BACK in February, 1952, Bolton Council's Welfare Committee introduced an "SOS" card system for old and disabled people, particularly those who lived alone.
The brightly-coloured cards were designed to attract the attention of passers-by or neighbours if there was an emergency.
The backs of the cards contained the telephone numbers of Welfare officials and the Central Police Office (Bolton 1333 and Bolton 4040 respectively).
Bolton Borough Police and the Welfare Committee stressed that the cards were only to be used in emergencies.
For non-urgent needs postcards were supplied to residents who were asked to send them to the Chief Welfare Officer if they wanted to arrange for somebody to visit.
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