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Showing content with the highest reputation since 19/03/23 in all areas

  1. I know its a few years since the last post on this thread, but I'm doing some family history stuff and searched 2 gate house... it would appear my ancestors lived there between yours! Mine were there in the 1921 census, and moved on by 1939! Thanks so much for that map canny lass!
    3 points
  2. Hope everybody has a better 2024 than this year!! Aal thi best Folks!!
    3 points
  3. My pleasure this morning to give the lasses who are the Friends of West Lea Cemetery their newest award, off our friends at Bedlington.co.uk. This is the 2023 Piper award and given a lot of members on that site are ex-pats it’s nice to know they still keep up with current going-ons in Bedlington. Given in recognition of someone or a group who have made outstanding efforts in the Town over the last year, a well-deserved award. Well done girls.........
    3 points
  4. It’s that time of year again when thoughts of old friends emerge again and fond memories stir the soul. I hope everybody here is well. Wishing you all good time over the holidays and a safe happy New Year. Sym
    3 points
  5. .... and the same from me! Merry Christmas to everybody. Take really, really, REALLY good care of yourselves and we'll meet again in the new year.
    3 points
  6. Thank you Alan, Merry Christmas to you and yours, Merry Christmas to all members.
    3 points
  7. Had a bit play and I have come up with this template for this year and future years And for 2023 I added the info + our group logo Still need to look at the dimensions of the certificate to match the dimesions of popular frame sizes.
    3 points
  8. @Andy Millne @John Fox (foxy) @Malcolm Robinson @Vic Patterson @HIGH PIT WILMA @Bedlingtonian @Pete @Jammy @Maggie/915 @_pauls @James @Symptoms @Mal @Tonyp @Beano @7RIrF @carly @Bill Straughan @oldtimer @Dave Twist @6233jane @threegee @Darren Smith @jfk @B Davison @DJA 24 @anniemarr @Katherine Hyde @Jr6468 @Sheila Prouten @Joe McNally @Patricia Wadsworth @SouthernGeordie @rosco @Linray @lynnewatson @sallywoo1971 I have posted the message and the images onto the Facebook page of https://www.facebook.com/Thefriendsofwestleacemetery @Mal had a think, and clart, on what you proposed re certificate and anything is possible but naturally on something that is normally a pure online award there will be some issues to overcome. These are the tnings I am thinking about :- design and produce a certificate using my Winows Vista + Microsoft Digital Image pro 10 (as that is the only software I have print off the certificate - and as I am no professional that would be to an A4 sheet of paper. What dimensions would the certificate be = what are the standard picture frame sizes, between A5 & A4, that TFOWBC could by to fit certificate into Posting a certificate to TFOWC - looking at their FB page they don't have an address for where to post anything to and if they did it would have to have a letter box wide enough to accept an A4 sheet,8.27 x 11.69 inches or 21 x 29.7 centermeters, wth cardboard support to stop it getting bent/damaged in the post. ------------------------------------------------------ I will let you know if I come up with anything
    3 points
  9. I have made the 2023 award and as long as all are happy with this years award going to The friends of Westlea Cemetery (TFOWC) I will post the following text and images on TFOWC Facebook page. To the volunteers at The Friends Of Westlea Cemetery. In 2020 on the Bedlington community group (bedlington.uk) it was suggested that a yearly award (purely online) be award to anyone that had helped the group or anything to do with Bedlington. It was decided to name it The Piper Award after Ainsley Piper who bred the Bedlington terrier in 1825 in St Cuthbert’s Vicarage. This December the members of the group have voted for the online award to go to your volunteer organisation that has helped so many people in Bedlington, and beyond. So the members of bedlingto.uk would like to say thank you to the work your volunteers have done.
    3 points
  10. Aye he takes a canny snap!
    3 points
  11. Following a long absence on this site I have just become aware of Derek's passing today, sad news indeed. A true gentleman respected by all who were fortunate enough to have the pleasure of his company.
