Boy Drowns in Bootle canal

barb · Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:04 pm

does anybody remember the 10 year old boy named victor langley of 55 garden lane who drowned in the bootle canal in 1964.
i am his youngest sister, wondering if anybody remembers

regards
Babs

Jan · Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:22 pm

Hi Babs,

Welcome to the site.

I can't help you there, but how very very sad.

I am sure other members may have some memories of this.

Jan

red ron · Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:21 am

Hi Babs, welcome to the site. I echo Jans sentiments entirely. I lost a little mate in the same circumstances. My young nephew went the same way. My sympathy is with you. I hope you receive answers to your question. R R

Kathy John Moorcroft · Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:10 am

Hiya Babs, That`s a sad story, So sorry I cant help in your quest, but like Jan, and Red Ron, both said ,I`m sure you will get some `info`as there are some lovely helpfull people on here, If they know, you`ll get to know. Good luck Babs, from John

frank delamere · Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:20 pm

barb wrote:does anybody remember the 10 year old boy named victor langley of 55 garden lane who drowned in the bootle canal in 1964.
i am his youngest sister, wondering if anybody remembers

regards
Babs

hello babs, the only one which i knew off, was our mate SYDNEY HARRISON
he lived at 201 litherland road. i can still see him floating in the water.it absolutely broke his parents hearts.
frank

Bootlelass-expat · Thu Feb 01, 2007 12:19 am

Hello Barb, I was sad to read your post about your brother. It did bring back memories of a boy named David who drowned in the canal near Copy Lane/Dunnings Bridge Road, this happened in the 50's. If I remember correctly he had two sisters but he was the only boy.

We had to cross a swing bridge to go to school and some kids would open it - leave it open - and we would have to wait for someone coming the other way to close it so we could get across it, or sometimes someone would run up the canal bank onto Dunnings Bridge Rd and down the other side of the bank to close it.

I thought it was because of the danger of the canals that the town made all the schools take the children to the baths for swimming lessons.

I hope you have happy memories of your brother besides the memory of his drowning.

Sheila Graham · Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:53 am

barb wrote:does anybody remember the 10 year old boy named victor langley of 55 garden lane who drowned in the bootle canal in 1964.
i am his youngest sister, wondering if anybody remembers

regards
Babs

====
Welcome to this site Babs....I am so sorry to hear of your bother. I don't recall this sadness. I am sure he was lovely and you have smashing memories of him.....sheila.graham

annie · Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:51 pm

hi babs sorry i dont recall your brothers passing but i had a nephew who was only 4 and he was electricuted on the railway at netherton so understand the terible loss as he was an only boy

marielou · Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:59 pm

Hi Babs,
I'm also sorry to hear about your brother.

Annie where in Netherton did you loose your Nephew? I remember a young boy loosing his life on the Aintree Station railway lines.

Regards,

Marielou .

Joan Riding · Thu Feb 01, 2007 11:03 pm

Hi Babs,

I do remember the tragedy of your poor brother, I lived on Litherland Road at that time and we were all terribly shocked, the canal was such a draw for young boys, my sympthy to you and your family.

Joan

vera · Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:05 am

Hi Barb Welcome to the site.=== sorry about your Brother very sad,
Cheers Vera.

annie · Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:02 pm

hi marilou my nephew lived in hereford drive when the maisonettes were there i think it was aintree but not sure

marielou · Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:30 pm

Hi Annie,

Thats the boy I'm thinking of,I only vaguely remember it,can't remember his name.

Regards,

Marielou.

annie · Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:14 pm

his name was stanley ..marilou

marielou · Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:02 pm

Annie is that his christian name or surname?

Marielou.

annie · Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:21 pm

that was his christian name marilou..his surname was briscoe

marielou · Sat Feb 03, 2007 3:49 pm

Annie was his dad Alan?

