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Did mr. Bebbington teach maths as well? I only ever knew him as a Biologi teacher (at Westridge). Talking in class seems to have been a particular sin during our time in school! Your lovely Mr. Johnson admonished me often for it. His strategy was to punish the offender by making the punishment fit the crime and I have, on more than one occasion, been told to write two pages on the subject of 'loquacity' or 'verbosity'. Now, it's not often I'm lost for words but that's not an easy task for a 12-13 year old. It may well have been the start of my love affair with dictionaries.

Jan Lockhart (Facebook group Bygone Bedlington) asked if anyone had a photo of Marshall's Buildings as she wanted to add one to her family tree album to show where her relatives lived. She could only remember them as derelict next to the Dun Cow pub. I remembered @Cympil had a photo of Front Street east in his Gallery>Historic Bedlington>Bedlington & Netherton Old Photo`s album so I shared the photo with her and Marshall's Buildings identified as the building to the left of the Dun Cow, towards Millfield. @Reedy then added a photo to the topic with this comment :- I found this picture in Dad’s collection. It’s marked as ‘Millfield area - Miss Watson outside her sweet shop’. Sorry no date or exact location. Dad said :- Miss Watson had 2 brothers who were both painters & decorators and had a storage building on the left as you turned into Millfield. One brother was called Murray. The sweet shop was on the right as you entered Millfield. Can anyone remember Marshall's Buildings or Miss Watson's sweet shop?

Whey yi bugga!Barry Muldoon went on ti Deputy -work and eventually became Face-Overman in charge of wor District doon the Three-Quarter drift..well-liked and respected by all the lads.One day we had a stretcher-case,and we carried the lad oot doon the Mothergate till we came to a lang deep swalley..pump had burnt out,[which was the norm!],and the water was above waist high..Barry was with us escorting the stretcher bearers,[me included!]..the swalley was about 50 yards long,and ye cud see the girder crowns gaan away in the reflection of the black stinking water.Barry looked at me,[cos aa hadn't been off Deputy-work very long,and had more pit experience than him..with respect..],a said to him.."Barry..we haven't got any choice...!" ...he looked at me again and replied.."ya reet bill..aal stop the belt.." He went to a "Latch-box",safety stop-button,and stopped the conveyor belt.We humped the stretcher,with the lad strapped onto it,high up onto the coal-laden conveyor belt,Bill Etheridge..[my long time Marra..and "pit-Brother"]..lay completely flat on top of the coal,facing outbye,and holding the stretcher handles to steady it,and aa did the same thing at the other end of the stretcher..only aa was laid flat and facing INBYE!,going out legs first,and fully trusting Bill to direct me when to keep my head down in the coal,when to move my head to one side or the other,to avoid broken timber struts from taking my head off,etc.[cos the roof was only aboot 12 inches above us in places!] Barry stayed in control at the latchbox,and "Janted" the conveyor,[got the conveyor belt button man to switch the belt on and off in short bursts],each time the belt would run about 15 yards and stop...we were thrown up and down over the rollers and the lad on the stretcher was screaming in pain...but there was no option..we were in a dead-end situation,at this point the conveyor belt was slung high to the roof because of the deep swalley,to keep the belt-line straight and level as possible,but it mean't we couldn't get back off the belt once we had cleared the water,so Barry had to keep Janting the belt for about a hundred yards till we were near to the ground again..! Maybe doesn't sound much of a story,but I can tell you that going backwards on a conveyor,nearly ten feet up from the ground,in bad conditions,with the risk of being thrown off the belt,or the belt breaking with continuous Janting,and being cast into four feet deep black freezing water..wasn't much fun..and I can honestly say I had the wind up until we were safely on the ground again. After that,we had to carry the stretcher half a mile more outbye,and up a quarter-mile long drift,with a 1-in -6 gradient,rough-shot stone ground..slipping and sliding all the way,and hanging onto the girders with one hand for support,and holding the stretcher with the other hand. Barry was cool as a cucumber the whole way,with no flustering at all...a great lad to have in charge![funny situations occurred like that,where I used to be in charge of a team,one minute,then some of the teams went to be Deputies,and Overman,then they would be in charge of me..!!] Les Coleman..