This one is a little bit special because it has the following details printed on it: 'Betty Wilkinson 21st Birthday 24th April 1951'. There is no indication whether this was Miss or Mrs Wilkinson, or whether the serviette actually has anything to do with the dance tickets. But if Betty is still around she would certainly be in her 90s, if not perhaps some of her family could be still in the Brighouse area. 

 The dance tickets are for T.F.Firth's & Sons Ltd Sports Club.  These were obviously well attended events and the organisers were not skinny on providing a good do.  The 1960 ticket provides us with the menu for the dinner: Cream Soup or Iced Consommé with Sherry - Roast Yorkshire Turkey, Sausage, Seasoning, Game Chips Cranberry Sauce, Roast & Creamed Potatoes and Vegetables in Season. Then it was either Christmas Pudding or Peach Melba or Sherry Trifle, and then to finish off with Cheese and Biscuits, Celery and Coffee. The tickets for this sumptuous banquet were 12/6d, which would be 63p today.

Another group of revellers at a Firth's dinner dance. The location and date are not known, perhaps you can recognise any of the guests?   

But it did not end there, after the meal and the required comfort break it was time for the dancing to start. There was no piped music, no disco man, this was to be proper dancing. With that you had to have the appropriate musicians and the Sports Club did everyone proud. There was Eric Winstone and his Orchestra, Stuart Swales and his Band. On some years the Sports Club really came up trumps by splashing out to book Billy Ternent and his Broadcasting Orchestra, you will be thinking now could it get any better that him. 

In 1954, it was Ted Heath and his music with Dickie Valentine, Lita Roza, Dennis Lotus, Duncan Campbell and Ronnie Verrell - Wowwwwwwwww - surely the Sports Club could not top that, or could they?

The 9th annual dance was held on  February 2, 1956, at the Victoria Hall Halifax, tickets were 11/- and 11/6d on the day. There was no sumptuous meal this year, it was just a supper. But for the dancing it was Joe Loss and his Orchestra with Rose Brennan, a well-respected singer. She retired from the band in 1960 to run a pub in West London with her husband; Ross McManus who passed away in 2011, he was  an Irish trumpet player and the father of Elvis Costello. Then there was Larry Gretton another fine singer of the 50s and 60s.  With the last waltz at 12.55am, what a night they must have had - now if you were there please contact me I would be pleased to hear from you, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01422-205763.

If you were not at that dance perhaps you are amongst this sea of faces ? This was another of the Sports Club annual dances. The man in the middle is Teddy Foster (b1908 - d:1984) who started as a jazz trumpet player in Billy Cotton’s band in the 1930s. He left to form his own band in 1936 and was very popular, as can be seen from this photograph.

 Another great night put on by the T.F.Firth's Sports Club - all these people could never have dreamt that within 50 years the company would have closed.