Welcome to The Briercliffe Society Forum

In the old days the only person drawing teeth in Barrowford was old Robert Bannister, who lived besides the "Gaumless." When a boy, Joseph Dyson, went there to have a tooth extracted. Bannister said, .. Sit on the floor." He got his head between his legs, produced a fearsome instrument and, after a strenuous and painful struggle, the tooth was extracted. The usual charge was twopence, but the dentist said, "I think I have hurt thee, lad, tha' can have th' twopence back."
He always wrapped a red handkerchief round the tool used. His patients had to sit on the floor, or
stand, according to the position of the tooth. In obstinate cases he got the patient's head between his legs.

Annals and Stories of Barrowford by Jesse Blakey

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

I remember clearly when I was about 8 years old having toothache, me Mum and her brother took me to a dentist who lived up Abel Street I think, it was just a terraced house and he had a chair in his front room, there was a window to the right of the chair and a sink in the far left corner, he sat me in the chair and started chatting to me Mum and Uncle Malcolm, all the time his hands were shaking. Uncle Malcolm (he was only about 16 himself) became upset for me and insisted to me Mum that we did'nt stay, luckily me Mum agreed with him, what with his hands shaking so much and the state of the room they were rather put off. I cant remember where I eventually had that tooth out, but I also have some nasty memories of the school dentists clinic, it was enough to put a kid off dentists for life, in the footwell of the chair were previous occupants extracted teeth, I kid you not, it took me a long time to overcome my fears, it was when I was a teenager and had to go for an extraction, I came across the most wonderful dentist ever and he cured me of my fears, and for that I will always be eternally grateful to the lovely man who is now deceased.


Stephanie.

That sounded awful.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

It has stayed in my memory, can still picture the scruffy room, and him.


Stephanie

Bet you can.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

My Mum worked for a Dentist on Colne road in the 1960’s. She tells me she worked on one of the Hollies.

Oooh! which one of the Hollies? Was the dentist an Irish guy?


Stephanie.

My Mum has replied:

The dentist I worked for was not like the ones talked about on the Forum. He had not been long out of university when I went to work for him and he was ahead of his time in dentistry in that he didn't just pull teeth, he tried to save them. His name was David Hamer and he lived at Fence with his mum and dad. He later married and had kids and he was definitely not Irish. The member of the Hollies was Graham Nash who later became a group member of Crosby, Stills and Nash and he's still going strong today with that group.

Anything else you want to know?

I remember David Hamer, he did have a good reputation, nothing like the horror's I went to when I was growing up. Think he was one of the forerunners in dentistry. Like I said I was fortunate enough to come across a superb dentist when I was about 19, he changed my views on dentist's, going now is no problem.
I remember all the Hollies because as you probably know they were all local lads, I saw them perform on a number of occasions at The Mecca.


Stephanie.

Ah, I just googled his name and David died, 2003
http://www.lantern.lancashire.gov.uk/lo ... 15338.html

That's so sad, he only had a year of retirement.


Stephanie.

I knew Grahame Nash, for a short while before the he played with the Hollies, he played with a local band called Blues Unlimited.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

I wish it would have showed a photo of David Hamer in the obituary, it would have been nice to see what he looked like in later years. He was only young when I worked for him in 1966-1967.

Kristian's dad went to school with the drummer of the Hollies. I was told people laughed at him because he spent all his time drumming and the other pupils had no idea he would become famous one day. Does anyone remember the drummers name?

Don Rathbone - drums 1962 - 1963

Bobby Elliott - drums 1963 to present

Maybe it was Bobby Elliot because he was born the same year as my Dad and he is from Burnley.
Bobby Elliott (b. 8 December 1942, Burnley)
http://www.tunegenie.com/bio/MN0000087985/the-hollies/
http://www.mikedolbear.com/story.asp?StoryID=1512

I know that my Dad went to Haggate school (this is his class photo http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk/Pho ... gate12.htm) but I don’t know what other schools he attended.