Terrible Place

A Memory of Shotton Colliery.

I lived and went to school in Shotton Colliery, and hated the place. Luckily I realised that living there was not for me, so at the age of 16 I joined the RAF and was posted to Wiltshire, clean air, beautiful rolling downs, a white horse carved in the hillside, I thought I was in heaven... On top of that, the RAF gave me a trade and improved my education as opposed to the sadists I encounted at Shotton Primary, I still shiver when I think of Mr Murray (and I'm 76 years old!). One thing I will never understand is why my father Ted Falcus chose to live and work there, as he was a top gardener and could grow anything, winning countless shows at the Comrades Club. I am sure he could have got a job in the warmer south doing something he enjoyed (maybe it was the beer in the Club!). As a final note, my grandaughter Ellie living in Redlands, CA, USA, has a wonderful soprano voice and is appearing in the show 'Annie' in New York. As my mother Margaret Hughes' family came from Wales (I have many Hughes relatives living in Shotton) we think that's where she gets her singing talent from. I recall a cousin, Jimmy Hughes, singing with a band on TyneTees TV, maybe someone remembers?

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