HIGH PIT WILMA

Hi Moe! [Whistle test fan eh?!! great!] The tyre shop's a blast from the more recent past,but which I totally forgot aboot! In my hard-up days,I bought two "Colway" tyres from the guy, [a really pleasant bloke],and they were wobbling and "wowwing" ,so I went back and told him,within ten minutes he had changed both tyres and shook me hand and thanked me for just gaanin back,and not slagging him off ti anybody. A canna mind hoo lang he lasted on the bank wi his shop. The surgery was there since the world began a think!! Aad Doctor Hickey,Robertson,and Ivory were there for donkey's years!

Hi Vic!...just caught up on this one...a bit late in the day,ye'll hae been sorted a few times since,but aam noo in thi syem dilemma! Aam thinking aboot getting a Vauxhall Zafira,for practicality,cargo space..[two mobility scooters and a dog,and me Wife...oh! and me!],and thi choices of engine and trim levels are mind-numbing! Has anybody driven one,or sat as a passenger in one,just wondering wat the ride is like,acceleration etc...... Jonathan Scott [Alex Scott's garage in Guide Post] is being very helpful,trying ti source one for me wi low mileage etc,[it's a great garage],but a wud like ti sit in one and suss things oot before buying one.

Whey,nowt for me ti boycott...aav nivvor had owt ti dae wi any of thi above list!..nivvor been abroad in me life....nivvor been on a virgin train...mind,a did shake hands wi Mr Branson a few years back,in Heathrow airport,when my family were seeing my Son's Italian Wife's Family off ti Italy,after the Wedding between my Son and thier Daughter. It was straight after Richard Branson's Balloon had crashed in the desert,and HE looked absoloutely shattered and worn oot,raggy-looking,but as warm and affectionate natured as hell! A just congratulated him,said will ye be trying again....and he spent thi time of day wi me for a few minutes,even though he was desperate ti get back home..smashing bloke....nowt ti dae wi any of he's business projects like![he might be a reet sod aroond thi bizniz tyeble!]

Heh heh! THEM were thi days when players WANTED ti play for the Passion of thi game,and loyalty ti thi fans....my opinion,and a knaa NOWT aboot fitba' except thi players get owa much money,obscenely , for kicking a baal aboot! A bet wor Bobbie and Jackie,cringe when they think back on life what they had ti dae..as ye say ,like Wor Jackie Milburn also.

One of the first ever bookings my group had,in 1962-3 ish,was in the Market-place club,and was a Freemasons annual dinner-dance. We had to go earlier in the afternoon to set our gear up,so we had a walk around the dinner tables ti see if we knew anybody!! The Grandmaster was "Worshipful Brother" .......time - keeper/tally clerk at Bedlington A pit! [a reet canny fella!] Another "Worshipful Brother was the raggiest,tattiest,rough unshaven,dislikeable bloke at Choppington High Pit,who lowered the coal wagons down the line under the screens to be filled....known as a shunter.[raised my eyebrows,and HIS, when we started to play....he was as dapper as a new teaspoon!,and HE couldn't beleive it was ME entertaining Him! We never got on at the pit before that,cos he wasn't the luvly Brotherly-love worshipping a supreme being sort of bloke at aal!!,he was a bit of a sod!! But mind,AFTER THAT DAY,he was nice as nympince,like he didn't want me ti say owt ti anybody.......whey hoo cud a not? a had a gob like Tynemooth! Mind,a was just a young whippersnapper,ave got a bit mair respect for an individuals needs and motives,and hobbies or interests etc. There were a few other fellas who a was surprised ti see as well. In aboot 1985-ish,a Deputy at Bates invited me to join,several times,but a was adamant not be involved,didn't hae time anyway,fully involved with my Wife and two young Kids.Nae regrets!

