Miners On The Move

[Maggie/915]

Today the Journal has an article that may interest some folk.

Page 46 by Tony Henderson.

The fact is the North East played a leading role in forging the modern World.

This led to exporting not just locomotives but expertise.

North East workers took with them our culture.

Now a project backed by £85,000 Heritage Lottery Funding is investigating the exodus from the NE.

The project is led by Bill Lancaster former director of the Centre for Northern Studies at Northumbria University.

The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineering is at the centre of the project to discover how people from here spread across the World.

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Hi Maggie,[early night tonight-for a change for me!!]

In the early 1950's,my little friend's Dad,[who lived opposite my family,inHollymount Square],decided to up it and go........to Australia!

NOO,seeing the furthest most pit folk got was Whitley Bay,or even Seahooses,on a day trip,Australia wasn't ganna be aal singin' songs from the war times........!

My friend was only about 5-or 6 years old,with a younger Brother,and his Dad planned on driving across the continents,wherever it was possible,through the desert,across jungle country,you name it,it was going to be a massive adventure for them all.

Davy Armstrong was my little friend's name,not sure if his Dad was Davy.......maybe so,maybe not,all I do know is that they DID do it,and with coverage by the Evening Chronicle,it will all be in their archives!

One of my old neighbours kept in touch with them for all the years gone by,but I can't remember who they were now.

Maybe Vic's Wife can remember.

A little bit more recently,I had comments posted on my Bates Pit photo's on Flickr,[the photo-sharing community],by an old pit marra,who re-trained from pitwork,to refridgeration,and air conditioning engineering,and he was posting from Perth,in Western Australia!

I haven't seen him since 1986,when Bates closed,and he has been in Perth,for over 15 years,so it was a pleasant surprise to get into contact again,through the power of Flickr!

He sent me pics of how the other half live,over there![swimming pool in back yard,big lovely speed-boat,huge 4-wheel drive station wagon,water ski-ing,deep-sea fishing etc etc......!

To quote one of his funny comments word for word,[please excuse terminology!]...."Not bad for a raggy-arsed pitman...eh....Bill?..!"

On here we have Vic and Dot,who went to Canada,in the 1960's........

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

In the old days,miner's had to move around the country,to seek work.

In 1970,I was allocated a colliery house,which had stood empty for a year or two,and was nothing more than a hovel with a roof![not really the point!]

My old next door Neighbour saw me and my young Wife,coming into the yard to view the house,and thought it was a young laddie,with his younger sister!!

[...well she would,wouldn't she,I was 26 years old,and She was getting to around 70-ish!..]

Well,as time went by,and we got to become really good friends,her old Husband,Ned,told me that he moved over here from Whitehaven,in Cumbria,to seek work in the pits here,and was started at Bomarsund pit.[Whitehaven pit must have been on short time working,or something like that..].before the war.

During the depression years,lots of workers,not only miners,would have to move around,desperately seeking work,and it must have been an utter nightmare for their families.

Over the years,from being a pit transport lad,in the 1960's,to an official,and back to an experienced composite [development]-worker,in the late 1980's,I worked with a lot of men from all over the country,and also a few Polish men..[really good workers!]

[Eileen]

Looking into my family tree, iv discovered my mams family moved from cornwall to cramlington. They came to work at the New Albion pit shankhouse, their surname was Bray and moved here in the 1800's.

[mercuryg]

"Looking into my family tree, iv discovered my mams family moved from cornwall to cramlington."

 

My grandfather's family also came from Cornwall. I believe Great, Great grandad was a shaft sinker, and made his way up here after the Hartley disaster when such skills were in high demand.

[Maggie/915]

I believe some of the Cornish Tin Miners came to the NE to break a strike.

There is a quote to the effect that the Cornish Men even helped their wives in the kitchen.

Maybe as controversial today.