Growing up in Port Sunlight: Pete Burns & childhood in 1959

Born in 1959, Peter Jozzeppi Burns would go on to not only leave a mark on the world of music, fashion and more as 80s icon and Dead or Alive frontman Pete Burns, but he would also leave a mark on the village he grew up in: Port Sunlight. You can even visit an exhibition of portraits of Pete taken by Francesco Mellina at Bridge Cottage until 19 January.

In some ways, you could argue Pete’s larger-than-life personality couldn’t be any more different to quaint Port Sunlight and it is well documented that he struggled growing up here. But what was childhood like here in 1959?

Thankfully, the Port Sunlight News in 1959 – back then, a monthly issue – included a segment called ‘An Accent on Youth’, drawing attention to a different young person in the village and their favourite pastime. The profiles offer a fascinating insight into what the village’s young people were up to in the time that Pete was born. With consistent focus on community engagement and village employment, they also show just how closely connected Port Sunlight’s commercial and moral ethos was with the upbringing of its children.

January, ‘Plane language’

John Quick and Leslie Appleton, both fifteen, shared their love of building model aeroplanes. Both had just started working in the company as messengers, following in their families’ footsteps: John’s mother was a part of the Security cleaning staff, and Leslie’s father and two uncles worked in the Civil Engineering Department.

February-March, ‘A Girl Who Knows the Ropes’

Seventeen-year-old Josie Else, of the Accounts Department, spent her weekends at the West Kirby Sailing Club, where she had become a coxswain of the Port Watch, responsible for preparing the boats ahead of the racing season. Involved in a number of local pursuits, Josie was also a member of the Port Sunlight Netball Club, and held the role of acting-lieutenant in the 13th Birkenhead Guides. At the time of her February feature, she was looking forward to helping at two summer holiday camps.

April, ‘Birds of a Feather’

Another double-feature, this time for fifteen-year-old Derek Jackson and Robert Jones. Robert, a messenger, owned six homing pigeons — although the figure had been as high as thirty — and was a proud member of the National Homing Union of Great Britain. He also helped with caring for the pigeons at the Bebington Homing Society’s races. Derek, on the other hand, owned six Light Sussex hens, who he had hand-reared himself. Most impressively, the previous year, Derek had restored two unwell hens to perfect health using only Lux Toilet Soap and soot!

May, ‘One of the Boys in Blue’

For sixteen-year-old Jimmy Cottrell, it was work in the Engineering General Office on weekdays, and the Sea Cadets in his free time. Jimmy was a leading seaman in the 27th Bebington Division, where he was also a drummer and football player. A number of the Sea Cadets’ instructors were ex-Navy personnel and Port Sunlight employees. There was a vital connection that the Port Sunlight News made between the Cadets and the village: ‘Jimmy, it seems, is strengthening the link between soap and water’.

June, ‘Girl with a Yellow Belt’

In June, readers learned about Postal Department employee Dawn Ratia and her love of judo. A member of Bebington Youth Club, seventeen-year-old Dawn was one of the first girls to join the classes. Already wearing a yellow belt, and working towards an orange, she attended her judo classes every Wednesday evening, despite the pursuit being traditionally enjoyed only by her male peers. As the Port Sunlight News wrote: ‘Grandmama would have frowned at the suggestion of girls practicing judo. But the old-fashioned view is not shared by Dawn Ratia’.

Summer, ‘The Magic of Mario’

For nineteen-year-old Mavis Ashman, who worked in the Toilet Soap Making Department, it was her devotion to musician and film star Mario Lanza that made her the subject of the Port Sunlight News’ summer edition. Mavis had collected over 1,300 of his photographs, thirty-nine records, and had watched his film Because You’re Mine (1952) eighteen times!

September, ‘The Broadcaster and the Listener’

The September feature celebrated sixteen-year-old David Stewart, a member of Port Sunlight Boys’ Club. David had been the recipient of the Social Service Cup for his work in Clatterbridge Hospital, Bebington, playing patient-requested records every Sunday night. He was photographed with ‘one of the young broadcaster’s staunchest fans’, Joseph Maddocks, an ex-Port Sunlight employee of forty years, and a Clatterbridge patient of five.

October, ‘Racing Down the Rivers’

Seventeen-year-old John Smethurst, an apprentice fitter, had been a studious child, passing his General Certificate of Education with distinction. So much so, that he had never had time for hobbies. This all changed in the summer of 1959, however, when he became a member of Liverpool Victoria Rowing Club. Becoming a ‘maiden oarsman’ after a month, John was the able to take part in a number of racing events in major rivers at Gloucester, Ross, and Lancaster.

November, ‘Down to the Sea in Slips’

In the November issue, twenty-one-year-old Rosemary Lang was the subject. A tracer in the Central Drawing Department, Rosemary spent her free time in service with the Women’s Royal Naval Reserve as a signaller. A few months earlier, she had been on a two-week exercise in Gibraltar, one of twenty-two young women from across Britain selected for their proficient work. Don’t be fooled, though, the Port Sunlight News reassures its readers that Rosemary’s career ambitions were far more frivolous than her male counterparts might have been: ‘Rosemary Lang didn’t join the Navy to see the world. She joined because she liked the uniform’.

December, ‘Let’s Celebrate’

A short profile for December’s subject, nineteen-year-old Hugh Meikle. Hugh had joined the Research Department as a technical assistant four months earlier; he enjoyed horse-riding, judo, and rugby. What was Hugh’s main claim to fame though? He was born on Christmas Day! In total, ten Port Sunlight employees shared the same birthday, but Hugh was the youngest.

Discover more stories from the village built on soap here or search #PortSunlightStories on social media for more fascinating snippets of history.

Visit Total Stranger at Bridge Cottage until 19 January 2025.