    3 points
  12. Coach Road is shown in blue on the attached 1897 map of Bedlington East End. The road is still there leading to Spring view and the last houses were demolished in the early 1950’s. The East End Church of England school was only about 250 yards from Coach Road so is fair to assume that this is the school in the photo. The school (shown in yellow on the map) was closed in the early 1900’s and the site is now part of Hollymount Square.
    3 points
  13. "There will be a shuttle bus to get people from one side of the crossing to the other..." Well, I can dream! This one was supposed to be flying by 2018, and it seems there are quite a number of such designs. Maybe it's going to take Elon to bring one to reality!
    3 points
  14. Kings Coronation 2023
    3 points
  15. Same from me, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.
    2 points
  16. Canny Lass,ONLY those who were pitfolks knew the hardships the families of the Miners faced in times of tragedy and distress,AND ,in normal day to day living..When an employer takes Six year old bairns carried on their Father's backs asleep,to work underground from midnight to midday..they HAVE TO BE EVIL..they even employed women,some pregnant,to work underground,and on the Screens on the surface...in the real old days..but even when I was 15 yrs old,in 1959,the NCB Training scheme,had us learning underground,how to attach pit tubs to a moving haulage rope,by lashing a heavy chain round the rope three times..[rope moving at two miles per hour..some 4 mph!!],and then clipping the end of the chain to the middle "Cock-hole" on the tub with a Sheckle and pin..all the time this was happening,we stopped the chain from pulling the tub away till required,by holding our pit boot OVER THE ROPE ON THE GROUND.letting the rope pass under the sole of our boot which was held against the chain to stop it from clicking away prematurely..talk about insane?...no health and safety then..many a kid and adults also,were run over by a loose wire strand on the rope snatching the chain away and tripping the haulage lad onto the ground,the pit tub running over their legs or arms..hard to describe..wish I could find a training film showing how this was done..I had many a near miss ,same as everybody else who had to do it!!Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!!
    2 points
  17. After I posted the two images - 2023 Piper Award 'ceremony' & Piper Trophy - on The Friends Of Westlea Cemetery Facebook page one of the volunteers has responded on their FB page with this :- Waiting to see what @Mal has done with the certificate image he downloaded.
    2 points
  18. Derek Johnstone 1946 - 2022 It is with a great deal of sadness that I recently learned of the passing away of a valued member of this forum. Derek Johnstone, better known to us as ’Rigger’, is no longer with us. I first met Derek when he and I entered class JR1 at Westridge Secondary Modern School in Bedlington about 1959. I remember him there as a rather quiet, well mannered and very intelligent teenager who was very well liked and respected by pupils and teachers alike. He was a good classmate and I can’t remember Derek ever being in trouble for misbehaviour of any kind. I have particularly fond personal memories of being helped by Derek when struggling with the intricacies and mysteries of ’tech drawing’ which in my naivety I’d chosen to embark upon instead of needlework. He had the patience of a saint. It wasn’t just in the academic subjects he made his mark, Derek, a keen sportsman played football for the school team and went on to devote many hours of his time in training and matches with Bedlington Juniors where he was goalkeeper (pictured below in the scchool team, top row, 3rd from left). He became a keen golfer in later years, so his love of sport had clearly remained with him. After leaving school Derek became an electrician working first in his native Bedlington, at the Doctor Pit, before moving to the coalfields of Yorkshire then South Africa before returning to the UK to take up the very responsible position of overseeing safety in the Aberdeen Offshore Oil Industry. He remained in Aberdeen until his death. Derek was a family man. His marriage to New Delaval girl, Patricia (Pat) Brown, gave him three lovely sons: Kristian, Julian and Graeme. Tragically, Pat died very young leaving Derek to shoulder not only his grief but also that of the children and the responsibility for their upbringing. He seems to have done a remarkable job with Kristian now living and working in Dubai, Graeme living and working in Thailand (seemingly having followed in his father’s footseps in the offshore industry) and Julian living and working in Belfast. Derek did remarry but, sadly, once again a caring role was suddenly thrust upon him when his second wife, Irean, developed Alzheimers disease. After many, many years my path crossed again with Derek’s when he became ’Rigger’ a member of this forum. Rigger was not a frequent visitor but his posts were always informative and interesting, sharing valuable knowledge of people and places in and around Bedlington. Helpful as ever, he’d never forgotten his Bedlingtonian roots. Even in other areas of the Internet, Derek has left an an enormous legacy to anyone having have roots in Bedlington. His work ’Bedlington Soldiers Who Died in the Great War: Summaries of the brave soldiers from Bedlington and the surrounding area who did not return from the 1914 – 1918 War’ is a one-man masterpiece. (http://www.newmp.org.uk/memimages//05.