Symptoms
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Everything posted by Symptoms
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Here's another one to keep us going. Fifth Year group from 1966/7 - notice the Prefect lapel badges. Again, help with missing names please.
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Ok, here's a question for GGGG & GGG or the owners of the domain. Have you made arrangements in your wills regarding the future of this site? Those of us who've been here for years, especially those of us who contributed to the 'old' bedders site, might be concerned about the fate of this place should GGGG/GGG croak. When the last site 'went dark' for a couple of years (I'm sure it was that long) I, and maybe others, felt a sense of loss or disconnection from our shared experience of being from Bedders. I'm sure that was strongly felt by us exiles.
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High Pit - just a point of clarification: Westridge wasn't a Comprehensive School, it was a Secondary Modern. The Tripartite system under the 1944 Eductaion act created, Grammar Schools, Technical Schools, and Secondary Modern Schools; entry to the first two was a pass at the 11+ test. I'm not sure if Northumberland CC implemented the Technical School part. The widespread changes towards Comprehensives started in the early 70s although in some parts of the country it happened much earlier, eg. Inner London had some Comprehensives in the 50s. I think that there are just a handful of areas that resisted and still cling onto the 11+ system to this day!
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Westridge is very dear to my heart as I had a wonderful time there and tons of great memories. I was very upset when I heard that the County scrapped the place - it felt a bit like them erasing my past (bastards!). Nevertheless, it was a cog in the pernicious system which I'm sure must have harmed countless 1000s of kids over the years and I'm glad the whole revolting 11+ selection system was binned in most of the country. Maggs, you're right about the decent education offered there. I did the Northern Counties in the Fourth Year, stayed on into the Fifth Year* to do O levels, then went down the Sixth Form at the Grammar School for A levels ... then down to London to become a hardworking student High Pit - are you sure Mr Abrahart left during your time there? I'm sure there was a Mr Abrahart there during my time (62 - 67). The metalwork teacher during my time was Edgar (Taffy) Williams; Miss Short was the Deputy Head during my time. *I have some photos of the Fifth Year class which I'll be posting soon on the Westridge Photo thread when I finished naming names. Oh, and I heard that Bill (Danny) Douglas died not that long ago. NOTE TO THE MODS: Why not consider putting all the Westridge stuff together in one thread?
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The rise of UKIP just demonstrates how many vile xenophobes there are lurking under rocks. Whilst Mr Toadface Farage is a brilliant politician and an extraordinary public speaker it's just a shame the message he's pedalling is just wrong.
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When I was a student in London at the end of the 60s beginning of the 70s clay pipes were still available in proper tabacconist shops (remember them? - not newsagents that happen to sell baccy). I used what was called a 'beadle' clay pipe for smoking dope - the thing was about 12" long with a red tip and 'cooled' the smoke down a bit when toking - my preferred mix was Ogdens Rough Shag* with Moroccan Black mixed in (even the Ogdens was enough to make your head spin just on its own!). When I think back the pipe must have looked terribly pretentious. *I still have a number of those Ogden tins in my garage ... storing nails & screws.
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I recently spotted a note on the Northumberland County Council's archive site that all the Westridge records were transferred to High School (I think ... but will check). Maybe they have a vault full of the old school snaps or perhaps the NCC archive might have them ... I might contact them next week to see what they have and what they may give out. Are there any Members here who have good contacts with the archive bods? Further to my earlier post about the rarity of old snaps and Maggie's point about the 'old gits'. I'm not sure that many/most folks in their 60s or 70s are 'online' to see these posts and be tempted to dig-out and share snaps ... maybe I'm wrong. How about all the younger Members here going to nag their parents/grannies to look in the photo 'shoebox' to see what's there? Get the oldies to talk and share their tales before they croak. I did this with my most of my elders and it proved to be invaluable when I researched the family tree; about 10 years ago I also got my Mum to annotate the back of all the photos in her shoebox and this has proved to be so useful.
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What seems to be driving this thread are the few photos that are being published ... they are quite rare. We think that there were tons of cameras owned by folks back then - even as late as the 60s - but they weren't that commonly used ... cost of buying them and cost of film/processing was maybe beyond most working family budgets. What we tend to see are photos from schools or works (or photo booths or beach snappers) that were done on contract and then made available to the punters. But again budgets must have been tight even for those school photos, including group shots and individual snaps. Thankfully my parents were just able to scrape the few shillings needed so I do have a few. However, the most important one I remember must have been lost in a house move 'cos when I went to clear my Mum's house after she died I couldn't find it.
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Thanks for those contributions - if, and when I get some more I'll add them to the photos and upload new ones. Orloff, are you sure about Helen Hurst/ Mary Tyler? I'm sure it's Mary ... I had a real crush on her but never had the nerve to ask her out; she was friends with Pauline Brown who I also liked.
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Here's a couple more Westridge Photos taken at Ford Castle. Westridge 4 taken 1966 or 7 & Westridge 5 taken 1964 or 5 ... can't remember exactly. I've racked by brain to come-up with names (quite confident about accuracy) but clearly there's gaps - perhaps Members could help name the question marks. Micky is that your brother Jimmy in WR5? I'm busy putting names on some other photos I have and will post them soon.
