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HPW, Vic was right about blueprints, it was the way/method of printing them with wet chemicals, hence the reaction that Vic suffered. Don't ask me what the chemicals were, but I think there was ammonia in there somewhere due to the smell. "Drawings" are still to this day occasionally referred to as blueprints, but they are now mainly laser printed. Don't berate yourself, HPW, the job you did was very highly skilled, just in a different way. If you made a mistake someone could get badly hurt or worse! A lot of my family on my mums side were miners, so I am aware and in awe at what you guys did. I look forward to your memories on here, it brings me down to earth, and it makes me laugh at the antics you got up to. Especially that bit about buses and bait bags, that did tickle me. I would like to meet up with you for a natter when I am up Bedders way next. Might be this summer, I will message you if I decide to come up.

I visited my mother today - she was 88 yesterday- she can recall some things but many things are now lost due to the stroke. we did speak about Choppington station and she confirmed that Tommy Williams was the club steward, tommy Henderson had the post office etc. Station Terrace at that time - no 1 had been owned by Fenwick Redpath, no2 a woman called Olive, no 3 Mrs Syrett who had golden retrievers and a lodger called John Latimer - who was disabled and worked at remploy and had one of those blue 3 wheel cars. no 4 was George Barnfather, and no 5 was Teeny and George Rice. The station masters house was occupied by a man called Clifford who may have been Welsh - and seems to recall his wife was not in the best of mental health. there was a house behind the station masters house which I recall was occupied by an old gent, who I only knew as 'old army'. the access to the upstairs was via a ladder and he had paintings of his time in what I think must have been the Boer Wars due to the uniforms (white helmets and scarlet tunics) She did recall Phill Joiscies father who had the house behind the masonic hall aside the red lion and was an engineer and invented the 'Joystripper' - a simple hand tool for stripping the outer from the metal sheathed and powder? filled fireproof pit cables (HPW- can you enlighten us?) he moved to widdrington and made his workshop and house out of the widdrington drift buildings. I recall having great fun thrashing around the pit yard with Phil in a bond bug - --kick start under the bonnet and no reverse!!! Phil is now a lawyer down south. and of course Mr Hall with the Pyrenean mountain dog! my mother was manageress of Carrick's in the Market Place for many a year, so most of you prob know her.

You are correct Tommy Williams was steward of the Gate Club for many years he lived in the club house and had a son called Tom and a daughter who name I cant recall at the moment, Tommys wife was the Stewardess I think she was called Iris she sadly passed away when the children were young and Tommy ran the club by himself . Young Tom worked at one of the mines possibly Ellington. Tommy his father passed away a few years ago. The gate club was only a singe story building but towards the end of its life the top story concert room was added it closed not long afterwards. Josie Routledge (married to Jacky) worked as a barmaid at the Club for for many years, when it closed she ended her time behind the bar working at Guidepost Club.

Hi Merc!Just walk up the bank from the bridge,heading towards the rail crossing.aboot three-quarters of the way up on ya left side,just walk over the wide green bit till you come to the edge where the field starts. Look among the large bushes at the rear,and you will find the remains of the old chapel wall....nowt exciting....not exactly a castle,but a few courses of old handmade bricks from [probably] Choppington brickworks,and with a little bit of history. I was chuffed ti see them cos I used ti play on that wall at age three years,in aboot 1947,and had to be lifted up by my older Sisters. in reality,the wall might have only been aboot three feet high for aal I knaa!! Alan Dickson lived in Storey's Buildings in the latter years [1970's I think],and he has already posted info about the street and shops etc somewhere else on the site,maybe if you go back a canny few pages you will find the info. Pilgrim,you may well be right about Embroidery,but the only sewing I ever knew among aal the marra's I had when I was underground,was stitching wa breeks wi thin detonator wire[capwire],whenever they got ripped,which was every other day! That,and also,stitching the "Airbags"....when the blast from the shots being fired tore them to ribbons....and they were our lifeline.....no airbags....no air!! Airbags were flexible ducting in lengths of about 25 yards,which we had to couple together as the roadways advanced inbye..,and were fed by Auxiliary fans which were stationed outbye in a fresh air stream. You can see our airbags on my Bates Pit Photographs on Flickr. Pilgrim,I can picture,and smell,the oilcloth tablecloths yet...red tartan,sometimes yellow,and sometimes wi fruit and vegetables aal owa them for a kitchen tyeble...heh heh!!