HIGH PIT WILMA

Sym...the Euclids were huge at the time,but were only 25 and 30-tonners![compared ti the 350-tonners we have noo!] Kieth....Barmoor was only a wee tiny landsale pit,where they sold the coal,stone,AND the water!! The water was rich in Barium and went for Barium extraction to supply Hospitals for Barium meals for X-rays The pit was set in a dip,the Manager of Choppington High Pit,was also Manager of Barmoor. Sometimes we at High pit were short of timber or Arched girders due to roads and railways being closed with heavy snow and ice,and our lads had to go up and bring stuff like that down from Barmoor to keep our pit going....![one tetty-pit tekkin' off anotha tetty-pit!!] The black bridge up the Choppington fields would be a good contender for the pic puzzle.seeing as the Dr pit chimney was about 180 feet high,and you can see all the terraces,right to thi gable ends,and thi high ground to thi right looks like the top-end of Bedlington. The River Blyth Bailey bridge AND the Bedlington Bank one also,were built around 1954,-ish [give or take a few years!] When I was aboot ten or eleven years old,me and my school friends used to gaan doon ti watch aal thi activity as they were buiding them from the concrete foondations up-owa. Often we watched as greet lang lengths of Greenheart timber were HAND-SAWN by four men,using a long straight double-handled saw. There were two men at each end holding the saw,and it used to take an age to cut through the timber which was aboot two-foot square,and so dense that pieces that were sawn off,like aboot 18 inches lang,say,just sank ti thi bottom of thi river! When we tried ti lift bits of off-cuts,just messing aboot,as yi dae when ya a kid,we cudn't mark them!! It was exciting for us watching under floodlights,at night,[dark at 4-0-clock in thi winter neets,],as we used ti creep ever closer ti watch them. Costain paid for the road from the Acorn Bank opencast mine,over these bridges,across the fields,to Bebside pit,to be handled there. One afternoon,we heard a rumble,as we were walking doon Bedlington Bank,on our way ti the woods,and when we looked over to the new stretch of road which had been completed,up to the road bridge,we watched a bulldozer coming down the new road,tumbling two anti-tank concrete blocks in front of him,like tumbling two smaal dice!!...we weren't half amazed to see this display of raw power!! The 42-ton Coal-haulers used make the river bridge bounce up and down crazily,as they went over every 15 minutes! Noo!,when we were kids,it appeared as if there were a fleet of coal-haulers,as there was Euclids! But an excellent short DVD which Six-Townships put out,[which was rescued from a discarded old VHS tape in a skip!!],showed there were only four tractors,and eight hoppers,which were being loaded every 15 minutes. Four hoppers were in transit at any one time,whilst the other four were being loaded.This meant that a hauler was passing over the bridge every 15 mins,albeit in different directions. We used ti cadge rides in thi Euclids from the road bridge area,reet owa ti thi Bebside pit and back!,it was exciting,seeing as we never experienced anything other than a bus-ride sitting aside wa mutha's! We were amused ti see the four supporting pillars of thi road bridge being constructed by stacking huge concrete drain sections,[aboot four feet wide] on top of each other,then filling them with concrete and re-inforcing rods....[the term "RE-BAR" wasn't coined in them days!]. It was quick,and efficient,but we thought they would crack open like nuts when heavy trucks went owa them!![THAT'S hoo aa went doon thi pit!!] Thi ONE thing that dismayed aal us kids,[hard-up kids!],was that they created the cut for thi new road straight through the best blackberry plantation in thi Coonty!!... That's where we got a bit pocket money,pickin' blackies,and sellin' them aroond thi doors. Vic,ask thi boss if she remembers us daeing that,cos almost aal the neighbours used ti clamour for thim....it was a case of filling two big Ostermilk tins,away up Bedltn Bank,roond thi doors,Sowld,away back doon thi bank,repeat thi process till wa fingers ached!![thruppence a pund in aad munney!!] Sorry....I digressed in a most un-protocollitically way......!