%20Enlistment%20Project%20Compiled%20Version.pdf) It is, I’m sure, the result of years of patient research and writing on his part paying homage to the brave men of Bedlington who gave their lives in the Great War. I also know that this work was a tribute to his grandfather whom he loved and admired. It is not just an essay, it is a work of academic standard well worth a read and a valuable source of information to those, like myself, researching family history. Last year, Derek was diagnosed with an aggressive and inoperable brain cancer to which he succumbed after only five months. He died in November 2022 aged 76 years. His person has been described to me by his life-long friend David Cowans as ”a friendly boy and a nice man” who ”had a positive manner and a genuine, easy-going charm”. I cannot other than agree. Thank you for your contribution. Rest in Peace Rigger. Thank you to Derek’s brother Ray, David Cowans, and Glynis Lynn who have provided me with information and photos.
    2 points
  19. Sounds like a great suggestion fully behind it
    2 points
  20. During WW2 my maternal Grandfather was working a double shift in the middle of the night (to help the war effort) when he was injured underground by a rock fall causing crush injuries to his legs and back. His mates dug him out, brought him to the surface and stretchered him the mile-and-a-half back to his home. The doctor was called, meds given and an ambulance was called to take him to hospital in Durham ... he worked at Sherburn Hill Colliery near Durham City. My Grandmother had to pay the Doctor for the home visit and for the ambulance - it cost her two shilling and six pence. You had to pay for all this stuff when the pits were privately owned and there was no NHS. He got plastered-up and was back at work a couple of months later.
    2 points
  21. hello @Canny lass from Wilf
    2 points
  22. November 2023 - with a 'Merry Christmas' wish (but same hat and scarf @Canny lass ) - photo from Simon Williams.
    2 points
  23. Don't panic! Keep on clarting!
    2 points
  24. It's a man thing. Trust me, I'm a woman!
    2 points
  25. Thanks for that little gem, @James! I thought that I'd researched my old school (Nedderton village) well but I never knew that it was once a church school.
    2 points
  26. Don't you forget to make time for yourself! Caring for a loved one can be hard work at times and you need time for rest and relaxation if you're going to cope and keep your health intact.
    2 points
  27. Hi David,Dad never talked about his rescue work,well none of them did,and I never knew he had been badly burned..that really was a savage way to be injured..and his thinking about the accident being caused by an illegally lit cigarette,underground,was 99% justified..[at the High Pit that is..if that is where the accident happened..].I never saw anybody smoke in any other pit where I worked..the High Pit was different..I have never smoked in my life,therefore I could,and still can,now,at 79 yrs of age,detect cigarette smoke a mile away. I remember being threatened by one Deputy underground,when I was about 17 years old,to be reported and sacked by the Manager,if I didn't get off my pit horse's back..[okay it was illegal..and a horse carrying me wasn't suffering..it was safety issues that made it illegal!]...anyway,I got down off the horse,but as I did,I blurted out to the Deputy.."Ye report me ...and aal report ye for sitting there smoking alang wi the coalfillers..ye are risking blowing us all ti pieces..ya mad..!" He didn't need to reply to me..aal the coalfillers [a dozen of them],said Wilma,ye better f.... off noo the time thi game's gud or else we'll hing ye.."..[hang you]..I quickly went and got on with my work,and they all went inbye to their jobs on the coalface,they had stopped at the halfway point to rest,as all the roadways going inbye were on a steep rise to the west..the coal seam outcropped over the fields past Hepscot. Nowt mair was ever said about the incident,and I got on well with that Deputy,he was a real canny sociable fella,who was the spitting image of the old Television Comedian ,Arthur Haynes..if anybody can recall watching his shows in the 1960's! Choppington High Pit had very poor ventilation,and was really wet throughout the mine..so wet and with never any evidence of Methane being detected,it was considered safe to smoke..the Chief danger down that pit wasn''t Methane,it was Blackdamp..[more correctly known as "Blackdampfe"...from German "Dampfe"= GAS]...and which miners called "Stythe"..or "Styfe".. it was a dead cert that if the Barometric Pressure dropped sharply..the roadways and faces in the pit would quickly fill up withthis deadly gas,which isn't poisonous,it is Asphyxiating to the exclusion of Oxygen..and therefore men used to just suffocate when the mine got styfed out before they got to bank..[the surface!]...that pit should never have been opened in the first place!! Hope I haven't gone on too long David..Cheers Marra!
