johndawsonjune1955

Very sorry to hear of your loss Keith. Thank you for sharing this.

I will see if the group can begin getting these stories on our website. We have many now but on our private site along with many other articles for our group. But enjoy these that are up as i think they make interesting reading. Its easy to just cut and paste to this site when they are online like this. Twenty year-old, Arthur Brannagan, a hauling engineman, who lived with his parents at Shankhouse Terrace, Shankhouse, was found dead in the Scott Pit, Hartford Colliery, on Wednesday, July 5th, 1922. Two coils of rope were lapped over him, fastening him to the drum; and the engine, driven by compressed air, was still in motion. He was dead, his neck having been broken, while there were various other horrific injuries to his body.

Looking online in our coal mining archives and came across this. I like it. Poor Miners Farewell! Poor hard working miners, their troubles are great, So often while mining they meet their sad fate. Killed by some accident, there's no one can tell, Their mining's all over, poor miners farewell! Only a miner, killed under the ground, Only a miner, but one more is gone. Only a miner but one more is gone, Leaving his wife and dear children alone. They leave their dear wives and little ones, too, To earn them a living as miners all do. Killed by some accident, there's no one can tell, Their mining's all over, poor miners farewell! Leaving his children thrown out on the street, Barefoot and ragged and nothing to eat, Mother is jobless, my father is dead, I am a poor orphan, begging for bread. When I am in the street so often I meet, Poor coal miners' children thrown out on the street. "What are you doing?" to them I have said, We are hungry, Aunt Molly, and we're begging for bread." "Will you please help us to get something to eat? We are ragged and hungry, thrown out on the street." "Yes, I will help you," to them I have said, "To beg food and clothing, I will help you to get bread."

Its looking good. keep it going getting names i will post more interesting ones too. Its good to get names to faces as it makes a pic complete.

Heres one more. Enjoy On Monday, July 9th, 1888, an inquest was held at Bedlington on the death of 13-year-old William Hamilton, of Bedlington, a driver, who was killed at about three o'clock in the afternoon at the Doctor Pit on Friday, July 6th From evidence it appeared that a pony was found a short distance from the unfortunate young lad, and although the pony was not lying upon him, it was thought he had been crushed by the animal. A verdict was returned of "Death from accidental injury.â€

On Saturday, November 10th, 1888, the village of Seghill was saddened by the report that three men were buried beneath a fall of stone at Seghill Colliery. The men began work at eight o' clock on the Saturday morning to clear a new way in the High Main Seam. Soon afterwards the under-manager, John Douglass, went into the mine and on arriving where the men were working discovered a large fall of stone, under which a boy, Thomas Patterson, was partly buried. Suspecting that the other two men, Robert Barr and J. Gibson, could be under the fall he gave the alarm. A number of strong men were called to help move the stone, but it was eleven o'clock at night that the two bodies were discovered under the fall of stone. At the inquest a verdict of "accidental death†was recorded. Well thats it, hope you enjoyed reading these stories.

This is another example. We have nearly every accident by different means recorded too. Now this man was not at work, but we recorded it as we have others. We believe they should be recorded. What do the forum members think ? At about nine o' clock, Wednesday evening, February 11th, 1891, a shocking accident occurred at Cambois, when a miner, Mathew Mather, lost his life. He was visiting Blyth on business and returned to Cambois. He wanted to cross the river by means of the ferry, but when he got there he found that the chain was broken which drove the ferry. He had a conversation with the ferry-man and told him he would not have been out on such a terrible winter night, but he had urgent business in the area. He then proceeded to the low ferry, and got across. He then walked up the North side waggon-way, when he was hit by a travelling steam engine which killed him outright. When he was found, his head had been severed from his body, and his hands completely crushed. It was thought with the winds being heavy at the time that he did not hear the steam engine approach. Mathew Mather was a member of the Christian community in Cambois and highly respected. He left a widow and young family.

I have just picked these stories at random to give the forum members an example of our archive material. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, July 3rd, 1888, a miner, John McAithy, of Morpeth, who was working in the Pegswood Drift Colliery, was found by another miner lying under a fall of stone. Help was immediately at hand but it was some time before he was got out, and it was found that he was still alive having sustained serious injuries, and two broken legs. He was taken to the surface and from there to his home in Oldgate Street, Morpeth, where his injuries were attended to by Dr. Skrimshire. Sadly he died at home from the injuries he received.

