Bosley in the Rain by Ian H Bruce (2010) Recorded by Uncle Pleb (James Dennis and Steve Black) 1912 on leap year's day Folk were sleeping safely tucked away The only people out of bed Were dodgy Dougie and his cousin Ged And so it passed they saw it first The canal, by Kerridge Wharf, its banks had burst "Bless my soul, what a lot of fishes! Fetch some baskets Ged and wake the missus" Chorus: Dodgy Dougie saw it first That fateful morning of the Bollington Burst That fateful morning of the Bollington Burst Roused from slumber at first light Folk who ventured out got quite a fright Through Tinker's Clough the water flowed Right down Grimshaw Lane to Henshall Road "Praise the Lord, no one's come to harm Shame, no one was there to sound the alarm" Dougie walked past with his cousin and missus Carrying a dozen baskets of dead fishes Chorus Locals screamed as the gasworks sizzled Word was the station master got real pizzled "Off to work Bob, you'll be late!" But Bob was knee-deep by his garden gate "I'm not quite sure which route to take Bollington appears to be a mid-sized lake!" But busy indoors was Dougie's missus In the kitchen gleefully steaming fishes Chorus Mid-morning, the town's in shock The canal had emptied up to Bosley lock The constable soon roundly cursed When he found out that Dodgy Dougie saw it first "Tell me Dougie, what did you do The moment you saw the breach, now tell me true?" "I plugged the hole with my trousers to stop it That's why there's fishes sticking out my pocket!" Chorus Bollington is a town in Cheshire which sits in a valley, known by its residents as ‘Happy Valley’. There are many cultural activities in the town including the long-running Bollington Folk Club which meets in the Dog and Partridge. The current club hosts are the writer of this song, Steve Black, and James Dennis his musical partner in Uncle Pleb. James and Steve kindly recorded the song specially for inclusion on this site. Many thanks to them. The River Dane flows through the town as does the Macclesfield Canal which passes through it on a high embankment and aqueduct. The lock-free 23 mile stretch of canal which passes through Bollington runs from Bugsworth at the end of the Peak Forest Canal to Bosley. Kerridge, just to the south of the aqueduct, was the scene of a spectacular canal breach on 29 February 1912, where all the water from Bosley to Bugsworth basin emptied into the town. A very comprehensive account of the event can be found on the Happy Valley website which is well worth a look.