Hi Maggie,this is the first time in 67 years that I have seen the demolished structures at the far end of the pic,adjacent to the blue skip!! Brings back loads of very happy memories as a 5 year old child..! This building was the WW2 air-raid shelter in the far corner of the schoolyard,for the school staff and pupils,and by 1949,was a great illegal place for devilish kids to play in![during play-time]. The blackout curtains still hung,but were raggy and tatty by then,and a favourite game of ours was to rip a chunk from the curtain,[all wet and stinking!],and chuck it at your playmate/s while shouting out...."Alli's [or Wilkie's...etc],got thi lops.....!![wat a game!] Ye did some running aroond the yard,aa can tell ye,and we even used ti fetch thi lops oot at yem-time,ti play after schyuul!! Teacher didn't knaa cos in them days,ye had ti haad a lassie's hand,and cross owa ti the church pathway,and waak,in lines,two by two's,reet aroond ti where Carr's paper shop was,and cross the road there. Nae adults there ti meet ye,ye just med ya way doon yem,and when yi luk at the Class2 photo,wat Eggy posted on the History hollow forum,42..[a think !] pupils in each class,......that was a canny few young kids gaan doon them streets![nae pedestrian crossing in them days!] But "Lops"!!,.....wat a subject for a game.....musta been a common thing ti hae lops....heh heh![thi fine-toothed comb and a sheet of newspaper on thi floor comes ti mind.....NITS!!!]...[ye daresint let ya Motha see ye scratch ya heed,even when just idly thinking aboot summik!!...it was "cum here ye little bugga....let's see yor heed!"] Aaaaah!...happy days!...sad ti see wat's happening in Bedltn noo! A agree wi ye Maggie,god knaas wat lies under aal that rubble,and also where else the stone might previously have been used.[tha might have been mason's markings on some of them,similar to those found on other buildings,mebbe telling where each mason worked in the town...does that soond daft? In West Terrace,Stakeford,where a lived for 32 years,[number three..on the front terrace,opposite the council depot..],high up at gutter level,is a brick with the most elegant, English forward-slant,handwriting,with the inscription..."Mary Richardson".[ scored into the brick while still about to go into the kiln to be fired,probably] I often wondered if Mary's family ever knew of it's existence.The terraces were built around 1911-ish.[Mary wud have been a firer in the brickyard at Bedltn Station,or Barnton,maybe.] If I could put MY mark,[as I did],on every piece of hand made furniture which I made,[hidden inside dovetails on drawers before assembly,etc],even for customers such as Duncan Davidson,of Lilburn Castle and Towers,near Wooler,[the Landowner/Millionaire!],I'm sure Mason's of old would have taken the same pride in thier work!! A used ti gie me blood in the school hall,in the 1970's-80's,and a used ti lie on the bed,during the transfusion,and luk up at the ceiling rafters,and think how they hadn't changed from my schooldays there,and could picture Mrs Nicholson giving us bonny-coloured "Coonters"[shiny cardboard discs the size of a ha-apenny],ti learn hoo ti coont...."2 add 2....= 3...!..er!] People will move in ti the new properties,and not hae a clue of the history under tha feet!!

Forgive me igrrriince,but wat aboot thi Dun Coo? It's thi MILLFIELD noo,isn't it? When we were kids,thi crack was......"If ye mated the Black Bull,wi the Red Lion,wat wud ye get?..............the Dun Coo"....!!!![cum bak Tony Blackborn!]

Heh heh! Thanks folks for your kind comments! Regarding the tablecloths,a knaa when a was a kid,it didn't matter if ye were eating Roasted rabbit pie,or roast beef......the oilcloth on the tyble stunk wi a characteristic odour,not dirty,cos Mother was spick and span,and used ti tell us kids there's nea excuse for being dorty,cos soap's cheap and wetta cost nowt!! The tarry-toot on the flair was great fo' mekking flaming skimmers!! Ye tore bits off the floor oilcloth,aboot six inches aroond,lit it on a bonfire,and "skimmed"it inti thi air!! The melted bits used ti flea off in aal directions,like sparklers,still hoying little flames off!!...a think that's wat the red Indians musta used ti set the wagon trains on fire wi tha burning arrows!![they obviously had been owa heor fo' a holiday and seen HPW and friends acting thasel's!] Ye knaa,wi did aal these laddie-like things,fires,sheath-knives,catapults,and a nivvor knew of anybody ivvor gettin' born't,stabbed, or eyes put oot! Aa got born't under me armpit,and me wooly jarsey aal singed wi a hole in it,wen a was aboot nine ya' aad , but it wasn't wi playin' wi fire,it was a bloody duff "Aeroplane" type of firework,which was placed on the garden waal,[Hollymoont Square cooncil low waal..],by a friend's Dad,who was the adult supervisor of his Son's fireworks display in thi street. Insteed o' the firework tekkin' off and flee'ing up in thi air,the bugga tuk off for aboot six feet,horizontally,and like a maddened Bee,torned on a thruppeny bit,and headed stryght inti my body,as a sed,lodging itsel under me armpit,and flames rushing oot like a rocket gone mad!! Still didn't frighten me from clarting on wi fires mind!! .......digress.......!!

