Symptoms

Looking at those photos ... they obviously enjoy their grub, perhaps most of them have a season ticket at Greigs. Pies all round, I say! Yep, I know ... fat shaming. Naughty Sym.

Done some checking and it was a Winchester Model 1897 pump-action shotgun - it's now held at the Royal Armoury having been transferred by the Northumbria Peelers back in 1971. For all the facts go to: https://collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-34963.html

7 = Alan (Cowt) Coultas, 29 = Alan Greenacre, 30 = John Harmmerson (or Harmerson).

Hi Derek - I can't recall your family name from the Riggs; the only lad I knew from South Riggs was Norman Dunn - you might have lived next door to the Dunns according to Google Maps.. Alan Greenacre from Nether Riggs was another friend as was Jack Dixon's son Ian (the Dixons lived next door to us in East Riggs). Jack died earlier this year aged 92 ... I'm still in contact with Ian and his sister Carol. We lived in the Riggs from 61 to 69.

Eggs - if you number the Parliament snap I can ID Alan Greenacre, John Harmmerson, Alan Coultas as a starter.

I understand it was a Winchester Model 1890 (a .22 pump action). I've been a Firearms Certificate holder for 54 years and went shooting with my Dad when we lived in Bedders back in the late 50s and 60s. One of my Dad's guns was a Model 1890 and he always said it was this type that was used in the Sun murders. When he died I was left his large gun collection and so still have this Winchester. I have no difinitive proof, just what he told me.

Could be East Riggs ... perhaps a census enumerator wrote it down incorrectly (it happened often!).

George 'Geordie' Hemming's wife taught music at Westridge during my time there (61 to 67). If she wasn't a 'qualified' teacher then she would have been an 'instructor'; back then you could teach in schools as an instructor. The reference to "Assistant Schoolmaker" in the 1939 Register was probably an entry mistake (very common) ... it probably should be "Assistant Schoolmaster" and his wife down as "unpaid domestic duties" just means 'housewife'. Mr Hemmings taught Geography and French. Every year, at the end of the Summer Term, he would arrive at the school with his caravan hitched to his car ready for a quick getaway for his touring holidays in France. Oh, in Geography he had this technique for drawing 'cartoon' outline maps of different countries on the blackboard ... I loved this trick and still employ it even after 50 years!

And ... what about Nigel Farage alleged 'get rich quick scheme' - hedge fund betting against the pound on the night of the referendum? Shysters, the lot of them!

Eggs ... sorry for delay in replying. The banner was commissioned in 1949 by the Bedlington 'A' Colliery Combined Levy Fund Committee; the pit was also known as Sleekburn 'A' and originally the 'Auld Pit' when the first shaft was sunk in back in1838. So, it's the same pit ... perhaps, some of the old boys just continued to call it Sleekburn Pit after Nationalisation. West Sleekburn was a different pit, sometimes called 'The Winning' or Bedlington 'E'; its shaft was sunk in 1859. Its banner was made from silk in 1950. Hope this helps

Perhaps I'm just a pompous broadsheet faux intellectual kettled within a heaving PC crowd but, but, but ... am I the only one who is uncomfortable with 1970s humour appearing here?

Now, the important question: Does anybody here know where my old classmate Alan Temple is now as I'd love to get in contact with him?

Cor Blimey 3G!!! Normally your stuff is well researched and often with quotes from 'mainstream' sources but quoting stuff from some obscure FB page ... poo. Yep, there'll always be crackerjacks looking for a ruck but most folks on the left (including Corbs) want to 'overthrow' the vile Tories and their fellow travellers peacefully.

My money's on undercover Express and Mail reporters (easily spotted - fat blokes with back-to-front baseball caps and polished black leather shoes) kicking it all off on the demo to create the story; a bit like the Met Peelers and squaddies starting all the bother during the Miner's Strike.

For a moment I thought I'd landed on that hateful Mailonline website ... no mention there (or here) of evil Thatcher's (or shagger Major's) secret talks with Jerry & Martin. Hooray for Jezza. What a few weeks ... first the Kippers consigned to that dark place from where they were spawned and next, the vile Tory scum.

The King of Sweden ... another inbred Euro monarch! We've got Betty Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and her dim-witted brood so I must do some research to see if the Swede is from the same stock.

"Events, dear boy, events." Oh, how Theresa May must be glad her wrinkly and dementia tax is off the front page.

I was in contact with Malcolm (Allan) at the weekend about this proposed reunion and we've agreed to cancel it due to so few folks signing up to attend. There was plenty of interest here and loads of 'hits'on the http://www.westridgeschool.com website but that interest wasn't converted into a sign-ups. A few folks did want to attend (some from overseas) ... I'll be writing to them with the news.

Eggs - use my Bedlington nom de plume.

Eggs - I'm more than happy for you to spread my snaps as widely as you like but if you can apply an acknowledgement of source that would be great.

There always appears to be plenty of Peelers around when some mentally disturbed bloke gets killed in the cells. Anyway, back to knocky-door ... our version of 'remote' knocking was the black sewing thread wheeze. Bobbin of thread, tie one end the the old biddies knocked, pay the thread out to across the street, hide behind the wall/hedge opposite, tug, slacken the tread when the door gets opened, repeat, repeat, repeat. What a laugh! We were just kids!!!!

HPW - my woof's just the same as yours ... hours spent on the beach (most days) with ball thrown dozens, and dozens, and dozens of times into the surf, soaked woofa emerging to gallop through the sand, then back into the water. A walk home, hose the sand off the woof, then off she goes running around the garden getting covered in clarts. Out with the hose again, then in it comes to dry off in front of the stove and falls asleep. Now to get some work done ... only for it to wake up and demand more fun and games. Mind, I wouldn't change a thing (it's watching me now out of one eye ready to interrupt this typing task) - yep, here we go!

HPW - that last post of yours has confused me ... who got murdered and who did the murder? Have I missed something?