Not just accidents, read this one. We have, as i said a huge ammount of archive material. A verdict of death from natural causes was returned by the Deputy Coroner of South East Northumberland, on 62 year-old Robert Andrew Bell, a miner of Seaton Delaval, who collapsed and died at the shaft bottom at Seaton Delaval C.D. Pit, when leaving at the end of a shift on December 21st, 1950. Edward O'Keefe, a stoneman at the pit said that he went to the shaft bottom at the end of his shift and a few minutes later met Bell. They stood talking a while and Bell appeared to be his normal self. He then told the coroner how Bell "suddenly gave a sigh and fell,†and in doing so hit the back of his head against the pump house gate. He went on to say how he helped to carry Bell to the cabin and when he felt his pulse he appeared to be dead. Dr. G. S. Sanderson, County Pathologist, said that a post-mortem examination had shown that Bell's heart was "considerably enlarged†on the left side and his coronary arteries were diseased. In his opinion, death was due to heart failure caused by the conditions he referred to. He also added that Bell's condition had been such that death might have occurred at any time.

This is another of a miner killed. On the morning of Tuesday, January 5th, 1888, seventy-one year-old Andrew Oliver was killed by a fall of stone at West Sleekburn Colliery. On Thursday, January 7th, an inquest was held in the Lord Barrington before the Coroner, J. R. D. Lynnn. Two witnesses were called to give evidence, and the jury found a verdict of "Death from Misadventure.â€

Heres an example from our archives for those interested. Charles Irvine Brown, a 37 year-old, deputy-overman of Rothesay Terrace, Bedlington, died after an accident in the Dr. Pit on January 11th, 1956. There had been problems with a conveyor belt that was used to carry coals. As it was not running true and surging to one side it had been decided to lever over the belt to straighten it up. Walter Thornton and his brother, John, along with Brown got equipment in place, and fixed a jack in place by using a prop. They began to correct the run of the belt and decided to give one final push to get it right. Suddenly the prop gave way and a fall of stone followed. It had not been a heavy fall, but props and girders came down as well. John Thornton jumped over the fall to find his brother, but he could not see him, but saw the deputy who was pinned by a girder. He then found his brother and the two men were freed. The two injured men were taken to hospital, but sadly the day after, Charles Brown, who was said to be "one of the best men†in the pit, died from multiple injuries.

The Sixtownships is working with the Durham Mining Museam at present. Roy Lambeth is the main contact and they update their site regularly. I will ask Roy, but i believe what they have got is all online. I have no knowledge of a miners memorial for those killed in the pits. However, the Sixtownships began pubishing books "The Last Shift" a few years ago. It is all about miners killed in the pits in our districts. We have a huge ammount of coroners reports and how miners died doing their work. We were going to give this huge collection, and i do mean huge, to Woodhorn, but if we needed to look something up, they were going to charge us for viewing our own material donated. Woodhorn spoilt a good thing, as we were going to donate other material, and to be honest, we have a huge archive collection. They won't get any of it because of their pure greed in wanting to charge the group if we needed a ference. You would have thought they would do summersaults for that material. How wrong, to say they would charge us. So, we still have them. They go back many years , i think to the 1880s ? Huge ammount of material we have on mining deaths. I will propose we begin to get them online if anyone wants them as they make good reference for anyone interested. Me, an ex miner and nearly killed myself down the pit and two near other accidents i believed it was an interesting project. Sadly tho, as war, we will never know the true figure of those who lost their lives. Many were not recorded, but at least we have so many in our archives, nice and safely stored for more years to come. It aint just underground deaths, but surface too. You will be suprised how many people, not miners, were killed on the surface too. I could not believe it when i was reading the archive material many years ago. And, some were children too. The National Coal Board eventually did a short film, "Dangerous Playgrounds" i think it was, to try and get the message across to children not to play on the colliery land. It was very dramatic this film.

Been in contact with someone who's grandfather was the undertaker for the funeral. Smith i believe his name to be (The Undertaker) The lady is going to be kind enough to get some rare pics, and artefacts for pics to be taken. Will update when i have met her and she knows a great deal about EWD so looking forward to it. Let you know soon and update this topic

Can we also get names from this picnic held in Bedlington in 1973. Its of the Netherton banner.

