pilgrim

I'm sure there was a Sinatra song that had the refrain Scooby doobie doo ... enchanted evening perhaps ??..

canny lass I hope all ya xmas dreams come true - but the gods are demanding lol

OMG!!!!! the power of a moderator -- they can disable the weather - a GOD amongst mere mortals lol

some of you might recall my uncle - jack white - he lived in - I think Windsor terrace - east side of the road from Choppington station towards Scotland gate and the second street in from the main road just south of the church (that's not far from you mercury) - daft bugger shot himself pulling a loaded 12 bore over a style after he had climbed over and still has pellets in him yet. worked at the b pit I think. He had a 6T thunderbird - very odd but I recall being given a ride on the tank as I was too small for the seat and many years later I actually used a 6T with a sidecar. He lives above furnace bank now. now here's a question - I seem to recall a man at Bedlington station aside the cross roads (not the railway lines) that had a swallow sidecar and a bessmarr double adult sidecar in his back garden and a few m/bikes? I had a panther 650 single (phelan and moore) at the time and got a sidecar for nowt off the motorcycle shop at Newsham who had a wicker Wilkinson sidecar in the loft above the shop as well as many other wonders! The panther sidecar frame seemed to be made of scaffy poles and had a braked wheel - which made for interesting cornering. the panther was - er - interesting - it had a valve lifter to kick it over and I still have the scars from it throwing me over the bars when you kicked it over, but it would run on paraffin at a push and only fired every other lamppost!

I am still in touch with Phil Joisce and will ask about the joistripper, his father held the patent for it and made all the parts himself in a workshop attached to the house on the lane leading between the police station and the masonic hall towards the reservoir. (that included casting the parts in alloy) I saw it being used - you selected the correct size for the cable on the barrel part and moved the barrel round to the cutter - the cable went in and you held it with a pair of pliers and wound the cutter down to the pliers and it cut the outer and trimmed it off. They bought the pit head buildings and yard at Widdrington drift and converted them into a house and workshop, it is interesting to see that the stripper is still being made and sold!

Reg Carr was the lifeboat doctor and often went out on missions. His surgery was beside the junction south of the theatre at Blyth and he did quite a lot of private work. I believe he lost his son in a climbing accident abroad. Tommy Moss was the Cox of the lifeboat at that time - a huge man who worked a coble and hauled his nets and pots by hand, both his sons still work the cobles, but Tommy died about 6 years ago.

ref the joystripper this is it; http://www.discountfireextinguishers.co.uk/products/MICC-Pyrotenax-Cable-Joistripper-Tool.html I recall it was about £200 cheaper than the German equivalent! and far simpler to use

Canny Lass - I seem to remember that Olive had a niece?? who would be in her 50's now, but I cant recall her name but she was a regular visitor and often stayed at Olive's at Choppington Station, I presume she might have been the daughter of Esther?

tried to put this above.. beside the Willow Bridge lived one of the Barnfather sons and the other lived opposite the church towards Scotland Gate. Also living there was a family called Ankle and a chap with a horse and cart - Billy Dixon. I recall that Tait from the ice cream shop was buried at the door of the church so he must have some standing in the community.

further to all the above .. this site has been a great help when speaking to my mother, but she does get frustrated when she cant recall things but quite a few names and places have triggered memories, for which I thank you all. ref the police house at Guide Post, I remember that they had a Francis Barnett issued (very Heartbeat!) but the radio was useless as it drained the battery in minutes! Many years ago I bought a Royal Enfield 250 which was an ex police bike and had been lying in the workshops for many years- the workshops at Morpeth still had the full service records of it and it had been allocated to both Morpeth and Bedlington, although I can't recall ever seeing it.