    2 points
  28. Hi Canny Lass!Long time since we chatted![Health issues with my Wife] Aye,bonny lass,sadly,not many of us are left noo,apart from the last influx of younger lads before the pits were aal shut doon.[They worked the super pits like Ellington,Westoe,etc..and they had machines ripping coal out at the rate of 1 million tons a year..they didn't realise they were cutting their own throats as well as cutting so much coal] Us old timers worked in the little tettie pits like the High Pit at Choppington,where we really did risk wor life every day..often we would be travelling through Scotland Gate,upstairs on the Double Decker United No 47 bus,and we could see owa the fields,ti the High Pit's Headgear,and when we saw the cage wheels standing...we knew we would likely be getting a "Bevan"...[meaning a sharp lowse..early finish..] Sometimes a pit tub full of coal would accidentally override the "Monkey"..[a device on the cage floor which allowed the tubs to roll into the cage,but prevented them from rolling back out..until the Banksmen,or Onsetter at the shaft bottom,pressed a foot operated lever to disengage the Monkey from the tub axles...so allowing the tubs to be rammed out of the cage by pushing two empty ["Chummings"] tubs into the cage.When the tubs came out of the cage halfway up the shaft,travelling at 50 per second ,being wound on coalwork,by the powerful steam winder,the buffers on the tubs used to rip the Buntings and Skeets..[Cage guides running all the way down the shaft,front and back of the cage]...out and render the pit shaft unusable. Because that only left the "Backshaft" [Men only rode in this shaft.]..and one means of egress from the pit..it contravened the Coal Mines Act regulations,and so any men IN the pit had to be got out quickly,as the pit used to "Stythe" out totally if there was a sudden Barometric Pressure drop. On such occasions,we had to get dressed in our pit clothes and clock in as normal,then hang around for a while,and if the Engineer made a statement that the shaft would take more than two hours to repair and test for safety,then we were allowed to clock back out,get bathed and go home with a full day's pay. Well,as a young miner,with other things rather than pitwork on my mind...it was a relief to go back home..one less day to be risking our lives..I tell you,no other mine was ever like the High Pit!!
    2 points
  29. 8 years later... ..and this cool-laid-back is even built in to the software! I did come across a reply to a "how to" technical question on a forum last night posted five years after the question was asked; but it's nice to know that Bedlington.uk is right up there with the best!
    2 points
  30. I think the focus there is on the females are able to multitask and males aren't - myth. But... if it gets food put on the table at all the right times (etc. etc.), then we really shouldn't knock it.
    2 points
  31. Now if we had said that Canny lass!!!!!😂😂😂
    2 points
  32. Well, you're probably getting Sweden's share of the 'heatwave'! Coldest July I've ever experienced with temps between 9 and 17, and this is usually our hottest month! I've had to get the winter duvets out of storage.