[Deceased..R.I.P. Les..],was one of our fitters when we were winning new coal-faces and roadways oot..["Composite-work"..it was called..]. Les wasn't very tall,or well-built,but what a fitter he was,among the best...and we had some gud fitters,and electricians!! He wud have been an apprentice on this pic,cos he was an underground coalface fitter full-time....so would Jimmy Mulvain,he was an affectionate quiet lad,unlike Les and all the tradesmen,who had wits sharper than a pit bowsaw!!..ye had ti be ready ti counter most of the crew,or they would make mincemeat of you,in front of an audience underground..Jimmy didn't have that in him...so docile and mannerly,he used to take a lot of flak from his Marra's..in the way of banter! Eh! These pics bring back loads of memories! Sadly,a lot of the lads died at very early ages,and we often wonder if it was through handling fluids such as Phosphate-Esters ,Hydraulic fluids,Aquacent soluble hydraulic fluid,gear oils etc..another one was "Rodol",a caustic agent used to burn heavy Carbon deposits off the Flame-traps on the Diesel loco's used underground..as well as diesel fumes and exhaust fumes from the loco's. We will never know.. Thanks for posting Alan,and could you pass my regards ti Steve,please!

REET! AAM BACK!Heh heh..it's funny hoo when we were little,we didn't like school...it was a waste of gud playing-doon-thi-woods...time! Noo,as we near thi end of wor stay on this planet,[whey sum o' us...i.e.!],we tend ti luk bak wi fondness at wa skyuul-time! Aa started thi Village Infant's School,[noo a block of ugly flats!],opposite St Cuthbert's Church,in 1949,and can remember me forst days,playing wi coloured Plasticene,and bonny -coloured shiny cardboard round "Counters"...as they were caaled.Mrs Smith was my forst teacher,a luvly gentle woman,who eventually gave up on tryin' ti mek me learn ti write wi me right hand,cos a just adamantly refused,and kept puttin' thi pencil bak inti me left hand![..and aam still a cowie-hander..!]..then a remember thi Headmistress,Mrs Oliver,and she was also a lovely quiet woman who never needed to raise her voice. Then came thi Whitley...! For me and me 10-yeor-younger babby sister,we had the benefit of wor aader Brother and Sisters' experience and forwarnings aboot different teachers at the Whitley. A vividly remember me aadest Sister,now deceased,R.I.P. Wor June..telling me aboot Mrs Pallister,thi Dragon..!She terrified me wi tales of Mrs Pallister shouting at thi class....whey it came ti pass,that in the year of me gaaning inti "Standard ?..[1.2.3or4..?],on thi forst mornin',aal thi kids were taakin' excitedley,and lood..as kids dae...when thi door oppened..and this huge woman was standin' theor...arms folded...icy stare ...lukkin' aroond at ivrybody,cos some kids hadn't seen her cum in.... "SIT UP....AND SHUT UP...."! were her forst words..loud..and a mean...LOUD! The whole class sat bolt upright..and yi cud hear ya aan heart beatin'. "I'm Mrs Pallister"...[LAAANG space...!]..then....."Paddy whack thi drumstick to you lot"...she said in a quieter laughin' tone of voice..as she wagged her finger at the whole class...... Whey , thi whole class fell apart laughing,and she joined in the fun wi us aal....! THAT!..was thi best,and most memorable teacher-introduction I ever experienced throughout my schyuul life! She was a lovely teacher,built like Peggy Mount,for those who can remember the "LARKINS"..,and could,and did,occasionally raise her voice,but only to those kids who needed chastising.Overall,it's fair ti say thi class loved her..cos she was so funny wi us aal. On ti Mrs Maize,again,luvly quiet pleasant teacher,who was gaan wi Mr Dodds,a very stern strict teacher who had us aal scared withoot saying owt!..but he was a gud teacher..strapped ya hands for taakin' in class..