WikiWirral its great, register, enjoy and welcome.
Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics76,491
Posts1,034,090
Members14,873
Most Online80,173
Apr 25th, 2025
Who's Online Now
4 members (1 invisible), 50,169 guests, and 1,178 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters
sunnyside 45,164
MattLFC 22,315
Mark 21,269
granny 17,811
_Ste_ 16,347
Newest Members
curtexplores, Sej62, Alldis, dirkadirka, CeCeJ1
14,873 Registered Users
New General Forums
Subscriptions to posts?
by nickaxe - 5th Jul 2025 12:33pm
Moan about the Weather Page
by RUDEBOX - 1st Jul 2009 1:31pm
New Wirral History
Removed Mother from Grave
by bert1 - 29th Jun 2025 6:44am
Park Primary School Circa Mid to Late 1960s
by _natabb96 - 26th Jun 2025 9:33pm
Birkenhead Scandal, 1916.
by bert1 - 14th Jun 2025 8:17am
Temporary Hospitals (WW1)
by bert1 - 6th Jun 2025 5:42am
Top Posters(30 Days)
bert1 18
Topic Replies
Removed Mother from Grave
by bert1 - 4th Jul 2025 10:30am
Family Alldis
by bert1 - 2nd Jul 2025 6:54pm
Burton Marsh WW2 060 OTU Practise Bombing Targets
by nickaxe - 2nd Jul 2025 2:09pm
Lucy Letby
by diggingdeeper - 1st Jul 2025 1:46pm
Park Primary School Circa Mid to Late 1960s
by _natabb96 - 26th Jun 2025 9:33pm
RAF Little Sutton
by diggingdeeper - 26th Jun 2025 10:25am
Birkenhead Union Workhouse
by bert1 - 22nd Jun 2025 4:39pm
Montpellier Crescent
by Chopper1979 - 18th Jun 2025 11:08pm
July
M T W T F S S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31
Top Likes Received (30 Days)
bert1 2
Philip 1
Top Likes Received
bert1 29
casper 4
Mark 4
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 3 1 2 3
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 472
Likes: 2
Smartchild
Offline
Smartchild
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 472
Likes: 2
The Birkenhead News confirms that it was the junction of Corpy Road and Lansdowne Road. Will post the full report when I get round to downloading it off my camera - it includes a photo of the smashed-up car, but I'm not an expert on old sports cars so I don't know what make it was.

Google Ads
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 472
Likes: 2
Smartchild
Offline
Smartchild
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 472
Likes: 2
Birkenhead News, 20th August 1958, Front page.

Attached Images
Colleano 1a.JPG (142.55 KB, 242 downloads)
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 472
Likes: 2
Smartchild
Offline
Smartchild
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 472
Likes: 2
Same edition, Page 5.

Attached Images
Colleano 2a.JPG (157.66 KB, 243 downloads)
Colleano 2b.JPG (142.29 KB, 245 downloads)
Colleano 2c.JPG (198.55 KB, 244 downloads)
Colleano 2d.JPG (223.85 KB, 245 downloads)
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 13,487
Likes: 1
Green Meanie
Wiki Master
Offline
Green Meanie
Wiki Master
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 13,487
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by TRANCENTRAL
was it on lansdowns rd off corpy rd? think
so am i right then?


[Linked Image] Please do not adjust your mind, there is a slight problem with reality
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 57
Lyn123 Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 57
Thanks for all the information about this. I didn't realise what a horrific crash it had actually been. It was amazing that the other guy got out alive. I had never really thought about how sad this all was. This poor guy left a wife and two children,he would only have been a couple of years older than my Dad.
Thanks,
Lyn.

Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 472
Likes: 2
Smartchild
Offline
Smartchild
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 472
Likes: 2
Aerial view from the late 1940s of the fateful junction.

Attached Images
Corporation Road.jpg (117.24 KB, 191 downloads)
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 57
Lyn123 Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 57
What a brilliant photo, thanks again.
Lyn.

Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,019
Wiki Veteran
Offline
Wiki Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,019
Wow, amazing work. frown the days before seatbelts eh!


Uncertainty or not knowing causes depression, Im happy because I know I'm going to die one day!
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 7
Beginner
Offline
Beginner
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 7
Hello people, first time poster here.

