Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

high pit wilma :- This was a very difficult shot to get,for obvious reasons! The flaring at the bottom ,was caused by the flashgun reflecting.Note the cage guides and water pipes at the left side.

high pit wilma :- The machine was never salvaged. Typical of coal-board policy.."cheaper to abandon than to salvage...."Together with HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of pounds worth of machinery left underground in all the mines in which i worked, since 1959, at the very least [ from my personal experience!!]

high pit wilma :- After working for years at other pits,in low seams,these roadways seemed massive,at first... high pit wilma :- This is a 14' wide x 10' high roadway,using 3-piece arched girders to support the roof and sides. At Choppington high pit,all main roads were 12' wide x 8' high,but at the Beaumont seam,where there was a tremendous amount of roof and side pressure ,some roadways were crushed down to about 4 or 5' high,and narrowed right in,so you had difficulty getting your pit pony through the workings,and it was bloody hard work transporting anything in. jojojood :-We used to drive levels for a retreat wall using a dosco dintheader,14 ft roof rails,6ft 8in. legs,at the end of the shift we would use 8 to 10 in wooden center props in heavy roof areas,many times we find them the next day broken in the middle like match sticks.Only then would management take our advice and give us steel center props. high pit wilma :- Hi jojojood! Yeah,it was always the same here,management knew the "bookwork",but they knew absolutely NOTHING about "pitwork",as we did..! We had several coalfaces,longwall,advancing,that would take one shear off,with an A.B. Longwall Shearer,then it would take three weeks to "bump" [advance] the face chocks...the face was broken heavily throughout,and it would take all day to advance and timber up ONE face support,[six-legged dowty chocks] This went on at Bates pit,for a year or two,losing millions of pounds,deliberately,so they had a "justifiable" reason for closure..! When one face was installed with braced-leg "Rev-lem" chocks,it went away like hell,MAKING millions of pounds,but the Director of mining at Teem Valley,Gateshead,wouldn't sanction our Manager to buy in more installations of REV-LEMS,cos HE wanted the pit closed,so he kept sending full sets of inferior,[for the job],dowty chocks,and in the process,risked all our lives,completeley unnecessary! AND this is a well-known fact! AND THEY DID CLOSE THE PIT!! high pit wilma :- Now it's more than 3 years since i posted the comments above,and i notice no'one has disputed my words...... Today,on the National TV news ,on 28-12-12,archive secret documents have been released ,that show how thatcher - the -hatcheter sent our troops to the Falklands to re-take the islands by force,against strong appeals by President Reagan to hand the situation over to international peace-keeping forces....with absolutely NO AIR-POWER WHATSOEVER. She risked our lads lives to save her face..FULL STOP. What hasn't been released is the FACT,that she later brought our lads back to England in 1984,and dressed them in police uniforms,to literally beat the Miners into submission during the 1984 Miner's strike...and i kow this as a fact...due to a good friend who's Son was one of those Soldier's who had to obey commands and go against his own Father on the picket line,by a sheer billion-to-one chance meeting,as they were marching with absolute precision past the pickets one day. ....This begs two qustions to be answered by the government. 1 Are our police force normally trained up to the hilt,to march up to six abreast...or whatever number abreast is required....with military precision?..[ which takes weeks of square-bashing....!] 