Barlow, Tyne And Wear

Childhood:W.Websters village shop

I was born in 1951. My parents owned the W Websters store in Barmoor Lane. I believe the old premises is now known as Orchard Cottage. I remember the sandshoes for sale dangling from the rafters and the butter was weighed out. My older sister helped serve sometimes after school. Dad set up a train set for Christmas for village folk... [more]

Ryton Willows

My first visit to Ryton was when my mother took me and my sister to Ryton Willows during the war years. The train from Gateshead station stopped at the Willows and I recall next to the station was a  place for eating your own meals which had to be brought. I can't recall any facilities for tea or meals service. The... [more]

School days

I was born at Crookhill, just outside Ryton and went to Hookergate Grammar School in 1956. When the Ferndene pool was opened we were taken by bus from school to the pool where we were given swimming lessons. My memory is of having to jump from the HIGH diving board and being absolutely terrified as it was just so high. Looking... [more]

Childhood: Newcastle v Birmingham

I remember going to my grandparents' house in Low Row, Addison. It was a colliery village and it was always a treat to go there in my summer holidays. The house was basically a two up, two down but the downstairs back room was where we slept, with my mum and dad and baby brother. The house had no electricity, just... [more]

FIRST JOB

It was 1958 and I had just left school at Walbottle Secondary. Me and my best pal Wes Coulthard (who I'm sad to say has since passed away) went on our first holiday together before starting down the Pit. We went with his parents Jimmy and Polly to Middleton Towers in Morcambe, it was just like a Butlins camp and bye,... [more]

Pea-Shooter and Buses

It was about 1953 when we discovered pluffers and ca caws. The pluffer was a device we used for a pea-shooter shooter, this was a straight stem from a weed and it was about an inch or so in diamater, hollow through the centre and collected from Millfield tip where they grew in abundance. We would cut a length measuring about... [more]

TRAGEDIES

It was around 1952 when these tragic accidents happend to to two Millfield families. I remember the day as plain today as it was then. A little boy had fallen into the Dewley Burn and drowned, his mother was Edna Clues who lived at the end of Millfield Crescent. Everyone was out in the back lane with horrified expressions, some crying,... [more]

REDIFFUSION

Rediffision: about 1958 and onwards. This bombshell hit us like nought else, it meant no interference on our wireless. No more tuning in every ten minutes or so. It was A. B. C. D. E. F. You knew Radio Luxenburgh was the station for pop, but it was hell to get on a normal set, we would sit with our hand... [more]