    2 points
  33. Hey, I can answer the BBC's "Have we seen the end of the Mediterranean heatwave" question: No, you haven't. It's almost exactly three weeks from the statistically warmest days of the year - August is pretty much always a heatwave, and of course - give or take a bit - it will all be back again next year as per usual. Any minute differences you think you'd like to ascribe to CO2 driven anthropomorphic climate change [careful choice of words there, as you can learn a lot from pseudo-scientific shysterism] are hidden in the statistical noise - just where the lucrative "climate change industry" likes them to be! Fun fact: Ask practically any retired and experienced metrologist for an honest opinion on the matter. They need to be retired so's they aren't in fear of their job, and decades of watching the weather instead of running incredibly dubious computer models helps enormously. You'll need to reference quite a few before you find one that doesn't smile and tell you that we are all being conned.
    2 points
  34. "It is strange what Ryanair are doing compared with the other airlines. Could it be that they don't have any spare aircraft to send out and bring holiday makers home - or is it just all about money?" The latter, for sure! It's a completely unprincipled outfit run by a moron! Other ex-pats here say they have no choice, but I've managed not to give him a bean over more than a decade. I hate it when Mrs 3G flies with them, particularly when I have to drive her to the airport at some ungodly hour to meet their scheduling. But she's quite canny and knows exactly how their rip-off charging system works, knows what days to fly, how long to book ahead, so plays the system for the cheapest possible seat. Ryanair: I'd rather cycle it! Steer clear of EU countries in any case, they have only ever been after our money, and will rip you off in an instant. If you want that, and want to be treated like cattle, then good luck to you, but don't moan about it afterwards!
    2 points
  35. when it gets to 22C I'ts too hot for me. Fortunately the jet Stream has been looking after me for the past few days
    2 points
  36. That's a bugger as you try and enjoy the outdoor life before this years dark nights keep you Swede's in doors I just another booster last month. Take care CL
    2 points
  37. Ah CL this explains why we haven't heard from you for some time, so pleased to hear you are recovering, again! Yes Covid is still around, I believe it will always be here and just considered another Flu with more deadly symptoms. Our health is so important as we get older, take care.
    2 points
  38. Don't let anybody tell you it's over! It's still running amok. Despite five vaccinations and still rigorously hand washing, I am now recovering from my second dose pf Covid in 3 MONTHS!! Feeling, and probably looking, like a half wrung out floor cloth at the minute. Trying to catch up on the reading but don't expect any real input from me for a while. Stay safe!!!
    2 points
  39. Bedlington Station Entrance Design Options - link posted by @Malcolm Robinson on his Bedlington West ward Facebook page :- https://www.northumberlandline.uk/post/bedlington-station-entrance-design-options?fbclid=IwAR1-e_bna1GnTyjBSsaQ5T0O_EmWcMb9FwxFBJbWKPO0H-enMUVigubf1xo
    2 points
  40. Hi Bill ,I've just read your post about the high pit,I knew mining was a dangerous job ,but I didn't realise how bad it really was.Dad never talked about it.Your story of the pony being trapped in a moving conveyor belt was really sad.What I know about the explosion that burnt Dad;my sister was a baby so it must it have been 1945/6 Mam and the other wives gathered at the pit head when Dad was brought out Mam didn't recognise him he was so badly burnt.He was given a cigarette to make him feel better.There was 7 of them and they were taken to a hospital along the tyne valley.they had to have name tags on their beds as they were all covered in bandages.Dad always thought someone on his shift had lit a cigarette
    2 points
  41. Hi David ,aa get so wrapped up in my recollections that sometimes I forget to add important details.. Aa wud just like to say that aa never knew ya Dad was in the rescue team..till a saw your Dad's pic..aav gotta impress ti folks that these lads were a very brave team..they had to endure some gruesome sights throughout wor mining industry nationally..not just locally,and many a family are greatly indebted to the bravery of these fella's who went inti thi mines..sometimes when it was styphed oot [Blackdamp-Carbon Dioxide concentration in poorly ventilated mineworkings],other times after a fire or explosion..facing the deadly dangers of Firedamp..[Methane CH4],and/or Afterdamp..