HIGH PIT WILMA

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!!

Aye,Welshie!,an' a think ya not as gud as me for reminiscin', marra,seeing as ye an me were thought by some folk up here,ti be Brothers!![in 1950's-60's] Just think back ti ya aad Rossetti "Lucky 7",[Green one,if a mind correctly,]and aa got the white one..[still got it],ye got the little 4 watt Vox amp,[valve-driven,and aa had an unbranded 8 watt amp.....way back in aboot 1959-60 ish..!! Happy days eh? Jimmy,me old boyo! A wud love ti hook up wi ye again,Jim,for aad times sakes, Me last post referred ti discussions we used ti have aboot where wa next bike-ride was gaana be!![we were only aboot 13 yrs aad and we rode to Rothbury,one day,and Alnwick on another day,when the old roads were aal twisty and humpy-backed.....bliddy hard work on old steel bikes with steel mudguards....dynamo,steel gears,nae carbon fibre or titanium in them days! Ye got yor blue racer brand new off Jimmy Milne,paid for wi ya paper-roond,and Wor Youngin' got the Raleigh Trent Tourist,[ Rolls-Royce of a bike!],off Jimmy Milne also,cos he was working doon thi pit,and had pocket-money. ME?....aa had ti gaan doon Barrington tip..[barnt'n tip..],and salvage bits of other aad bikes and cadge bits from me friends,ti build me own bike up..[.but a treasured it!!]....,cos aa was still at school,and didn't get any pocket money off naebody!!! [...play violins!.......sniff....sniff!] Jim,wat aboot Walker's apple-orchard,at the bottom of your garden?...soor as hell,but we raided them every year,alang wi Eric D. and he's Brother Alan. Eric was in your class at school,alang wi Tott,Paddy,Terry Brad,who sadly passed away while still a young lad at school..[R.I.P. Terry]. Did ye get me reply to ya P.M. Jim?..check ya mailbox. Noo aal this IS history,that naebody knew owt aboot,and through thi power of this great site,and a bit help from thi internet,my long-lost aad Marra from age 5yrs aad has just been re-connected with me! Jim,having been away for so long,a hope ye haven't lost ya Bedltn accent aaltigitha mind!! Look forward ti hearing from ye again Boyo! Bora Da! Bill.

Watcheor,Welshconnect!! ........."wat gear are ye on?............"Tranwell.."......"er...ner"...."Mitford"......."naa"....Cresswell then!"...."aareet!" Heh heh!!!!!

I knew we could rely on the old wise owl again for conker enlightenment!

Hi Torwood,aal try and find that pic,and post it if a can.Welcome by thi way!! Aa used ti gaan doon ti Cambo Ave.,ti seek me friend,Terry O' Neil,and as the years went by,Tom Richardson,whose Brother Jimmy,played bass-guitar in the "Night-hawks" group in the 60's. Jimmy was on the bins around Bedlington/Stakeford for donkey's years,a reet canny lad![wondered if ye knew them..]

Careful Ozzy!! ....ya not dealing wi Chip noo yi knaa! Ye'll get thi Ashaa's owa,nokkin on ya door! Nivvor mind,yi cud aalwis send thi buggaa's owa here,and aal yark thim wi me stick!

Lorna Naisby,[correct spelling],is my Brother-in-law's-Wife's-Cousin.

My eldest Son lives in North Finchley,in London. The first time my Wife and Me ["I"..!] visited him,we went for a walk through the local park. Aaa was amazed!!....conkers like tennis baals lying aal owa thi gruund,and the schyuulkids..[little apple-crunchers!],were just kicking them aal aboot..a nivvor IVVOR saa any kid pick any up ti play conkers....that was 26 years ago approx. Aa browt a greet big carrier bag full,back yem,and gie aal thi kids in wor pit raas,a few each. AA was a local hero ti thi kids!!...nae brokken windaes,nae impitince,just aal gud friends![whey it WAS a pit community..wi aal knew each other and worked doon thi pit tigitha...! ....not thi kids like!] These kids had nivvor seen conkers as big,and every year they used ti ask if a was gaan doon ti London ti see wor Dazza! We pitmen doon the three-quarta drift,at Bates pit,used a product caaled "Selfix", in conjunction wi wood dowels,[bIG ones!.....nine feet lang!], ti help control the badly-broken roof strata.. Selfix was like big sausages,aboot a foot lang,and an inch-and - a - half thick,and consisted of a flexible paste resin-filler with a catalytic hardener stripe along the length of the "sausage" skin. When you mixed the two together by inserting the sausages into a drill-hole in the roof,and "drilling " a wood dowel in,using a big hand-held "bulls-head" driller,the Selfix used to harden in seconds,binding the broken roof,and helping to control it. So whaat's this got ti dae wi conkers? One day,when a had fetched a saasage yem,ti fix thi holes in me exaaast pipe,on me aad car,me aadest Son,[then aged aboot 11yrs],cut a conker in haaf,emptied it oot,filled it wi Selfix paste,[ similar ti plastic padding type o stuff],and clagged thi two haafs tigitha again,wi thi string in place.!! NOBODY could beat THIS conker......until...one day....the shell eventually shattered!! ...Whey,thi Selfix was White,sumtimes,other times it was Grey,but nae way did it luk like thi proper colour of wat thi inside SHUD have lukked like!! It was fun while it lasted![thi sort of trick aad Sym wud hae done....a imagine!!.....are yi in there Sym?!!]

