FOR many people, Lockdown has been a catalyst to look into their family history.

Richard Turner from Feniscowles has been in touch to see if Bygones readers can help him throw more light onto his grandfather Cuthbert Turner and a dramatic incident from around 1955.

Cuthbert, who died almost 50 years ago, worked for many years at the Foster, Yates and Thom foundry in Blackburn.

“We have found a small cutting which reports an accident in the foundry in which my grandfather was crushed by one of the boilers they made there for steam engines,” said Richard. “It was a very serious accident and ultimately my grandfather lost his leg as a result.

“But we also read that members of the Pleasington football team which we think he managed, all volunteered to have blood transfusions to help him and went up to the hospital en masse.

“Sadly we have no more details about this but it is such an unusual story that we’d love to discover more.”

Cuthbert who grew up in the Witton and Mill Hill areas of Blackburn both played for Pleasington in his younger days before managing the team. He was also the caretaker at Pleasington Priory for a number of years and lived at the nearby school house.”

“I think like a lot of people who have started to look into their family history we have uncovered many things that we never knew before,” said Richard. “My grandfather never talked about the accident from what we can discover but there may be members of that football team or their relatives who can help us fill in a few more details.”

If you were in that Pleasington team or know more about Cuthbert Turner, email bygones@nqnw.co.uk