Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

@Jammy - I only have a very vague recollection of Dene House etc - I think my memory has locked stuff away that will only pop out every couple of years . I was born 1948 and played down the woods mid 50's to early 60's. My memories of the Furnace Bank area was mainly the Free woods where the Bandstand was and that's where we used to try an build a dam across the river so the river was deep enough for us to jump into the river off an area on the Hapenny side where there was a stone platform. Photos of the area that are all said to be in the 1950's

Welcome to the group @Ian Rowe. Have you seen the Bedlington Mechanics Album in the Gallery? It is under Gallery>Sports>Bedlington Mechanics

Jammy - this photo and info was posted on the Bygone Bedlington Facebook group by Ann Doyle - 1st June 2014.

Don't think I ventured up to the dam when at Humford Baths. As I was a Bedlington Station & Oval lad we played in the Free & Hapenny woods at the Furness Bank & Hairpin bend.

Unfortunately I have no idea. It was installed within Facebook on my old Windows Vista Desktop PC and it still keeps it's dictionary up to date but the version/release number is not displayed anywhere. I said above it was four years ago but I think it's more like six + years as the stats show I have played over 4,000 games. When I switch on my Windows 10 PC I will see if that gives the version number. Don't hold your breath, I'm struggling to get out of bed at the moment - my diary is more like Ann Franks = Day 1 Hid - day 2 Hid - Day 3 Hid........................

Had to give the Scrabble up about four ago - involuntary reflex actions of the legs kept knocking the coffee table and destroying the board. Changed games and now play an online version of Scrabble = Words_With_Friends and the board stays intact.

@John McBride - I have messaged you. If you could send me a copy I would add it into the Dr Pit Welfare album within the Gallery>Sports section.

me neither.

Offend - never. I remember when our youngest was born, a Tuesday tea time, I was in such a hurry to get to the pub as we had a darts match that evening I forgot to phone, from the hospital, the in laws to let them know they had another grandchild. Only remembered when i was half way to the pub so I had to stop the car, find a phone box and ring them. By the time I got to the pub the match had started - and I had been replaced.

But surely the father might. I just can't understand with all the restrictions the hospitals are putting in place eg. no visitors that they would allow a birthing partner into the delivery room in the current climate. Why take the risk, the newborn will never know the mother only had the hospital staff to welcome them into the world.

Same here. As from yesterday only one person for palliative care cases; one person seeing the critically ill ,and the one I can't understand - Birthing Partner allowed to be present at the birth. I wonder if they will be testing the birthing partners for Carona virus or just letting them cough onto the new born. Yesterday - North Tyneside/Rake Lane Hosp at the daily visiting slot - 14:30 to 16:00 - the wards went quiet.

Have ye been queuing ootside the building waiting to stock up?

@Canny lass - on the Northumberland communities site is a document from the Parson & White Trade Directory - 1827 - and it lists :- The Free Masons, Ralph Oliver. https://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/004894.htm https://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/Communities.htm = all the towns it covers.

I was guessing at the 1940's based on the ciggi machine and that pram. Googled the ciggi vending machine history but didn't find anything to put a specific period/decade they were introduced into the UK - gave up after 30 mins I must have used the ciggi vending machines in the 1960's but preferred to visit the local Co-op, at the Oval shops, and get 10 JC, cos that's what me mam smoked and the bloke in the Co-op assumed I was just getting them for her. Don't have any photos from the 1940's of me, or my two older brothers, in a pram so no idea what we spent our first years in. As the three of us were born in consecutive years and I can't imagine my family having a twin pram etc I do wonder how me mam got to the shops! There again me grannie had nine children, between 1920 & 1937, so I would guess they had to learn to walk early and the youngest one had the pram. Or would they 'top-and tail' in an old pram?