Eh,Canny Lass!.....YMCA! My Wife and me...[a knaa!...."I" ...!],held wor wedding reception there in 1967!....ganna be a haaf-century next yeor!![duzzint time fly?!....... ...."Tempus Fugit" !!] A canna help wondering hoo many youngin's will stand the test of time nooadays!....digressin' again!

Brilliant Eggy!! Clears summik wats puzzled me for owa 50 years!...wat model of P.A. they were using!!....at last! It's a Burns London "Orbital Stage One" P.A.....a just cudn't remember from back then![cos my pic is fuzzy also!] Your pic is from the same photoshoot,but they printed the one I have,[the first one above],probably cos all the lads are giving a big smile ! The Olympics would choose the name of the drumkit they were using,[a Premier Olympic kit],cos my marra on drums had the same kit,as did thousands of other young hard-up group drummers,it being the bottom budget line of kits made by Premier drum company,at the time. It was common to name your group after an amplifier company or other instrument manufacturer.[we did that with a german made amplifier..the first one we had ever seen,cos it was brought from Germany by wor bass-player's Brother,and naebody we ever knew or played alongside,had ever seen or heard of this company!!] Micky Powers' name rings a bell,a think my older Brother knew a lad wi that name...definately Powers,but not so sure of the first name,did Micky work at the Auld pit at Bedlington Station,in the mid-late 'fifties? The pics bring back loads of happy memories! Thanks Eggy! P.S. Notice hoo Phil is holding a bass pattern on the top pic,and cuddling the neck on the bottom pic.it would have been interesting ti knaa hoo many pics were taken,mebbe showing more of the gear,as well as the lads!! P.P.S...Phil has the horse-brasses on his guitar strap,following a trend started,as far as we knew,at the time,by Joe Brown and he's Bruvvers. Later on,Robin used the same type of broad leather strap wi brasses on,and aa still have mine tucked away in me studio...nivvor seen it for a year or two!!

Heh heh! Like a sed.....fantastic times,mind,a kind of think that the lighting plank was a bit after we were gannin,cos a did almost every club,Village hall,and small venues like YMCA-type of places,owa three and a haaf years,and naebody had thought of lighting then,not even proper P.A.systems in the working mens clubs,they used ti have a Phillips or Linear type amplifier in a metal-grilled chassis,showing heavy mains transformers,valves glowing etc,on a shelf high up,alang wi one speaker cabinet also up in a corner of the room,wi nae regard ti the accoustics of the place ,as lang as ivry bugga cud hear "two little ducks.. 22"....etc![or the "Star-torn o' thi neet" ....on thi "Go as you please" neets!] When we started,we had little eight-watt amplifiers,[ aboot 12-inches high x 10 inches wide!]....and the old-timer pitmen audience who were used to Dickie Valentine type music,used ti shout "Ya aal reet but a bit too loud"! Gotta go.....be back later!

Heh heh!! "Tippler"! I luv it Canny Lass!!..educashun's a wonderful thing,but it's great when ye can get a gud laugh at a misrepresentation...not being derogatory,just a gud laugh! The only reason a posted it was cos most folk wud think it referred ti the actual pit slag-heap....who else wud anybody knaa different if they weren't from mining stock?!

