HIGH PIT WILMA

KEYS LOST ON 8-12-2023,PROBABLY BESIDE TILL 1 IN LIDL,BEDLINGTON,OR AROUND THAT AREA,MAYBE EVEN IN THE DISABLED BAYS ADJACENT TO THE TROLLEY PARK.I WOULD APPRECIATE IT, IF THEY ARE FOUND,THAT THEY BE HANDED TO THE STAFF IN LIDL,BEDLINGTON,AND I WILL GO BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE..[HOPEFULLY TOMORROW!].I CAN PROVE IDENTITY AS I HAVE DUPLICATES OF THE KEYS AND MY SHOPPING RECEIPT SHOWING THE TIME AND DATE.THANK YOU .BILL.

Yes,all for it 100%

Maggie,just checking if you sent this to my Watsapp messenger private contact chat line?..[aam wary of scammers!!]..Thanks if you did!!,a dinna watch the telly and knaa nowt at aal wat this is aboot..so didn't open the link!..Cheers and aal thi best for Christmas and the new year! Bill.

Hope everybody's keeping well,apologies for absences,Hope 2024 is a better year than the last four years!![we keep saying that..!!] Cheers Bill!

As to injured men underground,even fatalities,every man was stretchered out the pit usually by his own Marra's..not necessarily First Aiders like myself..if a man needed Morphia [Morphine],after a serious accident,only a qualified Official [usually the face Deputy],was allowed to administer by injection to the injured person,and only if that person requested it..then whoever administered Morphia,HAD TO...BY LAW..escort the that person to the surface and hand him over to the Ambulance team...after tying a named and dated bracelet to the injured person's wrist. Morphia was kept in securely locked safes built into brickwork in every Deputy's District underground.The Deputy was the ONLY person,other than a Doctor,in any industry in Britain,who was trained and certified by Law,Mines and Quarries Act 1956,to Adminster Morphia by needle injection,when requested by an injured person.That,was the level of responsibility of a Mine Deputy.[UNLESS..a Doctor could reach the injured person within TWO hours..over that time period..the Law would apply..]

Alan,from my experiences,going back to 1959,normal injuries like broken legs or arms or other minor injuries,the Blue Coal Board Van took men across to the old Ashington Hospital..[which was originally built by the Miners]..more serious accidents of an urgent nature,men were taken by Ambulance..which was basically just a van with a stretcher and first aid kit..bandages etc..in it!![nae Defibrillators or Cardiogram machines in them days!!]..reet till bates closed..less serious injured men were still taken in the Pit van!!..aav been it a few times owa the years!! Cheers Bill!

Also,Adam,no person under the age of 15 yrs was allowed to work underground after Nationalisation..and here they are recruiting 14 yr olds!!

[31-8-2023]...I jus caught up again,a bit late,but just to explain what the detbox was for.As you can see,it has the title stamped on the plate.."HUMANE CARTRIDGES"....This box would have been taken down the pit by a Deputy or other AUTHORISED person,for the sole purpose for use with the "HUMANE KILLER" GUN...and usually accompanied by a qualified Vetinarary Surgeon,to put a seriously injured pit pony to sleep,in cases where the the pony was too far inbye to be brought out by walking him..usually broken legs. The gun didn't fire the cartridges like an ordinary gun...there was a very sharp metal spike contained within the barrel which had a limited travel,purely designed to be activated by a cartridge,and which,when held at the pony's forehead,fired the spike into the pony's brain causing instaneous death..no pain whatsoever..as opposed to the old method which consisted of placing a hand held spike to the pony's forehead,and striking the spike physically and sharply,with a heavy mallet..which sometimes had to be struck more than once..definately causing pain to the already injured animal.These events are the sort of thing which was never talked about in publications of any kind concerning Mining. But when a horse got really badly injured,the men would pass the word around in the pit.."Aye..Bobby's had the Spike"..it was always a sad thing to hear..

