Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 16 June 1939

Golden Wedding Party

Mr. and Mrs. A. Beal (left), whose Golden Wedding was celebrated at Mexborough on Saturday. Relatives also on the picture are Mr. and Mrs. F. T. Stevens (right) and behind (left to right) Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Chappell, Miss Muriel Chappell and Miss Margaret Foster.

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Beal, of West Kirby and formerly of Mexborough to whom reference was made in our last issue, celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary with a re-union gathering on Saturday in the schoolroom of the Mexborough Central Methodist Church with which they have had such a long and notable association. They left the town thirteen years ago.

Mr. Beal first held a teaching appointment in the town 36 years ago at the Garden Street Senior School where the lady who is now Mrs. Beal was a mistress. He held the post for eleven years and was appointed to the first position of its kind in the country—the headmastership of an Infants’ School; the school outgrew its name and was later converted into a Junior Dept.

Mr. Beal was the organist and choirmaster at the Central Methodist Church and both he and his wife left many friends there on their retirement.

Their only surviving daughter, Mrs. H. S. Chappell, of Carlisle Road with whom they have been staying has inherited much of her parents’ talents and besides undoubted artistic accomplishment, is now choir mistress at the Central Methodist Church, has created a choir of her own and is chorus mistress to the Operatic Society.

Mr. Beal is a life governor of the Mexborough Montagu Hospital, a keen Liberal worker and an accomplished musician in many spheres.

There were forty guests in all at the re-union on Saturday and after tea there were many reminiscences on the social life of Mexborough twenty-five years ago. Three generations were present and besides friends and relatives there were three of their former associates in the Central Methodist Choir.