John Eric Bartholomew, the man who put more into Morecambe. The greatest double-act since Laurel and Hardy, and an inspiration to many that followed. Morecambe and Wise may not have been as clever as The Two Ronnies, but they were National Treasures, and must-see TV during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Eric Morecambe telling Andre Previn he is playing the right notes but not necessarily in the right order while holding the music maestro by his lapels, has to be one of the funniest TV moments of all time. So, it was his hometown of Morecambe that gave Mr Bartholomew his stage name. The town erected a statue on the seafront in his honour, which was created by sculptor Graham Ibbeson, and unveiled by the Queen at Morecambe in July 1999. It is surrounded by many of his favourite catchphrases and a long list of guest stars that appeared on the show.
Now, Morecambe has something else to bring them, sunshine, as their football team have been playing in the football league since 2007. Founded in 1920, they should have got a birthday card from the queen in 2020. The club’s badge is simple yet simple, having the shape of a shield with the club name in the chief or top, and the club’s nickname in more detail than an actual shrimp. The shrimp is on a background of red, red and white being the club colours. “The Shrimps” are so-called because it is a local delicacy. Cockling is another local industry, and you may remember in February 2004 when at least 21 Chinese immigrant labourers were drowned by an incoming tide, after picking cockles off the Lancashire coast. Morecambe Bay can be a deadly place to work, and you need to know what you are doing, and at what times the tide comes in. This is because the bay has moving areas of quicksand and a tide that comes in quicker than you can run, and it can retreat for over 7 miles. Blackpool it is not.
The club used the borough coat of arms as a badge prior to the present badge. (PIC 2) Heraldic arms always make for a better-looking badge, but in these money tight days clubs need to squeeze every penny they can out of whoever they can, so they create business logos, copyright them and then pay more for the privilege than the new logo usually generates against the older badges. Supporters hate them and are rarely consulted about them these days. That said, in 1972, Birmingham unveiled a new business logo that they still use today, and that was created by a fan. It must have earned millions over the years and cost next to nothing, so, before clubs go dashing off to pay good money for bad ideas, they should be consulting fans on the badges when they leave their coats of arms behind. I like the Morecambe shrimp. It looks good and is related to the area, as well as being the nickname.
The arms that were used before were granted in February 1926. (PIC 3) The two roses were adopted to denote that a large portion of this Lancashire town’s population had migrated there from Yorkshire. Being born in York and therefore a Yorkshire lad, I find that hard to believe, as it’s a bit like playing for Spurs and moving to Arsenal. The gold background alludes to wisdom, generosity and faith, obviously brought by the Yorkshiremen. The boat refers to the old fishing industry, and can also be seen as a reference to the sport of sailing, in this pleasure and health resort. To which the motto “BEAUTY SURROUNDS HEALTH ABOUNDS” also refers. The blue background alludes to the sea.
As far as the name Morecambe is concerned, an astronomer called Ptolemy from Egypt around AD 150, wrote that there was a place called Morikambe eischusis, two Greek words that mean tidal flats, that existed somewhere on the west coast of Britain. In 1732 John Horsley published an English translation of Ptolemy, in which he wrote: “Morikambe eischusis must be the estuary in the northern part of Lancashire, into which the rivers Kendal and Ambleside flow” and from that, the area eventually became known as Morecambe Bay. “The Shrimps” play at The Globe Arena, which is named after Globe Construction, the company that built the stadium in 2010. The stadium holds up to 6,476 supporters, and local rivals are the other Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. For more on Morecambe dig for www.morecambefc.com
