HIGH PIT WILMA

Beware when walking down or up, the " Black Path",which leads from the car park at the bottom of the Furnace Bank,up to the Beattie Road,Hollymount Terrace area. It is being frequented by the same idiotic set of Wimpy Snowflake "Off Road" bikers,who have no consideration at all for the environment,nor the wildlife,nor those of us who just want a nice quiet walk up through the woods to excercise,and to watch for wildlife. They have removed the Baffles from the exhausts of their bikes,to sound "cool",and they can be heard from over a mile away,as the noise echoes through the wooded valley. The "Amusing" part is,the bikes are TWO-STROKE machines,which depend upon the back -pressure of the Exhaust system,to ensure smooth and efficient operation,and the removal of the baffles is the reason why they are riding by, constantly revving a dying engine as they slow down to get past..ironically,they seem to be polite as they go past and give a nod to us for going out of our way onto the grassy bank,to allow them to pass! I am not a killjoy,and enjoy riding my bike,when the time comes that I might be allowed to get out again,but these kids,are blatantly breaking every motoring and lockdown law in the book...No number plates,no tax,probably no Insurance or Mot,excessive noise,and smoke pollution,riding on prohibited pedestrian walkways, a danger to the public,riding a motorcucle "Two-up",where there is no provision for a pillion passenger..[pillion riding with both legs splayed out...no footrests]..etc etc! I have made my mind up that if I witness one go out of control and end up in the river,I will carry on walking with my terrified Wife,who has been so scared of these people running into her Mobility scooter,that she doesn't want to go back..but I am adamant that we have the right to be there,THEY DON'T!. The Police force are stretched now,so it isn't going to prevent these people ,cos they know they can get away with it. So,all I am saying is,watch how you go if you decide to take excercise down there!!

AND IT HAS!..THIS IS JUST THE START!! A friend of mine saw aboot 6000 people waakin alang the sea front between Whitley Bay and Tynemooth on Sunday..nae social distancing..lots of groups of young'uns of between six ti twenty in number. They are literally killing people as if they put a gun or knife to the innocent folks who are obeying the law. Folk are calling the Govt,aam not politically motivated at aal but it's common sense..it's NOT the Govt,it is the rebels and the ignorant among us,if there was a deep pit in the pavement,and ye said ti them divvent step inti that hole,wad they disobey and faal inti the hole.? Rant owa!! [but Justified aa think!] Apart from aal that,a hope we aal have a better year than we had last yeor!!

Alan,wi reference to ya top ten,can wi mek it top twenty?...heres numba elivin... [11] "I WANT TO BREAK FREE" [Freddie Mercury] [ 12 ] " ALL ALONE AM I.." [Brenda Lee ] [ 13 ] " YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE" [ ...NEED A SAY?!!] [ 14 ] " TURNING BACK..THE HANDS OF TIME.." [ NEIL SEDAKA ] [ 15 ] "PLEASE STAY " [ DUFFY ] ..........and thinking...!!

Aal thi Best Alan,and to all our good friends on here! Noo that wa gettn a wee bit o Canny Lass,and Vic n Dot weather,a think aal keep me fleece on....mind it's ownly at thi back and sides,and a bit o Mr Charlton on the top! Thi Warfarin meks me freezing caad, so me aad fashind trapper hat wi furry insides and lug flaps is a godsend!![luks bliddy glaaky but who cares?!!]

Hi Folks! A went ti Todd,s Barbers at the top-end just afore Christmas,and Leanne wasn't there...blinds pulled doon,she shudda been oppen..hope she is aalreet and and not doon wi any bugs... Aal thi best folks! Hope we have a better year in 2021!

On reflection, maybe I read the OP wrong, he is referring to a house which used to be a shop.. Apologies for misinformation.

A bit late as usual, but I think the shop referrred to, is the Deli, which was Dave the Butchers, from as far back as 1970,which was the year I moved into West Terrace, a few yards away. Dave spent every minute of his free time, including his Wednesday afternoons off, building up the upper floor above the shop, converting it into a bigger flat with front and rear huge dormer windows. He then built up the garage and shop rear extension, over a couple of years or more. He told me he was saving around £9,000 by doing the work himself. He did all the loft conversion to building standards, and the Building Inspectors never had cause to instruct any remedial or retro alterations, they were satisfied at every stage. Dave lost his Wife Sylvia after a long period of illness, some time ago. Hope I am not too late to have been of any help.