Does anyone remember this incident ? bonnar colleano (Not the football match, the incident it was for)

Actor Bonar Colleano; tragically killed, when his sports car crashed in Birkenhead, and went up in flames (The verge of grass on the right hand side as you drive up corporation road, up to James Street)

My Dad used to always say when I was a kid (about 20 years ago) that Ventrice(Sp) from the ITV soap heartbeat; was involved in this crash; but I've since found out it's not the case; it was Michael Balfour who was in the accident.

My old man also told me that my Grandad was driving home from the pub, drunk; and attended the accident scene before anyone else did; he said that he stopped the car pulled "ventrice" from the car, but it was too late for Calleano, (think the car went up; and he was already brown bread)

Years later; when taking driving lessons; my instructor was pretty old guy then (10 years ago) - We drove up corporation road; and he said "Always be careful up this road; I used to be in the fire service; and I had to attend a nasty crash here in the 50's" to which I replied- "The Bonar Colleano one?" - He was astonished that someone so young would know anything about it. I told him what my father had told me, and he was quite surprised- he couldn't remember anything about Balfour mysteriously being on the grass away from the car though....


Anyone on here remember it or know anything else about it?

Dan

Last edited by zibbles; 2nd Jan 2012 1:43am.
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 430
Smartchild
Offline
Smartchild
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 430
I am too young to remember, but now you have brought it to my attention im gonna be up all night lol....

His wife Died in 1978......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Shaw

Son was an actor aswell....

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0171716/

Last edited by ASE71; 2nd Jan 2012 1:59am.
C
CrocodileDundee
Unregistered
CrocodileDundee
Unregistered
C
Fairly certain there is a thread on here about this already. Do a search.

Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,516
Likes: 32
Wiki Master
Offline
Wiki Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,516
Likes: 32
So there is CLICKY


We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn

https://ddue.uk
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 5
Beginner
Offline
Beginner
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 5
Bonar Colleano (14 March 1924 – 18 August 1958) was an American-born British stage and motion-picture performer
Colleano died at the age of 34, when he crashed his sports car in Birkenhead shortly after exiting the Queensway tunnel. He was driving back from Liverpool's New Shakespeare Theatre, where he had been appearing in a stage production of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? His passenger, fellow actor and friend Michael Balfour, required 98 stitches but eventually recovered.

Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 5
Beginner
Offline
Beginner
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 5
Bonar Colleano (14 March 1924 – 18 August 1958) was an American-born British stage and motion-picture performer
Colleano died at the age of 34, when he crashed his sports car in Birkenhead shortly after exiting the Queensway tunnel. He was driving back from Liverpool's New Shakespeare Theatre, where he had been appearing in a stage production of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? His passenger, fellow actor and friend Michael Balfour, required 98 stitches but eventually recovered.

Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 51
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 51
I remember my dad telling me about this when i was younger, i did not know untill reading this that someone else was in the car, i just thought it was Boner Colleano .

Page 2 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  Mod 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Random Wirral Images

Click to View Topic.
Newest Topics
Family Alldis
by Alldis - 2nd Jul 2025 6:15pm
Removed Mother from Grave
by bert1 - 29th Jun 2025 6:44am
Park Primary School Circa Mid to Late 1960s
by _natabb96 - 26th Jun 2025 9:33pm
Birkenhead Scandal, 1916.
by bert1 - 14th Jun 2025 8:17am
For Sale & Free
Member Spotlight
Tranquil
Tranquil
Wallasey
Posts: 131
Joined: March 2012
Today's Birthdays
There are no members with birthdays on this day.
New Wirral Info
Family Alldis
by Alldis - 2nd Jul 2025 6:15pm
Montpellier Crescent
by robin47 - 8th Jun 2025 4:36pm
Asda Ambrosia Rice Pudding.
by BultacoAstro - 3rd Jun 2025 1:45pm
News : New Topics
New Ferry regeneration
by Excoriator - 16th Mar 2025 4:22pm
Lucy Letby
by diggingdeeper - 16th Dec 2024 7:16pm
New Enthusiast Forums
Popular Topics(Views)
10,423,067 CW Chat room thread
5,657,436 WIKI WALK CHAT
4,475,315 Spotted!
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5