Hi David,Dad never talked about his rescue work,well none of them did,and I never knew he had been badly burned..that really was a savage way to be injured..and his thinking about the accident being caused by an illegally lit cigarette,underground,was 99% justified..[at the High Pit that is..if that is where the accident happened..].I never saw anybody smoke in any other pit where I worked..the High Pit was different..I have never smoked in my life,therefore I could,and still can,now,at 79 yrs of age,detect cigarette smoke a mile away. I remember being threatened by one Deputy underground,when I was about 17 years old,to be reported and sacked by the Manager,if I didn't get off my pit horse's back..[okay it was illegal..and a horse carrying me wasn't suffering..it was safety issues that made it illegal!]...anyway,I got down off the horse,but as I did,I blurted out to the Deputy.."Ye report me ...and aal report ye for sitting there smoking alang wi the coalfillers..ye are risking blowing us all ti pieces..ya mad..!" He didn't need to reply to me..aal the coalfillers [a dozen of them],said Wilma,ye better f.... off noo the time thi game's gud or else we'll hing ye.."..[hang you]..I quickly went and got on with my work,and they all went inbye to their jobs on the coalface,they had stopped at the halfway point to rest,as all the roadways going inbye were on a steep rise to the west..the coal seam outcropped over the fields past Hepscot. Nowt mair was ever said about the incident,and I got on well with that Deputy,he was a real canny sociable fella,who was the spitting image of the old Television Comedian ,Arthur Haynes..if anybody can recall watching his shows in the 1960's! Choppington High Pit had very poor ventilation,and was really wet throughout the mine..so wet and with never any evidence of Methane being detected,it was considered safe to smoke..the Chief danger down that pit wasn''t Methane,it was Blackdamp..[more correctly known as "Blackdampfe"...from German "Dampfe"= GAS]...and which miners called "Stythe"..or "Styfe".. it was a dead cert that if the Barometric Pressure dropped sharply..the roadways and faces in the pit would quickly fill up withthis deadly gas,which isn't poisonous,it is Asphyxiating to the exclusion of Oxygen..and therefore men used to just suffocate when the mine got styfed out before they got to bank..[the surface!]...that pit should never have been opened in the first place!! Hope I haven't gone on too long David..Cheers Marra!

Hi Canny Lass!Long time since we chatted![Health issues with my Wife] Aye,bonny lass,sadly,not many of us are left noo,apart from the last influx of younger lads before the pits were aal shut doon.[They worked the super pits like Ellington,Westoe,etc..and they had machines ripping coal out at the rate of 1 million tons a year..they didn't realise they were cutting their own throats as well as cutting so much coal] Us old timers worked in the little tettie pits like the High Pit at Choppington,where we really did risk wor life every day..often we would be travelling through Scotland Gate,upstairs on the Double Decker United No 47 bus,and we could see owa the fields,ti the High Pit's Headgear,and when we saw the cage wheels standing...we knew we would likely be getting a "Bevan"...[meaning a sharp lowse..early finish..] Sometimes a pit tub full of coal would accidentally override the "Monkey"..[a device on the cage floor which allowed the tubs to roll into the cage,but prevented them from rolling back out..until the Banksmen,or Onsetter at the shaft bottom,pressed a foot operated lever to disengage the Monkey from the tub axles...so allowing the tubs to be rammed out of the cage by pushing two empty ["Chummings"] tubs into the cage.When the tubs came out of the cage halfway up the shaft,travelling at 50 per second ,being wound on coalwork,by the powerful steam winder,the buffers on the tubs used to rip the Buntings and Skeets..[Cage guides running all the way down the shaft,front and back of the cage]...out and render the pit shaft unusable. Because that only left the "Backshaft" [Men only rode in this shaft.]..and one means of egress from the pit..it contravened the Coal Mines Act regulations,and so any men IN the pit had to be got out quickly,as the pit used to "Stythe" out totally if there was a sudden Barometric Pressure drop. On such occasions,we had to get dressed in our pit clothes and clock in as normal,then hang around for a while,and if the Engineer made a statement that the shaft would take more than two hours to repair and test for safety,then we were allowed to clock back out,get bathed and go home with a full day's pay. Well,as a young miner,with other things rather than pitwork on my mind...it was a relief to go back home..one less day to be risking our lives..I tell you,no other mine was ever like the High Pit!!