Too true Alan!That's the way it was before PC came alang...a got clipped and belted any amoont o times,AND caned at schyuul,for piddly little things like stepping on the Schyuul grass in winter ,when it was oot o boonds,ti get wa baal...a dinna think one foot on the edge of the grass was gaana destroy the field..ye canna kill the sod off wi weedkiller nivvor mind puttin one foot on the bugga!!...naa...it was wa perverted Paedo Heedmaster hoo used ti not just cane ye,but actually terrorised ye for ten minutes before actually thrashing ya fingers wi he's cane.Aye...THAT was another Loathe!! ...a bit late..pity wi didnae hae this site in them days eh?!! Did ye see thi news thi neet?...doon Northumberland Street at thi toon?...it was heaving!! ..just wait....the Spike will come!! Cheers Alan!

Er!!,Alan,a was referring ti Abdul...! A didn't realise a was on the wrang page! ..guess a lost aal me points wat a hevnt won yit...plus me street cred!!

Ha Ha ! Nice ones, but Alan......[ a went ouch!!...gettn neaar...!!] Aam a bit late as usual ,folks,and a canna guarantee aal be here on Teeuusssdi.....[ Grommit!]...so here is my tuppenceworth...aa been seriously thinking,and looking aroond ivrywheor a gaan and a got ti thinking...for their trade to be recognised ...Bank Robbers wud hae ti gaan inti thi Bank wi NAE Masks on........! [Whey AAA thowt it was funny!!..and so did wor lass!!] HEH HEH!! CHEERS FOLKS!!

Alan,after signing off,a just caught the post above with Eddie Oliver's Photo. A first met Eddie in 1971 when a went on to Deputy -Work at Bates. Eddie was part of a face team on 84's Coalface at the Beaumont Seam. From day one,we got on weel with one another,considering that I was posted on the Face just as the Overtime Ban was coming into force prior to the 1972 Miner's Strike..and a lot of the men had their hooks into the Deputies. When the face teams became awkward to work with,and kept stopping coalwork deliberately,to strengthen the point that they could win the strike,Eddie was one of only a few who remained really pleasant to work with . As time went by,and I went back onto the N.U.M.,Eddie went onto Deputy Work,then HE was in charge of me sometimes..a complete role-reversal!! I cannot find a single wrong word to say about Eddie, a lovely Smiley,gud-natured fella,and I will say this to Bethany ,you were blessed to have had such a lovely Grandad. He was a pleasure to work with. R.I.P. Eddie Oliver. Bill.

Hi Alan,aav seen this photo,a knaa a few of the lads faces,but just canna bring tha nyems ti mind!!...it's frustrating...aad age!! Thanks for notifying me Al. Hope ye are keeping aalreet! Cheers! Bill.

Loathe..all these idiots who are having mass gatherings,and risking the lives of our front line workers in the NHS,and our Police Forces,and who deliberately break the lockdown rules....cos they must think it's "Cool"..

Hi Dinah,welcome to the forum! There was a Coach Company called "Jordan's Luxury Coaches",based in Bedlington,from before I was born,I think,and that was in the mid 1940's,it's a starting point,cos I imagine the Owners would have had to be born in the 1920's at least,so their Parents would be born ,in the late 1800's to early 1900's...surely!! A long shot,but who knows?.. There were a Family of Dawson's who lived at Choppington,in the Bedlingtonshire Area,and who all worked at Choppington "B" Colliery ..[commonly known as "The High Pit"...as opposed to the "Low Pit"..which was Choppington "A" Colliery]. I worked with them from 1959-1965,and later,at other Pits. John Dawson ,who is a member of this forum,is also a Bedlington Historian,and he may be able to help in your search. Best of Luck! Cheers ! Bill. [aka HPW]

If anybody wud care ti gaan onti Facebook,and search for "Orli Summers",She is a very close friend and Nybor of my Son's,in London,and who is Nurse in a Care Home,whey she was,until she caught this terrible Virus IN the Home,where She worked,on the front line,and who has kept a Poetic daily Journal of Her experience of living with Long Covid 19. Her daily poems are both Heartbreaking,AND,Uplifting,as she battles the up's and down's of the disease. Believe me,she was thrilled to bits,when I made a funny comment,about her name,and explained that ,in Geordie twang,it meant "Early Summer"...cos she is originally from Israel..[or from Israely Parents]..She picks up bits and pieces of Geordie Twang from Wor Daz,so my comment brightened her day! Maggie,and Canny Lass,especially,would fully relate to her daily writings,which are absoloutely magnificent,seeing that they come from someone who is living on the edge,and has been for 165 [or more ] days,with this illness,some near to death,and some in respite,not knowing how long it is going to go on,and what the outcome will be. After watching this morning's Remembrance Service, and seeing how the impact of Coronavirus 19 has affected even our respect to the Fallen Victims of Wars throughout the World,surely no sane person can seriously believe that this is all just a hoax...Conspiracy Theorists certainly do think that!!..[this is of course ,without even counting in,the Worldwide Casualties and Fatalities which are a result of the Pandemic.]

