Britain’s
heaviest man, Arthur Armitage, of Northfield Avenue, Knottingley, made a
surprise presentation to Mr. and Mrs J. Beckett of Foundry Lane, on
Friday, when they celebrated their golden wedding. He gave Mrs Beckett a
large bouquet, subscribed for by friends, the presentation being at the
Red Lion Hotel, Low Green.
Mr.
Beckett, who is 72, worked for most of his life as a bottle ‘gatherer’
at the old Bagley’s glass works (now Rockware) The trade was extremely
skilled and there are not many veteran ‘gatherers’ left. Mr. Beckett
also served in the Royal Navy in World War One. His hobby is keeping
poultry. His wife Violet, aged 71, considers that youngsters today do not
know what it is like to live in a strict society. She remembers as a girl
being terrified of the ‘bobbies’ who kept youngsters on the straight
and narrow. She said: "If you just stood in the street, especially up
Hill Top, the bobbies would move you along. They gave you a flick with
their capes and you knew what it meant and you were off like the
wind."
