bluebarby

Degenerate the discussion? There is nothing wrong whatsoever with being a pit yakka, there were quite a few in my family and I was bred from them! I even played for a football team in the early 60's called the Yakkas. Nowt rang wi that. Anyway I agree with you, No1 is Ted Smout, I just couldn't remember his name. Rocky Thornton died a couple of years ago. BB

Blue Barby a bloke? Now that's a novelty! I think the genuine, real Iam, Blue Barby would differ with you there! BB

As an aside to this, No3 on Mr Nicholson's class photo is not John Storey as he is No 13 on the Middle Remove Photo. BB

May be I can do better with these lot! 1, Geoff Cross, (Bob Cross's brother) 2, Raymond Lee, 3 Ken Allison, 4, ???? 5, John Wilson 6, Lyal Gray 7 George Mitcheson(6 Plessy Street, Netherton.)8 John Sharp (used to live in the 'tute' at Netherton) 9 Michael Mills 10 George Railton 11 MikeRiley 12 Peter Carter 13 John Storey 14 ???? 15 Helen Tryer 16 Ann Marsh 17 John 'Rockey' Thornton 18 Una Henderson 19 Maurice Sparrow 20 Brian Moore (17 Third Street Netherton) 21 Colin Hutchinson 22 Tom Logan 23 Ann Oakley 24 Tom Middlemass 25 ??? Brown 26 Ann Charlton 27 ????? 28????? 29 Janet Lyall 30 ???? 31 Sylvia Charlton 32 Christine Sutcliffe 33 Isobel Clough 34 Froggy Freeman (Maths teacher, nice bloke RIP) 35 Margaret Gibson 36 Lynda Mathews 37 ??? 38 Winifred ???? 39 Sandra Short 40 Janet Brewis. BB

well Eggy 1948 as our maths teacher Froggy Freeman would have said "ummmm 4/28 MTH" Mind you I am not a lot better and I was in the flaming play! 2. Brian watson 3. ?? Goodall 8. John Wilson 10 Janet Brewis 11 Frankie Moreland? 12 George Mitcheson 13 Winifred ??? 14 Ann Charlton 15 Helen Tryer 16 Mick Riley 20 Sandra Short 22 Una Henderson 29 Isobel Clough Bob Cross was Mark Anthony but for some reason he is not in the photo. Well, I got 13/28 NGE BB

To get the year for the Julius Ceaser photo it will take someone with a good memory. In 1961 the play for GCE English literature was Macbeth (I know that because to this day I see daggers in front of my eyes, trees with legs and scared of women with pointy hats) I think but cant be certain that the 1960 play was A Midsummer Night's Dream and 1959 was Julius Ceaser. Any guesses? BB

Better keep my wellies handy then! I've just worked it out that if the moor here at Newbiggin errodes away the way it has the last few years then in 243 year s time me and the missus will be looking for another house! BB

Do what you will with them, they are part of our history and should be shared. BB

Hi Foxy If you look very closely you will see that Sandra is on the Julius Ceaser photo too. I thought I would put them on blank just to see how names many others could get. I can name all but 4 on the Middle Remove photo and about half on the other one. If any one would like to number them up they are quite welcome, I don't have time this next couple of weeks or so. BB

This is a photo of Mr Marleys production of Julius Ceaser, not quite sure what year this is though.

This is a photo of "Middle Remove". Taken 1959

While we are sorting out the anomalies about the opening of Westridge lets talk about what really went on. What actually happened was that not all that pupils were sent home on the first day. Just the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years. The first year pupils stayed put. The school opened on the Tuesday after 6 weeks of holiday not 4 and in 1957, Teachers do not like to work the day after they have been idle, so all years were sent home except the first year. Second year was told to come back on the Wednesday, (I spent the rest of Tuesday fishing off the steeths at Cambois with kanga worms left of Sunday.) third year on the Thursday and fourth year on the Friday. So by the following Monday all was well! My ex-miner friends tell me that anyone in the 60's would not be on full pay until they were at least 21. I cant argue with that as I was never down the pit, they were. All I know is that pit nationalised pit yakkas were on twice as much as private enterprise apprentices. 1961 I was on £2-17/6 for a 44 hour week. Apprentices at the pit doing the same job were on twice that for 4 hours less! No wonder they pulled the girls and we got nowt! So you see HPW, I was there on the first day all be it just a couple of hours but I sure was there on the second day.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/8ad93b61-5d1a-46e9-ad51-f17b07e91684 HPW, May be this will convince you! See yer on tha heap.

What your saying HPW is that Mr Marley, your class teacher at Westridge was actually moonlighting at Stalag Luft Guide Post teaching us first year lot history. Not only that but Mr Eadington the wood work teacher was at it too!!!! Both these guys moved from Guide Post to Westridge when it opened in 1957. Both taught me at Stalag Luft Guide Post in 1956. Your list of names brought back memories though. I took over Len Thompson's paper round at West Lea for 35 bob a week. Sorry HPW you can put it to bed how you like but in the morning it will still be 1957.

When Westridge first opened in 57 I was in the second year, I should have left in 1960 but stayed on until summer 61.

No problem Eggy. It was an attempt to show that all the smarties had not ended up at grammar school. At first there was straight forward A,B and C classes in all years. Then they realised that kids don,t all mature at the same age and the ones that showed potential as they got older were "removed" above the A kids. Finally sraying on at school for an extra year and ending up in form five and took GCEs. Which I did in 1961 and really owed Westridge a lot as it set me up for life.

No 4 is not Mike Riley, Mike and I were good friends at Guide Post school before going to Westridge. Can we agree that Westridge opened its doors in September 1957, my leaving certificate says I attended from then and I was there the first day! I would say that his is an A class possibly 3A? That would date it 1959 I don't think that is John Wright either as he was in the remove along with me. BB

2 Bob Short 3 John Storey 12 Brian Watson 13 Ken McDonald 14 Malcolm Jenkinson Teacher Mr Nicolson

Got to hand it to you 3g you don't half talk some tripe at times, good tripe at times but tripe non the less. There are consolations though, Boris chatting to Cor wassis name over the dispatch boxes with Putin and Trump in floating about in the background ...................Now that IS frightening. Why am I filled with fear for my grand children? But there you go my grand father probably had similar thoughts about Chamberlain, Hitler and Stalin................ It does make you think though dunnit? BB

Probably about 5 to 10 Bob a game in those days.

bit too early for me too. Dont forget though not all these players would come from Netherton, they played for who paid the most!

Nay bother at all.............Its just back to two tins and a bit of string. It always pays to have a plan b.

Miss Severs begum! Lucky for you Miss Jefferson at the village school had retired by you got there Now she was a REAL battleaxe. She could have taken on the IS and the Taliban single handed.

More likely to be that the undergrowth was getting too bad and was cut back in case of fire plus it was winter when the growth was at its lowest. Dont forget steam was still king then and steam chucks out sparks and the viaduct was wood. Track sides were kept a lot neater then than they are now.