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Keep up Adam
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BE CERTAIN MY FLOCK THAT I SHALL HAVE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS.
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The Tory High Command were so fed-up with Owen Patterson's performance as Environment Minister in charge of the neddyburger scandal that they had his DNA tested and it came back as being 100% donkey.
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Well, now we know! Fritz the Pope mixed-up in the recent Vatican sex scandal ... and not one just involving boys but, and this is the hard one to believe, naughty nuns. Then there's the tale in the papers this week of the Fritz's top man in Jockoland allegedly being naughty with young priests. How prophetic my Operation Yewtree crack now appears.
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merc wrote: "The NHS has a finite number of employment positions available; i'd wager there are more native people out of work than that number." Yep, absolutely correct merc but how many of them have to correct skills set to work in the NHS? What's stopping them from applying for all those NHS jobs that don't require formal qualifications? merc, I'm sure your Uncle John worked his nuts off but hey, he was trading in a competitive market. Surely you're not suggesting that there should have been a form of apartheid operational in Blyth the aim of which was to protect 'white' businesses? I accept your assertion that "I'm no racist, by the way ... " but my giblets always quiver when hearing phrases like: "some of my best friends are black", or "I'm no racist but ... "; even that smarmy Bullingdon cretin Camaroonie mentions "my black man in Plymouth". To paraphrase Sammy Johnson, "Patriotism excusing or denying racism is the last refuge of a scoundrel". Phrases of denial will always undermine serious and honest comment and in my opinion should always be omitted.
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Oh, dear! Not the immigration card being dealt yet again. Northumberland is 'terribly white', Bedders is 'terribly white', most of Blighty is 'terribly white'. Yep, some parts of the country have higher concentrations of various ethnic groups but why not? Maybe it a safety in numbers thing ... maybe they feel threatened by the indigenous population with their vile hateful media - the repulsive Daily Mail spouting scare stories daily. Here's a thought ... the NHS wouldn't function without the effort of countless thousands of workers originally from overseas. Where would you get that pint of milk or packet of fags at 2 in the morning ... the corner shop run by a hardworking family from the Indian sub-continent? Oh, the list is endless.
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That's a Bessemer Converter ... used in the manufacture of steel not iron and not invented until the 1850s*. Ah, metalwork theory lessons again. *maybe our Iron Works had closed by then?
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And home to the Spanish Flu. My maternal Grandma had her first daughter with my Grandad when he returned from France ... but she died of the flu when an infant.
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Oh dear! The old fella's put his papers in ... I wonder if Operation Yewtree will show an interest.
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Spot on Orloff. Puddling was a process used in the manufature of wrought iron - guys would use very long iron ladles to mix the molten iron in the crucible during the melt. The purpose of this action was to stir-in the 'slag' (a bit like the scum floating on the top) and this resulted in the iron having a slightly fibrous structure and made it good in tension (not like cast iron which is good in compression). Facts remembered from school metalwork theory lessons.
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Oh no! A report in the paper this morning that Waitrose has been affected. This has now become a serious issue ...
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Of course, the Bullingdon Club ruling elite consider the correct fix for food for the poor is for the poor to eat their own kids.
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What did she expect crossing the road there. The number of folks pushing buggies or leading ankle-biters across busy roads AND NOT using pedestrian crossings is commonplace. Perhaps the Peelers might like to consider charging her with something after they lift the car driver. Thomas Hamilton, up in Jockoland, had form for serious kiddie-fiddling (I know he wasn't a murderer but almost as bad) but was allowed to keep his Firearm Certificate; Michale Ryan, down in Hungerford, was another with serious form but had legit shooters. Both went on the become mass-murderers using their legally held guns.
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Whilst Blackadder IV was a satirical/comedy take on what went on, I still reckon it was a very accurate depiction of the uncaring command structure in place and the resignation of the poor sods stuck in the trenches. The British class system at its best. My Grandad was a Corporal in the Northumberland Hussars* during that buns fight with Fritz and was awarded the Military Medal for a series of outstanding actions in Flanders ... there's a whole section on him in Howard Pease's History of the Northumberland Hussars. As my Grandad was in the Regiment as a volunteer part-time trooper before the War he was sent over to France at the beginning and was there for the whole four year duration and survived. I still have his spurs and his jack-knife (one of those knives with a blade and a marlin spike used for cleaning horse hooves); his medals and citations are at Durham Cathedral. My maternal Grandmother lost her first husband and three brothers (she later married the guy above); my paternal Grandmother lost two brothers. This wasn't unusual - thousands and thousands of families had multiple losses. * Yeoman Cavalry - horse-mounted Territorials. I watched the film War Horse on the telly last year and got a bit of a flavour about what it might have been like.
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This is a photo of the equity fund boss Leynton Lea who owns Findus delivering Sunday lunch. ... you all can guess where the knackered polo dobbins end up.