.....1962.....courting....kiss me lass gudneet!...10-20pm Raisbecks ....last bus at Grange Park...[ti tek me ti thi Market Place!]....Aaaahhh happy days they were!! Mind,a used ti get it at odd times...[and a mean very rarely....in pouring rain usually],ti Westridge School,a bet when yon schyuul was started,it was a boom time for Raisbecks! Can anybody mind of the queer throb of the aad grey Diesel coach? Aa was ownly aboot 13 or 14 first time a got on that bus,and wi me being a highly intelligent laddie for me age............................................ ......a cudn't help but wonder hoo thi engine produced the intermittent beat that it had..as if it was ganna staal,then picked up at thi last minute..but kept daeing that aal thi time it was ticking owa,while ye were waiting ti get on the bus. A nivvor hord any other engine on any buses that was like that......noo aam aa a queer bugga for noticing summik as trivial as Joe Raisbecks tickowa?!! Nivvor knew Nellie!

Heh heh! .....search box....!....my little bit of lead balloon Sym!! Noo dinna tell me ye went aal thi way wi Fanta.....................!!!!!!!! Noo!....just think when ye start croaking,and ye hae ti be weshed ivery day by some kind,innocent little nurse............!! My memory at 14 yrs old,was,that it wasn't painful,just a mild stinging,loads of blood running doon me arm mind,whey it wud,at 14yrs aad wudn't it....fresh as a linty!

Pil,your philosophy is spot-on....I have said that for years about things like marketing strategies etc.......ask for more-settle for a little less - everybody's happy.....but you are the winner! That's what haggling is all about!....[isn't it?]

Well,my opinion isn't worth a chut,not being politically motivated,but,having worked with,and once paid,Ronnie Cambell,when I was a young pit Deputy,in the early 1970's,and knowing him to be gud union man,and a gud honest worker,I said to my Wife,26 years ago,when he was elected Blyth MP,that we COULD see Ronnie as a future Prime Minister,[before Ian Lavery came alang,],and my Wife,AND my Marra's at the pit,at Bates,aal ridiculed me,right owa the years.... He's daeing weel up ti noo,but those who read papers,which are trash reporting,and don't really knaa the man,are totally mis-guided!! A canna speak for Lavery,cos a divvent really knaa him,only a passing word or two between us owa the years. Time will tell!! A bet Tony Blair's marra's,at work,and he's band-mates,nivvor thowt HE wud get anywhere!! A funny aad world we live in! As for slang reporting....."let he who is without sin throw ......etc!!" Naebody's perfect!

....................search................search.........!!!!!.......where are you?????????????????????/!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The laddies must be using the beauty shops.....cos every lassie AA see, is covered in bloody ugly macho tattoos!!!!! Mind,aam nae bugga ti taak,cos aa hae a tattoo on each fore-arm and a swallow on each wrist...! BUT.....in 1958,when aa was 14 yrs aad,and had nae money whatsoever,[cos no pocket-money for us],me owlda Brother,who was working at the Aad pit,at Bedlington Station,and is 3 yrs owlda than me,tuk me doon ti blyth on shanksy's,and paid for me tattoos,put on by Charlie Dick,opposite the shipyard. Nae infection control,except a quick wipe wi an alcohol-soaked rag,used on ivry buggaa's bodies,mostly sailors and soldiers,in them days. A vividly remember a soldier and he's marra's,in uniform,being tattoo'ed,on he's arm,smoking a tab,sweating like a pig,swearing,drunk as a newt,and he's mates encouraging him to stand the pain,patting him on the back wi remarks like..."ya deaing weel man,ya still alive...." Me and me Brother stood watching this spectacle,both of us thinking....HE'S gaana be a lot o' gud in front o' the enemy if he's gaana pass oot owa this!! He had ti get up and gaan ootside to throw up halfway through the session,while he's marra's laughed their heads off!!...So!...aa sat doon.... Charlie Dick asked me if had consent off me parents ,to which me Brother nodded,so Charlie took aboot five minutes ti put me first tattoo on. Typical entwined hearts and sword with scrolled "True love...Mum...Dad.." Me arm was twice it's normal size with the red line running up by the next day,doctor came,blood poison,gave me a gud taakin ti,...off school for a week...Danny Douglas gave me grief for not tekkin part in P.E. cos a was bandaged up. Lost part of the tattoo wi the infection. Charlie Dick said "...unusual....a hair must have gone in wi thi needle....." !! Lucky a didn't catch AIDS or some otha STD through transmission of other peoples ' body fluids on the needles! Looking back,it was unbelievable how tattooer's got away with the set-up! A few pots of coloured inks,standing uncovered for hours,thick needles,standing in a jar of alcohol,a few cotton wool swabs,wiping the blood away every few seconds,when it obscured the artwork,same swab every time till it was soaked and had to be slung! Everybody,including Charlie,smoking inside the small cramped shop...as they did at one time! Happy days eh? This was just ti start a new "craze" amang the kids!![..mind,WE were the ONLY kids that did this,ivry bugga else had mair brains!],and each time we went doon ti get another one on,it was aalwis full of navy/army personnel!