Welcome back lads,[Den n Jo!],seein' as aam a teetotaller,it meks nae diffrince ti me..as lang as a can get me Milk fo' me porridge,and me Toastie loafs,an' of corse,me tetties,baigie,cabbage ,carrots,an' dry peas,fo' wa dinna...wa aalreet,wi'll not starve!![er,n me Yorksha's as weel..like..man..!!] Unfortunately,aam afraid that the mad scenes we've seen where croods of yungin's are delibritly brekkin thi rules,yung lassies ignorantly and shamelessly hoying thasell's in front of the camera's,thinkin tha cool,when in actual fact they luk like pure sluts,and therefore shud aal be put doon,cos sure as god med little apples,sooner or later,SUMBODY,oot o' croods like that,are gaana be responsible for the death ..s of some poor innocent souls who they cum inti contact wi,by spreading the Virus,through a lack of consideration for fellow Mankind. Sorry...Rant owa! ....a got carried away and spoke me mind,which,as an aad Pitman,a elvviss hae dun aal me adult life. Again,unfortunately,[for me i.e.!],speakin' ya mind sumtimes gets ye inti trubble...!! Noo where were we?!! The reason a get het-up,is cos thas that menny keep sayin this is aal a hoax,and that this Virus doesn't exist,when one of my best loved Friend's and Nybors ,of nearly 50 yeors,caught the Virus while in Hospital earlier this yeor,was given the all clear,returned to the Care Home where she lived,caught the Virus in the Care Home [ this was the Second Attack mind!],was re-admitted to Hospital..and very sadly passed away. Another Friend's Husband caught the Virus in Hospital, was sent home "Clear",still had it silently,passed it on to His Wife,who caught ill with the Virus,and within two weeks,also passed away,leaving her Husband,who has since recovered.Life will not be the same for him now. What will the Families of those who have fallen victim to this invisible enemy,think,and feel,when they see scenes of Breaches of the Law like they have shown on the News.? Being a Musician,a can aalwis think of a song to fit an occasion....."When will it ever end?....When will it evvvver ..[accent!]...end?"!![from the 1960's]

Bobby Pattinson,famous Geordie Comedian...." Big Geordie waaks inti thi Lifeboat Stayshun at Tynemooth...he says ...Hae yi got eny jobs Mista..?...Fella says ti him ....Hoo taal are yi?...Geordie says ..Aam six foot twelve ....Fella says ...Can ye swim?..he says ner,but a can plodge a lang way oot"!! Priceless!! His DVD Performance is worth every penny ti a Geordie Twang lover!!

..an aftathowt...me Son went ti live an' wark in London 30 yeors ago,so he had ti larn ti taak glaaky doon theor ,so thi buggaas wud unnerstand 'im. Noo ,as yeors went by,he had an Album ti record an' Engineer,owa in Denmark,by a Band caaled "EFTACLANG"..they were a top Band at thi time,like the Beatles war heor,mevvis not exactly thi syem,but enywheh,he was suprised by thi amoont of words n' phrases they hae owa theor,wat are like wors.."Gaan Yem"...etc...[suppose them buggaas browt thi twang owa heor in thi forst place eh?!!]...a knew Kirk was aad ,but a didn't think ee wuz that aad...!!Heh heh! Thi forst time he foened back yem,efta he had been in Londin for a while,he was taakin' aal bay windae,[a bit like wor Big Jack...R,I,P, Jack.]...but mekkin' a hint-end o' hesel' ivry utha worrd!!...[like them buggaas ye see on thi telly in thi Soaps,wat wor lass waatchis...thi sing wen tha taakin']..if us buggaas taaked like that doon thi big black hole,we'd be crucified by thi wit of the ones who were a wee bit "Intoxicated by the Exuberance of their own Verbosity...!"...[so ti speek!]..heh heh!!