Money Laundering think ye..?...and as far as zero emissions gaan..a think tha living in cuckoo land!..a think they need ti invest in clean coal burning afore we get left in the dark!

Hi David ,aa get so wrapped up in my recollections that sometimes I forget to add important details.. Aa wud just like to say that aa never knew ya Dad was in the rescue team..till a saw your Dad's pic..aav gotta impress ti folks that these lads were a very brave team..they had to endure some gruesome sights throughout wor mining industry nationally..not just locally,and many a family are greatly indebted to the bravery of these fella's who went inti thi mines..sometimes when it was styphed oot [Blackdamp-Carbon Dioxide concentration in poorly ventilated mineworkings],other times after a fire or explosion..facing the deadly dangers of Firedamp..[Methane CH4],and/or Afterdamp..[result of fire or explosion..CO- Carbon Monoxide],whilst it might have been major roof falls where roadways were closed completely,trapping men in danger of injury or suffocation due to lack of Oxygen. There is a myth that the Rescue Team knew it was time to retreat from the workings when the Team's Canary dropped off the perch dead..even just yesterday,on Radio 2,Jeremy Vine discussing some political topic,used his favourite phrase,which irritates the hell out of me.."Yes,this is like the Canary at the coal face"..he doesn't even knaa wat a coal face looks like!! The Rescue Teams valued their aan lives,as well of the men they were trying to rescue,and the Canary was taken down the pit,because he would detect a drop in oxygen levels,and noxious gases,way before the Rescuers could detect danger,and he would start to get anxious and chattery,and start flapping about..so if ye think aboot it..wud the Rescue team proceed FURTHER..into a danger zone,wait till their bird drops dead..knowing they had to come oot the roadway the same way they went in,and the airflow direction is one way only!...and by then,Oxygen levels cud be dangerously low or even non-existent.. The Teams had their own Oxygen supply on their backs,but the first stage in situations like that,was to improve the ventilation,to dilute dangerous gases..if there was a Methane blower in the main roadway..the danger was..one spark accidentally generated..could set off an explosion,which usually also set off a self-propagating Coal Dust explosion,which would rip through every roadway in the mine,as it did in the Easington Colliery disaster..ripping through 22 miles of roadways underground..and into several seams.. So a think that the Rescue teams were really unsung heroes,and never got the recognition they truly deserved. Dave,ye shud be proud of what ya Dad did ,they were the Miner's lifeline in times of disaster. Cheers Bill. p.s. ...and the Canary was always brought out to safety after a mission,well looked after by the Rescue team at the Mines Rescue Station,at Ashington top end next to the town hall..they kept the Canaries next ti thi window in their cages so they could get daylight and be used to people and a lot of activity..they could be seen by everybody that passed the station!..bonny healthy birds!