Heh heh! ......Thompson's Stores brings back memories! Me Mutha used ti waak me poor little legs off,from Storey's Buildings,on thi Willow Bridge,at Choppington,aal thi way up ti thi top-end of Bedlington,ti get shopping,spend her stamps,and get me tackety byeuts,[ minaiture pit byeuts wi steel heel and toe- plates,and studs...not Segs...studs!]. Aa was two ti three years aad,in 1946-7-8 ish,gaanin on four,before we shifted ti thi posh cooncil hooses wi inside netties and proppa baths,knaan as Hollymoont Square,in Bedlington.[the word "Estate" hadn't been coined ti designate thi post-war building program,they were knaan as "The new cooncil hooses" !] Thi forst time a went ti Beamish Museum,wi me Wife,forra day oot,as was chuffed ti see the different sizes of "Tackety Byeuts" hingin' up aback a thi coonta!!,in thi hardware shop,alang wi filler's and shifter's shuul's![a "shifter" was generally a stoneman doon thi pit..not necessarilly a caunch-man!]. Reet doon ti thi smaa size aa wudda worn,alang wi aal thi otha poor kids hoo didn't hae any shoes..! Us kids used ti play in the hooses owa from the picture-haal,next ti thi Tanky,when they were being pulled doon,after waatchin' Tarzan swingin aboot in thi jungle,avoiding spears being hoyed at 'im,and we used ti mek spears oot o' thi wood dowelling which was used for corner-beading on thi internal waals,in them days.[little things aalwis pleased little minds!] We hoyed them aroond at each utha,and a divvent knaa enybody ,yit, hoo ivvor got speared or hurt in eny way during wor tarzan antics....![H n S....? !]

Somehoo it posted twice...bloody talktalk router freezing and me having ti switch it off and back on again manually...so a deleted aal thi txt on the duplicate post,and it said "you must enter a post".....so this is it.....!!

Noo,Jim,aav mailed ye,Private Messaged ye,and nae reply....! Is talktalk being the aakward sods like they have done [deniably from thier end!],with me? Ever since I refused to go onto thier new fibre optic broadband tariff,my computer has slowed down immensely,and it happened just after I had two phone calls a fortnight apart,trying to persuade me change from the old tariff I have been on since they started! This,by the way,was a couple of years ago,nowt ti dae wi thi Cyber attack,and resulting phone calls we got. So Welshie,a can understand if ye are hevvin botha,aal just be patient.........and if ye divvent come back...aal put ya nyem in thi windae!

Heh heh! Margaret,I have found you! Margyjane,come in please!....you have a caller waiting!!!! P.S.check out Tonyp's gallery...re Frank and Peg Heron. Thanks Tony!..I got there and checked it out. The internet is great! I am finding old friends all over the place!

Margaret.....!!...Margaret.....!!!!!!!!....are you there!

Hi Tony,thanks for confirming my memory is still there! On my class photo,[when we were 6 yrs old],I am sure I have marked Margaret in correctly,she was such a bonny,unforgettable little lassie. I still haven't found out how to post a pic on here yet,when I do,I will post the class 2 pic of all 43 pupils ! Cheers Marra!

Foxy,thanks for posting Frankie,rare for him not to have seen the camera,and be waving like hell ti the cameram....er.....camera-person...[PC!!] Aav got vivid memories of him riding aroond the corner in Hollymoont Square,and up his garden path,on he's motor bike,Jacket flying open in the wind...as we aal did in them days...nae helmets...nae gloves...!![used ti dae a "Saint",after dismounting,straighten his jacket and swish back he's buttered hair!... ...lukkin' like he had just waaked yem from thi dance!] He was a great character,was canny young Frankie Heron.