2 Where did the literally thousands of "Policemen" disappear to immediately after the strike was over?........there has been calls for an increase in the Police force to combat crime,how come we don't have enough?.......watch any old documentaries about the strike.......you can't see the trees for the cops........millions of the buggers....! That's my rant for the end of the year 2012.........and i think it's a very justifiable rant! ....now,with regards to the above comments,she was again risking our lads lives,including my own,by sending inferior equipment onto our coalfaces for us to work under.......she has a lot to answer for,but fortunately for her,or should i say....conveniently for her.......she is now dementia'd,which i bet a lot of it is manufactured considering how we are now in culture of claims,and police raking up skeletons in cupboards.....minister's expenses,Saville....etc. It should be investigated as to the legality of her government sequestrating the N.U.M.'S FUNDS,during the 1984 strike,amounting to millions of pounds,and also the fact that she stopped CHILD BENEFIT,to the wives of striking miners,creating suffering to those children who were totally innocent of the world around them.......my blood is starting to boil thinking about it.............. bewildebeeste :- From what I know about the US position regarding the Falklands....The US administration was split in half...half wanting to support Maggie, the other half not wanting to cause what they saw as unneccesary tension in South and Central America (who still view the US with a degree of suspicion - i'm thinking of Chavez in Venezuela for one). There is self interest in every political decision unfortunately. high pit wilma :- Aye,a agree totally wi yi there beeste!!!!! high pit wilma :- Well well well...!....she's rotting in hell!!!!!!!! The celebrations are over now she's gone,and now that it's 30 years since the Miner's 1984 strike to try and save the industry from destruction by this evil thing,,,,[I cannot bring myself to say.."woman"...cos she was, I think, a man in drag..!]... .....,Documents are being released which clearly state that thatcher-thi-hatcheter,planned over 70 pit closures,[whilst blatantly denying it in the press and tv reports!],and also planned to bring in troops onto our streets....which of course,we already know that she did that anyway. Scargill was demonised for his stance,and I am sick of hearing people who know nowt aboot thi industry whatsoever,saying he should have had a ballot. Are these people so gullible and literally stupid to suggest one man could call a National strike,of the biggest,most powerful union,in the country,single-handedly,with no votes at all,and no instructions or support from the National Executive Committee? They all live in COOKKOO....COOKOOO....COOKKOOOOOOOOOOO-LAAAAAND!!!!!!!!!!!! OF COURSE WE VOTED! UNLESS I DREAMT THAT ONE DAY I WENT TO WORK,AT BATES PIT,AS USUAL,AND THERE WERE THESE FUNNY-LOOKING BIG BLACK BOXES,IN FUNNY-LOOKING BOOTHS,WITH FUNNY-LOOKING MEN HANDING OUT FUNNY-LOOKING BITS OF PAPER AND ADVISING ME TO GO INTO ONE OF THESE BOOTHS AND PUT A FUNNY-LOOKING CROSS....LIKE A CHILD WOULD,ON THIS BIT OF PAPER....AND FOLD IT UP.....AND PUT IT IN THE FUNNY-LOOKING BLACK BOX......! WHAT COULD THIS ALL MEAN.....I WONDER....WAS THIS A VOTE TAKING PLACE....OF JUST FUNNY MEN ACTING SILLY FOR A LAUGH? FUNNY THING WAS,.........I HEARD THAT EVERY PIT IN THE UK ......YES....NATIONALLY......THEY ALL DID THE SAME FUNNY THING......WHAT A FUNNY LOT US MINERS MUST HAVE BEEN.......! high pit wilma :- I forgot to add that the above comment ,and this one, were posted on this day,Saturday-20th of September,2014,at 00.50.am high pit wilma :- 13-11-2015...and the news of the leak about thatchers plans were conveniently swept aside..or under the carpet...so to speak!

