Childhood Memories

A Memory of Goldthorpe.

I came upon the website by accident and although I don't live far away now I started to remember my childhood days there.  Born and brought up in Goldthorpe by my parents who both went to the Salvation Army I have many happy memories of playing on the market stalls.  They could be anything in our imaginations, house, bus, pirate ship, whatever we wanted tham to be.  We never thought of damaging them or destroying them, for after the war we didn't have many toys and made our own amusement.  Another special place was the Empire picture house on a saturday where we used to pay 1d (one old penny) to go to the matinee.  The local policeman was always on hand to keep an eye on us (I think we called him bobby Dick? if my memory serves me right).  Most weeks it would be Roy Rodgers with Trigger his horse and I remember it always used to get to the most exciting bit before saying "to be continued next week".  My dad was a miner like most of the men until he was injured in a pit fall.  I remember well the sound of the clogs sounding like an army as the men walked to work on day shift (about 5am in the morning).  Also the knocker-upper tapping on the bedroom window with a long wooden pole (or clothes prop) to make sure they were up in time.  I think he got a penny a day for this service from each miner. Hope this brings back memories from someone else!  The thing I really regret is the look of Goldthorpe now, dirty, depressing and looking unloved, where has all the pride gone for our village?