Mesnes Park Gates
Testament to Time and Tragedy
The gate piers and gates, dated 1878, mark the entrance to the park in Wigan, enduring as symbols of the town's heritage. Interestingly, the gates nearly faced destruction during the national scrap metal drive in WWII.
They ended up at a local scrap dealer's yard alongside tons of other scrap metal. However, they were fortunate to escape being melted down and were later rediscovered and repurchased by Wigan Council after the conflict had ended. Bridge and Sons (Wigan) Ltd. then restored the gates, which were reinstated at the main park entrance on Bridgeman Terrace in July 1950.
Standing over eight feet tall and weighing up to 8 hundredweight, they represent both meticulous craftsmanship and resilience through history.
Tragedy
In 1957, the gates were severely damaged in a catastrophic car accident that left a trail of destruction and tragedy.
The driver, Thomas Watts, had endured significant trauma years earlier, surviving a 1940 lorry fire that left him badly burned. Seventeen years later, a chance encounter in a Wigan pub with SSgt Russell Lee Boaz set the stage for disaster. Boaz, stationed at Burtonwood during WWII, was celebrating in Wigan but became too intoxicated to drive. He persuaded Watts, who had no driving experience, to take the wheel.
The car spiralled out of control at 70 mph, striking and killing 14-year-old cyclist Thomas Higham,aged 11 of Heeley Street and injuring 13-year-old Valerie Ashurst of Danesway, also killing Luigi Scerri, a pedestrian walking in the park with his wife.
The car also demolished one of the park gates and a stone pier, scattering fragments into the park before crashing into a flowerbed, 50 yards from the gates.
Personal Ties to Wigan
Boaz’s connection to Wigan ran deep. On June 30, 1945, he married May Langton at St. Michael’s and All Angels in Swinley. May, a Wigan native from 28 Alfred Street near Mesnes Park, emigrated to the United States as a GI bride aboard the Queen Mary on March 11, 1946.
Tragically, May passed away in October 1956, just a year before the accident. Her loss adds a poignant note to Boaz’s presence in Wigan that night, as it’s possible he was visiting her family’s home near the park.
Justice and Reflection
Thomas Watts, a shoe repairer of Clarington Grove, aged 38, initially denied driving but later blamed the accident on Boaz’s drunken state. Found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, he was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
Boaz, meanwhile, returned to the United States and lived a long life, passing away in 2001 at age 91. He was buried in the Florida National Veterans Cemetery. His life included service in Korea and Vietnam and involvement in charity work, suggesting the tragedy in Wigan may have influenced his later years.
A Legacy Preserved
Despite the devastation, the gates and piers were restored by Wigan Council once more and today stand as symbols of endurance and resilience. From their Victorian origins to their survival through war and tragedy, they connect the community to its rich history and serve as a reminder of the lives and stories entwined with their presence.
Sources:
Tony Stanton
Find my Past
A furthe article relating to the Gates from local historian Tom Walsh
A Sad Chapter.
One of the saddest chapters of Mesnes Park history was on a July evening in 1957; it was a warm summer evening, and I can't help but think that had the weather been inclement, this chapter would not have been part of the park story, and two families would have been spared a lifetime of sorrow.
The tragic events that were about to unfold on the 4th of July started in The Park Hotel. An ex-American serviceman, Russell Boaz, made the acquaintance of a Wigan man, Thomas Watts(37), a shoe repairer.
Boaz had been drinking heavily all day, firstly in the afternoon and then re-entering when the premises reopened for evening trade, he was celebrating American Independence Day. Watts, when interviewed by the police, said he himself had drunk 2 half pints.
Boaz asked Watts to drive him home. From the time Watts took the wheel, the fate of two innocent people was sealed, a 14 year old school boy Thomas Philip Higham from nearby Heeley Street who was riding his bicycle and an engineer Luigi Scerri, the latter taking a stroll in the park with his wife and other relatives, Mrs. Scerri and her brother in law had just left the park when she saw a large car careering towards them, her brother in law pulled her away from its path in all probability saving her life, her husband and another family member were still inside the park admiring the flowers.
It collided with two cyclists one was one of the fatalities, Thomas Philip Higham, it then demolished the gates and two pillars striking and killing her husband Luigi inside the park . A policeman gave evidence that the car came to a halt in a flower bed approximately 60 yards inside the park.
The gates that proudly stand guard at the entrance of Wigan's Jewel have witnessed so many happy times, many marriages came became about because of courtships that started there, as young people promenaded from them to the steps and back again in the hope of meeting a suitor, Sunday afternoons being the most popular for this particular endeavour.
Countless thousand of children have run excitedly through them to enjoy delights of the park, first stop to rub Sir Francis Sharp Powell's shoe and if funds allowed an ice cream in the cafe.
During WW2 the gates, much to the chagrin of Wiganer’s they were removed along with the railings to be sold for scrap and the money raised would be used for the war effort.
Over the years I have heard many stories about how the gates survived. Ranging from being buried during the duration to be unearthed when peace was achieved. There was another piece of folklore that held sway, they had been stored for safekeeping in the crypt of Wigan Parish Church. These and other urban myths, romantic though they are, were just that.
The truth is much more mundane, but no less interesting for that. After the war, they were discovered in a local scrap yard. Somehow, they had escaped the melting pot and, thankfully, were still intact. The council repurchased them from the owner of the business, and they were refurbished by Bridge and Sons (Wigan) Ltd., and we were proudly rehung in July 1950
The same firm restored the gates after this horrific incident. At the time, a spokesman, for the firm said all the fragments were sent to their Seven Stars forge. Unbelievably, it was found that the former Wigan Coat of Arms, the old Moot Hall, which decorated the centre of each gate, had escaped damage. As a matter of interest, each gate is six feet wide and eight feet six inches high at the highest point, and each weighs 7-8 cwts. This information came to light whilst researching the terrible incident.
The trial held at Liverpool Crown Court heard that the car involved had been parked on The Market Square. It was referred to as ' An American Car' throughout trial, the make and model never mentioned. However, I was recently contacted by David Culshaw, self-confessed ' absolute car enthusiast '' he lived in Dicconson Street and was on the scene within minutes of the tragedy, and he is sure that it was either a Buick or Pontiac, apparently General Motors used the same body shell for several different models.
A witness said at the outset, Boaz took the driver's seat before changing places with the accused. Other witnesses gave evidence that the car was driven recklessly hitting a parked car and a bus , the speed when it hit the park gates was estimated to be 50- 60 mph.
After trial, Watts was found guilty by a jury of ten men and two women, of causing death by dangerous driving. The trial Judge expressed astonishment that Watts had never driven a car before. In sentencing him to 18 months imprisonment on each charge to run concurrently, he said that the jury had no alternative other than to find him guilty as charged.
While researching this sad story, I have been aware that Thomas Philip Higham was roughly the same age as me, and consequently, I feel empathy for him. I can't help wondering what life would have held for him. A life snuffed out because of an act of utter stupidity.
I wish from the bottom of my heart that I hadn't needed to write this piece, but tragic though it is, it is part of Mesnes Park history, albeit the saddest and needed to be included!
Tom Walsh