high pit wilma :- Driving in to a full shot to start loading the shot out onto the afc [on the right side in the darkness]..The AM16 coalcutter can be seen in the darkness, also at the right-side.My glennie can be seen hanging on the girder strut ,at the left side in the background. What a colourful scene ,isn't it friends ?!! BigLoada :- Another favourit shot of mine! Just noticed the Glennie too. Wouldn't have if ye hadn't said. high pit wilma :- AYE! That's the D.A.C. phone beside the glennie..[the white little box ] D.A.C. is the company name abbreviated,from "DERBY AUTOMATION CONSULTANTS"...Rugged as hell...they used to get blown away by the force of the blast,when shotfiring,but stillcame up working like hell..! BigLoada :- Mind you, I am not sure if "Glennie" is a universally known word or if its just a Northumberland/Scotland term. Kevnorth :- These photo's are so important to our local history Wilma Thanks for sharing them, they bring back memories for me as a young lad starting with the NCB at Lynemouth colliery where all of the seams were this high! Must admit after doing my training at Darnley Road Mining School in Ashington then working "On bank" for a short while before eventually being allowed below ground I didnt last long & packed in within 18 months....Like so many young lads I followed my Dad much to me Mams disgust! high pit wilma :- Cheers Kevnorth! Aye,it's aal gone noo,yi naa summick?...people who aav showed the pics tae,thought they were black 'n white pics.........[just quickly flicking through the actual prints]....it was a black and grey world that we worked in,and we nivvor gave it a thowt!! Until a got a job at bank in a hand-made furniture workshop in Morpeth,as a re-trained cabinet-maker...........good lighting,toilets, washbasins,blue sky,green grass,birds calling ootside,rabbits sitting on the grass aside the workshops,and a got ti thinkin'.......... WHERE THE HELL HAVE AA BEEN AAL ME LIFE???? BigLoada :- I'd love to get the neg for this and get a big reprint for my wall. I'll see you about it at the weekend! high pit wilma :- Can't lay my hands on the negs ,Loada, but i'll keep looking! Guy Sande :- Greetings, marra! What can you tell me about this fine Eimco machine? I'm curious - is it pneumatic, as I suspect it to be? Is it "windy" as well? We still run Eimco track muckers here in the Coeur d'Alene District, both 12B's and 21's: But I'm afraid rubber-tired (excuse me, TYRED :-) diesel powered LHD muckers are becoming dominant. BigLoada :-Hi SilverMiner. Me and High Pit Wilma have been busy this week, working on my old car. Havent had time to get on the internet. He will be along soon to answer your questions I'm sure! Love that little Eimco 12B. I have seen a few over here that were used in the fluorite mines in the 1970s. In fact, near us there is a mine worked by a group of Americans who come over here every summer to mine fluorite and they have a wonderful little eimco with caterpillar tracks. They have a good website with all their progress at www.ukminingventures.com/ high pit wilma :- Thanks Loada,for entertaining old "Silver pitman" in my absence!! Hi SilverMiner! The Eimco 625 shovel is Hydraulic-powered,with the hydraulics being provided by an onboard electrically-driven "power-pack",[as we called it..!] The actual base of the machine,containing the hydro-static motors,which drive the caterpillar tracks,is welded up,to form a big tank,which is referred to as "the hull",and this is where the reservoir of water/Aquacent mix is stored.The weight of the fluid acts as ballast,being so close to the ground. The power-pack is mounted behind where i am sitting,and consists of an electric squirrel-cage induction motor,driving a "Gullick" hydraulic pump,which picks up the fluid from the "hull",sends it to the tracks,and shovel rams,via the control handles,then "dumps" it back into the " hull". By our mining standards,it was a big shovel loader,and sometimes we had a detachable hydraulic drilling rig,which could quickly be mounted up top,after detaching the shovel loading gear.[but this one i am using,didn't have that luxury..!!..we had to "hump" the old windy driller,between the three of us,when it was time to drill out the round..!] It's 23 years ago,since i took these pics,and i can't rember the exact spec. of the machine,but i reckon it would shift a ton of stone,in one bucketfull,maybe a bit more,or less... The electric motor was supplied by flexible armoured cable,[which you can see hung up on a hook,near the roof,behind the machine], from an 1100volt 3-phase alternating current supply,the "panel-boxes"[switchgear],being mounted up on a platform,on the side of the "Crawley" Armoured flexible conveyor belt,onto which i am loading out onto.. Anything else i can help you with,please feel free to ask,if i can't answer you,i'll get answers from those who do know...old marra's of mine,fitters etc..!! cheers! high pit wilma :- ..Er..,SilverMiner, if you go right through my set,you will see a good pic of the Eimco,from behind,where i parked it up, ready for the fitters to strip down,but which never happened..![it's under water now,a few miles out under the North Sea......!!!] kellmarnumber1 :- WOW...this photo .brings back the good times i had with the lads - horrible place ,but the comradeship between us was and will be unforgetable....... high pit wilma :- Aye,kell,that's the only good thing there was down that black hole,comradeship and banter,second to none..! Mind you,it wasn't like everybody loved everybody else,if you are working among hundreds of men,sooner or later,a disagreement would crop up,fingers pointing right up each other's noses,threatening to "fill" each other in,all talk, then ten minutes later,you would be having a pinch of snuff with each other...[cos snuff was a tobacco substitute,seeing as you weren't allowed to smoke underground,due to Methane regulations] Miners policed their own environment,and we had to look after our marra's,as well as our own safety.[for everyone's good] high pit wilma :- By the way Silver Miner,you ask....."pneumatic?"...."Windy as well...?".............. ....."windy" is a slang [nickname]for any equipment that is driven by compressed air power. "Pneumatic" ...is the technical term for any such equipment. Cheers marra!