Tony!......maybe a bit late in coming back to you,but you seem to have missed the boat!...[unless you were born AFTER it sunk in 1984!] When thatcher-thi-hatchet-er crucified the Miners,in 1984,[the enemy within....],she [it] remarked to her hitman mcgregor privately,that .....

"Time waits for no-one!" .......Maggie,it's a lovely ballad by the Rolling Stones!!

Heh heh!! 1959,1963,1966,reminds me when all the buses were laid off at times,and me and my marra,s WALKED....NO!....TRUDGED......four miles across the thick snow covered fields,from Bedlington ti Choppington High Pit,worked shifts underground,soaked to the skin all shift,freezing caad stannin at thi shaft-bottom waitin for thi cage ti bank,at lowse,bathed,dressed,and trudged fower miles back yem,ready for wa dinner......syem agyen thi next day, for days on end!!! A knaa!! ....cue the violins and hankies!!,but true,noo can yi imagine ANY kids,[or even some adults!] willing ti dae that ti put bread on thi tyeble? My philosophy is....."God gie ye waataproof skin man,wat are ye complaining aboot?.....ye drrry oot thi syem way ye got wet.......tha's people owa thi otha side of thi world in war zones,tsunami's,hurricane's ,desert conditions........THEY have got the problems man,nae roofs owa tha heeds...nae food for tha kids......."....some people find my philosophy irritating,and have replied selfishly that that doesn't help them at aal....!! Whey it certainly keeps MY head on an even keel. I was dying 2 years ago,one phone call,ten minutes later I was hooked up to oxygen,cardiograph,blood monitoring,etc,by the ANGELS on the road wi green claas on,and blue leets! Let the -20 C come!! Aal still be oot wi me LBJ..[Little Black Jess!],dress for it,and it's nae different ti PLUS 20 C !! Heh heh....end of one of Wilma's rare rants!!

Thanks Millbank! You got me working things oot here,cos I knew every family in the 66 houses in Hollymount Square,when I was a bairn. I was living there when the site of number 43 Hollymount was still a row of ancient pit raas for the Doctor Pit men. I was 11,going on 12 yrs old,when the Chiver's moved in,[one of the big lads by then!] Brian was 5yrs old,and a bairn!........5yrs later I was 15 yrs old and working underground,doon the pit,amang men,learning a man's job! It figures that my friends and I who were all the same age group would be roaming fields and woods and Barn'ton tip etc,when Brian moved there. I have no recollection of The Chiver's family living at that side,only next ti the cut ti Cornwall Crescent,and Beattie/Haig roads. Was it a member of the same family who lived in 43,or was it THE actual family who might have moved across the Square,as some others used ti swap in them days. As I got older,there were a lot of changes,but I lost track,cos I spent a lot of time with my lass at her house,who has been my Wife for 48 years noo! As a kid,I spent a lot of time in Millbank,playing wi me friends Alan Wilkinson,and Ronnie Leyland,and my older Sister used ti take me with her ti see her friend [when I about 5 yrs old] who was Millie Madison. We all went ti thi Whitley School.

Pil,the sprightly old Lady I mentioned above,is Christopher's Mother,and they the closest Mother and Son I think I have ever encountered! Chris is a Lecturer at Newcastle University,and teaches teacher's. He has degrees in music theory,plays piano as good if not better than anyone you are likely to hear these days..classical and every other type of music also! Altogether a really smashing bloke.