Hi David,life down Choppington B pit [aka "The High Pit"]was really tough..I should have said ROUGH! I left school aged 15 years in 1959,and followed in my Father's and Brother's footsteps,as a lot of kids did in those days,and went to work down the mines.After preliminary training at Seaton Burn pit,The Coal Board sent me to The High Pit..even though at the interview stage,all the trainees were given two choices as to which pit they wanted to go to..I chose Bedlington A pit..[aka "The Aad Pit"],or as a second choice..Bedlington D Pit ..[aka "The Doctor Pit"].. My Father went mad when he opened the letter informing me that I was being Posted to the High Pit...HE started down that pit in 1929,aged 14 years old straight from school also. He told me stories about how it was "Aal rough and ready.."..and how men were being killed or injured on a regular basis..and he was going to see about putting a stop to me being sent there. Whey,he calmed doon and within a haaf an hoor,said Billy,aa nivvor wanted ye ti gaan doon thi pit ,but ye wadn't listen ti me,ye med ya bed hard,so ye can lie in it!! SO,a went into the timber yard at first,and also helped out on the screens,picking stones off the conveyor belt,to clean the coal up..then went down the pit at 16 yrs. By the time I was 17 yrs old,I was on heavy transport and salvage work,doing a really strenuous job,trailing heavy bits of gear like Motors,Gearboxes,Conveyor belt driveheads,200 yard long heavy thick cables for the coalcutters,using my pit pony and tracing chains. Ronnie and Eddie were the Deputies in two adjacent coal faces,which were really rough,with roof water teeming in,constantly,bad roof conditions,swalleys of water 100 yards lang and up to the ponies belly..i.e. up to our waist in some places..men WERE getting injured and killed frequently,I have permanent injuries which I never reported and which have affected me my whole life..also the pit horses suffered cruel conditions and were frequently injured or killed,or had to be humanely put to sleep because of serious injuries. In conditions like this,it is inevitable that tempers were raised sometimes ,and that happened with Ronnie and Eddie at times..they were both in conflict with me and my Marra Keith Cooney..[now deceased R.I.P. Keith].Not just with Dad and Eddie,but other Deputies as well,it was because we were under the charge of Joe Barratt,the Overman,who was in overall charge of the mine underground...including the Deputies,generally.[but when it came to Safety Health and Welfare of the men in the Deputies' charge..the Deputy was the Kingpin!!..Nobody,not even the Manager,nor the Chairman of the Coal Board..were allowed to enter a Deputy's District,until they met the Deputy at the entrance to that district..[i.e."The Kist"].But in practice we went into every district in the pit,cos if we didn't,the pit would close down..we supplied the men on the faces with girders,timber,coalcutters drillers..everything they needed to produce coal!.. SO!...sometimes us girder lads would be trailing girders etc right up to the coal face as close as possible to ease the burden of the faceworkers,and the Deputies would complain that we were "getting in the way of the men"..and would phone and complain to the Owaman..Joe Barratt.. On one occasion,Dad was livid,and spitting blood,so to speak..we were trying to do our job,he was doing his..and we ended up in a confrontation..so when he complained to Joe Barratt,he was told to "Leave my Lads alen..tha daeing wat aa telt them ti dae..ye hae nowt ti dae wi it"..!..Sixty odd years later it seems funny that a row could brew up oot of nowt ,but like a said..in hostile conditions,where everybody's lives were at constant risk,tempers flared,and a lot of shouting went on..but ye see ,David,pitmen fell oot,and a quarter of an hour later,they would have forgotten aal aboot it,they HAD to watch each other's backs for roof falls of stone..Comradeship was second to none doon theor! We had to jump wor horses OWA fast moving rubber conveyor belts ti get them into other roadways..totally against the law,but we were threatened with "wa cards" if we stopped the belts ti get the horses owa..so horses like my Dapple Grey Charlie,who a bonded with very closely...got so seriously injured,trapped between the moving belt,and the steel structure poles,that he had to be put to sleep by the Vet.I was in tears at 19 yrs of age,and still well up thinking about him..he was as close to me as my LBJ..my black Labrador/Cross who was put to sleep four yrs ago..I miss them both terribly. SO,David,life wasn't a picnic doon theor,and aa was pleased as hell when they announced that the pit would close in 1966. Other pits I worked at were rough as well,but nowt like High Pit. Cheers David,every word I write is purely my own experience and every word is true. Hope aav given ye an insight how tough it was! Bill. p.s. I haven't any knowledge about Dad being burn't..maybe before my time even..

A shud have said third from the left!!