high pit wilma :- Note the "epitaph"for the drivage..AND the colliery... on the face timbers..[zoom!] Kevnorth :-Seeing the NCB Black & White cheque plastic sheeting on the right in this photo brings back a few childhood memories! My Dad built a garage out of salvaged wood &used that plastic sheeting to waterproof the roof, back & sides! luckily because we lived in a colliery row of houses it didnt stand out that much lol! BigLoada :-Haha Kev I think everywhere in the pit villages used that pit plastic! We had loads on our garage roof too! high pit wilma :- Heh! Heh! A blast from thi past eh? Kev?!!!..funnily enough,it didn't keep us dry, cos it got blaan ti hell wi' thi shots! Kevnorth :- Wilma an update on the old pit plastic... I've recently moved up to Hadston and guess what my next door neighbours garden shed has the self same plastic sheeting on the roof and back, he swears it still holds up and doesnt leak a bit but he hasnt got a clue how long it's been on there as he's only lived there 25 years! Dr. Drewboy :-that looks really sad! oildrum1 :- The black & white sheeting was "Brattice" or "Brattice cloth", a fire resistant cloth or laterly plastic used to divert or confine the flow of air underground. But as mentioned had many other uses :-) Great underground pic too high pit wilma :-Hi Drewboy,and Oildrum1! Thanks for your comments guys,yes,it had many uses,i still have some in my dark loft space,to cover the xmas tree,and tree-toys-boxes....and iv'e been finished the pits since 1987!!!!![25 years],but mind,it's gone as hard as a board,and just stays in the shape of the bundled-up tree sections,when i bring the tree down for xmas! In modern pits like Bates,especially in the 3/4 seam,where the ventilation was so fierce,due to being not far from the shaft bottom,[only a couple of miles],that this stuff was never used for it's original purpose...diverting air......it was more used to lay over electrical panel-boxes and 6000volt transformers!!![to protect the gear from roof-water] Stephen Franks :- Looks wet!! high pit wilma :- Aye Wesdtrie,we used to say that you canna get any wetter than wet!!,and God gie yi waataproof skin,so ye'll dry oot the syem way ye got wet!! What isn't so evident is the amount of "droppers," and "runners",teemin in from the roof constantly,noo when ye were looking up ti put ya timbers in,or drilling ya top holes,ye got both a gud eyeful,and earful of salty seawater,which,upon analysis,was proven to be six times saltier than seawater,and three times more corrosive,which just seized up all the electrical switchgear handles over the space of a weekend. Electricians and fitters had a permanent run of weekend work to do maintainance of the gear to keep it in working order . Everything on the coalfaces used to rot quicker than it would on any other face in the country,so Bates was used as a base to test out prototype machinery. The crack was,if it works doon the three-quarter,it'll work anywhere in the world!

