Here is something interesting i thought i would share with the forum users

Where did the good years go?

yes. they said you got a job in the mines you had a job for life.

How wrong that was

On a good note 200 ex coal miners set on at the pot-ash mine in Yorkshire and 80 more needed very soon.

This pic is of John Marshall of Barrington who was a sinker for the Bedlington Coal Company.

He is pictured in his uniform during World War One.

John Marshall worked on widening the Margery Shaft at Bedlington 'A' Pit.

Four of Mr Marshalls five sons also worked with him in the pits at various times.

John Marshall retired in 1951, aged 70 years.

Its nice to put history online that is of interest to the forum users.

Anyone related to him ?

I will put more up soon.

Edited June 10, 201313 yr by johndawsonjune1955

Just looking at my notes

John Marshall was born in 1871 and after the war he was also involved as a shaft sinker at Barrington and Netherton.

Here is Barrington Colliery as it looked in 1916.

This pic is of John Marshall of Barrington who was a sinker for the Bedlington Coal Company.

He is pictured in his uniform during World War One.

John Marshall worked on widening the Margery Shaft at Bedlington 'A' Pit.

Four of Mr Marshalls five sons also worked with him in the pits at various times.

John Marshall retired in 1951, aged 70 years.

Its nice to put history online that is of interest to the forum users.

Anyone related to him ?

I will put more up soon.

Nice shine on the boots, spurs on and his tunic buttons up the wrong way! or did they fasten that in those days?

John - those images of the 'application form' are great .... what sort of date would they have been?

John - those images of the 'application form' are great .... what sort of date would they have been?

I would say Symptoms they are just before the Coal Industry was Nationalised, 1946 would be my guess because the coal industry was Nationalised on the 1st January 1947 and the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act was passed in 1946 and it say "The mines are to be Nationalised" in the "application form."

John - those images of the 'application form' are great .... what sort of date would they have been?

It was 1946, Symptoms as it was just before the mines were Nationalised on January 1st 1947.

With Nationalisation came new coal cutting machines and, thousands of miners were wanted, including apprentices.

Just as Adam has posted is correct.

Edited June 11, 201313 yr by johndawsonjune1955

This recruitment add is from 1971.

This was from 1949 for the recruitment of young miners.

Just looking at my notes

John Marshall was born in 1871 and after the war he was also involved as a shaft sinker at Barrington and Netherton.

So if he retired at 70, it must have been 1941(not 1951) either that or he worked till he was 80. (that's if you have his year of birth right)

So if he retired at 70, it must have been 1941(not 1951) either that or he worked till he was 80. (that's if you have his year of birth right)

more than likely i just went off what was on the rear of pic, and it is obviously a mistake.

thanks for pointing that out Keith

This pic is of the winderman at Bedlington "A " Pit in 1960.

Who is he ?

Nice if we can put a name to the pic

Can we also get names from this picnic held in Bedlington in 1973.

Its of the Netherton banner.

My Dad thinks the Winderman from the A pit had the surname White and lived near the colliery managers buildings opposite Liddels garage in Bomarsund.

He had a brother who ran a stonemasons/memorials business.

Netherton Miners 1973 - Front Row left to right -

1) Nickname was 'Shack' as he was a fanatical Sunderland supporter.

2) ?

3) ?

4) ?

5) Surname was Prime

6) ?

7) Vivian Joyce

Number 2 is Syd Smart and number 3 is Tommy Climpson both regulars in Netherton Club during the 70s.

Edited June 20, 201313 yr by foxy

Its looking good. keep it going getting names i will post more interesting ones too.

Its good to get names to faces as it makes a pic complete.

I understand women actually worked down the Bedlington pits ??? Is this fact true and do we have any supporting data.

Official accounts suggest that women were not employed underground at any pits in the Northumberland and Durham coalfields but I'm sure they must have done so in the very early days.

Check-out the Beeb's website for film clips of the NE coalfields: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/topics/coal-mining/ ... maybe this link has been posted previously. Have a look at the "Sorting Coal" clip to see women working at the screens.

My understanding is that whole families worked in the early days underground.

Together in death too!

It certainly happened elsewhere in Blighty, both in coal mines and mineral mines, and is well documented; officical docs for the NE suggest it didn't happen in our pits.

Husband and sons down below and the wife and daughters working the Gin Gan.

Hopefully they had a horse to wind up the coal from the bell pit.

I believe the Gin was from engine, the gan was as in go.