Hi Alan!,definately Ronnie Twist!..he was a Deputy at the Choppington B pit,while aa worked there from 1959-1965..he might have been at the A pit,when he was younger,as on this pic,but he was in charge of the coal faces along with Eddie Teasdale,who was a Councillor for Bedlington at that time,down in the new Top Busty seam,which had been opened up after drifting doon ti it..at the High Pit.I was on Girder Leading with Keith Cooney,my Marra..and it was a seriously strenuousy difficult dangerous job.. Ronnie and Eddie were two old school Deputies who ruled with an iron fist,and inevitably,us girder lads and the Deputies clashed ,causing a lot of conflict..best left to rest!! I'll eat grass if that isn't Jimmy Surphlis in the front row Centre..the big lad..Jimmy was heed and showldaas above me at the high pit ,when a was aboot nineteen years aad!! ..a canny fella and a gud crack!!

C.L.,a went ti school wi a reet canny lad caaled Eddie Hedley,from Guidepost a think,that was 1956-1959,when we left school,and aa went doon thi pit..aged 15 yrs. Noo in 1963,a was daeing me coalface training at Bedlington A Pit,[the Aad Pit!],and one of me Instructors was a reet canny fella caaled Phil Hedley..fast forward ti 1993-1995,a was noo working as a Cabinet-Maker at a Rothbury based Kitchens and bedrooms factory,and one of me young Marra's,[only aboot19 yrs aad],was a reet canny lad caaled....Phil Hedley!!..from Bedlington Station..a dinna knaa if they were related,,a nivvor thowt ti ask.Just wi ye saying ye were aalwis interested in the Hedley name. A forgot,at Bates's Pit,when a was a Deputy,one of me Electrician's was a canny lad caaled Nigel Hedley..his Dad was caaled Ted Hedley,[nickname was "Lord Ted"..because of his posh accent!!]. Nigel noo has his aan business in Blyth,"Nigel Hedley Solicitors". Anybody related C.L....?!! Cheers! HPW.x

There was one youngin,who went around the roadways by hesel',looking after aal the water pumps,[a Pumper by definition],who ran ootbye scared oot of his wits,saying he had seen a ghost inbye. He refused to gaan aroond on his aan withoot a Marra for company.Aal thi men took thi mick oot o him ivry day,caaling him a q.......[whey Gay..but not in that terminology!].Aa was a Deputy in that District at thi time,and one day ,at the end of the shift,a came oot ti the "Radio Cabin"..[where the underground Loco's were controlled by radio],ti wait for the manriding loco set coming in to take aal the men ootbye.The poor lad was nearly in tears wi being picked on..until aa waaked in and sat beside him.A asked him wat happened,but couldn't hear him for the jeering of aal the men and younger lads.So a asked them aal ti hang on and let me hear the story from the Horse's mooth,cos hearsay was aal a hord.They quietened doon with respect,and thi lad telt me wat he had seen,a telt him a believed him,cos aam from a family of Spiritualist Mediums,and a re-assured him that it's the living..like this lot in here..who will hurt ye,the Spirit winna.THEN,a turned ti aal the lads and said in a loud authororative voice.."Lads,a dafy aal of ye's hoo have been up at 8's district,where the Owaman..[Overman in Charge],Alec Waite had seen an Apparition,ti gaan up by yasel,and come back and tell me ye didn't feel a bit uneasy"...one by one they sheepishly admitted a was right,saying it was a bit weird,a queer feeling of uneasiness...wat they really meant was..it was scary!! But brave big boys usually winna admit this...so within five minutes they were taaking amang thasel's aboot the sighting by Alec Waite, and they left the lad alone.He said quietly ,Thanks Bill,ye are the first one ti believe me.Noo a nivvor knew that Lad's name,and aam wondering if he was the one mentioned in one of the quotes above.A dae remember this lad didn't last very lang doon the pit,after that.