high pit wilma :- The AFC is on the left,note the only colour we had underground,was our oilskins...oh!... and the plastic sheeting put over the girders,only to keep the hydraulic pump dry..not for us..!...the silvery streaks left of centre,are droppers of water,the shutter was too slow to freeze the action. high pit wilma :- What a really,really depressing hole that i worked in! Didn't realise how depressing it really was,[because of complacency...],until the pits all shut down,and i worked in factories etc,with bright lighting,toilets and wash basins,and canteens....and the young kids i worked with,used to say the factory's were ..."DUMPS"....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

high pit wilma :- The AFC is on the left. ..it was normal to be working in this level of water.The flyght pump clogged up with silt continuously..NOTE the white plastic tubing on the left..OUR AIR SUPPLY CAME THROUGH THIS! THAT'S WHY MINERS SUFFERED WITH LUNG DISEASES..they used to lie in heaps on the pit surface,until needed ,then they came down the pit in filthy mine cars which carried coal and other materials,then when they were connected to the auxiliary fan,all the mouldy filth and odours were pumped into the workings,for us to breathe...but it was better than the reek from the shots when they were fired...! BigLoada :- Is this the dyke you were driving through before you would have hit serious coal measures? high pit wilma :- Yes,this Whinstone dyke was 36 feet thick,the thickest we'd ever encountered,in all our combined experience at different pits. Beyond the dyke lies 60 million tons of virgin,[completely untouched,unworked,] 5 feet high clean coal.No other pits had even been near it,so this would have kept bates pit going for a hundred years,given the improvement in technology,to develop higher speed loco's underground,to take the men in and out quicker. BUT MAGGIE THOUGHT DIFFERENTLY.....!! high pit wilma :- Never mind,when the people who we depend upon for our oil,decide to hold us to ransom,or when their oil wells dry up,we will ,at least,be still sitting on our own goldmine...!! [ maybe wor Maggie had that intention in mind,when she shut all the pits...drain THEIR resources.... ...then WE will have the monopoly...!!] ...Naa....she couldn't think that clivvor, could she....? hoggy03 :- Hi Bill, what is the thing on the bottom of the pic, the thing with a little red hose on it, is it a pump? high pit wilma :-THAT,....Hoggy,is what we called a "Dalek" pump,....for obvious reasons..! We had them at the High pit,at Choppington,as far back as the mid- 1960's,never changed, best emergency pump oot! Submersible,high output,built like a tank.....if a roadway was flooded for some reason or other,maybe a sudden inrush of water,you'd throw one these into the deepest part you could reach,set her away,and you could see the level dropping by the minute. Was also used where "nuisance water" used to make, in swalleys,fed by small runners,cos the Dalek would just "snore" away ,with very little water to keep it from burning out. These two roads,10's Maingate,[above],and the Tailgate,[where i am seen in the Eimco], were always full of water,on a 12-0midnight shift,on Sunday night[Monday shift]. We'd set the Daleks away,and the Crawley stageloaders,[armoured conveyor belts],and within half an hour,the level would come down to the point of equilibrium,i.e.,where the amount of water pumped out was about equal to that which was coming into the workings through the roof and floor breaks,plus what came off the windy driller...[and THAT was quite a lot..! That's the red hose,[output]that you can see,it's ordinary canvas-lined with p.v.c. fire-hose. oildrum1 :- Fantastic set of pics. Certainly bring back memories of my time underground, all those 'wonderful' conditions to endure. Oh what fun, but would you do it again given the chance! high pit wilma :- On your own mate, I discovered green pastures with birds singing in the spring sunshine.........!! Thanks for your kind comments Roy!

