ALAN WHALLEY'S WORLD

IT appears that I merely dipped my toe in the water when recently mentioning the exploits of Walter ('Water Rat') Dennett who for decades was a legendary all-seasons swimmer at Carr Mill Dam.

Walter was even to be found performing his old-fashioned, single-arm swimming stroke during the deeper months, with frost dusting the nearby tall trees and glades.

On occasions he'd wade through a thin skimming of ice, bounding that St Helens lake, before taking the plunge for his daily ritual.

He'd even be there for a dip on Christmas Day.

And now, in response to my recent piece about Walter, who carried that Water Rat nickname with genuine pride, one of his greatest admirers, former Saints three-quarter Tony Atherton has filled in a few missing pieces.

Walter, who died eight years ago at the age of 77, was "like a second dad" to Tony. And the old swimming champion, a confirmed bachelor, presented Tony with his championship and life-saving medal collection as a mark of their friendship.

They include a Royal Life Saving Society medal from June 1933 for the man who plucked from death four drowning people - a middle-aged man, two brothers and an 11-year-old girl.

Tony's other three mementoes of the great man, who only packed away his swimming trunks when aged 75, include medals for second, third and fourth places in the gruelling Mersey Mile race.

Though Walter never picked up a winner's medal for this once highly-popular annual highlight, he certainly should have done!

A chaotic finishing-line mix-up of boats at the 1935 event resulted in Walter being placed runner-up by two seconds. Observers and pressmen of the time protested that Walter's big sun-browned shoulders had passed the finishing post first.

They became acquainted - the old-time swimming legend and the highly-promising young rugby player whose career was tragically cut short by injury - as the result of Walter's regular visits to Burkhills cafe close to the dam. Tony's mother, Becky Atherton, still going strong at 76, worked there for 20 years (1955 to 75) and always made a special fuss of lonely bachelor Walter, making sure he always got an over-generous slice of his favourite vanilla-slice sweet course.

"I knew him as Uncle Walter," recalls 42-year-old Tony from Rosthwaite Grove, Moss Bank, "though he was more like a second father.

"He followed my career, from schoolboy and junior ranks to my debut for Saints' first team against Castleford when I was just 20."

It was a proud day, March 3, 1974, when Tony was handed the No. 6 first-team shirt, thus achieving the pinnacle of his ambition in lining up with a Saints team including such '70s giants as Billy Benyon, John Mantle, George Nicholls and Kel Coslett.

Six days later, Tony's career and future were in tatters when his skull was crushed in a three-man tackle during an A-team game against Leigh. He was so badly injured - four pieces of bone had to be removed from his head during a three-hour hospital operation - that a priest was called to administer the Last Rites.

But, miraculously, Tony fought back from the brink of death and has managed, to an incredible degree, to rebuild his life. The scar beneath his hairline still bears testimony to the horrendous damage which caused years of pain, vicious cramp, impairment to speech and limited use in his right hand and arm.

Unable to continue as a newly-qualified electrician - and in desperate need of money, with only a paltry amount of compensation, mercifully boosted by big-hearted fund-raisers - Tony took a light job with Pilkingtons and is still employed there.

To look at him now, still a slim, athletic figure with a keen and courteous manner, you'd never suspect what he's gone through.

And, to his eternal credit, he looks back, not in anger, but in pride at having fleetingly achieved his dream - playing for his legendary hometown team in a he-man code which he still loves to this day.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.