[shudn't hae taaked in class ...me Mother sed....!] Mr Doddsy,and Mrs Maize used ti waak aroond thi playgrund haadin hands,and aal thi kids used ti gang up and follow them aroond singin'..."Maizy dotes on Quaker Oats,and Semolina Puddin'"...and aav got a vivid picture in me heed of Mrs Maize turnin' roond and lukkin' at us wi a luvly smile on her face!...she tuk it in fun,but Doddsy didn't,and a aalwis wondered why he didn't hae us aal up for strappin' after playtime was owa,lukkin' back,he probably didn't want ti show her he's bad side!! He suffered aaful wi Malaria attacks,caught when he was in the middle or far east in the army during the war..we were told at thi time. Mrs Molden...!...IVRYBODY knew Mrs Molden.."aad moldy cheese" the kids caaled her..my genuine apologies for any distress caused by these comments,but this is a true account of my schooldays at the Whitley! I was aboot 8 yrs old,quietly singin' ti mesell',daeing me lesson wi me heed doon in me book...writing,when she howked me oot in front of 40-odd pupils in wor class. "Hand out ,Allison.."[brandishing the strap..]..."What for Miss?....what have I done?"...."What have you done..?"..[shrieking!].."Talking in class,Boy.." "But I wasn't talking Miss.." [I pleaded..]..."Then what WERE you doing..pray...?"..[sarcastically..].."Singing..Miss".. "Oh!..singing?!"....[sarcastically...again!].."Come on then,sing us a solo.."..[noo aam shaking like a leaf wi fear,cos a didn't knaa wat a solo was..!] Aam standing silent.."..and what were you singing,Boy..?"..."Will the Angels play their harps for me..Miss" [an aad 1920's? shellac record oot wor aad gramophone!] "And do you think the Angels WILL play their harps for you?..."..[more sarcasm...taunting me in front of the whole class..psychologically disturbing..],.."No Miss".."Then sit down Boy,and no more singing..!"...[Phew..nae strap,at least,but het under thi collar!] It was a real change ti hae Mr Davidson next,he was a real soft gentleman,went oot o' he's way ti show us aal sorts of crafts,growing cress,daffs,in bowls on the windaesill,mekking xmas santy's wi papier mache owa a milk bottle,tellin' stories endlessly,aboot he's wartime duty in Egypt,Moont Everest,climbing up thi Pyramids...endless!! We were aal sad ti leave he's class! "Please Sir,show us how to wiggle your ears"...middle of Maths..Mr Bebbington!!..chaak doon..Ear-wiggling lesson starts...just like that!...HE was great! THEN came Mr Matty Hall..Gud lukking kid...luvly singer...strong as an ox..arms like Garth!Great teacher,but taak in class..and boy..he's blackboard ruler had a lood voice when it spoke!..a think the lang split in thi ruler med it worse..it's a wonder aal thi lads didn't grow up wi high sqeaky voices,cos the force of the ruler banged your front onti the desk yi were bent owa,and med yi pain atween ya legs for a lang time! Keep your nose clean,and he was the best teacher yi could wish for! We aal knaa aboot aad Nicky,the heedmaster,so aal gaa stryght up ti Westridge...it'd be unfair ti class one teacher against another,cos ti me,they were aal gud teachers,some stood oot for their characters more than others maybe,like Wor Danny Douglas,Mr Abrahart,Mr Freeman,but other quieter teachers like Mr Johnson.[who was my after-hours electronics Mentor/Marra..till I left shool],Mr Epsley,Metalwork/tech.drawing,Miss Nicholson,luvly lass..music teacher,Miss Short..again,luvly P.E teacher,Miss Thew..luvly...but cross her by taaking in class...like aa did...WHACK..!..her flat hand hard as hell stryght onti me ear..wonder it didn't bust me eardrum!.. Mr Marley,English teacher....VERY strict,but equally sociable at times. Mr Hemming,best Headmaster aa ever had..taught us aal aboot thi weather patterns ,and hoo they are formed,it was he who spurred me on ti hae an interest in Meteorology..ti this day! Aam having trouble noo...! a remember other teacher's faces,but canna put names or positions,to them!..a must be gettin' aad! Tony,are you awake ,are you awake..sonna lamantero....heh heh!! A telt ye ti fetch a sleeping bag...hope aav jogged a memory or two for somebody! Cheers!