HIGH PIT WILMA

The aad photo of the shop is hoo aa remember..broon painted shop front..roller shutters in later yrs,probably after the break-ins..the war hadn't been owa just four yrs prior ti my first seeing this Aladdin's cave..the only sweets I ever got at that age was when me Mother tuk me ti Doctor Hickey's Surgery,at Choppington,just up the bank from where a lived in Storey's Buildings,doon aside the Willow Bridge at Choppington Station..Dr Hickey aalwis kept a big tin of sweeties on his table at the side,and every kid who went to see him,even if it was their Mother who was the Patient,they got a sweetie..that was the way to befriend the kids and allay any fear aboot gaan ti see him!![dinna forget..we didnae hae the drugs we hae nooadays..us kids picked aal sorts of infections up..!!

Hi Folks,Wemyssies was a confectionery wholesaler when aa was a bairn livin doon Hollymount Square from 1947..as a got ti aboot five yrs aad,me aader Brother,who would be eight yrs aad,[taakin aboot 1949 noo!],used ti tek me aroond and up Bell's Place,and aroond the corner..and we used to gaze in the windae of Wemyss shop,at the piles and piles of big sweet jars of sweets of aal description..we kids had nowt..me mutha cudnt gie us a jam sammidge in the afternoon when we hungry between meals..so we used ti drool owa the sight of aal these big sweet jars..we used ti watch vans coming and gaanin,loading and unloading whacks of these jars at a time and wondered what was gaan on..we didn't knaa wat the words "Confectionery Wholesaler" meant!..we were pitmans kids..a still wasn't at school yit..[a started in the Autumn term at the Bedlington Village Infants school in 1949].In later years,some of the Millfielders broke in and stole jars of sweets,the same ones broke into the Clayton Ballroom..they got caught and fined..it was a big crime scene in them days..hearing of local lads being taken to court..Bedlington was a quiet peaceful little village!!..It seems that building hasn't changed much owa the yeors...but Bedlington sure has!! Cheers!

First chance a get,aal hae a luk in at the aad school and tek a picta..aam not shy o just waakin in and asking the Heedmaster and tell him/her aam a historian and original first day of oppenin pupil!!..in 1956...![dinna want ti open that ancient debate again mind!!],,aal see wat a can dae folks..it's difficult gettin oot noo..me Wife is ill,and aav just been diagnosed wi Glaucoma in both eyes..!!..me bike riding days seem ti be owa sadly!!..itll be me driving the way things are gannin!! Cheers folks!!

Hope everybody has a better 2024 than this year!! Aal thi best Folks!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you C.L. Cheers Bill.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you Maggie! Cheers Bill.

Just caught up Sym..better late than nivvor aad Nicky [wor Heedmaster at thi Whitley] used ti say!!..Aal thi best for 2024! Also to all in here..a reet canny lot!! Cheers Bill!

p.s. Working Man sung by Rita McNeil says it all!![live version!]

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!!

10-12-2023..UPDATE!..LOST KEYS RETRIEVED AT LIDL THIS MORNING.MANY THANKS TO THE KIND AND HONEST PERSON FOR HANDING THEM IN!

10-12-2023..UPDATE!..LOST KEYS RETRIEVED AT LIDL THIS MORNING.MANY THANKS TO THE KIND AND HONEST PERSON FOR HANDING THEM IN!

I don't swear,but the mention of the greedy wealthy coal owners makes me want to! When I was being born,my Mother was in Hospital,[in 1944],my Father collapsed and was taken to Hospital with a burst duodenal ulcer,seriously life threatened,at the same time..SO...because my Father wasn't at work at the pit,the coal owner sent the cowardly bailiffs around to my Mother's house in the middle of the night,when they knew most men would be down the pit in foreshift,so no risk of resistance,and threw [literally]all my mother's few belongings into the street..to house another miner's family who was able to go down the pit. My Mother had a nervous breakdown,and I was taken away from her..till she recovered..well that was the best treatment in the world for depression and a nervous breakdown..keep your newly born child away from you..never knowing if it was alive or not..and Choppington and Bedlington were being bombed at the time..yeah,I could easily swear at those evil greedy b......s..no apologies for getting wound up...

