HIGH PIT WILMA

"Bread and jam..." = Hard up!! [poor cyevil!] "Eggs and Ham"...= a canny pay.[gud cyevil!] Those were the days my Friend....!

Hi Eggy,and Pete! Forst off! ...A "Cyevil" [slang],spelt and pronounced correctly,in Queen's English,would read as "Cavil" ,and sound like "Kayvil". A Cyevil was any place of work in a seam,for the Pieceworkers,i.e. Coalfillers,Caunchmen,Coalcuttermen,"Pullers"..[or,at some pits].."Bumpers",[who advanced the conveyor belt into the new facetrack each day,after the coal had been cut,drilled and fired doon,and filled off onto the conveyor belt],Drillers,and in the days before longwall faces and conveyor belts,you had the Putters,and Drivers. Before mechanical coalcutters came alang,you had what is depicted on my photo of Wor Auld Chep,aged 14,and he's old Marra the Hewer. The Hewers literally "Hewed" [picked] the coal down from the solid seam,and filled waiting tubs,to which the Putter would either "Hand-put" [push by hand],or hang his pony on and take the tubs out to a landing. Aal the putters in the different flats,[or "Cyevils"],would dae the syem,until there was enough tubs to make up a "Set",to which the Drivers would hang thier horse onto,and tek the sets oot ti thi shaft bottom...["Thier"? ..or "Their"?!!!] When longwall faces came alang,ye had the Caunchmen etc,as aforementioned. So!...because conditions varied throughout the pit ,wet seams,and coalfaces,dry seams,but with raggy roof-stone or floor-heave,generally bad conditions,and some with what miners would say was "Stannin' like a Palace..",it was only fair to have a means of giving every worker a fair chance to take the gud wi thi bad. It became practise to to "Draa the Cyevils"..[Draw the Cavils],every "Quaata",[Quarter],which was the 13 weeks referred to in Jack's poem. All the workers' "Tallies",[pit safety tokens with each man's number on],would be thrown "inti thi hat",[so to speak!],and a list of all the Cyevils available would be drawn up.[In categories to ensure the experienced workers were alloted to a cyevil in thier domain!] The person "Drawing" [picking out] the tallies,one at a time,would call out the name of the Cyvil first..."Beamont Seam,Forst North Mothergate Caunch[these would be drawn from the quota of Caunchmen] Then the Coalfillers Cyevils would be drawn next,the Cuttermen,Drillers,etc. Pete is right,as far as the Fillers go,cos they could Draw a good stretch of coal,nice and dry,gud roof conditions,meant gud money,or he cud draw a stinking wet cyevil,on the same face,further along,with faulted ground,[bad roof conditions],which meant slow progress....less money!! In the old arc-walls,with Hewers,if he had a stinking bad cyevil,nea money,then the putters and drivers suffered also,cos coal paid thier wages! At the end of each "Quaata",the last friday of the quaata was called "Shifting-gear-day". All the faceworkers brought thier picks shovels,saws,mels,and wativvor else they needed,out of the pit,cos they might draw a cyevil in another part of the pit a mile away!!,so they needed to have all thier gear ready to go with them to the new cyevil...wherever it might be.[they had to buy all their gear in the old days!] In a nutshell,it was virtually a raffle of job places!! Now,although the Cyevilling system was brought to an end with the introduction of the Power Loading Agreement,in the early 1960's,when Mechanisation took over coal production,there were still some Cyevills which were agreed as a "Bargain" with Management,long before the P.L.A. came along,such as the 6th North,in the Plessey Seam at Bates Pit,and the teams of Development [or "Composite"]men,were still on the old-fashioned "Piecework" agreement,making really good money,right up to the pit closing down in 1986! When Thatcher and British Coal brought out the new "Productivity Bonus Scheme",we all new it would put "Man against Man"...,and ..."Pit against Pit". It DID! Up to the pit closures,those who had a gud Cyevil,[or pit!],like Ellington,or the Nottingham pits,made fantastic money,and those who had rotten Cyevils,like those poor sods down the Three-Quarter Drift,at Bates,which was a heavily-faulted Seam,teeming in with Sea-water,and atrocious roof conditions,made NOWT! There was a time when the pit canteen lasses who were on the Area bonus,had forty times more bonus per shift,than my Marra's and myself,who had 90pence per shift sometimes,[due to really bad conditions],when ELLINGTON MEN WERE GETTING £100 PER SHIFT!! Now THAT was the unfairness of a modern "Bonus" scheme,compared to a century-old "Cyevilling" system,where at least,everybody was given a fair crack of the whip,and lads could,if they so desired,swap cyevils with another lad,if it suited them both. Sorry folks,but ye canna explain pitwark in one sentence!!,hope aav helped ye understand, Eggy! A just remembered,at Choppington High Pit,when aa started ,in 1959,the Coalfillers used ti "Bargain" with Management,by the whole team of fillers on each face,putting "Tenders"in,to try and get ["Win"] a good "Bargain price",for the next Quarter,when a new face was ready for production,and existing faces were being abandoned. Just like businesses,whoever put the lowest tender,got the FACE,albeit,at a bit lower pay,but better than Shift-work! At Choppington,we had 13 yards of coal per stretch,[ from 2'-3"..down to 18" high,and soaking wet bad roof]and,at Bedlington A pit,we had 9 yards of coal per filler,at 1'-10" to 2'-2" high. [and dusty dry,with a solid post-stone roof!]..this was in the 1960's don't forget!..hand-filling with a huge "George Rock" pan shovel!

