Richard Bloomfield

I am pleased to say that the club won the Northern League programme award this season. This was due in no small part to a series of articles about the history of the club from the formation of the Mechanics in 1949. Thanks to everyone on here who was able to chip in with bits of information.

It was Bedlington Terriers. The author was probably short on space and so omitted the word Terriers.

I don't believe that they did. With help from a number of sources, I have been ironing out the history of the club. For some years the club history said that the club played in the Tyneside Amateur League for the 1979-80 season as Bedlington United. Right League, wrong name. The club was known as Bedlington Town (and in 1978-79 as Bedlington Colliery Welfare). Town reached the Challenge Shield Final and the wonders of ebay has enabled me to get the programme for that game. None of the players in the photo of Bedlington Rangers are listed as playing for Bedlington Town.

Thanks Pete. That confirms the date in accordance with the attached article from the Journal dated 19 September 1961.

I hope no one minds me coming back to this as I have been able to get some more information. The Mechanics were formed in 1949 and played at Millne Park in the Miners Welfare League. For the 1952/3 season they were promoted to the Northern Combination and then for the 1955/56 season to the Northern Alliance. The club was turned off Millne Park at the end of the 1960/61 season and disbanded at the end of the 1962/63 season. The club reformed and played the 1965/66 season as Bedlington Colliery Welfare in the Northern Alliance. For the 1979/80 season the club changed its name to Bedlington Town and played in the Tyneside Amateur League. For 1980781 season the club adopted the name Bedlington Terriers and returned to the Northern Alliance. I am still missing two bits of information if anyone can help. 1. Where did the club go after leaving Millne Park? I believe it was Bedlington Station Welfare but cannot confirm it. 2. When did the club move to Dr Pit Park? I have seen reference to 1968 but cannot confirm this either. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated. As an aside the original Welfare team folded at the end of the 1962/63 season according to the Terriers old website.

The Morpeth Herald reported at the end of the 1960-61 season that the Mechanics had been turned off Millne Park and that Mr. Millne wished to build a road through it giving access to his business. From 1965-66 season the club played as Bedlington Colliery Welfare and did not adopt the name Bedlington Terriers until the 1980-81 season. The Welfare team disappeared in the mid 60s and the best evidence I have seen is that the Mechanics moved to Welfare Park for the 1968-69 season. From 1961-68 the Mechanics played at Bedlington Station Welfare.

Anyone got thoughts on where the photo was taken? There is clearly some sort of stand in the background.

All these old photos are fabulous pieces of the history of football in Bedlington. I have recently seen a couple of old photos. Bedlington United in the 1920s appear to have worn all white shirts, while the early Mechanics shirts look to he slightly darker, perhaps red. It's the difficulty with black and white photos!! The Welfare started playing football competitively in about 1927 and ceased around 1968 when the Mechanics moved to Welfare Park. The only Bedlington team in stripes was the Welfare.

Bedlington Mission played the rest of the league in October 1913.

Pity. I will have to take if off the programme cover for Saturday!!

That looks like Bedlington Mission from just before the First World War: https://www.bedlington.co.uk/forums/topic/4968-earliest-bedlington-photobomb/ I believe that Bedlington United played in white shirts.

You are right about the Welfare playing in the Miners Welfare League in the 1930s onwards. I thought that they had joined a Junior league first but I may be wrong. Will check.

The original ground was at Hollymount, not Millfield. He is also wrong about United moving in 1922 (it was 1920) and about them folding in 1930 (it was 1938). I will see if I can post some newspaper cuttings confirming this. The book is right about Welfare Park as the football team appeared for the 1926/7 season.

I have seen the old maps. I am not that familiar with the Hollymount area but.... When the club moved to Church Lane in 1920 the press article mentioned the area where the ground was at Hollymount being part of a building scheme. The article said: "this has been taken for the building scheme". So if someone knows whereabouts houses were built at Hollymount around 1920, you can locate the old ground.

They moved from Hollymount to Church Lane in 1920. A "grandstand" was built at Church Lane when they moved. The stand at Hollymount was only built in 1913 so they only used it for playing purposes given the intervention of the First World War. The last time they won the league was the 1907/8 season when they won the East Northumberland League and were promoted to the Northern Alliance. No trophies were won between 1913 and 1920 when the stand was there at Hollymount. It is difficult to tell from a photo but the stand doesn't look brand spanking new so I think 1928 as the Senior Cup was won in 1923 and 1928. The two shields probably symbolise the two Senior Cup victories. So I think 1928/9 ish.