Hello

In June 1960 my best friend Ann and me attended our first Miners Picnic.It was wonderful!  We joined the crowds in Church Lane heading for the "shows" and were approached by a chap with a camera saying he'd taken our pic and promising to send us 2 copies. We paid up and looked forward to receiving our pics - fingers crossed we had not been conned. True to his word we received the b & w postcard size pics showing two very serious 14 year olds trying to look 'cool' in their cotton frocks over net petticoats. I cherished my pic. Ann lost her pic and many years later asked to borrow mine. Regrettably my copy was destroyed in unfortunate circumstances while on loan..

Was he a professional photographer? I seem to think came from Newcastle. Does anyone know who he was? If only someone somewhere has preserved the negatives - dream on zzzzzzz.

highpitter

Edited December 28, 201312 yr by highpitter

At least that far back, 1960, I would have been sober at the picnic but me mam would not have given me the Box Brownie to take pictures, especially of young ladies from foreign parts!

Expect you will be out of luck. Apart from Bedlington Photographer, Bill Ward (no longer with us), don't remember any other photographers The photographer in 1960 would have to have been an apprentice younger than your two selves. 

Have you tried the Journal/Evening Chronicle - would they have attended and still have archived records that far back?

All the best with your quest.

Another place which may have the photos is the News Post Leader Archives, As they have loads of old photos of the Wansbeck and Blyth Valley Areas.

Hello

Thank you to those who have responded to my appeal. It happened a long time ago but I do not think this was a young man - more middle aged (about 35?)

On the matter of age-ism, I remember the day of my sixteenth birthday. I was waiting outside the Parochial Hall in Dark Lane, Morpeth (pulled down many years ago) to get in to the weekly dance. The chap on the door's day job was a driver for United buses and me and my friend used to chat with him - he was middle aged too. I told him it was my birthday and did not want to be 16 because I had enjoyed being 15 so much. I survived. Other popular dance venues we attended were, Ashington Welfare (Wednesday) and the Clayton Ballroom. All rock 'n roll venues. You'd walk in, leave you coat at the check-in and with your friend walk around the perimeter lined with chairs to see who was there and be seen, of course, avoiding the scores of dancers that filled the dance floor. Those were the days.

highpitter

Hello

Thank you to those who have responded to my appeal. It happened a long time ago but I do not think this was a young man - more middle aged (about 35?)

On the matter of age-ism, I remember the day of my sixteenth birthday. I was waiting outside the Parochial Hall in Dark Lane, Morpeth (pulled down many years ago) to get in to the weekly dance. The chap on the door's day job was a driver for United buses and me and my friend used to chat with him - he was middle aged too. I told him it was my birthday and did not want to be 16 because I had enjoyed being 15 so much. I survived. Other popular dance venues we attended were, Ashington Welfare (Wednesday) and the Clayton Ballroom. All rock 'n roll venues. You'd walk in, leave you coat at the check-in and with your friend walk around the perimeter lined with chairs to see who was there and be seen, of course, avoiding the scores of dancers that filled the dance floor. Those were the days.

highpitter

I forgot what fitness fanatics we used to be in the 60s. The Clayton Ballroom was all girls on the dance floor dancing around hand bags and all the lads walking round and round the perimeter. Must have done a couple of miles, or more, every Friday. Even did some sprinting when the hard lads said ' was that wor lass ye were eyeing up?'

We had a photographer for our wedding in 1969 at St John of Bedlington Station who we met when my future husband went to get measured for a suit for the wedding. He worked there and said he thought my husband maybe related to him. He told us he was doing photography and could take our wedding photos for a good price. Anyway the photo proofs which were only half a dozen were poor and were left with us to choose. He never returned so we had about four decent photos  to celebrate the great day.  I wonder what the young brides of today would think .

Hello,Highpitter,same pit as my pit,I hope,and not Cramlington High pit!!

My Marra was married around 1967-ish,[as I was,]and we both met our lasses at the Clayton Ballroom,on a Wednesday night

roller-skating![in 1962]

Life was great in those days,simple,cheap,pleasures.

When my marra's wedding pics were being taken,I stood behind the photographer,for every photo,so I had a shot of all of

his official ones.[he had a tripod,and a 1/4 ? or 1/2 ? plate pro-camera....mine was hand-held!..and a budget camera!]

When he got his Proofs,he was not only disappointed,he was mad,they were worse than what a little kid might have taken.

They were very dark,with no contrast.[all black-n-white in those days]

When Eddie saw my pics,he asked for a copy of mine![and demanded his money back from the guy!]

They were crystal clear,bright with lots of contrast,and composition,clear depth-of-field lines,etc.

47 years later,they are still as good as the day they were taken,kept in an album,no signs of fading,[like modern photo paper].

MY camera?....Halina 35x 35mm with all-manual focus,shutter-speed,aperture,depth-of-field gauge,etc..!

THE SAME CAMERA that I took underground at Bates pit,in 1986,[just before thatcher ordered the cage ropes to be cut],to take a few photo's for posterity,and a good job I did,so people today can see a little bit of the bad conditions the miners worked in.[albeit in a modern mine...]