Sadly,I just caught up with this post..R.I.P. Rigger.

KEYS LOST ON 8-12-2023,PROBABLY BESIDE TILL 1 IN LIDL,BEDLINGTON,OR AROUND THAT AREA,MAYBE EVEN IN THE DISABLED BAYS ADJACENT TO THE TROLLEY PARK.I WOULD APPRECIATE IT, IF THEY ARE FOUND,THAT THEY BE HANDED TO THE STAFF IN LIDL,BEDLINGTON,AND I WILL GO BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE..[HOPEFULLY TOMORROW!].I CAN PROVE IDENTITY AS I HAVE DUPLICATES OF THE KEYS AND MY SHOPPING RECEIPT SHOWING THE TIME AND DATE.THANK YOU .BILL.

Yes,all for it 100%

Maggie,just checking if you sent this to my Watsapp messenger private contact chat line?..[aam wary of scammers!!]..Thanks if you did!!,a dinna watch the telly and knaa nowt at aal wat this is aboot..so didn't open the link!..Cheers and aal thi best for Christmas and the new year! Bill.

Hope everybody's keeping well,apologies for absences,Hope 2024 is a better year than the last four years!![we keep saying that..!!] Cheers Bill!

As to injured men underground,even fatalities,every man was stretchered out the pit usually by his own Marra's..not necessarily First Aiders like myself..if a man needed Morphia [Morphine],after a serious accident,only a qualified Official [usually the face Deputy],was allowed to administer by injection to the injured person,and only if that person requested it..then whoever administered Morphia,HAD TO...BY LAW..escort the that person to the surface and hand him over to the Ambulance team...after tying a named and dated bracelet to the injured person's wrist. Morphia was kept in securely locked safes built into brickwork in every Deputy's District underground.The Deputy was the ONLY person,other than a Doctor,in any industry in Britain,who was trained and certified by Law,Mines and Quarries Act 1956,to Adminster Morphia by needle injection,when requested by an injured person.That,was the level of responsibility of a Mine Deputy.[UNLESS..a Doctor could reach the injured person within TWO hours..over that time period..the Law would apply..]

Alan,from my experiences,going back to 1959,normal injuries like broken legs or arms or other minor injuries,the Blue Coal Board Van took men across to the old Ashington Hospital..[which was originally built by the Miners]..more serious accidents of an urgent nature,men were taken by Ambulance..which was basically just a van with a stretcher and first aid kit..bandages etc..in it!![nae Defibrillators or Cardiogram machines in them days!!]..reet till bates closed..less serious injured men were still taken in the Pit van!!..aav been it a few times owa the years!! Cheers Bill!

Also,Adam,no person under the age of 15 yrs was allowed to work underground after Nationalisation..and here they are recruiting 14 yr olds!!

[31-8-2023]...I jus caught up again,a bit late,but just to explain what the detbox was for.As you can see,it has the title stamped on the plate.."HUMANE CARTRIDGES"....This box would have been taken down the pit by a Deputy or other AUTHORISED person,for the sole purpose for use with the "HUMANE KILLER" GUN...and usually accompanied by a qualified Vetinarary Surgeon,to put a seriously injured pit pony to sleep,in cases where the the pony was too far inbye to be brought out by walking him..usually broken legs. The gun didn't fire the cartridges like an ordinary gun...there was a very sharp metal spike contained within the barrel which had a limited travel,purely designed to be activated by a cartridge,and which,when held at the pony's forehead,fired the spike into the pony's brain causing instaneous death..no pain whatsoever..as opposed to the old method which consisted of placing a hand held spike to the pony's forehead,and striking the spike physically and sharply,with a heavy mallet..which sometimes had to be struck more than once..definately causing pain to the already injured animal.These events are the sort of thing which was never talked about in publications of any kind concerning Mining. But when a horse got really badly injured,the men would pass the word around in the pit.."Aye..Bobby's had the Spike"..it was always a sad thing to hear..

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!

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!!

Money Laundering think ye..?...and as far as zero emissions gaan..a think tha living in cuckoo land!..a think they need ti invest in clean coal burning afore we get left in the dark!