Hi Britbob,and welcome to the site! I first met Phil Bryant at the preliminary training centre [mining]at Seaton Burn colliery,in 1959,where I started aged 15 yrs. He was the most gentlest giant you ever met,I say giant,cos when we were 15 years old,he towered above the rest of our little group of marra's,who included Tom Pearson,who's Parents ran the Hartford Hotel,[we used to sing Elvis' Heartbreak Hotel but subsitute Hartford for heartbreak!] Billy McGlen,Willy Wake,Jim Hardy,[are ye in there Jim?!be nice ti hear from ye!]. In those days,most of the lads who were learning guitar or bass,or drums,had to make do with budget instruments,and like me,were self-taught,by playing records at slow speed,learning the riffs or tunes,like me......Hank was my Hero,along with Duane Eddy and all the other masses of instrumental groups...[NOT bands!!!],that hit the charts every week,in the 50's and 60's. So,when time went by,and our training ended,Phil and me lost touch as we went to different pits. It so happened that I had started practising with an old friend and two other lads,when one night there was a knock on my Mother's door,and when I opened it,there was Phil Bryant standing,along with some members of a group he had formed. He came ,upon recommendations from people who had heard me playing,to ask if I would join his group. Well,I have always been a loyal sort of lad,and couldn't even think of deserting my own marra's,to go with Phil and his Marra's. This was around 1962-ish,I was about 18 yrs aad by then,and knew Robin Hadaway only in passing,cos he played guitar as weel,starting,like me,with a Rossetti "Lucky Seven" guitar,made out of plywood,and was virtually a guitar-shaped orange box!![mind,aav still got mine,but it's in a sad state noo!] Next thing aa knew,Phil was playing bass guitar in the Avengers,with Robin on lead guitar. They were about as average as my group,seeing as we had 8-watt Hohner amps,no echo units,cheap guitars,no mikes,had to use the club's mike's which were atrocious......but we passed,until we did get better gear as time went by. I used to play 50-50 sometimes,at the Clayton Ballroom,with the Avengers,where I met my Wife,in 1962,at the skating rink,one Wednesday night in February. This was before The Avengers were taken on by Alan McKay,[who was a manager at Bedlingon CO-OP],and who signed for 1200 pounds worth of the top quality instruments,"Burns Marvin" for Robin,"Hofner Verithin" bass for Phil,etc.[THAT....was a LOT of pound notes!!] Suddenly,with a top-notch P.A and Echo/reverb unit,and several gud mikes,they would be entering for the "Northern Echo" Group competition...and they were bloody fantastic! Sadly,Graham Bell passed away, a few years ago,and when he was in his prime,he could match any of the rhythm and blues singers of the day. His rendering of Stones' early tracks were great,and his Harmonica playing made your hair stand on end! Last I heard of Phil,was that he had joined the Merchant Navy after the group split,don't know exactly when. I wud luv ti hook up with Phil again,if he is still knocking aroond!! He was a great bass-player,and a smashing lad!

Great idea for those who are able to attend /organise! Hope it all goes to plan. Cheers ! HPW.

Hi Eggy! The lad with thi donkey jacket on,third from the left is Derek Burt. In the 1970's a was in charge of him,when a was a deputy,then when a came back into the N.U.M. ,HE went onto Deputy work,and was often in charge of ME! Smashing natured lad and a bit wildly,likeable,hot-headed! A knew most of the lads but 30 years have passed since a left mining.........!

Sym, a spent an hour describing everything about Teddy Coils,in my e-mail box,meaning ti cut and paste it on the P.M. box ti you,like Vic telt me ti dae,but had ti tek L.B.J. oot,in the middle of typing,so a put it in me drafts box,and when a finished it,it wudn't paste on the P.M. ti you . A tried ti paint an accurate picture of everything I knew about the case and my relationship[working...that is!] with the poor young victim's Dad. It's still saved in my drafts box,so aam still trying ti send it. Noo L.B.J. has just woke up and crying ti gaan oot!....aa divvent knaa...!! ...wat ye hae ti dae for those you love!! Cheers,Sym.