Spot on Sym! The word was PRIDE! Pitmen's wives had it rough and tough,wi poss-tubs,seeking waata from thi tap at thi end of thi street,etc,boiling terry towelling nappies by the dozen, but they kept the house spick and span,wi cloods of smoke aal aroond from millions of smoky chimley-pots...[spell-ckecker disnae work on Wilma's posts!!..it crashes!!] A can mind a fella who aalwis went up thi street,wi his jacket sleeve smartly folded and tucked,and pinned up,and aa was just a bairn,but a can mind the fella,clear as day![it might not have been your Uncle,cos there were a few miners in my locality with one arm.] A fella who lived across from us at Hollymount Square,only had one arm,and he wore a hook attached to his bad arm stub-end. He had one of the best gardens in the square,he used to put the spade shank in the hook,and turn the spade with his good hand...THAT was spirit! Then old Bob Reed,he was the Co-op dairyman,he had his arm off at the shoulder and he drove his little store van aal owa Bedltn ,delivering milk,for donkey's years![he used to throw the old wooden crates with 20 bottles of milk in,like they were cardboard boxes!!...stacking them in the dairy,loading his van etc! Another neighbour on the corner of the square had a nasty accident at the Doctor pit,when his arm got pulled into the conveyor belt rollers,and literally pulled his arm out of its socket. It was amazing to see people like this recover and just get on with life......no phone calls to "No-win....no-fee"! There was also a fella,[an old coal-cutterman],who used to hobble up the street to the club,on old-fashioned heavy wooden crutches,with one leg. This sort of sight was common in those days,when the mining industry was still hand filling,cutting etc.

For all the fact that I was nearly top for English all the way through school from starting,and used to write ten-or-twelve page essays,[won a book prize for an essay when I was aboot 11yrs old],my sticky point was ,and still is,"Thiers",and "Teusday"!....and even writing it noo,aam wondering if they are right or wrong......even though I can spell Antidisestablishmentarianism....off the cuff,verbally at any given moment,and other long words similar to that...... ......such as the one Mr Davidson,my teacher at the Whitley School,learnt us....[don't ask me why!!]...... ......."Reichprotektorstellvertrettorschultzstaffeloburstgruppenfuhrer".....!!..... Five stars for the person who gives me the ONE-WORD answer!![HAS to be the word that Mr Davidson learnt us..he was our social studies teacher,as well as English,and art and crafts.....and......! [yep,they had to be multi-talented in those days!] Vic,ask the Boss if she can mind o' this one! How do I remember this trivial information?,from the age of aboot 11yrs old?....even beats me sumtimes,seeing as a canna mind what the weather was like yistidi,or what a did!

Tony,you got me thinking here noo! You mentioned Margaret,your Brother......Typo? A bonny young lassie called Margaret used to come to see Mr and Mrs Heron,and she started the Bedlington village infants school,[which is now dilapidated!..opposite St Cuthbert's Church..],the same time as when I did,and was in my class. This would have been 1949.,and her surname then was Thackeray....is She any relation,and if so,would you know if she is still alive? We all played together in our street,laddie's and lassie's!....skippy,bays,tennis,rounders,kicky-baal,cricket,[as we got older],cannon,tiggy-in-thi-bay.. ...hidey-seek....crusts -and-crumbs..... I was gonna post a press cutting from the "Leader",[from a few years back],of our School class 2 at the village infants,[aged 6 yrs old],but don't know how to!! [Margaret is on the pic..she was always a lovely natured lassie!]

