WHEN Chris Helme was pounding the beat as a police officer he did not only pick up on crimes in the locality.

As he walked the streets of his patch he came across items of historic interest: stone posts bearing inscriptions, dates carved on walls and initials on buildings.

“When I was patrolling I would see such things and wonder about their history,” he says. “I was always interested in history from being a child. I used to ask myself ‘why is that there?’ and ‘what does that mean?’”

He adds: “When I was out and about in the community I also used to talk to many older people who had lived in the area for decades, so I used to learn from them too. They would say ‘This used to be here and this was there,’ and ask whether I knew so and so.”

As time went on, he realised, he became part of the area’s history himself. “People would ask if I know police officers who had gone before, like Bobby Fawcett, who retired in 1923. Now I am part of that story.”

A police officer for 30 years - Chris received the British Empire Medal in 1990 for his service to the community. Prior to retiring in 2001, he covered the area in which he grew up: Lightcliffe, Hipperholme, Bailiff Bridge and Hove Edge.

He previously worked in Leeds and later Bradford, where, based at Odsal Police Station, he patrolled the pavements of Wyke and Low Moor.

His interest in local history became known and prompted a local high school to approach him about taking an adult education class in the subject.

“I had never done anything like that before and was supposed to do the talks alongside a teacher, but the teacher couldn’t do it, so it was just me,” he recalls. “I said I would do it for four weeks, but those weeks turned to months. The classes were really popular and were always full.”

Chris went on to write a book, Reminiscences of Old Brighouse. “Publishers were not interested so I published it myself,” he says. “I had 1000 published and they sold in six months.”

The book sparked an offer of a weekly nostalgia slot in the Brighouse Echo, plus further books. “I was approached by a publisher, who published my next book, and then another got in touch.”

To date he has had seven local history books published by three different publishers.

Inspired by the interest, Chris felt there was a need for an official local history group. “In 1988 I put an advert in the local paper to see if people wanted to meet at Brighouse Town Hall. About 80 people turned up and Brighouse and District Historical Society was born.” Now 70, he is its president, and is still involved.

He particularly enjoys writing about social history. “In terms of local research, it is the social life and people of times gone by that really interests me, and just maybe leaving the reader now and again with a sense of ‘Well I never know that…’”, he says.

Three years ago, after his newspaper slot came to an end, Chris branched out again with a quarterly magazine focusing on local history. “With encouragement from many people in the district I decided to have a go at writing and publishing my own nostalgia/local history magazine.”

Called Brighouse & District Quarterly Newseum, the 28-page publication has proved popular. “The March 2021 magazine will be its third anniversary and it is still going strong,” he says. “Several local shops stock it and I have more than 60 annual subscriptions. It does not make a fortune but it pays its way,” he says.

Chris is a regular speaker at luncheon clubs, rotary clubs and other clubs across Yorkshire.

In 2018 he was asked to be speak on a cruise ship sailing around the Caribbean. His talk was not about the history of Brighouse, but, surprisingly, piracy. “It was entitled ‘So you want to be a pirate?’ and was about the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean.”

During lockdown Chris gave presentations via Zoom to groups locally and further afield.

He also writes for the brass band world, with stories published on the British Bandsman website.

“These stories are about the forgotten, retired players, defunct bands and retired conductors, which my readers enjoy looking back on,”he says.

Chris is currently working on a new book which looks at people who were born in the Brighouse area or lived there for many years before deciding to move and live overseas.

Chris’s magazine is available from a number of local outlets including Harrison Lord Gallery, Bradford Road, Kitson’s Newsagents, Commercial Street, Brighouse, The Secret Tea Garden, Bethel Street, Brighouse, Kershaw’s Garden Centre, Halifax Road, Brighouse, Hipperholme Newsagents, Bailiff Bridge Post Office, Co-operative Buildings, Bailiff Bridge, and Woodhouse Stores, Woodhouse Lane, Brighouse.

The magazines are also available through his website chrishelme-brighouse.org.uk or by contacting him on 07854 755756 or by email: enquiries@chrishelme-brighouseorg.uk

The magazine costs £3.95 (by post £5.70 including p&p) A subscription for four issues is £22.60 which includes p&p.