norman

Real memory jogging, I was in the same class as the names you mentioned from the infant school and the Whitley, I was mates with Len Thomson. I remember Rosemary Oliver as she had a brother called, Geoff another mate of mine, another name you might recall was Keith Smith, his dad was a butcher/slaughterman. I remember meeting Trevor Hale when me and my late wife lived in Peterborough, I think he was down for a conference though I can't remember exactly it was he did. Further to my own life, served my time as a chef in the County Hotel in Newcastle, travelled around Europe for a few years, then found my true vocation in the fire service I eventually ended up working as a civilian fire officer with the MOD was Deputy Command Fire Officer with the RAF, eventually ended up with the Army as Fire Officer for Military Operations, Exercises an training, which meant that wherever the army deployed in peace or war, I went as well, been to some fabulous places and some right sh*** holes. Cheers Bill, it will be great to meet up for a natter.

I have a photo of the Upper Remove from the first year of Westridge.George Marley form master. Though not a computer person I have no idea how to upload it.

I remember the co-op near Rothesay Terrace, it was the Blyth Co-op and there was the dairy behind it, they were the first ones to have electric milk floats. There was a bus stop right outside the co-op, it cost a half penny from the market place to the Blyth Store stop Barnes the greengrocers was actually their whole sale depot, I remember when I got married in 1967 they supplied all the flowers. I also remember the other shop in that area Fletchers tobaconist and sweet shop. further down past Hardies shop were Metcalfs Stores the cut that ran opposite down to Waverley Ave and Coquetdale Place was also known as Metcalf's cut.

With reference to your query about Coach Lane, although I don't know were it was, I remember my dad telling me when he used to deliver papers there when he was a young lad,

Wilf Marley did indeed manage Humford Mill bath, he married Joan Reed who was a great friend of my sister Joan. The teacher at Westridge when I was there was George Marley, and he was our form master for the Upper Remove, I have the class photo from 1957 with George Marley in the front row, George Marley was the son of the butcher who 's shop was down near Tot Hayes the chemist, my father used to be the messenger boy for the shop.

I have a class photograph of the Upper Remove 1957 which I hopefully will scan in when I get to grips with my new computer and printer. I can recall a lot of the names of both lads and lasses, especially those from the Whitley.

I have very fond memories of Westridge an yes the school did open in 1956 and I remember the first day there beinsg sent home and my worried mam asking what I had done wrong to be sent home. Coming like many of the others from the good old Whitley it was like landing on a different planet. I was selected for the Upper Remove and remember our form master George Marley. George Hemming explained that in other schools the remove classes were where the pupils who had problems and were slow learners, which worried those put in the Remove until he explained that he was reversing the trend and pupils selected for the Remove class were those they considered bright enough to go on for GCE. I never did take Northern Counties or GCE's as I left at Christmas 1958 to start in the pit, however I was lucky enough to get out of the pits in 1960 to pursue what I had always wanted to do and that was to train as a chef. However in 1975 I joined the Army Fire Service a Civilian organisation working for the MOD and served until 2003 when I took early retirement with the rank of Senior Divisional Officer.

The main thing I remember about Miss Pallister was that she always compared you with previous members of the family that had been at the Whitley before you, I was unfortunate in that I had 2 older brothers at the school, also my Dad, Uncles and Aunts and cousins all attended the school, and I don't know how old Miss Pallister was but she could remember teaching my dad and his younger brother and sisters. Another unfortunate thing was that my Uncle and one of my Aunts were up there on the Role of Honour board and I remember being taken by her, using her favourite method of getting hold of the short hair on the side of your head, to stand in front of the boards and told that my name would never appear there, this was for the heinous crime of talking in class.

With reference to Puddlers Lane My family moved into Coquetdale Place when it was first built, there was nothing but fields all around, Stead Lane actually ran from the junction where Muters house was to where the Terrier was then there was fields for about a quarter of a mile then Steadlane ran on until it met Puddlers Lane. When we were lads one of the one of our tests was to be able to ride our bikes up Horsey Hill anat the toponthe other side of the road was Puddlers Lane. Raisebecks buses used to run down Stead Lane to the station and the United used to go down the other road to the station.

I remember going to the Vicarage Garden Party when I was a pupil at St Cuthberts junior school we used to do dancing and I remember one year all the boys were dressed as elves, we used to have such a great time.

I remember the Barn't'n tip well, a lot of the stuff tipped there came for Hugh Bollcos' ship breakers yard at Blyth we used to collect rope to make swings in the free and hapny woods, we also used to build rafts to sail on the many ponds at the tip. I remember collecting enough parts to build most of my first bike.

Welcome to the site Tullybrone, I worked in the A pit from 1958 to 1961 on the surface until I was 16 then underground, there is a web site that may be helpful, it helped me find out when some of my relations worked there. It is as follows, www.aditnow.co.uk/BedlingtonACoal-mine/- or a good source would be the Mining Museum at Woodhall Colliery. Good Luck in your search.