Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

Turks Head Inn photo and info from David Bailey - Bygone Bedlington group :- 'My grandma always thought it was John James Snr stood in front of the Turks Head with his daughter Mary Jane but zooming in (as we can these days!) it doesn’t look like him. I’m thinking it’s Robert Metcalf (the landlord prior to him). I think I can just make out the name above the door too.'

Names updated.

Photo from Dave Jones - Bedlington Remembered. Names from ex BGS pupils.

A few christian names from Bygone Bedlington Facebook member Allan Kidd (Bedlington lad living in Canada). 

A photo from 2018 that @James posted and I shared on the Bygone Bedlington group and Esme Dent answered my query about wnich end of the row No 1 was at. 

Back in 1960 Ken Russell made a remarkable film about mining in Northumberland called The Bedlington Miners' Picnic. John Gibson was a Bedlington miner in the 1960's working down the pit and making a decent living. He was also the real life star of a Ken Russell documentary film - The Bedlington Miners' Picnic in 1960. One of the photos taken was of John Gibson, of Bedlington, going work, at Pegswood Colliery, on his bike along Shiney Row.

With one photo Ken Russell posted he added some info saying the miner was - 'on his way back home from his shift' but my view is that the miner is cycling out of Shiney Row, onto the main raid, to make his way to Pegswood Colliery. 

This is the photo, with the Dr Pit in the background, with some of the info that went with the photo :- 

1968 Diball Cup winners - photo from John Krzyzanowski - Bygone Bedlington group.

The photo was originally posted, outside the album, by @Ernie Rowe. Ernie did give a list of names but the teachers name and one of the boys names was missing from the list for back row so I could not add all the names he listed.

The Bygone Bedlington group members have matched three of the names from Ernie's list leaving the teacher plus one boys name unknown and these three boys names left to add :-  Jimmy Wallace, Dougie Horn, Ernie Row.  

Photo from Jess Armitage via John Fox on the Bygone Bedlington group. Barbara Hutchinson posted the same photo and her mam - No 27, had written a list of names on her copy of the photo. That list of names added to this photo.

No 16 - Carol - has supplied a couple of names. 

Names updated

Photo from Marjorie Glass (nee Beldon). Names from members of various Facebook groups. 

Easter 2021 - face mask still hanging - pictue of an easter egg 'secured' to front leg. 

Photo from Mary Wade's book - To The Miner Born. 

Comments from the Bygone Bedlington group :- 

The photo is also in Evan Martin's book - The People's History Bedlingtonshire Remembered with some names but none of the names are matched up with a pupil. The list of names = Back & Middle Row includes Elsie McAuley, Edna Barnes, Bob Morris, Lily Swann, Edna Richardson, Beatrice Eddy, Phyllis Willis, Bella Docherty, Frances Bohills, Violet Martin. Front Row includes - Margaret & Elsie Brown, John Hobson, Mary Bohills and Snowdon Orange. 

4 hours ago, James said:

In one of the photographs in her book she tells us her maiden name is Mary Bohills.

Cheers @James - I flicked through and now I see her, with name, in the Salvation Army outfit.

Silly me - in the book - To The Miner Born -  it has 'To my late husband Charles' so I'm guessing Wade was her married name. I can't find a mention of Mary's maiden name.  

This photo is in the book - 'TO THE MINER BORN' , by Mary Wade, and has the comment - ' Standard 7 - with Mr Grey left and Mr Thompson right, 1930. I am second row from back, third from right.

@James - posted the photo on the Bygone Bedlington group to see if anyone recognised the two men but nothing so far but there were some interesting comments from Tom Eltis :- 

3 hours ago, Canny lass said:

I've always wondered how it got its name! Now I know! Would Doctor terrace have the same origins?

I have always assumed that the terrace name had the same origins but I have never come across anything written to confirm that.  These three pages - 17,18, & 20, (page 19 has photos of Front Street East) from Evan Martin's booklet, have info on the pit rows :-    

Just now, James said:

Martin Henderson was a deputy at the Doctor Pit but I'm sure he was still working in the 1960's. His brother George worked at the Aad Pit.

My uncle Martin, born 1921, was a deputy in the 1960's. Can't remember him working anywhere else after the Dr Pit closed. Spent all his time, when he became chairman, at the Market Place club. 

Couldn't remember what pit uncle George started at - I always remember him from Cambois and finally Bates.

Uncle Luke was at the Dr Pit but I always remember him as 'retired hurt'. My mam used to say his chest scars were like a map of England. He took some detonators off a group of kids that had somehow found them in the pit yard. Unfortunately they went off whilst he was returning them to their rightful place. 

Can't remember what pit my my uncle Bob started at, just know he ended up at Choppington but he used to live at Cornwell Crescent when first married.

The only Henderson uncle not to go into the pits was Brian - joined the Royal Navy. Me mam wouldn't let me dad (from Scotland) or any of her three sons start work at the pit. I went behind her back and applied for an electrical apprenticeship at the 'A' pit but got a job at Blyth shipyard, 1965, before an apprenticeship was available at the pit.

@James - cheers James. I couldn't recall having seen them before - on the Bygone Bedlington Facebook group or on here - so I was just curious as Wm ward didn't get a mention on this one. I check out the Dr pit photos as my granda, Martin Henderson (retired in the late 1950's), and a couple of my uncles worked there.   

@James - are you related to anyone in the photo or are these extracts from a book you have on the local area?

@HIGH PIT WILMA - over to you😊

@James- info added to your photo.