NICKNAMES I CAN RECALL

ADDED 15 APRIL 2007

I’m pushing 89 years young and I remember Cliff Marsh who would be about the same age as myself. Benny Chopsticks, mentioned in Terry Spencer’s Knottla Nicknames article, used to live aboard one of the old barges that had been set aside for breaking up, and which were tethered along side the wall in the Bendles. One day young Cliff looked down into the hold of one of the barges and saw Benny hard at work chopping sticks. “Oh Benny Chopsticks”, Cliff began shouting over and over, until Benny had had enough and clambered out of the hold threatening to part young Cliff’s hair with his chopper! As far as I can recall that’s how Benny got his nickname but I could be wrong as it all happened such a long time ago.

Some of the other nicknames I can remember are: ‘Moggie’ Schofield, ‘Shy’ Tommy, ‘Get Dog’ France, ‘Butcher’ Shaw and ‘G.I.’ Taylor, who all worked at Gregg’s glassworks. Then there was ‘Wablo’ Rhodes, ‘Codge’ Ridge, ‘Swarf’ Ridge, ‘Snuff’ Shaw, ‘Inky’ Robinson, ‘Nunc’ Appleyard, ‘Gosh’ Robinson, ‘Didie’ Simmons, ‘Bunny’ Haigh, ‘Billycock’ Humphries, ‘Pag’ Martin, ‘Pig’ Hutchinson, ‘Scotch’ Bob, ‘Nanky’ Knott, ‘Artie’ Armitage and ‘Mugs’ Poulson.

One name in particular that I remember was ‘Quick’ Walter, and the story goes that he was asked one day by a motorist if he wanted a lift home, to which he answered, “No thanks, I’m in a hurry!”

During his early days at Holes’ School, Stannie Greenwood was nicknamed ‘Cock Toes’, but he didn’t care too much for that and who can blame him! The name ‘Cisco Kid’ was one name he bestowed upon himself.

Jack Aaron
15 April 2007

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