1961 THOMAS COBLEY (1895-1977)
Thomas Cobley was born on 9 November 1895 to parents Henry (who was born in Bristol) and Alice (from St Helens). He was one of 10 siblings from a working class background – in 1961 the Wigan Post described him as a former ploughboy. He attended St Paul’s school, Goose Green, then St Matthew’s school, Highfield.
In 1901 the family was living in Regent Street, Pemberton. His father was described as a general labourer.
By the time he was 14, the 1911 census shows that he was a ‘dirt picker’ – he worked above ground at a colliery on the screens where stones were hand-sorted from the coal (as did his brother Arthur who was 13).
By 1921 the family had moved to Appleton House Farm, Little Lane, Highfield. Tom was a railway porter, employed by the London & North Western Railway in Liverpool.
On 15 October 1921, at St Catherine’s, he married Emma Smith (known as Emmie), the daughter of a railwayman who lived in Henry Street, Ince. She had been born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, and at the time of the 1911 census she was working in a mill in Halifax. The couple did not have children.
In 1927 Thomas was elected as a Labour councillor for St Catherine’s ward.
The 1939 register showed the couple (as the only residents) at 207 Beech Hill Avenue. By then, Tom was a railway goods guard, employed by the London Midland and Scottish Railway company. By the end of his working life, he was a traffic foreman at Springs Branch.
In 1956 he was elected as an alderman.
In 1961 Thomas was chosen as the 714th mayor of Wigan. The Wigan Observer of 10 March that year noted that ‘he has great sympathy for the working class movement and is a keen trade unionist’. At the time of his election he was the vice-chairman of the Civil Defence committee.
The Evening Post of 25 May 1961: ‘Alderman Tom Cobley, who was installed as Wigan’s 714th mayor last night, is to make special efforts during his year of office to “help people in distress”. He appealed for funds for the voluntary organisations in the town and added, “From experience I know the good work that a lot of them do”’.
Alderman Thomas Higham spoke of Tom’s pleasing personality and sincerity of purpose.
In 1971 Tom and Emmie celebrated their 50th wedding ann. Emmie was well known, as she was an assistant to her brother, Syd Smith, at his bookstall in the market. The newspaper article about the anniversary mentioned Tom’s forthright views on a number of matters of public interest. ‘Quite often his views brought him into head-on collision with his colleagues on the Labour benches but whatever the outcome his honesty and zeal in the public interest and his dedicated approach could never be denied’.
Tom died in Billinge hospital on 1 May 1977; his funeral was held at St Catherine’s church.