Hi Tony! Frankie Heron,and he's Brother Jackie,lived with their Parents,directly opposite my Family home in Hollymount Square,in Bedlington,from the first dozen houses built not long after the war.[somewhere around 1947-8 ish] They were two big smart fella's,Frankie being the extrovert,always shouting over a loud hello to my family,out in the street,taking photo's of life in the street,all of the bairns playing,sitting us on the wall for group shots,etc. I have got Frankie to thank forever,for taking the only shot in existence of my little Spaniel/lakeland terrier dog,sitting on the wall, like an ornament,posing for him! I would have been roughly 12 yrs old,and my little dog got killed on the road beside the "store"..[Co-op],by a speeding opencast coal lorry,not long after the pic was taken. This would have been about 1956,when Bedlington suddenly went from being a quiet,traffic-free road,[the main street],to Tulip's coal lorries thundering down the street overladen with coal,speeding down Bedlington bank,spewing smoke-screens of exhaust fumes,on the way to Bebside Pit to be unloaded at the washery plant. Jackie was very reserved,but still very sociable,in a more quieter way. Old..[to us kids!] Mr and Mrs Heron,were a lovely couple,and Mrs Heron and My Mother were very close friends for years. Frankie had the nickname of "Spanky",at the Doctor Pit,probably cos when he went out,he always went dressed to the knocker,immaculate,his ginger top always vaselined doon!! When we talk aboot thi gud aad days,THEY WERE gud aad days,in a proper aad-fashioned pit community. Thinking back,a suppose everybody got dressed in "Sunday best",when they went anywhere special,cos most folks had nowt except work clothes, and "best" clothes.....nae big wardrobes full of designer-wear in them days! Sorry to hear of Frankie's passing ,Tony,thanks for the info. R.I.P. Frankie.

Hoo did that happen?..aam taakin dubble.......!

Aye,keefy,aa startid theor as weel,in 1949,but it had been modanised...oot went thi slate an' chaak,an' in cyem proppa pelcins..! Missus Oliver waas me heedmistress,a luvly aad lady,and Missus Smith waas me teacha,luvly an' aal. Life waas simpil in them days,wi larn't ti coont wi bonny-colaad roond carbord coonta's like big widdly-tinks..! Missus Smith used ti tek wi doon ti thi scyuul plaa-in field where thon vicar's hoose is,doon chorch-lane,and aa spent menny a happy oor cowpin me creels an plaain rowly-powly doon thi slowpy-bit ahint the graveyard waal..... Utha happy times waas plaa-in in thi aad wartime air-raid sheltaas in thi corna uv thi scyuul-yard!![waasint alloo'd mind,but wi wur just bairns!] Nivva did me nae harm,aa still groo up ti be an illtenigelt yung bugga,who knew nowt aboot futbaal,aa sporrt,but knew hoo ti calculate the resistance[R] of a theoretical circuit,given the potential [E] and the current ,using Ohm's Law,and understood the theory and practical applications of Magnetism,and Electronics,using Thermionic Valves,[before Transistors and Micro-chips were born!!] Winding coils of wire and building electric motors was aad hat n kids stuff when a waas 12 yeors aad! Aye,thi aad scyuul shudda been presarved,eevin if sum bugga had med a hoose oot o it,like yon chorch doon aside the Forresstaas pub doon Sleekborn...... Noo,if aa had been brainy,ind gud it sums,a might a been a brain sorjin,and bowt it mesel....but a went doon thi black hole.......!! Eggy,that's the stupidity of the "English" language,I does gaa before E,except in Keith,Leith , etc Noo in PROPPA langwidge,like Bedlt'ntonian,it meks nae diffrence,cos ivry bugga knaas wat ya taakin aboot ennyhoo,cos they aal taak thi syem......er......a mean,they USED TI TAAK AAL THI SYEM,afore aal thi posh fowks came in wi tha funny way o taakin......and noo we are aal dyin oot....!

