Royal Visit of 1932

The Prince of Wales meets Jim Sullivan at Central Park, November 1932

In November 1932 the Wigan Rugby Club made a little bit more history. The Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward (briefly) would attend Central Park on a whistle stop tour of West Lancashire on November 23rd 1932. The significance of this visit would be a Rugby League first in that no member of Royalty had been welcomed at a rugby ground before with this visit being marked as the first of it's kind.

On the day, a match was arranged between unemployed youths from the Wigan Junior Instruction Centre with teams being trained by Jim Sullivan, the Wigan captain of the time. It was enabled that the unemployed would be allowed to attend Central Park free of charge upon production of their unemployment cards. Wigan Council of Social Services hoped that many members of the general public would too turn up for the small price of one shilling, with all proceeds going towards their fund.

The Prince started his day in Bolton, and proceeded through Westhoughton, Hindley and Ince (belated apologies for that HRH) before entering Wigan via car. Once he arrived in Hallgate, he was driven through Market Street and down Standishgate towards Central Park. From early on, people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of HRH. Lord Derby, Mayor and Mr J. Allan Parkinson MP for Wigan met him outside the Mens Social Club

"WELCOME TO A GRADELY LAD"

The Wigan Club made a banner which they hung on the Pavilion which read "Welcome to a Gradely Lad, the Prince of Wales". At the Pavilion entrance Mr. George Taylor, secretary of the Wigan club, was introduced to him. Mr. Taylor then accompanied the Prince on the ground where a number of members of the Wigan branch of the Limbless ex-Servicemen's Association, the British Legion and the Old Contemptibles' Association were lined up as a guard of honour. The Prince was taken straight to the men and he inspected the lines and asked some of the men questions about their army decorations.

Once the chat was over, he was taken onto the playing field and met somebody called Jim Sullivan. The match previously mentioned was in play and had to be stopped to accommodate the Prince. Sullivan was acting as the referee at the time. The Prince chatted with Jim for a few moments and asked him details about the game. Sullivan volunteered the information that he preferred the Rugby League game to Rugby Union, and stated further in reply to the Prince's question, that he had three times toured Australia.

Under the eyes of a battery of cameras and "talkie picture machines" the Prince was then taken to the Director's stand, where he met Mr. Harry Lowe, recently re-elected Chairman of the Board of Directors. Whilst enjoying a cigarette the Prince was informed by Mr. Lowe that this was the first occasion in which a member of the Royal Family had entered a Rugby League football enclosure. Mr. Lowe said afterward: "I invited the Prince, on the next occasion he was in the north, to visit a first-class Rugby League match, and as the game proceeded I explained the various points of rule compared with Rugby Union. I also called his attention to the fine record of our schoolboy footballers.

At 12:35, the tour had ended and as the Prince left to an engagement in Liverpool, a little bit of history had been made. And that was basically that to be honest.

One of the qualities that made the Prince likeable with the public was his genuine interest in the welfare of the unemployed. The Wigan Club kind of made a master-stroke here. In the image (above), we see the then Rector of Wigan standing beside the Prince. Watching closely (left) are Chief Constable Tom Pey, The Mayor of Wigan (Councillor Walter Atherton), Mr. Cecil Mason, a Wigan journalist, and the editor of the Wigan Observer Mr. F.C. Dove. The Prince is seen talking to Jim Sullivan with the soiled unemployed youth's on their best behaviour lined up behind. The old "Dutch Barn" is seen at the rear.

It's small, but it's Wigan Rugby's History.