Marielou.

annie · Sun Feb 04, 2007 2:05 pm

no his dads name was stan the same as him .

barb · Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:32 pm

hi,

just want to say thanks for your reply's sadly i dont remember vic, i was only two at the time.
wondering if anybody recalls a john murtagh aged 57 at the time of vic's death. he was a passer by who jumped into the canal to try and save him, a news paper clipping states that john had to be rescued himself and taken to hospital.

thanks for all your kind thoughts

Babs

Sheila Graham · Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:50 am

annie wrote:that was his christian name marilou..his surname was briscoe

====
Getting off sad subject but recalling working with a Briscoe from Netherton. I can't recall her first name, she was a nurse in Bootle or maybe Stanley Hospital...Do you have anyone in your family in nursing? sheila.graham

annie · Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:52 pm

no sheila not one ours sorry

Sheila Graham · Sat Feb 10, 2007 8:04 am

annie wrote:no sheila not one ours sorry

====
S"OK....I just thought I would give it a try.....sheila.g

Scully · Fri Feb 16, 2007 4:27 pm

Hi Everyone,

Reading this post made me think of just how many youngsters died in our canals. My dad John Scully received an award from the Humane Society in the 50's for jumping into the canal to try to save a young boy who was drowning, sadly, it was in vain but dad was very brave as he couldn't swim himself. Deepest sympathy to all who lost a loved one in this way.

Tracey.

ste mumf · Thu May 24, 2007 6:05 pm

hi babs i was afriend of victors at the time of his death i lived at the top of garden lane on the corner of park street im 53 years old now i know all your family i was talking to norman not long ago in south road i will aways remember victor it was a great community in the old bootle village its ashame it was all split up in the 60s

Kathy John Moorcroft · Thu May 24, 2007 9:54 pm

Hiya Steve, Welcome Aboard Friend, to this great friendly Site, You will meet some real nice people here on the Forum, Have Fun! Best .... John

ste mumf · Fri May 25, 2007 1:49 pm

hiya john thanks mate ive a friend over here visiting from sydney at the moment he is from bootle originaly he has been over in aus about 6 years now loves it

vera · Fri May 25, 2007 2:22 pm

Hi Steve. A Very Warm Welcome to this great site. As John has said
just ask if you need help ? i have done in the past and have had plenty of help. Good luck. and good health. to you and family Vera in oz.

annie · Fri May 25, 2007 6:09 pm

hello steve and welcome from me as well

Kittycat · Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:03 am

Hi Babs, Yes I remember Victor, he was in my class at Christ Church School. Could not believe it when he died. So sad.

the top of audely street · Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:53 am

seen many bodies coming out of the canal.
child went missing and could not be found but when a barge that was being used on the north sea gas pipeline installation along the towpath was moved a body came up ,this was by the footbridge over to bootle hospital from canal street. could have been the right period of time.
another one was a young boy who was swinging on a rope that was attached to one of the pylons "directly the top of pleasant street" behind peter marsh sack factory.
the rope must have snapped and come down and entangled him and took him to his death.
we all seen bodies getting pulled out but still we went swimming in the canal.

rjkellet · Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:32 am

bit off topic ,but does anyone recall a little girl , violet , who was knocked down by a big truck coming over millers bridge , the neighboorhood was devastated ,we were all so unused to big trucks in the 50 s , she had a brother called joseph , called himself jofuss ,caused mayhem in the carrara marble yard , she had beautiful full natural curly hair ,was the biggest disaster in our local area , think we all learned a lesson from that , think she lived opposite the baths or maybe colledge view , jan in nz

annie · Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:04 pm

my sister lived in canal street and her house backed on to the canal and i remember a little boy was missing and the dives were looking for him in the canal--i will never foget the divers coming up and waving both hand to say they hadnt found him-- he was found some days later sadly

Liz H · Wed Aug 27, 2014 2:01 pm

Hi, Babs. I have only been on this site for a few months, and have only just found your post from 2007. I think I am about the same age as, or just a bit younger than, your Norman

I lived in 33 Garden Lane and I remember it well, because it was such shock for everybody. It was quite a tight-knit little community. I believe that Victor and a friend took a polystyrene raft onto the canal and it capsized. I am glad that someone tried to rescue them, I heard that some girls were on the Stanley Road bridge trying to alert passers by and were just ignored because people thought they were playing a practical joke.

bob. b · Wed Aug 27, 2014 8:45 pm

My dad save a boy from drowning in the canal by millers bridge he was awarded for his bravery.

Scully · Thu Aug 28, 2014 4:11 pm

My dad John received an award from the Humane Society in the 50's for trying to save a boy from drowning in the canal. The award states that he tried with "another" to save the boy but sadly the boy died. My dad was never proud of the award sadly as he said he hadn't saved the boy but we were all proud of him especially as he couldn't then & never did learn to swim so we thought he was very brave.

Tracey.