Aye,keefy,aa startid theor as weel,in 1949,but it had been modanised...oot went thi slate an' chaak,an' in cyem proppa pelcins..! Missus Oliver waas me heedmistress,a luvly aad lady,and Missus Smith waas me teacha,luvly an' aal. Life waas simpil in them days,wi larn't ti coont wi bonny-colaad roond carbord coonta's like big widdly-tinks..! Missus Smith used ti tek wi doon ti thi scyuul plaa-in field where thon vicar's hoose is,doon chorch-lane,and aa spent menny a happy oor cowpin me creels an plaain rowly-powly doon thi slowpy-bit ahint the graveyard waal..... Utha happy times waas plaa-in in thi aad wartime air-raid sheltaas in thi corna uv thi scyuul-yard!![waasint alloo'd mind,but wi wur just bairns!] Nivva did me nae harm,aa still groo up ti be an illtenigelt yung bugga,who knew nowt aboot futbaal,aa sporrt,but knew hoo ti calculate the resistance[R] of a theoretical circuit,given the potential [E] and the current ,using Ohm's Law,and understood the theory and practical applications of Magnetism,and Electronics,using Thermionic Valves,[before Transistors and Micro-chips were born!!] Winding coils of wire and building electric motors was aad hat n kids stuff when a waas 12 yeors aad! Aye,thi aad scyuul shudda been presarved,eevin if sum bugga had med a hoose oot o it,like yon chorch doon aside the Forresstaas pub doon Sleekborn...... Noo,if aa had been brainy,ind gud it sums,a might a been a brain sorjin,and bowt it mesel....but a went doon thi black hole.......!! Eggy,that's the stupidity of the "English" language,I does gaa before E,except in Keith,Leith , etc Noo in PROPPA langwidge,like Bedlt'ntonian,it meks nae diffrence,cos ivry bugga knaas wat ya taakin aboot ennyhoo,cos they aal taak thi syem......er......a mean,they USED TI TAAK AAL THI SYEM,afore aal thi posh fowks came in wi tha funny way o taakin......and noo we are aal dyin oot....!

Scraany?..heh heh! Howw,AAV had a hard life ye knaa! Sorry Jim,desperately tried ti get back ti ye,didn't hae me computer on..this is me normal time for browsing,after aal me commitments have been met,and a wind doon for an hoor....usually aalwis efter midneet. Gaana bugger off noo and get ti me mailbox!!

Being a very unusual name,thought I would mention an old fella,who was a hauler-driver [steel-rope winch],underground,at Bates pit,called Matty Sawyer. He was the canniest bloke you would ever wish ti meet. That was in 1971 when I started Bates,after Bedlington A pit closed,and Matty seemed a good age then..with no disrespect intended. Mind,I was only 27 yrs old,and a pit Deputy in charge of Matty,as part of my district workforce,and at that age anyone over 40 was ancient to me.....queer how your perception of time and age changes as you get older. Wonder if "Matty", could have been a middle name,or even just a nickname,not forgetting the whole of the National Coal Board,including Mines Inspectors from London,who carried out official visits to every pit,by law,only knew ME , by "WILMA"!! The pay clerks knew my real name,they had to,to pay me,but they still called me Wilma,casually!! SO,Matty MAY have been a distant relation,[or even a close one who knows?] On the subject of names,another example was a lad who worked doon Choppington High Pit,and HE was called.."Bet",which,[i think],was an abbreviation of his real name.."Bethanie"..[his old Father also had the same name,and worked down there as well.]

Thanks Reedy,ye dinna knaa hoo happy ye med two aad codgers, by posting that pic of the Bower family! Bill.

Jim,Ruff it was,ya little Corgie....mine was Micky. Afore a gaan oot ,Jim,if ye browse aroond History Hollow,ye'll see Micky Potts[a think it was],who telt thi story aboot he's Jackdaa,when He was a kid,and aa related the story aboot hoo wor Jackie came to a sad end. See if ye can find it Jim,tha's sum great folks on here,aal wi interesting stories ti tell! As ye used ti say....."S' long"! Aal mail ye when a cum bak,but dinna fo'get ti check oot yor mailbox on this site,click on at thi top of thi page on the envelope icon,where it says.."messenger",if ye hover ya moose owa it. Bill.

Seriously,Jim,a had the greatest affection for aal yor family,and was deeply saddened to hear of the loss of your Mam,Dad,and Sister. A only found out when they were long passed away,and didn't get ti pay me last respects to each of them. Once we moved ti West Terrace at Stakeford,in 1970,you would think it was me who had moved ti the other side of the world.... Even noo,a only see me family noo and again in either hospital,or Doctor's surgery waiting rooms,that's the place to meet up wi aad friends also!....we're aal at that age!! A canna wait ti see Wor Youngun' mind,ti tell him a got a line aboot a millionairre! Aam looking forward ti many a gud crack Jim,ti catch up wi ye,but reet noo,Little Black Jess is biting me leg fo' waakies!! That reminds me,aal of a sudden...it's just hit me like a stone....!!...Jess![ is that name familiar wi YE, or aam a really gaan senile,and getting muxed ip?!!] Cheers Jim! Bill.