Heh heh! I have the original press cutting from the Evening Chronicle,which I carried in my wallet for about 30 -0dd years until I realised it was gonna get dog-eared,so I keep it in my archives now. Before Graham Bell's Dad passed away,and upon hearing of Graham's passing,I rang the Editor of the News Post Leader,to see if Graham had any Family member's who might appreciate this Photo. The Editor passed my enquiry to a family friend,and through this connection,I was able to get a copy of this pic to Graham's Dad,who was a resident in a nursing home in Blyth. I went personally to meet Mr Bell, and ,being a complete stranger,he welcomed me into his room,sat me beside his bed,and told me to open a drawer in his cabinet,asking me to take an album out and bring it over to him. He was absoloutely delighted to see this pic,which he didn't know existed,and asked me to place it in the album,[which his Daughter had compiled with all the family pics they had],saying his Daughter would mount it properly in the album. I stayed with him for a couple of hours,and he related some of his experiences with his involvement in the Blyth Operatic Society,and stories about young Graham,pictured here,who went on to tour with the 1960's Rock Opera "Tommy",which was led by "The Who"...[Kieth Moon and friends]. He was a fascinating, really friendly,affectionate fella,was Graham's Dad,and I felt it was a priviledge to have met him and made him a happy Man,before he passed away,it seemed not long after that meeting. This pic was taken not long before the group won the "Northern Echo" newspaper competition,as the best group in the north-east.["Group"!....not "Band",as they are referred to nooadays!]....approximately 1964. Graham,lead vocalist,did the Rolling Stones songs,complete with "Moothie"..[Harmonica...or "Blues Harp"],as gud as Mick Jagger,at the time,and he was only aboot 16 years old then. Aal thi lads in the rival groups,used ti say he was destined for stardom,he was that gud,but there is one point that I would like to make. When they first started up,as aal thi other groups did,in the early 60's,they were gud,but just as gud overall,as any of the other groups.,cos,like the rest of us,they cudn't afford professional gear,and so used small amps,relatively budget guitars etc,and no P.A.system. When Alan McKay,took them on,to manage them,he signed for £1200 of gear,as shown in this pic,[Robin proudly holding his new Burns "Marvin" guitar,designed by Hank Marvin and Burn's London owner..Jim Burns..],and overnight they were transformed into a Pro-quality group,with an excellent P.A.system and echo-effects units.[ £1200 was like a quarter-million pounds nooadays!!...] Just proof that the purists at the time,who used ti have this idea that ye didn't need expensive gear ti soond gud,were not completely educated in the musical instrument field!! I defy anybody ti cum ti my hoose and mek my 1959 Rossetti Lucky 7 guitar,[£7-10 shillings !!....6 months ti pay for at 5-shillings a week!!],soond like a Fender Stratocaster!![or the Marvin wat Robin has!] When they were just trying ti form a group,Phil Bryant [Bass player] and some of the others came ti my hoose ti ask if a wud join them,cos Phil and me were marra's at the training gallery for the pit in 1959,and he knew a cud play aal the Shadows and aal thi other instrumental groups' numbers,which were chart hits.[Ventures,Tornadoes,Duane Eddy,Bert Weedon.....etc]...in later years of course,cos this would have been aboot 1962-3....ish. When a said a was staying loyal ti my group,That's when Robin came alang,and he was gud also. Funny hoo things cum aroond,cos in 1985-ish,My oldest Son,who was 17 yrs old at the time,got into a "Band"...,[as they were noo caaled!],and WHO was the Lead Guitarist and Keyboard-player?...!...Robin Hadaway! .....AGAIN! In the 60's,The Avengers and my group used ti play 50-50 at the Clayton Ballroom,on Saturday nights,occasionally,they were great times! Noo!,Eggy,only for curiosity,aam wondering hoo ye came across this 52 years old pic from the Chronicle,cos a didn't think many folk would have cut it oot thi paper llke aa did and kept it for posterity?[aa was aalwis thi historian and archivist in my group,a used ti ask every club Secretary or doorman,it a cud tek the posters oot of the glass cabinet at thi club entrance,and if nae bugga was there ti ask,a just tuk thi buggaa's oot anywheh,and aav still got aal them yet,and noo there'll not be a quarter of them clubs left in existence....aa bet!!] Aye,the Reay Hall,and Locke Hall,and the Clayton,not forgetting Jimmy Milne's cafe on a Sunday afternoon,when a gud group used ti play,they were fantastic times!!

Canna mind,Canny Lass,aal a knaa is,ye had ti write so fast that it was aal scribble,personal shorthand and abbreviations,and sumtimes ye cudn't read it yasel!!crazy or wat?! Canna bring ti mind the maps,were ye in his class from 1956-9?,cos they were my years,and mebbe they were done after aa left scyuul![regardless of the long-drawn dispute a bit back!]

Sincere apologies ti ye, Vic,to Doreen and Maureen AND Rita,for the confusion in my senile brain....I've had that pic for years,and always thought I had the lasses placed correctly! That's a luvly pic o' "wor" Doreen!!!! Eggy,AA was thinking last neet on the same lines as ye!..a just checked the gallery and ye dun a fine job!

