Pitmen at Netherton in 1911

Great old pic!..notice the guy on the left,he would be the "Keeker",or man in charge of all surface operations,Dressed appropriately,shiny shoes,waistcoat,jacket,scarf!...could still have been a timberyard man,or worked on the screens,but not dressed like that,so yes,a chargehand.

I used to work with old fella's with one arm,or one leg,on the screens at Choppington High Pit,in 1959,the one-legged fella was a lovely gentle bloke,who had his leg blown off at the knee joint,by a bullet from his comrade's .303 rifle ,during the war,which happened because the rifle was loaded ,and dropped accidentally.

The viscious coal-cutter machine was also responsible for a lot of amputees,who ended up on "Light" work...sometimes working harder than they did underground!..ironically..