NORMAN BATES 

Norman Bates was born on 10 August 1932 at 56 Church Walk, Northwich, the only son of Sam and Betty Bates. His father, Sam Bates, was born on 18 July 1882, and his mother, Betty Bates, on 6 December 1898. The 1939 Register confirms the family were still living at the same Church Walk address on the eve of the Second World War.


Winsford Chronicle. 24 April 1954

As a young man, Norman entered National Service, joining the North Staffordshire Regiment. A newspaper photograph from the period shows him seated with fellow servicemen Malcolm Golding of Weaverham and Kenneth Hulse of Winsford. The three men, photographed in Hong Kong by a Chinese photographer, were preparing to depart for Korea with a detachment of the Royal Norfolk Regiment. The accompanying report noted how copies of The Chronicle helped local men abroad stay connected with “less exotic but more homely surroundings,” a reminder of how important local news was to those serving far from home.

Norman later returned to Cheshire, where a second newspaper clipping records his marriage at Lostock Gralam Parish Church. He wed Miss Jose Ellen Jeffries, the only daughter of Mr and Mrs J. Jeffries of Townshend Road, Lostock Gralam. The announcement describes Norman as the only son of Sam and Betty Bates of Church Walk, and the accompanying photograph shows the couple on their wedding day — Norman smartly dressed beside his bride in traditional wedding attire. The report adds that “the bride is employed as an assistant at the Lostock Gralam branch of the Winnington, Northwich and District Co‑operative Society Ltd., and the bridegroom is a bricklayer employed by Messrs. J. H. Molyneux Ltd., building contractors, of Northwich.”


Norman with Eileen. 

Norman passed away on 22 January 2006.