At the time of the murder, he was a frequent customer in Pierrepoint’s pub "Help The Poor Struggler" (on Manchester Road, in the Hollinwood area of Oldham), sang with him round the piano and called him "Tosh" while Pierrepoint called him "Tish" (Tish and Tosh were, at that time, common nicknames used between people who were passing acquaintances but who did not know each other's names; they were also the names of two popular fictional comic characters).
When the murder occurred, he was a frequent visitor to Pierrepoint's pub "Help The Poor Struggler" (located on Manchester Road in Oldham's Hollinwood area), sang with him at the piano and used the nicknames "Tosh" for Pierrepoint and "Tish" for himself.