Hi Sym,I would rather P.M. you about that incident,cos ti tell you the story as it was,wouldn't be fitting for a nice quiet family forum like this one,plus,a lang while back,when I first joined this site,and knew naebody,I was discreetly "requested"!! not to "turn over a rat's nest here,as he has a Daughter living nearby,and we don't want to upset her....she wasn't responsible......etc". Well,like I said , fair enough,but it seems we always protect the perpetrator,and ignore the victims! The subject was brought up,without regard to the victim's family who also live in Bedlington Station. Noo,hoo dae a P.M. ye,Sym?...leave me for a few hoors! Cheers! HPW.

Hi Norman! You have had a very interesting life! Another classmate from the Remove came to mind,and a divvent knaa hoo we cud forget her...[me especially seeing as she is related to my Sister-in-law]......... ...Hilda Storey...a real canny lass,as was aal the lasses and lads in wor class...whey mebbe not AAL thi lads.....there were four particular lads who verbally bullied,harassed,and humiliated me in front of the class,and sumtimes half of thi school,just aboot every day till I left school. I was always very strong willed,being a Leo,and told nobody,not the teachers,nor my parents,nobody ! My best mates,Martin Nicholson,and Dennis Green,used ti encourage me to just totally ignore them...which I did for about a year,then one day I let loose at one in the Metalwork class,giving him a shock,and a sore rib!,just as Mr Epsley waaked inti the class,so we just got on wi wa work and neither of us said owt. That lad was an excellent cricketer,and I think he played for Bedlington Cricket Club,in later years. The other ringleader was the Northumberland Schools Champion runner on the track,and even though he bullied me,I used ti to be at the trackside egging him on ti win.which he usually did comfortably.....it's strange you should say you bumped into him doon sooth!! Wish I cud bump inti him,[them!],I bet we wud hev a gud laugh at hoo they went on as kids![BIG kids.....14+ years old!....I was working in rough wet conditions,underground, only months after aal this! Heh heh! If only we knew where life was gonna lead us!! A canna mind o' Keith Smith,Norman,and if ye went through the same schools,in the same class as Len Thompson,which Aa did as weel,reet through school life...beginning ti end....yi hae me beat! Hae yi checked oot thi Infant school pic in thi gallery,which aa posted?,[pic credit goes to Jim Hardy,back row-second from left,next ti me,aam extreme left back row] That pic shud bring back a few memories!! ...nature waaks doon thi black path,[Furnace bridge waak],play-times in the school field behind the church.....!

Past history noo,Sym,sentence served..free to do other nasty things...that is...if he is still alive. I understand from previous posts on the forums that he has family living near and we should respect that,and I do....but I canna help but feel the utmost sympathy for the family of his very young female murder victim,many years ago,whose Dad I worked underground with and who turned overnight from comedian doon thi pit amang the lads,to a virtual walking zombie,long after the incident,and never got over it. Let's not forget.

Hi Vic,testing testing.......Broadsword calling Danny Boy....Broadsword calling Danny Boy!! [...in an English Richard Burton voice...!] [pasted from me mailbox-experiment!] A did it! A did it! Vic,ya a star!if ever a see ye in a pub aal buy ye a glass o' milk!....Whey aam a teetotaller! Cheers marra! Thanks again!

Hi Joe,welcome to the forum! Ye wadn't hae been the little bugger hoo swore at me and spat at me when a waaked up me marra's garden path ti seek him....wad ye?!.....[aroond 1961-ish!!!] Young Joe lived next door ti me marra,and the two little we'ens were aalwis playing in the garden,and that day,one of the we'ens did just that for nae reason!!...... .....little bugga!![mind he wudda ownly been aboot 2 or 3 years aad!! heh heh!....kids will be kids..!] Aav just been asking Brian if Jimmy Steel is any relation,a Bates Pit Marra who went ti live in Australia a few years ago? [on a different page..] Cheers mate!

