A former Mirfield man who was at school with the distinguished actor Sir Patrick Stewart has donated three historic caps to the town.
The Rev David Walker, 75, has re-discovered three caps, one of which belonged to his father, Jack Walker, and is almost a century old.
It was worn by his father when he played for Trinity Methodist Church cricket team in the mid 1920s.
“In those days many churches had cricket clubs such as Trinity, Mirfield Parish Church and Christ Church,’’ said David.
As a boy David lived at Park View, off Huddersfield Road, and was a member of Mirfield Cricket Club. He was also a choirboy at Mirfield Parish Church and played for the cricket team there as wicket keeper.
When Mirfield parish choristers won the Wakefield Diocesan Choir League in the early to mid 1950s, local coal merchant Joe Allott, who was the church organist, bought all the choristers a cap as a memento.
The third cap was presented to David by the headmaster of Mirfield Grammar School, Mr William Hepworth, in the 1950s, when the team won the West Riding of Yorkshire Schools Cricket Cup and League. Red and black were the school colours.
David, who attended Mirfield Secondary Modern School and later Mirfield Grammar, is now living in Grimsby, but as a youth participated in the Mirfield Parish Church pantomimes alongside Patrick Stewart.
“He was usually the role of baron while I played the dame,’’ recalled David, who was in the pantomimes from being five years old.
David’s father produced some of the pantomimes but believes the first to be staged by the church was Aladdin and was produced by a Gerald Smith.
“All the churches in Mirfield did big shows in those days and they were big events,” he said. “There weren’t the attractions there are now.’’
David recalls that the parish pantos were originally staged at the former Gilder Hall youth club in Greenside Lane and later at Wellhouse Moravian Church. The scenery was of a professional standard, painted by a Llewellyn Ekin who had worked as a scenic artist at a theatre in Drury Lane in London’s West End.
David and Patrick were part of a group who acted and worked together to help make the scenery and props.
“There was a whole gang of us who worked together and Patrick was part of the gang,” he said.
“His mother was also involved in making the costumes. His father Alf worked at TF Firth and Sons at Bailiff Bridge.’’
Even in his youth Sir Patrick, who went on to feature in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Prof Charles Xavier in the X-Men series, had obvious talent.
“He was a brilliant actor,’’ David added.
The pair were reunited in 2006 when they were both featured on the BBC TV show Songs of Praise and met up in Leeds where Sir Patrick was performing.
“Patrick has never forgotten his roots or his friends,” said David. “He just walked into the theatre and was the same Patrick Stewart I knew 50 years ago.’’
After leaving school David went into the textile industry, working at TF Firth and Sons at Bailiff Bridge and studying textiles at Huddersfield College of Technology.
After receiving the call to the ministry he was assisted by Edward Hargrave, a former vicar at Mirfield Parish Church, and went on to become vicar of St John the Divine in Rastrick in 1971.
His second parish was at Crosland Moor in 1977 where he used his theatrical skills to stage a very successful production of the Sound of Music which raised much cash for the church. He remained there until 1986.
David, who has been married to Jeannie for more than 40 years, went on to work at a parish in Kirton in Lindsey, Gainsborough, North Lincolnshire and finally the parish of Clee in Grimsby. Now retired, he still lives in Grimsby.
It is thought the caps donated to Mirfield Town Council may be installed in a heritage room at Mirfield Library.
