Overview: An empty bottle of Black & White Scotch Whisky was found behind a staircase during refurbishment work at the Liversage Trust almshouses in London Road, Derby. A note attached to the bottle, written by bricklayer Wilfred Henry Broad on October 12th 1959, contains weather forecasts, football scores, and political commentary from that era.
The Full Story
The message was discovered attached to an empty bottle of Black & White Scotch whisky behind a staircase by a joiner working on a refurbishment of the Liversage Trust’s almshouses in London Road, Derby. Jackie Broad said she was alerted to the story and recognised her father’s handwriting and the address of the family home, 83 Swarkestone Drive, Littleover, where she lived until she was five.
The note, written on the back of a Ciro nylon hairnet packet and signed at the end, said: “The best of luck mate. I hope you are not at war – it’s a terrifying thing war.” This was bricked up Oct 12th 1959. Just after the general election when the Conservatives got in by a 101 majority. It is raining in Derby now for the first time since about April after a firstclass summer. Derby 1 Portsmouth 0. Not doing so well this season Derby.
Jackie Broad described her father – pictured with wife Ann – as a “really nice bloke”. The note was found on an empty bottle of Black & White Scotch whisky. Broad, who now lives in Spain, said her dad died in 1982 at the age of 52. She said he “loved singing” and “loved building” and would always be there to help with anything the children needed. The Liversage Trust described it as “a remarkable snapshot of life in Derby on the day it was hidden” in 1959.
Consumer Takeaway
This discovery provides a historical artifact located at the Liversage Trust almshouses in London Road, Derby, and associated with the family home at 83 Swarkestone Drive, Littleover. The item represents a preserved record of daily life in the city during October 1959, including weather conditions and local football results.
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