Heh heh,Jim! Sinatra will nivvor be dead will he! Pleased you ain't gone senile,mate,you had me worried for a second or two till you've confirmed we were both nuts when we were kids! Have yi not checked ya Private Messages Jim,we need ti exchang e-mail addresses -were public here,not that I bother about that,cos a want ti thi world ti knaa hoo great this site is for fetchin aad marra's tigitha! A couple of years back,a aad pit marra of mine,[whey he is a lot younger than me!],got in contact through me pit photo's on the Flickr Photo site. He came across me Bates Pit Pics,and commented on them...he lives in Perth,Western Australia!!!! Then Vic popped up on here,Jim,[Doreen's Vic!!].....in Canada!....Amazing! Check ya Mailbox Jim,and we'll hook up there! Cheers, Bill the transformer freak......[bet THAT ONE'S got ye thinking!!]

Aye ,webtrekker,them wor thi days eh?,gaan doon ti Barnt'n tip,howk on for aboot two hoors,ti bray the axles off an aad pram,tek the wheels and axles back owa yem ti Hollymoont Square,[a canny distance for a ten or elivin-ya-aad yungin ti hump owt like that for yon distance!!] Cadge a bit o' builder's baak ,a big bowlt from thi pit[cortisy o' wor aad chep!]....a few six-inch-nails bent owa the axles and brayed inti thi baak wi a pit hammer,thi bowlt went at the front axle baak,ti steer wi,a bit o' pit rope [wat horse reins were med on...hemp] tied ti thi front end ,and away yi went doon Bedltn main street at ninety mile an 'oor...wi ya "Bone-shaaka" ....[posh kids caaled thim "bogey's"]!! ......great fun......till ye smashed inti thi waal and cum a croppa!! [like aa did a few times....a was too much of a speed-haak!] Circa 1954-ish!....nae money....didn't need it....Barnt'n tip was thi local supplier fo' aal a laddie's needs!...Bullrushes,Rats,aad wirelisses ti pull apart and play wi thi bits ti mek summik else!,ponds,rafts,catapult -training at afore-mentioned rodents....very unsuccessfully...like....! Plus!....ye were guaranteed ti see sum o' ya marra's from sumwheor,doon theor,at any time of year...summa a winta! Keep at it trekker,it'll cum natchiril ti yi efta a while! Cheers!

..Er,webtrekker,it's not Geordie...it's Bedl'tntonian,or,[if you prefer..]...Northumbrian!! But wi aal still caal thi bugger Geordie anyhoo! If,like me,yi rite like yi taak,it's aal chinka plonka..just rolls off ya fingers insteed o' ya gob! Noo,ti get bak ti Forrester's,John spent a canny bit o' time wi me,tryin' ti find an odd-sized fridge-freezer ti replace me dinosaur yin,wat's aboot twenty yeors aad nearly......[a week or two back]. Aav had ti modify me kitchen unit ti tek a modern stanaad sized yin. So me Wife an' Me went owa thi day,whey,a shudda sed yistidi,cos a didint realise thi time and noo thi day is the morn from when a started ti comment aboot this bliddy freezer lark!! Anywheh,John and he's Lads were aal busy as hell,phones gaan aal owa,scadded cats,but John still fund time ti mek me and Cath feel like we were thi ownly customers they had. Thi new fr.freezer will be here this Set'di mornin'. Nowts a botha ti these lads....ye divvent get a friendly family atmosphere when ye gaan inti thi "big"[!] retailers,like yi dae off Forrester's! [Noo,John,a cheque 'll dae...aa dinna mind!] Heh heh!!