[result of fire or explosion..CO- Carbon Monoxide],whilst it might have been major roof falls where roadways were closed completely,trapping men in danger of injury or suffocation due to lack of Oxygen. There is a myth that the Rescue Team knew it was time to retreat from the workings when the Team's Canary dropped off the perch dead..even just yesterday,on Radio 2,Jeremy Vine discussing some political topic,used his favourite phrase,which irritates the hell out of me.."Yes,this is like the Canary at the coal face"..he doesn't even knaa wat a coal face looks like!! The Rescue Teams valued their aan lives,as well of the men they were trying to rescue,and the Canary was taken down the pit,because he would detect a drop in oxygen levels,and noxious gases,way before the Rescuers could detect danger,and he would start to get anxious and chattery,and start flapping about..so if ye think aboot it..wud the Rescue team proceed FURTHER..into a danger zone,wait till their bird drops dead..knowing they had to come oot the roadway the same way they went in,and the airflow direction is one way only!...and by then,Oxygen levels cud be dangerously low or even non-existent.. The Teams had their own Oxygen supply on their backs,but the first stage in situations like that,was to improve the ventilation,to dilute dangerous gases..if there was a Methane blower in the main roadway..the danger was..one spark accidentally generated..could set off an explosion,which usually also set off a self-propagating Coal Dust explosion,which would rip through every roadway in the mine,as it did in the Easington Colliery disaster..ripping through 22 miles of roadways underground..and into several seams.. So a think that the Rescue teams were really unsung heroes,and never got the recognition they truly deserved. Dave,ye shud be proud of what ya Dad did ,they were the Miner's lifeline in times of disaster. Cheers Bill. p.s. ...and the Canary was always brought out to safety after a mission,well looked after by the Rescue team at the Mines Rescue Station,at Ashington top end next to the town hall..they kept the Canaries next ti thi window in their cages so they could get daylight and be used to people and a lot of activity..they could be seen by everybody that passed the station!..bonny healthy birds!
    2 points
  42. Hi David,life down Choppington B pit [aka "The High Pit"]was really tough..I should have said ROUGH! I left school aged 15 years in 1959,and followed in my Father's and Brother's footsteps,as a lot of kids did in those days,and went to work down the mines.After preliminary training at Seaton Burn pit,The Coal Board sent me to The High Pit..even though at the interview stage,all the trainees were given two choices as to which pit they wanted to go to..I chose Bedlington A pit..[aka "The Aad Pit"],or as a second choice..Bedlington D Pit ..[aka "The Doctor Pit"].. My Father went mad when he opened the letter informing me that I was being Posted to the High Pit...HE started down that pit in 1929,aged 14 years old straight from school also. He told me stories about how it was "Aal rough and ready.."..and how men were being killed or injured on a regular basis..and he was going to see about putting a stop to me being sent there. Whey,he calmed doon and within a haaf an hoor,said Billy,aa nivvor wanted ye ti gaan doon thi pit ,but ye wadn't listen ti me,ye med ya bed hard,so ye can lie in it!! SO,a went into the timber yard at first,and also helped out on the screens,picking stones off the conveyor belt,to clean the coal up..then went down the pit at 16 yrs. By the time I was 17 yrs old,I was on heavy transport and salvage work,doing a really strenuous job,trailing heavy bits of gear like Motors,Gearboxes,Conveyor belt driveheads,200 yard long heavy thick cables for the coalcutters,using my pit pony and tracing chains. Ronnie and Eddie were the Deputies in two adjacent coal faces,which were really rough,with roof water teeming in,constantly,bad roof conditions,swalleys of water 100 yards lang and up to the ponies belly..i.e. up to our waist in some places..men WERE getting injured and killed frequently,I have permanent injuries which I never reported and which have affected me my whole life..also the pit horses suffered cruel conditions and were frequently injured or killed,or had to be humanely put to sleep because of serious injuries. In conditions like this,it is inevitable that tempers were raised sometimes ,and that happened with Ronnie and Eddie at times..they were both in conflict with me and my Marra Keith Cooney..[now deceased R.I.P. Keith].Not just with Dad and Eddie,but other Deputies as well,it was because we were under the charge of Joe Barratt,the Overman,who was in overall charge of the mine underground...including the Deputies,generally.