HI Brian,welcome to the forum! Are you any relation ti one of me aad Bates' pit marra's...[whey,"Aad" is a figure of speech,cos the lad aam taaking aboot was just a young'un when the pit was gaanin'!] Jimmy Steel? Went ti live in Perth Australia a few years ago. Aye,Ted was a crackerjack aal reet!,if we heard he was coming through the free woods doon Bedlington bank,[jungle drums!],we used ti climb up the tallest,thinnest tree we could find,cos we knew he couldn't climb that far up a tree for fear of the tree branch breaking off,or for fear of falling! That was our safety escape plan,cos if ye hung aroond by the river,he wud delight in tossing ye in fully clothed and wud watch ye droond....not so funny.[and aa cudn't swim,but a cud climb higher,and faster than any of the lads doon the woods...[cudn't run,used ti get caught by farmers etc for apple-raiding etc!!] There was aalwis loads of lads doon the woods in them days....circa 1954...[before that and after that also... aa was 10 yrs aad in that year] Sym,mebbe the cooncil was strapped for cash ti build a new block of classrooms,and had ti mek dae wi "Pre-fabs"..[they weren't portacabins],they must have been built after the end of the war,at least,mebbe earlier,but my eldest Sister started the family trend of attending the Whitley,[aal five of us..],and she would have started there in aroond 1948-ish,and I think....THINK,mind,!,that they were there then. I stand to be willingly corrected if I am wrong on that point.[they were there when I started in aroond 1952-ish.]

Vic,a wadn't o' thowt o' that in a month of weekend shifts! A tek it ye mean just type me story in the mailbox as if a was gaana send it ti sumbody,but really just using the box as a safety storage vehicle?[a get the cut 'n paste bit aalreet!] Thanks a lot marra!

Heh heh!....two mair came ti mind as a switched topics....Barbara [Babs] Thornton,and Rosemary Oliver..[ex-my class at the Whitley School..aal the way through life from the infant school..as was Dennis Green,Martin Nicholson,Bobby Cross,Len Thompson, Ted Smout,Lynn Hayes,Anne Pattinson,Sandra Short,Lorna Barker,and the aforementioned Joans Henderson and Hogg! That's 14 including Me,aal from the same class through school life,start ti finish!....[from the Whitley].....tha was only aboot 21-or 22 pupils in total in the Upper Remove!..[and aa was thi ownly one dumb enough ti gaan doon a deep dark dorty hole in thi grund!!] Dennis Green went ti Scotland,promoted to a Chief of the Police Force,Martin Nicholson went into the Royal Engineers as an Electrician,in Abu-Dhabi,Bobby Cross went into acting on T.V.,then back into Journalism..[so I heard],Rosemary Oliver ran her own business in Bedlington Station as a Florist,and I would be interested to know what happened to everybody else! Cheers Norman!..hope we hook up some time for a natter!

Hi Norman,again! Isobel Bowman definately!..[ Trevor Hale and her were very pally at school,dinna knaa if they ever got together later on]......canna be many mair,it was only a smaal class compared ti the Whitley School classes,where there were over 40 pupils in a class!

Hi Norman,great to hear from you! Dae yi mind if a mek a few corrections,and additions,if me memory is serving me correctly! Corrections first! The only Martin was Martin Nicholson [sadly deceased at a young age],ginger-haired Derek McGregor,Bill Allison [no "N"...cos that's me!],[tall]Eddie Hedley,[very tall!..]Micky Lucas,who was Sergeant Lucas' Son [at the top-end cop-shop!]. Additions..little Billy Brown,[my neighbour at Hollymount Square,Barry ?["Barf"...wore black Buddy Holly style glasses..],Derek Goodall,and.......correct me please if aam wrang here,Joan Hogg,and Joan Henderson. ...meanwhile....aa's thinkin'....!!

Heh heh! Wi me it cums natural,a just write wat aam thinking and it flows like ink oot a pen....mind,a write like a taak......!!![...live.....but not dirty....Sym,ye aad bugga!!] Sym,aa tried daeing wat ye sed aboot " Word",but it asks for me key,and tells me aav only got permission ti use it 25 times before it gets locked oot....noo aa dinna understand owt aboot text editors or Word or owt like that!! Canny lass,aal try that wat ye suggest next time! Thanks folks!

Aye Maggie,with wonderful hindsight,a wish aad found out more about my descendants when a was young!

Hmm....noo aav checked it,it seems ti be aareet noo....strange gaanin's on lately! Anybody be able ti tell me if lost posts can be retrieved sumhoo?

Hi Norman! Would I be right in thinking you were mates in the same class [upper remove],with Davy lees and another lad whose name I canna bring to mind,just I have this memory of when I went into the remove halfway through the class term,there were the three lads,who always stuck together at breaks etc,Davy was Head Boy when I went into the class...a smashing natured lad...it wasn't long before they all left Westridge to further their education. Nae disrespect intended if aav got it wrang,mind,nowt unusual for me! Cheers!

".......EVERY GENERATION....BLAMES THE ONE BEFORE......."....[SUNG WITH FEELING!!] ...Mike and the Mechanics track....lovely story lyrics...echoes real life situations in families! So true what you say Maggie!