BYGONES caught the attention of a former Blackburn fish market assistant with a 1930s photograph of the old Tomlinson’s stall.

John Briercliffe, who is now 94, had a whale of a tale to tell about his 50 years serving plaice, prawns and poultry at the six stall business, which started in the 1800s.

And now we have netted another image of the old family firm, taken about 1938, which shows the array of fish and the rows of turkeys selling for Christmas.

Price stickers on the picture shows whiting at 8d a lb, Aberdeen ray 10d a lb, with prime halibut 1s.

John, who was born in Blackburn in 1919, got a job at Tomlinson’s after leaving St Paul’s school in Blakey Moor in 1933.

The business was then in the hands of four Tomlinson brothers — Vincent, Oswald, Frank and Albert — who had taken it over from their father, while their sister Mrs Billington ran the office.

He stayed for six years until being called up into the army at the outbreak of the Second World War.

John served with the Royal Army Service Corps, seeing action in India, Palestine, France and Egypt — he was among the British Forces which relieved the Australians in Tobruk and spent his first hours there in dug-outs, sheltering from German shells.

He returned to Tomlinson’s seven years later and business was booming at the fish market; his wage was £2 50s a week.

John said: “It was an innovative firm, they did all sorts to boost their name; I remember they put up a huge stag’s head once and used to have a porpoise on show, I even heard tales that once they had a small whale on display, to bring the customers flocking, but I never saw it myself.

“The stall sold fish to many of the wealthy families in Blackburn and also supplied the two Blackburn hospitals, Calderstones and Stonyhurst College.

“They delivered, too, to all the big hotels, such as the Old White Bull and cafes, like the Emporium.

“The business employed a fish buyer at Fleetwood and I remember we would get 15 10-stone boxes delivered every Tuesday and 10 more on Fridays, with other deliveries coming in on the daily, early morning fish trains into Blackburn station.

“Those were the days when we would get 10 feet-long, 13-stone halibut regularly, before the seas were overfished.”

John added: “Tomlinson’s sold poultry and game birds all year round, the boss would buy pheasants, guinea fowl and quail from local shoots; we had to pluck them by hand, until they bought a plucking machine, which was a great advantage.”

As the brothers retired, Tomlinson’s was sold, changed hands and was broken up. John took over two of the stalls in the mid seventies, with a partner Barry Charnley, working the market until he retired in 1984, aged 65.

“I knew all the customers, I had known them since I was a boy, Tomlinson’s was the biggest and best business on the fish market for many, many years. ”

n On the left of this 1938 photograph are, from the left, assistant Fred Brindle, Vincent Tomlinson, John, Mrs Billington and Oswald Tomlinson,.

There are also three assistants behind the stall in the middle, from left, Jack Billington, Sam ? and Herbert Tracy.