[but when it came to Safety Health and Welfare of the men in the Deputies' charge..the Deputy was the Kingpin!!..Nobody,not even the Manager,nor the Chairman of the Coal Board..were allowed to enter a Deputy's District,until they met the Deputy at the entrance to that district..[i.e."The Kist"].But in practice we went into every district in the pit,cos if we didn't,the pit would close down..we supplied the men on the faces with girders,timber,coalcutters drillers..everything they needed to produce coal!.. SO!...sometimes us girder lads would be trailing girders etc right up to the coal face as close as possible to ease the burden of the faceworkers,and the Deputies would complain that we were "getting in the way of the men"..and would phone and complain to the Owaman..Joe Barratt.. On one occasion,Dad was livid,and spitting blood,so to speak..we were trying to do our job,he was doing his..and we ended up in a confrontation..so when he complained to Joe Barratt,he was told to "Leave my Lads alen..tha daeing wat aa telt them ti dae..ye hae nowt ti dae wi it"..!..Sixty odd years later it seems funny that a row could brew up oot of nowt ,but like a said..in hostile conditions,where everybody's lives were at constant risk,tempers flared,and a lot of shouting went on..but ye see ,David,pitmen fell oot,and a quarter of an hour later,they would have forgotten aal aboot it,they HAD to watch each other's backs for roof falls of stone..Comradeship was second to none doon theor! We had to jump wor horses OWA fast moving rubber conveyor belts ti get them into other roadways..totally against the law,but we were threatened with "wa cards" if we stopped the belts ti get the horses owa..so horses like my Dapple Grey Charlie,who a bonded with very closely...got so seriously injured,trapped between the moving belt,and the steel structure poles,that he had to be put to sleep by the Vet.I was in tears at 19 yrs of age,and still well up thinking about him..he was as close to me as my LBJ..my black Labrador/Cross who was put to sleep four yrs ago..I miss them both terribly. SO,David,life wasn't a picnic doon theor,and aa was pleased as hell when they announced that the pit would close in 1966. Other pits I worked at were rough as well,but nowt like High Pit. Cheers David,every word I write is purely my own experience and every word is true. Hope aav given ye an insight how tough it was! Bill. p.s. I haven't any knowledge about Dad being burn't..maybe before my time even..
    2 points
  43. @Keiren Scott Frank has messaged the site in error instead of replying to this topic. I have messaged you directly with his response as it contains some private info. Hopefully he’ll be able to get logged in if there is anything you wish to share publicly.
    2 points
  44. 1/ I enjoy researching anything I buy, but I don’t think many others can or do, using manufactures information is a good starting point, using several manufacturers can give you a clue to the others good/ bad points. But don’t expect any of them to give the bad points. 2/ Very true about front end loaded, and consider the lack of future maintenance, oil changes, air filters, exhaust etc, THEN there is the eventual EV battery life, replacement and disposal cost. 3/ Hybrids, without a hybrid I couldn’t make a round trip to the airport to pick up family! Especially in the winter, no present vehicle has the range and the lack of charging stations to make it possible. 4/ Good point. 5/ Range is the most important consideration in my location, (see #3) at present lack of charging stations, cold weather reduces range considerably and is further reduced by the need for winter heat, windows and body. With the eventual addition of charging station this will add to the range but a lot of time to journey. 6 and 7/ 100 % of charging will be at home. The cost of electricity has skyrocketed recently (ours has) while petrol prices have also risen, the price of electricity is sure to go much higher as the demand grows. (And the Greener we get)I expect the electrical distribution infrastructure system will have to be improved to meet the new demand, especially in the older housing areas, (most houses don’t have garages, how do you safely plug in? And multi vehicles) we don’t have off peak electrical rates. 8/ 300 mile minimum WINTER (-20c) driving would be my minimum. Newer, lighter and recyclable batteries must come first. Threegee, What improvements have you seen in the four years? What is it and what are its good points? Range? MPG $ equivalent ? Typical trip milage? Any negatives?
    2 points
  45. I think it might have something to do with the steelworks because before Millbank place Knox road it would have been direct access to the woods & iron works hence the word mill bank but that’s just an outrageous guess
    2 points
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