling house plus a plot of land. The
site covered a total area of 1031 square
yards and the advert for its sale stated that...
“being near the centre of Golcar
presents a favourable opportunity to a Cabinet maker, provision merchant, dressmaker,
milliner, butcher, confectioner, or anyone in search of business premises requiring a sale shop in one
of the principal thoroughfares.” (Huddersfield Chronicle 29 May 1895 & 21
July 1900)
The club
celebrated its second anniversary in October 1895 with a special service. Hymns were sung from the Labour Church hymn
book by members and friends. This was
accompanied by reed, string and brass instruments. The speaker for the occasion was Rev Ramsden Balmforth of Huddersfield
who spoke on "A social pioneer - Robert Owen."
This was followed in the evening by Arthur
Worsnop of Halifax speaking on...
“Christianity versus Socialism or the need
for a Labour Church.”
The event was well
attended and the collections made were used to defray the expenses.
(Huddersfield Chronicle 5 October 1895)
In 1922 the
treasurer of the club Percy H Sykes
was charged with embezzling money from the club. He had acted as treasurer from
February until June and in that time had received over £203 but had only banked
£105 making a deficit of £103. It had
been arranged that he would meet with the club secretary to settle the deficit
but he didn’t turn up at the meeting and was discovered to have gone
missing. He was arrested and stood trial
being sentenced to three months hard labour.
(Yorkshire Post 2 August 1922.)
A club
social outing to the Aladdin pantomime at the Sheffield Empire ended in
disaster in 1949 when the bus taking the theatregoers to Sheffield overturned
at Shelley. Apparently the vehicle mounted the grass verge, knocked down 20
yards of stone wall and struck a tree from which it rebounded and overturned.
Passengers were helped by passing motorists and bus drivers who helped to take
the injured to hospital. A number of the
passengers were forced to escape through the "sunshine roof" of the bus and
several received treatment for injuries at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. Only two were detained in hospital. The force of the impact tore off the front
wheels of the bus.
(Yorkshire Post 28 February 1949)
(Yorkshire Post 28 February 1949)
The club
premises that were based at 18, Greenway, Golcar were converted into a
care home run by Carlton Specialist Care which has since closed. It is not known when the club closed.
Golcar Labour Club and WW1
Private John Ainley, 34 served with the 9th
Battalion, West Riding Regiment joining in August 1914. He was the only man from Golcar on his
battalion and acted as a stretcher bearer.
He had
previously been employed by Pearson Bros as a woollen weaver and was a member
of the Golcar Socialist Club. He distinguished himself in November 1915 when he
brought wounded men out of the trenches despite continuous heavy shell
fire. When he spoke about the incident
on a visit to his home in Golcar he said “I can tell you that it was the first
time I was afraid since I went out and I think that me and all my comrades have
done our duty in bringing out our killed and wounded from the trenches. I hope
that I may be spared to do my duty to the end.”
In May 1917 the Golcar District
Heroes Committee decided to award gold watches to the value of £10 to a few
Golcar soldiers who had obtained war medals for distinguished service on the
field of battle of which John Ainley was one. The ceremony was held in the
large assembly room of the Golcar Conservative Club where Edgar Sykes made the
presentations to men.
(Leeds Mercury 14
& 21 May 1917)
