Whitsuntide festivities

Earlier in the month we looked at how some of the young people from the Manchester and Salford Refuges celebrated May Day. Though the charity itself did not formally observe this day, another May holiday that the charity celebrated with great enthusiasm falls this Sunday 31^st – Whitsun.

Whitsuntide is a week-long celebration of the Christian holiday of Pentecost. In the United Kingdom, particularly in the North West of England, it has long been celebrated with Sunday School processions and brass bands – two activities which the Refuge was particularly keen to take part in.

Master of the Boys' Refuge, Walter Thurlow Browne (centre, wearing mortar board) leading All Saints, Newton Heath, in a Whit Walk procession in 1889. © Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives (All Rights Reserved).

Little ones taking part a procession similar to those traditionally held on Whit Monday

Every year boys from the Refuge took part, and in some years were on hand to marshal the many thousands of participants from the Sunday Schools that took part in the Whit Walks. Boys from the Refuge’s drum and fife band commenced the ceremony in 1894, with the following report describing the opening scenes of the procession:

The arrangements were on exactly the same lines as in previous years. Shortly after eight [a.m.] Albert Square was cleared by the police of all excepting those officially concerned. Then the boys from the Strangeways Refuge marched up, and they were disposed in “thin red lines” across the square to act as markers for the schools. Each boy was provided with a flag, and when all were in their places the scene presented was very pleasing. At the head of the brigade, it should be stated, marched four youths dressed as Scotch pipers, and their costume contrasted nicely with the tunics of the other lads. The pipers did not play, and to some perhaps, this was a source of disappointment.

– The Manchester Courier and General Lancashire Advertiser (15 May 1894)

Whilst the poor young pipers (who perhaps had stage fright given the immense size of the crowd) left onlookers wanting more, the closing ceremony was well received:

As usual, the boys of the Ardwick Green Industrial School and the boys from the Strangeways Refuge brought up the rear of the procession, and the steadiness and precision with which they marched, and the excellent playing if their bands frequently elicited hearty applause from the spectators. It was half-past eleven when these boys left the square.

– Ibid.

It was estimated that the procession in 1894 was 22,300 strong, with a total of 41 schools taking part; spectator figures were estimated to have been in their hundreds of thousands. A key part to these processions, besides the uniforms and musical accompaniments, was the banner. Each school or institution that took part had their own custom banner. Sadly, we have no image of the banner used by the Refuge, however, the following appeal and news update taken from The Children’s Haven magazine, provide a good description of the original:

An appeal for a new banner, The Children's Haven (June 1903)

A description of the original banner, The Children's Haven (July 1903)

Following the Whit Walk, the remaining part of the week was spent day-tripping and relaxing. A fund was sent up to cover the costs of these excursions for the all of the young people in the charity’s homes and, in some years, those training on the Indefatigable. The fund was generously supported, as the total cost for the ‘Whitsuntide treats’ in 1894 amounted to £51. 3s. 10d. – the equivalent of around £4200. The day trips were heartily enjoyed and largely consisted of hiking, picnics, and playtime in the countryside or the homes and gardens of local friends of the charity.

An account showing some of the trips taken over the holiday period, Annual Report (1880)

Whitsuntide also signalled the opening of the charity’s summer camp. Originally boys ventured out to the camp for a day by the sea, yet it soon became too much of an ordeal for one day’s trip, and, not wanting the Refuge’s own boys to miss out on the opportunity of a holiday, this soon extended to a one week stay. The Seaside Home, too, was used to entertain the Manchester and Salford residents over Whitsuntide. In some years procession days were very busy for the Refuge boys, as, after the marching across Manchester, they took the train to the Birkdale camp at Southport where the brass band would perform to local beneficiaries to mark the camp’s opening, before bedding down after a long day.

The Children's Haven (May-June 1900)