Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

RMT & UNITE xmas carol Deck the trains with guards and holly Fa la la la la, la la la la Tis the season to be jolly Fa la la la la, la la la la See the platforms fill with commuters Fa la la, la la la, la la la Going nowhere, unless by scooters Fa la la la la, la la la la See the blazing plane before us Fa la la la la, la la la la Strike the crew - so no more pilots Fa la la la la, la la la la Follow me in merry measure Fa la la la la, la la la la Stay at home and feast in leisure Fa la la la la, la la la la Fast away the old year passes Fa la la la la, la la la la Guards and Pilots with empty glasses Fa la la la la, la la la la Sing we joyous, all together Fa la la la la, la la la la Southern Rail and Swissport blether Fa la la la la, la la la la

2016 - xmas cracker jokes and one liners:- Q. What do workers at Sports Direct get for Christmas dinner? A. About 5 mins. Q. How do you recognise a Christmas tree from BHS? A. All the branches have gone. Q. What’s David Cameron’s favourite Christmas song? A. All I want for christmas is EU. Q. Why didn’t Roy Hodgson go to visit Santa at The North Pole? A. He couldn't get past Iceland. Q. What do you get if you cross Donald Trump with a Christmas Carol? A. O Comb Over Ye Faithful. Q. Which parent is likely to do the Christmas shop at Tesco this year? A. Dad might, Marmite not. Q. Why can’t the England football team play Yahtzee this Christmas? A. Because they got rid of Allardyce. Q. What does Nigel Farage do to the hall with boughs of holly? A. He Dexit. Q. What’s Donald Trump’s favourite type of ice cream? A. Wall’s. Q. How do snowmen leave the EU? A. They trigger Icicle 50. I bought my mum Mary Berry’s cookbook for Christmas, I tried to get Paul Hollywood’s but he’d sold out. Philip looks out of the window on Christmas Eve: ‘That’s some reindeer’ he says. The Queen replies: ’63 years. Yes, that is a lot.’

Now we know why the locals pronounce it Coopen and as it's now written, and visitors pronounce it - Cow_Pen. Now careful Andy - you can't spend too much time on FB!

Carol - unfortunately I can't help you with contacts for any Ex Westridge pupils but I do remember posting this photo of a netball team that included a Janet Common. I new her brother Norman, a couple of years younger then me, from the Grammar School and I think I met Janet a couple of times, some 50+ years ago!. I see that photo of the netball team, in the Gallery - Historic Bedlington - Westridge School End of term class photos, includes a Carol Suthers.

Andy the link in your post does take you to the Active Northumberland site but the Sporting Club of Bedlington still shows :- SPORTING CLUB BEDLINGTON - OPENING SOON ACTIVE NORTHUMBERLAND LEISURE CENTRES SPORTING CLUB BEDLINGTON - OPENING SOON - there is a list of opening times for all the other centers but nothing for the Sporting Club of Bedlington. Not that I have any intention of taking part in any activities I was just checking to see if there was any info on the site about the swimming facilities that were promised. Many members on the Facebook groups have often complained about the lack of sporting facilities and I would have added the link on those sites IF the site was showing a timetable of events and opening times. At the moment this link would just frustrate and wind the members up more.

Info in the British Listed Buildings - English Heritage Building ID: 235924 A stone, (Watson's Wake) is to be found on the tower and is dedicated to Cuthbert Watson, a local personality who died in 1669 and the stone commemorates the fatal fall from the tower of the local somnambulist. Medical Definition of somnambulism. - an abnormal condition of sleep in which motor acts (as walking) are performed. Common definition = sleepwalking.

