Eddie Pritchard

Eddie Pritchard was a large, thuggish friend of Ray Langton's who he called on to assemble a group of his friends to clear some visiting gypsies off their encampment near to Coronation Street in September 1970.

Ray suspected gypsy Reuben Ward of stealing some scrap intended for Tommy Deakin from the Builder's Yard after he caught him rifling through the material. Ray told Eddie not to go too far and he replied that he’d tell the lads to sing hymn No. 45 while they were in action. Lucille Hewitt, who had befriended the gypsies, warned Rueben and John Smith that Eddie was a real hard case. Eddie menaced Lucille when she called him a “dancing bear” as part of Ray’s circus. After the fight, which the police had to intercede in to stop, Ray was furious with an unrepentant Eddie as to how the matter had escalated into violence.