Victor Innes Tomlinson, J.P., M.A.

Victor Tomlinson was born in Salford in 1908, went to Salford Secondary School for Boys and spent his professional career in the town's education service, earning a reputation as a sound local historian and bibliophile. He trained as a teacher at Chester College and then returned to Salford where he was employed by the local authority in several primary and secondary schools. He was commissioned in the Tank Corps during the war but returned to teaching when it was over and was promoted to his first headship in 1948. Ten years later he moved to the newly built Hope Hall Secondary School where he remained until retirement in 1972. Tomlinson initiated geographical and local history societies at all his schools and was always assiduous in developing their libraries. His own extensive library reflected his studies in local and Lancashire history, especially the cotton trade and transport systems, including early canals, and he also built up a collection of historic maps.

While this was essentially a working library, he took much pleasure in fine printing and amassed a goodly number of private press books, notably the Chiswick Press. Manchester printing was another of his specialisms and he was an eminent member of the Manchester Bibliographical Society. He published his popular book, Salford in Pictures, in 1974 but his major papers are to be found in the Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society vols, 66, 71 75-6 and 77. Tomlinson was president of the society for 21 years and for many years its representative on Manchester City Council's Conservation Areas and Historic Buildings and Advisory Committee. He was a founder member of the Salford History Society and chairman of the Friends of Salford Museum. He died on 26 June 1996.