Only ever seen the one pit - Choppington Colliery 'A Pit' - on all the old maps online = 1858 - 1947. The Durham Mining Museum site just has one entry (that I can find) for Choppington :- http://www.dmm.org.uk/colliery/index_c.htm

Andy - I have been able to upload photos into existing albums Andy - Following the fail at Stage 1 on 10th Oct 2016, unlike previous attempts, I decided to carry on at Stage 2 et seq as the system was allowing me to and it worked so I did create the album, Sch. near Bells Place - Hollymount Hall - 1896, on that day. I haven't had any other problems adding to existing albums so all has worked, as expected, over the last two months. I am still using Microsoft Windows Vista, not supported now, but I'm expecting my Desktop & OS to see me out so I won't be upgrading, unless my HP Pavillion Slimline S3624uk, with 19" screen and Keyboard, collapses in a heap. I don't have any new Albums waiting to be created. If you would like me to do a test I would be happy to have a go at creating a 'Test' album and if it works ie. does not report an error at Stage 1, I will complete all stages and then that Test album can be deleted. Thanks Eggy

I should add that the Red Lion options are only 'guess work' by me and could be totally unfounded.

Norman I can only see a few possibilities :- 1) ask a young relative to do it for you 2) leave it at the bedlington.co.uk office on Front Street East (is it still open?) and last resort 3) arrange a time to be in the Red Lion where some members gather to discuss the more serious issues of Bedlington life. 4) leave with the Red Lion bar staff whom will no doubt be able to pass it on to one of the dedicated members of bedlington.co.uk that hold extensive sessions and meetings, next to a window seat, sorting out their taste buds. Should you accept this challenge norman the Gallery will be grateful and will endeavour to help identify all those in the photo.

Can anyone emember the date, or just the year, Humford Baths closed?

Canny Lass - we have nicked your topic - I take it you are now finished with 'The Arcade' pilgrim - have you ever used FreeBMD for basic genealogy searches? Unlike the multi functionsl sites - Ancestry - Find my Past etc. FreeBMD is free but it only does links to the registration quarters of a Birth, Marriage or Death. If you want info off the registered even you have to cough up the money (£9.50 that last time I used it) for the relevant certificate the you BELIEVE to be the person you are after. A simple Birth search for Redpath - Fenwick - Date Range Mar 1880 - Dec 1925 (registrations are divided into 4 quarters for each year (March - June - September & December) would return you :- Surname First name(s) District Vol Page _______Births Sep 1885 (>99%) Redpath Fenwick Morpeth 10b 343 ______Births Mar 1904 (>99%) REDPATH Fenwick Morpeth 10b 473 Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page ______Births Sep 1913 (>99%) Redpath Fenwick A Turner Morpeth 10b 853 _____Births Sep 1920 (>99%) Redpath Fenwick Dixon Morpeth 10b 890 Using the returned data you can request, for the fee, the actual certificate but you can't see it prior to ordering. You have to wait until it is delivered to see if you got the right one! I have never used the other sites so don't know what you can see before paying for certificates. Hollymount Square - Google street view 2009 :-

pilgrim - this could get complicate with loads of messages back and forth. You might even get Brian Cross, off this site, joining in - his cousin, Albert, that lived in the Bank Top pub married Fenwick's daughter Brenda (2nd marriage for both of them). I will send you a Message and see if I can get you a link (Facebook?) that MAY get you some answers, from the family.

pilgrim - if you look in the Gallery - Historic Bedlington - Bedlington Village School - 1950 Class 2 - No 7 is Fenwick Redpath's son, Brian and I can confirm what Vic & Doreen have said, he lived at No 2 Hollymount Square. His brother, Jimmy (?) also lived in Hollymount Square, opposite end to Fen, just along from where HPW lived, probably No 51,2,3 or 4!

A member of the Bygone Bedlington group has pointed out that The King of Pop should be James, not Jay :-

Today Wendy Reed posted this poster on Facebook group Bygone Bedlington

A photo of the miners with the Netherton Colliery Banner at the 1973 Miners Picnic was posted by John Dawson on the sixtownships site and shared with the Bedlington sites. On the Bygone Bedlington site Robert Morland made this comment :- 'The black sash on top of the banner was for a miner who had been killed . In this case 1973 it was for Alan Stappard only in his 20s lived at 2 third street tragic . . A life never lived. RIP Harry.'