HIGH PIT WILMA

Hi Damien,welcome aboard!..I knew your Dad very well,you wouldn't have known,but in the mid 1960's he also worked at Choppington High Pit till it closed,in 1966.He might only have been there for a year,maybe two,he was coalfilling in the Top Busty with Harry [Harper] Dawson.Miners played pranks,and one day,in around 1964, I came off the very wet ,low,atrocious coalface to find your Dad and Harry ,stitching my jacket together with Conveyor belt metal hook fasteners.I remember them being startled by me shouting at them and swinging my jacket,still with the heavy zipping machine attached,round my head and hurling it at them!If it had hit them it would have really hurt,maybe even broke a bone or two..I was seething,but they thought it was funny..well by the time I got outbye to the shaft bottom we were all laughing at the state of my ripped old jacket..miners were like that..no fallouts..lose your rag for five minutes..Marra's just the same five minutes later. I was about 20 yrs old at the time that happened...Me and Mixer used to crack on for hours on the CB Radios from 1981 when they were legalised.In those days,I was into Electronics from 12 years old in 1956,so by 1981,and hooking up with Mixer on the air after not seeing him for years,was great cos he built power supplies for CB'S as his other hobby.So we talked transformers and resistors etc!!..Later he came to Bates ,and when he parked his new Lada in the car park,it always stood alone..he told me..there's no way anybody is gonna park too close to my car and block me from getting in .!![Waxoyl and dust kept not only rust away..it everybody away..including thieves!!] Mixer was the nicest lad you could wish to work with..please tell him Wilma is asking after him..if he remembers..he just might.Everybody knew Mixer..just like they knew Wilma!!Take care Damien.

Thanks Alan.I am gradually returning to a bit more normality..got a lot of musical and Shadows groups coming back on bit by bit!Cheers!HPW.

Hi Folks,I created another account using my gmail address..but it isn't the same..it's all Daily Express news articles..mainly Stamer and Migrant subjects..all my long lost and regained family and friends have been taken away from me.FB keep saying they have reviewed my content and it still doesn't meet their "Community Standards"..well,there is no way I can edit my posts to delete those that breached their standards.So it seems permanent.It's all run by AI robots...impossible to speak to a human...that is the annoying thing.Cheers!

A bit late,marra,but we dinna live in a free speech country any mair!! See my new topic titled "Banned"! Cheers Folks! HPW.

Hi Folks..I think I can safely say I am of honest,decent,and very sociable nature.Facebook doesn't think so..they have disabled my account because of comments I made using "Sexual Exploitation" ?????!!!...ME...at nearly 82 yrs old?!..I cannot remember what that means now!Haha!..No.I put an honest comment on describing what I think Four Black Immigrants who took turns gang raping a 14 yr old girl should have as punishment for this hienious crime...that's why I was banned.Seems it was ok to report on it and get people angry..but not ok to react. I read where there are 25 million people banned mostly random and for no reason whatsoever.Anybody else had the same problem?Cheers!HPW.

Hmm..this is interesting,cos all my classmates were born around 1944/5 depending on the month for the class grouping.I was born in 1944,so my "Stoker" classmate,might have been Billy's older Brother..somehow the name Derek comes into my head. but I honestly can't say for sure!..But if he was from the same family it's a wee bit of a piece of the puzzle!CheersBud!

Some fascinating life stories going on there. .!

I went to Bedlington Village Infants school in 1949,then down to the Whitley Memorial old school(that was burnt down)around 1951-2...One of my classmates was called Billy (?)Stoker..there is..or was..a terrace near the Coffin Chapel called Stokers Buildings..just down from Vulcan Place..might have some connection?Good luck!

Hi Alan..on the old map it is called West Sleekburn Farm.[right side of the A1147 heading north] On Google Earth it is the site of the Toby Henderson Trust,The Earth Balance Shed,Redress,and the Sleekburn Horticultural Therapy unit for disabled people. The Shed is a community project to encourage anyone who feels they need a place to go for a cup of tea and a natter...or take part in crafting,whether it's woodworking..or whatever..My next door Neighbour ,Rob Ferguson,helps to run the project,and is a very likeable fella,who is a qualified woodworking teacher. Ken D..I am sure you would be made very welcome if you called in for a natter with the gang,you will probably get some more info from any of the old timers about the farm's history! Cheers and best of luck! Bill.

Hi Vic! Hope ye are keeping weel! Alan has answered your question very well!..thanks Alan! Also welcome to Pegwoman,and thanks a lot for your kind advice..you are right,I AM too tolerant!!..that's my nature..I always give companies a lot of time and space..thinking..I am not their only customer!!...but...when I start to fight..I am like a lion!! ....and NCC will find out if they mess me about!!heh heh!! Maybe I will try ringing them on Monday...my application will probably be "Lost"!!

AAM SAYIN' NOWT!!..[except they should slash every dinghy on the french srores!]

Hi Ken,and welcome to the forum! Elliot's Farm was,in the fruiting season,the scene of many a generation of excited kids going to raid the Apples and Plums..especially in the late 40's/early to mid 50's post war austerity years..but even as late as into the late 70's,when my own Son's generation ,the local kids in the street..it was their place of adventure! The farm was demolished some years ago when the EARTH BALANCE PROJECT was established on the site of the farm,some of the old original stone walling still stands as an unrecognised "memorial"! The site has now altered once more with "THE SHED" ,and "THE TOBY HENDERSON TRUST",and other small projects quite well established,and is on the A1147 road at Bomarsund opposite a row of bungalows called Prospect Cottages. Do you have any old photo's of the farm..it would be great to see if you have!! Cheers Bill.

Hi all,I re-applied for a renewal of my Blue Badge using Gov.com official website and template in January of this year.[2025]..After completing and submitting the application,I was asked [as usual!] for feedback!! "How did you find our Service?"[or similar]...Well,after filling about 50 pages of information which they already had a lot of,and seeing as I am 81 yrs old in a couple of weeks time..,Partially sighted and registered,with a load of other age related problems including very poor mobility..I gave them feedback!!.I sent a firm but polite statement saying that I found the Application form absoloutely deplorable..and said that I felt as if I was being treated like a foreigner..[no race hate intended obviously..just an old fashioned geordie way of expressing angry feelings towards the establishment]...[although now..foreigners are treated better than us!!] Anyway!!..my point is,I am now thinking my honest outspoken opinion has gone against me...7 months is a long time to assess an application,when I read the forums and on average folks have received their new badge within 5 weeks!! Has anybody else had bother like this when renewing their Blue Badge? Cheers! Bill.

Not politically motivated at all Threegee,but I think I can safely say I agree with your comments !! This lot have got my blood boiling!!

Hi Malcolm,and Alan,Canny Lass,and Loupy Lou..I started Westridge School the day it opened before it was even completely finished being built!![in 1956 but we have gone through that controversy about dates..!!]..so by 1968 I was a fully fledged adult Coalcutterman and Powerloading Shearer driver down Bedlington A Pit..with a Wife and baby Son!!..so sorry I cannot help you with names of your classmates..just responding to a notification I got from Alan.Welcome to the forum Malcolm,hope you have a successful reunion! Cheers..Bill.