SEARCHING for reports of sandwinning, the Formby Civic Society's Anthea Royden and Pat McGregor began looking at old copies of the Formby Times on microfiche at Formby Library. Beginning at 1920, it was immediately apparent to them that the paper in those days was very different to today's.

IN 1920 the Formby Times consisted of four pages only, it cost one old penny and was published every Saturday. The appearance of the paper was not inviting. Each page was densely filled with small print; there were a few main headlines at the top of each page but no subsidiary headings, the different news items being separated only by a small space, with sometimes a dash.
There were no advertisements, in fact nothing to liven up the page and attract one's eyes. It was impossible to scan the page quickly for a particular topic, as every paragraph had to be scrutinised to find out its subject matter.
The topic reported reflected the character of Formby in the 1920s. It was still largely rural, so people read about the effects of drought or flooding on the growing crops, the possible threat of the dreaded potato blight, or rumours of nearby cattle sickness. The Poultry Club published a bulletin each week.
Many Formby residents travelled to Liverpool or Manchester to work each day, so the performance of the Railway Service was of great interest. There were reports of train breakdowns and cancellations, the shocking increase in the price of fares, and the occasional derailment or collision.
Gas was manufactured locally, so the price of gas was often mentioned. The activities of the local gentry were considered newsworthy, and there were frequent accounts of the doings of the families from Formby Hall, Little Crosby, Croxteth or Knowsley, perhaps setting off on holiday to the Continent (something rare in those days) or going down to London for an important social occasion.
A regular feature which ran for several years was the serialisation of novels. None of these were familiar and seemed to be either blood-and-thunder stories or romances in the style of Mills and Boon. The episodes took up almost the whole of one page, sometimes the front page, which seems a very strange choice. Later on the back page became their usual home. They were eventually ousted by the growing volume of sports news.
Another long-running regular feature was Quentin Quiz's article, which started in the late 1930s. The writer portrayed himself as an elderly busybody trundling round Formby in a bathchair, poking his nose into everything and criticising whatever met with his disapproval - holes in the road, dogs wandering loose, councillors who frequently missed committee meetings, the terrible price of coal.
You name it, Q.Q. had something to say about it. Occasionally, he gave praise, perhaps for a pretty garden which had caught his eye. People used to speculate about the true identity of Q.Q. The column was still running in the 1960s, by which time the original Q.Q. (as described by himself) must have been a centenarian!
Gradually the appearance of the paper became more attractive. More headings and sub-headings began to be used and, with the different news items more clearly separated and identified, the paper became easier to read. The first photos appeared (strangely, the first two we spotted were with obituaries) but they were of very poor quality for a long time. Advertisements began to appear - for many years the only one was for Broadbent's fashions. At sale times their advert took up a whole page.
World Ward Two came, bringing more news items to print, but also a shortage of paper. This was overcome by using even smaller print, so cramming an extra column on to each page, making nine columns instead of the usual eight.
The Formby Times now gave its readers news of ration books, and how to procure a new one, blackout transgressions, wartime recipes, and, of course, news of service personnel, perhaps home on leave or, sadly, sometimes reported missing.
The paper took both VE Day and VJ Day very much in its stride, hardly any mention apart from reporting on the various street parties that were held in celebration.
The paper shortage lasted for several years after the War, then gradually eased, and the Formby Times grew in size. In 1951 publication day changed to a Friday and the price went up to tuppence (two old pence). By the early 1960s the paper had changed to tabloid form, and the price had increased again to three old pence. Photographs were now plentiful and of much better quality and there were many advertisements of all kinds.
Pat and I ended our research in 1962, by which time the Formby Times was very much in the style it is today, albeit on a smaller scale. But it still cost only three old pence and was still published on a Friday

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