I visited my mother today - she was 88 yesterday- she can recall some things but many things are now lost due to the stroke. we did speak about Choppington station and she confirmed that Tommy Williams was the club steward, tommy Henderson had the post office etc. Station Terrace at that time - no 1 had been owned by Fenwick Redpath, no2 a woman called Olive, no 3 Mrs Syrett who had golden retrievers and a lodger called John Latimer - who was disabled and worked at remploy and had one of those blue 3 wheel cars. no 4 was George Barnfather, and no 5 was Teeny and George Rice. The station masters house was occupied by a man called Clifford who may have been Welsh - and seems to recall his wife was not in the best of mental health. there was a house behind the station masters house which I recall was occupied by an old gent, who I only knew as 'old army'. the access to the upstairs was via a ladder and he had paintings of his time in what I think must have been the Boer Wars due to the uniforms (white helmets and scarlet tunics) She did recall Phill Joiscies father who had the house behind the masonic hall aside the red lion and was an engineer and invented the 'Joystripper' - a simple hand tool for stripping the outer from the metal sheathed and powder? filled fireproof pit cables (HPW- can you enlighten us?) he moved to widdrington and made his workshop and house out of the widdrington drift buildings. I recall having great fun thrashing around the pit yard with Phil in a bond bug - --kick start under the bonnet and no reverse!!! Phil is now a lawyer down south. and of course Mr Hall with the Pyrenean mountain dog! my mother was manageress of Carrick's in the Market Place for many a year, so most of you prob know her.

yep = the door behind the counter went into the back room for 'sit down food' and of course it had the oilcloth table cover!! I seem to think Tommy Williams was the steward of the club about then?

I recall that Harry Dobson did indeed pass over a few years back - a great loss http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/former-morpeth-headmaster-harry-dobson-4480568 Was thinking of those times and think that the matriarch of the Rice family of the chip shop at Scotland Gate was known as 'Teeny' and her son was George? There was another teacher at Choppington primary, but can't recall his name - short, balding, quite rotund fellow and I think he may have taken history and English - he was also a lay-preacher and often was at he chapel at Choppington Station.

yes MOE - it was Harry Dobson and he was a great teacher - took an interest - he was at king Edwards at Morpeth as a pupil and when I got a place there he took me for extra french and he used to organise trips out. You are right about the surgery being in the front room! and it was opposite the police house. Mr Dawes - a man with a liking to give out a dose of the 'strap' -- pmsl - the days of corporal punishment in schools - now long gone. I recall the chapel it was along from the shop owned by Christopher Million? father? I went to Sunday school there!

seem to recall that the dentist at guidepost was called Norris? 2 doors down was a teacher at the Choppington County Primary Harry Dawes? I knew Dr's Hickey and Ivory and they were true gents of the old school - pity we don't have more of them these days - walked the dogs with Dr. ivory after he retired a few times and what a true gent - my mother was a friend of his and had nothing but praise for him - it wasn't easy for Drs. then without that wonderful thing of hindsight - but they did their best and what they could and will always have my respect. oh and the police house opposite Norris - PC was Tassel -he had two sons - one was called Geoff and I think the older one was Trevor - the father eventually was promoted to Inspector in Newcastle and used to say his name was 'Tassssel' - very French lol.

oops - sorry for wandering off thread- my apologies but it seems to have raised some interest and I am much obliged for the information. (and we might all be related) I will endeavour to do some more research when I have the time. I have used some other sites researching a local lad who won a VC at Rourkes Drift - he was unknown up here !!! and managed to obtain his record of baptism and marriage ect.. and death certificate, but that was via a historian in London who had accrued them researching for a book on an entirely different topic. I may have a trip down to Woodhorn when I get time to have a look at the church records. where was Choppington new pit? any ideas? I think I recall that radiogram -- as you say the length of the Titanic and had lift up lids for the diff bits - nicotine coloured radio dials and stations like Hilversund .....oh and big brown Bakelite knobs.

it could be canny lass - but I have no idea -- I think he was also called livingstone as middle name due to a family connection but I could be wrong ass

much obliged - I found the link - but that side of the family is a mystery to me

found it !!! I always thought Fenwick was a lot older?

oh ffs - eggy send me the link - things are a bit fraught this end

I was a vey young child and he was a tall thin grey haired fellow that was a real gent -- but that was to me -- others may have thought different -- any idea what his employment was?

thanks eggy had no knowledge of a brother - all that part of family is a bit vague did you know his middle name was Livingstone? after he of that African thing have you any idea what he did or anything about him?

psst - canny lass - I have posted elsewhere this site http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/choppington/ 155,000 railway tickets issued at Choppington alone in 1911... no wonder the gen pool was spread about -- (the old saying was -- we probably related -me grandfather had a bike)

that would be about right Vic - although I have no information about him. I do recall him as a tallish (I was about 4 yrs old so everyone was tall - grey haired fellow who I think said something about moving too retire?)

Yes - he lived at 1 Station Terrace and actually owned the house although I have no idea what he did in the way of employment. Although I think he would have been born earlier than that. it was sold for £450 in 1955 -- a bit different from house prices now.