This pic is of the winderman at Bedlington "A " Pit in 1960. Who is he ? Nice if we can put a name to the pic

There is a hut also at Newbiggin-by-the-sea and converted into a bungalow with a new front end added on in brick. Very impressive it is

I remember a lot of things on travellers./ We had the coloured guy selling from his suitcase too at the doorstep. I remember Mr Whippey ice cream van and getting a badge of him too. It was light blue and had Mr Whippey on it. My first badge that was and free. Now another thing i got and it cost just pennies was frpm Stephensons Morpeth Road garage. It was the tigers tail for my push bike. Now that was something special "Put a tiger in your tank" was the motto, i believe We had many different pop wagons coming around the door too. Can't think of all the names of them at the moment. "Must getting old" The crisps we got from the travelling shop and shops were brilliant. Tudor "I'd climb a mountain for a bag of Tudor" Chipmunk crisps too. Now they were lovely We had many different things to what there is today. I even remember getting my first packet of Juicy Fruit chewing gum, made by Wrigleys. Sadly never really enjoyed that flavour. The first time i got WAgon Wheels chocolat was from school. Don't know if you can still get them these days. We got them from the school tuck shop at Guide Post Secondary Modern. Now demolished. Oh, Happy Days they were

Good comment Maggie

A reminder for forum users that the Sixtownships website has been updated for June. http://www.sixtownships.org.uk We have updated our archives with letters from soldiers on the front-line during World War One. The letters make fascinating reading and come from the Bedlington, netherton, barrington, tyneside, choppington, alnwick, west sleekburn and other areas. For those interested have a good read, you never know you may have family from the past having wrote letters. Read how the use of gas by the Germans affected our soldiers, how villages were destroyed, acts of bravery, and much more, including the ultimate sacrifice, death. You will never get a better example of life in the trenches and with it written by those who witnessed it. No one alive today to tell the story, but these letters tell the story. 100 years next year since it all began and we aim to add more letters to our archives in the future. If you have any letters you would like to share from loved ones from the war, put them on our forum and we will transfer them to our archives.

Tyne Tees local news for us at 6.00 pm Emily Davison story

Didn't know where he lived, but knew Brady's van Do you remember the others i mention ?

Ronny do you remember my uncle Bob Dawson and Sid Slaughter ? They had the mobile fish and chip van from Scotland Gate

Ye Micky i do. That was some years agoThere was Ronny Rogers too and can you remember Walter Gibson ? he sold clothes etc. He eventually opened the laundarette Ronny Rogers was the last traveller mobile tho

When it comes to the history of Guide Post and Choppington Richard, i have researched it sinse i was 14 years old. The coal mines, buildings, murders, world war, people, and more. It has a fantastic history. Look forward to what you have done too and see how much you have put together. i bet you dont know how old the Shakespear pub is tho ? It was an old coaching inn. the coaches went to the rear of the building. I have tried and tried to find out how old that pub is Richard and come up with no positive date. There was also the Highlander, it was a very old pub too, and that is where Guide Post Club was after the Highlander closed It was situated across from where the Club is today. Just along from Walter Wilsons shop. My dad delivered groceries as a kid for Walter Wilson on a pushbike with basket on the front.

The Queens Head was originally on the roound-a-bout today. The Anvil Inn is the Queens Head today. The Anvil had stood empty for a long time, and with the new scheme of clearing the old houses and putting in the round-a-bout, it was decided to rename the Anvil, The Queens Head. Now, the reason for the name change was straight forward as, Mr Shiel who was the licensee of the old Queens Head, had Ned and Nora Beal working the pub for him. He decided to let Ned take over the license and they renamed the Anvil accordingly. Nora Beal was a nurse when in the old Queens Head and helped her husband part time. She gave up nursing to assist her husband when he became the licensee for the new Queens Head. I knew Nora and Ned very well, and went to scholl with their son, who was a year older than me, maybe a little more ? Nora gave me lots of pics of the old Queens Head and lots of the one today on the opening of it. They had a performing terrier too in the old Queens Head. Nora also let me copy lots of pics of the publicans at their special nights out and visits to coal mines in the area. All the pics of the publicans are from around Wansback as we know it today. Ned died first and Nora followed a good few years later after a long illness. She moved out the pub and on to Ashington Drive at Guide Post in a two bedroom house. She still got many visits by her loyal barstaff until she died. I visited her many times and she told me so much history regarding the Old Queens Head and the Anvil Inn. In the Queens Head that is where it is today, Ned was a big fan of Newcastle United, and if the Toon won in midweek he filled the bar. Mind you there was never many in during the week tho. When i first started drinking in 1971 i could get 10 pints of IPA for a pound. Never could drink that ammount tho. If i went to Guide Post Club i could get 11 pints of ordinary beer. What a diff it is nowadays. Hope this helps you