high pit wilma :- Windy-driller,still stuck in a drill hole,after word came in to abandon the job,the pit had received notice to close.[Thatcher got her way at last...]TO HELL WITH THE SCUM MINERS......] mjtmail (tiggy) :- we'll be back down underground before you know it. £800 a ton, its bound to happen high pit wilma :- Hi tiggy! Yeah,your right,and i bet it will happen within the next five years. This country is still sitting on hundreds of millions of tons,but don't be surprised if those lot in brussels,dictate that it has to be shared with the EU countries...like we don't own a thing now. Dr. Drewboy :- what a working place... yes and in germany we also have a lot of coal. for an example "Bergwerk Lohberg/Osterfeld" which was shut down in 2005 has still 270mio. t of bituminous coal! high pit wilma :- Yes,Dr Drewboy,it was really bad conditions we had to work in,down the 3/4 seam,at Bates Pit. So your government is just like ours,placing all faith in oil,and gas. One day it is going to end............ Erik Novoa :- Now that's mining. If it ain't wet, it ain't fun! It was like this alot when I was mining in Nevada. high pit wilma - Hiya, batterymule!! Good to hear from you,and thanks for your comments! 50 years ago,it wasn't much fun working in 18" high coal seams,handfilling with a big "George Rock" [brand name] pan shovel,...so called because it was shaped like a huge pan,with a pointed edge to dig into the coal with,and a ton weight when it was empty!![as opposed to the normal "square-mouthed" shovel iv'e seen miners using in other pits.] We used to have 13 yards of coal in a "stretch",[or "stint" as they say in other parts of my country,like Yorkshire,and Lancashire].,to fill off in a shift,and this was with a 6 foot jib on the AB15 coalcutter,so lying on your side, in rivers of water running down the face,and roofwater dropping into your eyes and ears and running down all over you........naa,i didn't think THAT was fun,especially when my mates were asleep,at 12-0 midnight,and i was riding a cage down a black,deep,hole,to start my shift!!!! But i think i DO get your gist!!....we can laugh now,well... i can,cos i'm a retired gentleman of leisure.......leisure?....i'm working harder now than i did when i was working!!!! By the way,an AB15,denotes a coalcutter called Anderson-Boyes,and the 15 denotes the height of the machine...which was 15 inches high.[ we put 3 inch thick wood planks in to support the roof,and the cuttermen had to cut about 2" of floor stone,to make height for the cutter to pass through the face. There was so much roof pressure,and crush,that this extra height was lost as soon as the face was filled off,due to a "face-break" forming,as you were actually filling coal off.....in front of your eyes.....very scary!! Erik Novoa :- I completely understand, working in low coal, when it is wet as hell, must suck. The last mining job I worked was a hard rock molybdenum mine in Nevada, USA and it was always very wet underground. If the pumps shut off for any period of time the hole flooded. We were rehabbing an old mine and then doing some stope development once the old decline was basically finished. Lots of water coming through the broken mountain above us. My pard and I were drilling our round on day in a scene not unlike your image above, except we were running an incline to intersect the ore vein. And I'll be damned if we weren't drilling through some of the most solid rock I had seen yet in that mine when the hole I am drilling starts shooting water at me. I thought for a moment my hand had slipped and the drill was blowing the hole but it hadn't. The drill was still steadily advancing and water was pouring out of the hole. I drilled three more holes in that rib and all 4 holes I had drilled were blowing a solid stream of water the rest of the shift. The next shift had to load our round because there was too much water pressure to load half the face. A few of my friends and I are kind of nuts when it comes to mining, and we love working underground and being underground. Even though I don't do it professionally any more, I would if I had to in a heart beat. high pit wilma :- Heh heh!....like you said,pard,it's fun,ain't it!!! Cheers,and thanks for your interesting comment,i think if you and me got together,and my son,who is a mine explorer,we'd talk through the night!

high pit wilma :- THIS is a HOLMAN compressed-air driller[ a windy-driller..] The drill was 9feet long,straight,with no spiral,hexagonal steel section,with a cross-shaped star-bit on the end.Because the drill was straight,without a spiral,water was pumped through the hollow interior,to flush out the curvings,to prevent the drill from becoming fast in the hole [which often happened.]The water had to go somewhere , didn't it?.......... high pit wilma :- What a lovely place to spend an evening.........!