Waatcheor Bonny Lad,[JoJo],aal slap ya chops if a heor ye caal wor twang ..."Silly Daft Twang"! Ye waana mind o' thi fact that if it waasn't fo' Pitmen,gett'n Coal oot fo' Industry at thi start of thi Idustreeal Revolushin, ye wadn't be clartin on heor wi ya fancy bliddy new-fangled thingy's..!! Is aal them fowks doon thonder posha thin wat we are heor like?...it's US that taak proppa man,aal them foriners frae owa thi waata taak a bit glaaky.! Noo,Jo-jo,a expect, wi YOR browtin's -up,that ye'll knaa when wi say Foriners,wa not been Raysshhill or owt stupit,wi mean any bugga from owa the waata...meanin' the Tyne!! Did ye knaa thi Smith family,or the Bell's hoo had thi Ranch,owa aside thi Lonnen? ..when thi pulled thi pit hooses doon,in thi late 1940's,a lot o' Netherton fowks moovd doon ti Hollymoont Squaor aside my Fowks,so a knew a lot of thim,a med new mates,canny fowks they were,a ended up menny yeors lator,worrkin doon thi pit alang wi sum o' thim as Marra's.[Jimmy Burke and Stan Taylor cum ti mind stryght awa...] Them wa thi days wen wi had clarty back streets,like at Choppintin,wi play'd aside thi Barnt'n Born,whoer it was aal slecky. Ootside Netties,nae posh lavvy papor in them days,an' yi had callises on ya hint-end...!!..wi'll keep thi entortaunmint leet eh?!! A hevn't been redd aroond lang, and aav just gett'n the tcheble cleored n thi dishis aal weshed...[nen brokken thi neet! ....buggad-up hands are nae gud for weshin' dishes wi!!] It's great ti see ye on the forum Jo Jo,hope wi heor a lot mair frae yi.. an a just waant fowks ti knaa a hevn't desartid wa great site heor,its' just that aav hooked up wi a few lang-lost Marra's from thi '60s ...an' otha kind fowks,it's hard ti split me time up,an' a get carried awa once a start.....![....eh?...they say...nivvor in thi world....wi nivvor knew...!!] Aal thi best ti aal me Marra's on heor!!

Hi Alan,I would hate to be seen as nitpicking,but only for correctness,there were a lot of years when the "DHSS" was called the "Department of HEALTH and Social Security",did the logo " DSS" not come about in the latter few years?...I still refer to them yet ,in conversation,as the DHSS...canna mind when the change came,but me being a hoarder,I could sift through my DHSS records back to God knaas when!!..probably the 1970's at the very least!!...wor lass pulls her hair oot cos aal thraa nowt away..!! Sorry a canna contribute ti thi topic in question,me being a proppa Bedltntonian....from up in the posh end o' toon...near the Vicarage!.. Hi ti everybody who aav missed having a gud crack wi!! Heavy gaanin at yem,canna cum on as often,will get better in time hopefully,Wor Lass recovering from an operation!

Hi Odin,welcome to the forum! I lived in Hollymount Square in Bedlington,from 1947,from it being only partly completed. When Netherton Colliery Houses were being demolished,around 1948-ish..they moved the Netherton Village folks down into the Square,and Mr and Mrs Carr were our next door neighbours for many years. Mr Carr's name was George,and I cannot remember Mrs Carr's name was.They had a Daughter called Joyce,whose Husband worked at Woolsington Airport,[as it was known,he was an aircraft fitter..so this might be of some assistance to you if you were to trace the Airport staff in the years during and after the war..]. There are a few Carr's knocking around,I worked with a different George Carr when I was only 17 yrs old,at Choppington High Pit,around 1961-5. George was a colliery fitter ,and I was a heavy transport lad . My Niece is Married to another of the Carr family..I tell you,there are a few Carr families..! Hope I have been of some help,even if this is of no connection to your family...at least you can eliminate! Best of luck Odin! Cheers, Bill.

Thanks Eddy,for confirming my memoirs of the High Pit,John Dickinson and John Wardlow were the two I started working with on Transport,and when they both went for face-training down the new Top Busty Drift, Old Ned Cushing came to me and said aam getting ye a new Marra,Wilma,and he seems a reet canny young lad,and a think ye two will get alang great..... So on the Monday Morning ,ye came in wi aad Ned,and mind,wi DID get on great!! Sorry,Alan,drifting again,but aal see if a can post this picture of an article which was common ti every miner,in the country...in latter years! Eddy,can ye mind your number of your Baths Locker key,at the High Pit? ...mine was 294.[was yours 239?...where have a got that from?!!] Mind,this was my last Pit Baths Locker key from Ashington Pit which closed in 1987..and aa was med redundant.[A stll have it for posterity!]

Hi Folks! Dozens of these families were moved to Hollymount Square from 1947 -on as the Square was being built in phases,over a few years..the council budget must have been really low after the War! My oldest Sister married into the Bell's,and ran the Ranch up Netherton Lonnen,with Raymond,My older Brother married into the Smith family,nearly all of my playmates were from Netherton Pit Village,as were a lots of my Schoolfriends also. Jacky Black was my Parents' neighbour down at the bungalows where the post-war Pre-Fabs used ti stand...next to the 20 Acres at Millfield. Seeing this list of names brought a lot of memories flooding back from my youth! Thanks for posting it Alan,hope everybody is keeping ok!

[ Aam showing off noo!...aav fund oot hoo ti post pictures and advorts n things!!]

LITTLE IMPS,MADE IN BELGIUM..TRUE FLEMISH FLAVOUR! SO IT SAYS ON THE BLURB!!