Go to Flickr photostreams,or just type into Google......"Bates pit photo's",or "High Pit Wilma's photostream"

On the Google page,click on the photo of a bunch of housekeys,showing an aluminium pit "Tally",[number 56],and you will get my pics up,as well as a set taken as they were demolishing Ellington pit,not long ago.[the keys are mine!]

If anyone views them,I would appreciate any comments....naturally!

I forgot what fitness fanatics we used to be in the 60s. The Clayton Ballroom was all girls on the dance floor dancing around hand bags and all the lads walking round and round the perimeter. Must have done a couple of miles, or more, every Friday. Even did some sprinting when the hard lads said ' was that wor lass ye were eyeing up?'

Eggy,a bet the "hard" lads were the syem ones that hung around on the steps of the Clayton,in the early sixties,next ti their motorbikes,when me and my marras

used ti gaan.

They used ti stand aside the ice-cream booth,at the far side,eye-ing us up,when we first went,also on bikes,cos we were strangers,and newcomers.

...only difference was,all my marra's were giants,and hardened miners,used to lifting heavy girders,machinery,etc,and we were all strong as oxes![one was 18 stone,and an ex-amatuer wrestler,another was 15-stone,yet another 14-stone,while me and my marra [Eddie-see above]were only 11-and-a-half stone,again,every muscle tuned to the limit,due to our working conditions!

So,we were all peaceful-loving lads just out for the night,and we found it amusing,when we were warned about the "hard lads"!

Nowt ever happened,they just used to glare across at us,maybe wishfull thinking we would start something,but none of us were that sort.

I used to say,that it was hard work that they needed,to tire them out,and they wouldn't feel like fighting!

Earlier this year,down at Cambois beach with my Wife,and my little dog,we got cracking on with a couple,and when the

fella,[my age..roughly....70-ish],told me he had a BSA Gold Star,motorbike,in the 1960's,and other stories,but not his name.......it was after we parted,that I suddenly put two and two together,and realised that he was the ring-leader of his "gang"!

You know what,he was a great crack,and a canny fella!

We were all only about 17-18 years old,at the time,and lots of lads I knew,who were "battlers",in the 60's,turned out to be fine lads with families,one was even my next door neighbour,for a while,until I twigged about him also,and we got on great,talking about those days!!

I'm hoping to meet that couple again,so I can ask him his name,and reminisce!

In the 1960's,in Bedlington,there were only two BSA Gold Stars,and a lass called Veronica,had one of them,and this ring-leader had the other one,that's what made me start to think,after they went away.

Aye,Bedlington was the place to grow up,in thi aad days!!

Eggy,a bet the "hard" lads were the syem ones that hung around on the steps of the Clayton,in the early sixties,next ti their motorbikes,when me and my marras

used ti gaan.

They used ti stand aside the ice-cream booth,at the far side,eye-ing us up,when we first went,also on bikes,cos we were strangers,and newcomers.

...only difference was,all my marra's were giants,and hardened miners,used to lifting heavy girders,machinery,etc,and we were all strong as oxes![one was 18 stone,and an ex-amatuer wrestler,another was 15-stone,yet another 14-stone,while me and my marra [Eddie-see above]were only 11-and-a-half stone,again,every muscle tuned to the limit,due to our working conditions!

So,we were all peaceful-loving lads just out for the night,and we found it amusing,when we were warned about the "hard lads"!

Nowt ever happened,they just used to glare across at us,maybe wishfull thinking we would start something,but none of us were that sort.

I used to say,that it was hard work that they needed,to tire them out,and they wouldn't feel like fighting!

Earlier this year,down at Cambois beach with my Wife,and my little dog,we got cracking on with a couple,and when the

fella,[my age..roughly....70-ish],told me he had a BSA Gold Star,motorbike,in the 1960's,and other stories,but not his name.......it was after we parted,that I suddenly put two and two together,and realised that he was the ring-leader of his "gang"!

You know what,he was a great crack,and a canny fella!

We were all only about 17-18 years old,at the time,and lots of lads I knew,who were "battlers",in the 60's,turned out to be fine lads with families,one was even my next door neighbour,for a while,until I twigged about him also,and we got on great,talking about those days!!

I'm hoping to meet that couple again,so I can ask him his name,and reminisce!

In the 1960's,in Bedlington,there were only two BSA Gold Stars,and a lass called Veronica,had one of them,and this ring-leader had the other one,that's what made me start to think,after they went away.

Aye,Bedlington was the place to grow up,in thi aad days!!

Now your stretching the memory. One story that springs to mind (reminded by your amateur wrestler mate) was that one of the bouncers was an amateur wrestler (giant haystacks build, I think, surname Bul.....) and a lad from guidepost started a fight with his mate so the bouncer would come in to break it up. That way he could claim (in his simple mind) self defense for stabbing him!  

But sadly, like most topics, only the sensational stories get passed around and the mundane, but extremely pleasant every day life gets ignored.