'Keep our NHS out of politicians' hands'

I attended A&E on a Saturday recently at 11am, as a precautionary measure, but ended up being admitted to hospital proper. It was actually 8pm before I was delivered to my ward.

I was well looked after during my spell in A&E and, as mine was a relatively minor problem, it was not too inconvenient, but I can fully understand the stress

to people worse off than myself.

The department was quite busy and all the staff were kept fully occupied.

I ended up on Ward 25 and I would like to take the opportunity to express my thanks to all the staff up there who I came into contact with.

My condition meant that for the first couple of days I needed quite a bit of help (let’s be fair - I was probably a nuisance!) but the staff were always there when required, and always with a smile.

I can’t thank them enough as they always had plenty to do without me!

I have needed the NHS quite a bit over the years with no major cause for complaint.

Let us ensure we keep this invaluable resource out of the hands of politicians and money-grabbers and finance it properly for years to come.

R Chapman

Preston

nostalgia

Memories of the 1950s

Re: Today’s Looking Back. Michael (Mick) Cuerden, David (Dave) Turner and I served the same six-year bricklaying apprenticeship at the same firm (Pius Baines and sons) in the 1950s.

It was a great firm to serve an apprenticeship, they had a lot of apprentices of all the building trades. I started work in June 1953 on the building of Our Lady and St Edward Catholic Church in Fulwood and then worked on the houses being built at the Fire Brigade headquarters in Fulwood. It was wonderful to be among so many real characters. Some, of course, had won the Second World War on their own. I still smile at some of the tales.

A few weeks ago there was a photo of the English Martyrs school cricket team in the Post. Two of the lads served their apprentices at the same time as me - Peter Lovick and Gerry Green - both great lads.

A couple of weeks before today’s Looking Back photo was taken, a few of us were in the Angel when in walks these four lads, all dressed the same. We asked who they were and John Lennon said, “The Beatles”.

They had been performing at the Public Hall, but to us at the time, they were just another group. At that time there were some great groups about. If only we had known then how much influence they would have on popular music, we would have bought them a pint.

The 1960s are regarded as probably the best decade for pop music but being a teenager in the 1950s was the best by far. Every day it seemed you would hear of a new rock and roll great coming along.

Football in the 1950s was wonderful. Most teams had big support, and PNE had one of the best teams although the disappointment of losing the 1954 cup final was hard to get over. It was the second time I had gone to Wembley Stadium.

The year before I was taken there to watch England play Hungary. It was one of the great experiences of my young life to see the great Puskás and his team show England a different way to play the beautiful game. In two games, they scored 14 goals against us. What a team. How they didn’t win the World Cup in 1958, having been two up, shows the best don’t always win.

In February 1958, I was coming home from work when I heard of the Munich air crash, we just couldn’t believe it. That young Man United team would have been, over the next few years, the equal of Real Madrid or better.

I was looking forward to finishing my apprenticeship so I could earn some decent money, but the British army wanted me to join them for at least two years, so with a heavy heart, trowel and tools were put away.

So for the third time I arrived in London, not for football this time but to report for training in the Grenadier Guards at Caterham.

I was in for a nice surprise because another apprentice I had met at technical college, Michael Hough from Croston, was in the same intake as me. I think we were the last or nearly the last to enter the Grenadier Guards as National Service men.

Ian Goody

Ingol