Eh,aav put this quote in the wrang place!Nivvor mind,it's done noo! Vic!,aav got a vivid memory of Rita Wheallans picking a fight wi me,a divvent knaa why,cos a was a quiet shy bairn,Doreen should back me up on that!] A canna mind wat it was aboot,but at five yrs aad,a had this little lassie screaming and trying ti hit me!aal me life,even doon the pit,a had people tekking the mick and trying ti bully me,a think it was cos a was a gud soft-natured lad,and a waak-owa for a bully...till a larn't ti turn like a lion and gaan for tha throats!!!that scared bullies off big-time,but a cudn't dae that when a was a young kid,a was timid.

Thanks very much me Canny Lass! Ye've restored me sanity!....aav been oot wi LBJ, waakies,and gannin owa and owa in me head and thinking,could I be mistaken?[and I would apologise profusely if I was,and shut me gob!],but I just know that in ,1958,my class of upper remove,there were no prefects!there was no head boy in my class,that position was taken by David Lees,as aforementioned. 1958 Was a very significant year for me. In February,that year,Buddy Holly was killed along with Richie Valens,and Thi Big Bopper,in a plane crash,in really bad weather,which devastated myself and all his true fans.We had no telly or radio,and I got the news off Pete Smith ,my neighbour and friend,as he caught me up at the vestibule entrance,late for school,but he stopped me to break the news after hurrying to catch up with me. School didn't matter to me that day,I couldn't beleive such a terrible thing had happened. Mr Johnson,Science teacher ,used to stay at school with me till after ten o' clock nearly every night,clarting on wi old radios,and building short-wave valve radios. We put the play on,"Julius Caesar",under Mr Marley's Direction,and I stayed at school till late helping Mr Johnson with all the lighting rig cables that had to be wired up by hand...[Poly-pole couplings with a load of internal cores,and which took a lot of time to do.]..at 14 yrs old,I was trusted by Mr Johnson to carry out lots of electrical repairs on various appliances. A very close classmate and marra at home,borrowed a gorgeous green "Osmiroid 65" Fountain Pen,which had been a prize from the "Meccano Club" magazine,and had a lot of sentimental value,never returned it to this day,and he is now deceased. I was bullied every day by certain people in my class,and never told a soul,I just put up with it,till one day in Metalwork,when Mr Epsley was out of the room,one lad kept on and on at me,goading me,till my docile self lost control,and I gave this lad an old fashioned bunch of fives straight in his ribs!...just then Mr Epsley walked into the room,as I was going to thrash this kid,and we both turned our backs to the bench and said nowt. To his credit,he never reported me or said a word to anyone,so,being as diplomatic as I can!!!!!!,I think the lad in this pic ,if he had been a prefect,in 1958,would have had me in front of Mr Hemming,for the strap!!

Canny Lass I think you are right,but this pic wasn't taken in 1958!! In 1958 we were 14 years old!,do these young lads and lasses look like 14 year olds?! No,Len Thompson,Bobby Cross,Ian Campbell,Micky Lucas,and Eddie Hedley, were all in my class,and in 1958,none of them were Prefects!....nor was there a 14 club! No disrespect ,and just for correctness,it couldn't have been any earlier than after the 1959 summer holidays,and I would still suggest 1960! I have good personal reasons for disagreeing with 1958! If I was to disclose what's going through my mind,it would only lower the tone of a fine discussion,as it involves one person on the photo,who,in later life,I often wonder if actions in youth ever cross thier mind!![and if they do remember,it would be great if an apology and admittance were to come forth,cos I would certainly appreciate it!!] The above comments are not directed to Canny Lass!,but in response to Allana's comments!!

Er,Vic,21 is Rita Wheallans without a Doubt,my two little friends and neighbours [Doreen Dagless and Maureen Dean],are nos 36 and 37 respectfully,with Rosemary Oliver sitting next to them on the right. Alan Wilkinson is not on the photo,I sat next to him from day one,right through to Westridge,and went to his house after school,then away doon the woods! Even as a kid,he always had his hair plastered with vaseline,[or butter!],crows wing and side parting,and combed it constantly!![check oot the Whitley School Football team Photo's wi Matty Hall on,that 's Alan wi the craa's wing,just as he always did!!] I canna mind the other lassies names Vic!