Hi Folks,a wud think it might have been a safety quiz,cos Joe Kryozka won the Safety poster slogan and cartoon competition,Nationally for the Coal Board's safety campaign,and his Posters were up at every pit in the country,in the Deployment Centres,and they were aal brilliant. Noo!..summik puzzles me,is the use of the word "Apprentice" a modern term for "Trainee"?,cos Joe came doon the pit and went on Deputy work if I remember correctly...mind,a wad stand ti be corrected on that one!..he was a smashing natured lad.Eddie Hindmarsh,[the Ginger Fox!],was a smashing Manager,if he wasn't happy aboot owt on the face,he wud tek ye ti one side,quietly,and tell ye..Loads of respect for that Lad!!

It grates on me every time I read "Blyth"! A aalwis thowt Cambois was in the Bedlington Shire! Is tha summick aam ignorant of?[boundaries mebbe's?]

Seriously folks,it's been rough for the last three years,Cath has gone a lang way doonhill,healthwise,so aam not on often,just ti let ye aal knaa a haven't deserted!! Cheers,Bill.

Tempus Fugit!![aam not clivvor ye knaa..a ownly knaa that cos an aad Bates Pit Marra started mekkin waal clocks [whey not the actual clock....ye knaa..cabinets and mantelpeece moontings...]..and he used ti pin a wee scroll decoration at the bottom of thi clock woodwork..and it had the words ...Tempus Fugit..on it..so a axed wat it ment ind he telt is!! So noo a try ti soond edjicatid...!!! Snaadrops n Crocisis aalriddy on thi way up..Spring comin' in aalriddy! Luvly time of the year..warmer days aheed! Cheers Folks..[aam back!!]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! Hope it's a better one than thi last one was! Cheers Bill.

Hi Folks,can anybody remember Fullerton's shop at the top-end next to thi Wharton Arms Pub in the 1950's? Also Adamson's shop just aroond thi bend from the Budge also at the top-end..as you were gaan ti Westridge direction. A think it was Tommy[?] Fullarton who owned that shop,he was a canny fella,and Brother to a very gud old [now Deceased R.I.P. Olive Keeley]..friend and nybor of ours at West Terrace Stakeford..[Bob and Olive lived in the East Terrace opposite us..for nearly 30 years..but we were friends from being in wor early Teens..courting years!!

Alan,me last comment was short a bit,a had meant ti say this creeper pulled tubs and trams of materials and timber pit props and planks etc,up to the Heapstead,to go down the pit. Aam studying this Tippler at thi pit bottom pic,and aam puzzled as hell!! Why wud ye want ti tip mine cars oot underground?..they were just filled an hour before reaching the shaft bottom!..even if there was a drift conveyor to the surface like Lynemouth...why would they use mine cars being filled and tipped? beats me! A wasn't at the pit in them days,so a canna fathom it oot..and if they used Skip Winding,the conveyor belts would run straight to the cages/Skips...and a canna mind Bates ever having a skip winder! Bill Riley,where are ye?!!...please explain![unless they were tippling into a staple shaft..like they had at Bedlington Aad pit,in the High Main seam..the coal came ootbye on the conveyor belt and went doon a chute into a Staple shaft aboot 60 feet doon,ti the Loader end,which was at a lower level. The Staple was filled like a reservoir,if there was a stoppage at the Shaft bottom area,for any reason,tubs off the way or owt like that. It meant that coalwork could still proceed until the Staple was full. Ashington pit had a Staple shaft as weel..that's the only thing a can think of as ti why a tippler wud be at the shaft bottom..ti draw aal the coal from different seams in one place..noo that meks sense!!

Just remembered,the creeper shown in thi pic isn't for pulling tubs aroond the circuit,this one is pulling tubs and trams of materials such as timber planks and pit props,girders,rolls of conveyor belts,and owt else from the timber or stock yards,ti gaan doon thi pit. Ivrything like that ,at thi High Pit,was put inti the cages at thi Horse-hole,at grund level. Just for reference!!