high pit wilma :- I even jacked the bucket up,to give the fitters better access to the hydraulics,with regard to strip-down...it never happened! She is still sitting there under the north sea,happily rusting away...may'be home to some big congers now...! high pit wilma :- The pit wasn't lit up like this all over,you know!! It was only because the huge 6,600volt transformers,and associated switchgear,were located here,cos it was a rare dry place,down the 3/4 drift!!! You can see the authorisation notice on the left,and more lighting in the recess behind the security chains slung along the girders. jojojood :- Had a few "rests" on top of those same type transformers,except being beside the machine,only source of heat we had lol. Our pit was wet also and with the air flow quite cool when you weren't busy .For sure no one was allowed on top of them,but when the cats away........ high pit wilma :- Heh! heh! Boiler burns...!....mostly sparky's who went into the pit baths looking like a zebra,from the back...!! Where did you work Jo Jo?,it's nice to hear from somebody who knows the score about pitwork,not just what they've read! At bait-time,down the 3/4 drift, where it was running in from the seabed,you couldn't get moved,on or beside the "boiler",for bodies...!! Happy days eh?!! jojojood :- Worked 20 yrs. underground in Cape Breton Canada. Like you guys,the government shut down the pits here,now they import coal here from the USA. My old grandad is rolling over in his grave i'm sure ( coal to Newcastle ). By the way most of our gear was from the UK,dowty, dosco, pikrose, oldham, huwood etc. high pit wilma :- Hi,jo-jo, ironically, it was one of your guys,called Ian Mcgregor,who was appointed chairman of British Coal,in the 1980's,by Maggie Thatcher, the most hated woman in Britain,our PRIME MINISTER. His job was to "Have a confrontation with the miners"

high pit wilma :- This is looking down 2's backroad,AFTER the 6 month long,million pound farce to take out all the swallies[dips] ..and to shoot down all the hilltops in the roadway,to make it look like this...because management didn't want the chairman of british coal ,plodging through 100 yard long swallies of black freezing cold water,coming up to the knees,sometimes higher, like the men had to,every day-several times a day,for nearly a mile each way....BUT NOW... it was pretty.... AND HE THOUGHT SO AS WELL.....AND HE SAID SO...IN THE PRESS NEXT DAY.. HE SAID ...COAL..OR BUST...![AND WE WENT BUST.....AS WELL...!!] jojojood :- canister hanging from the rib on the left,stretcher and blanket inside that? high pit wilma :- Spot-on ! It is a first-aid canister,got to have one in every district,by law. Thanks for your query!Cheers! hoggy03 :- Wilma did bates ever see many VIP's while you worked there or just the chairman of british coal? high pit wilma :- Hi Hoggy! Mostly area directors,like Archibold,the swine who had a personal vendetta against Bates pit,[it was well known that HE wanted it closed apart from thatcher the hatatcheter..]. Before i started there in 1971,[when Bedlington A pit closed],there was a district called "82's",in the Beaumont seam,and the Duke of Edinburgh and a big entourage of v.i.p.'s tagged alang wi him. The deputy of that face told me in detail.the lengths they went to for him coming.The evidence was still there long after he went....!! Like laying a mile [well,it seemed like a mile...!!],of duckboards,all the way inbye,so they wouldn't have to get there booties wet,whitewashed different places along the way,like transfer points,etc,had everyone on the face ready and waiting for a signal,shearer man with his hand on the switch handle,button men with fingers on the conveyor belt start buttons,........[the proverbial "press-button start"..] As soon as the Duke showed his head "under the low"[starting his crawl onto the coalface which was 36 inches high...],the manager gave the pre-arranged signal to "GO",[start coalwork-in other words....!] Every man at his station,started up the conveyor belts,simultaneously,then the shearer man switched the shearer on and started shearing away full speed up the coalface. NOO THAT'S THE WAY TI TELL THE WORLD HOO BAD AND DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS A MINER;S JOB IS,ISN'T IT......WITH ALL SAFETY ASPECTS COVERED,LIKE THEY WOULDN'T NORMALLY BE,COS THEY WOULDN'T SPEND THE MONEY...NORMALLY.......[ask if your dad was in that district at the time,he might have been a bit young,not being disrespectful ti wor Russ,like,cos a divven't knaa hoo aad he is.....] If yi check oot me pic of 20's t/gate,in the 3/4 seam,where it was a hell-hole,noo THAT'S the place his Highness should have been taken,AND the chairman of the N.C.B.! It was gud enough ti tek a Sqadron of R.A.F. fighter pilots doon thon stinking dangerous wet hole,and a think it was honest enough ti say that thon face,and 21's,23's,50's,and most of the other faces,at some point,were actually life-threatening places to work in...[DOON THE 3/4 DRIFT...I.E.] ...AND I'LL WAIT TI SEE IF ANY BODY WHO WORKED ON THEM,DISAGREES AND THINKS I'M EXAGGERATING.......[WI AAD AGE....!!!!!!!]