Witton Gilbert, Front Street c.1955

Photo ref: W208005

HELLO AGAIN, CAN YOU REMEMBER THE PRISONERS OF WAR USED TO GET DROPPED OFF AT THE TOP OF THE STREET BY ARMY WAGON AND THEN PICKED BY TRACTOR AND TAKEN UP TO HANKEYS FARM UP THE NORE LANE TO WORK ON THE FARM. PLEASE LOOK IN YOUR MESSAGES AND ACCOUNT ON YOUR FRANCIS FRITH WEBSITE YOU HAVE NOT READ MY MESSAGE. GOOD LUCK, DAVID.

I grew up in Witton Gilbert, Rose Lea in the 1980/90s. (not really 'history' I know) But my childhood memories, which always make me think of it as a small close village with so much character, are the milkman, Tommy (I think) (who in my mind looked like Jack Nicholson!), an oldish man who used to ride past on the road everyday on an old bike with a basket of pigeons on the front. The coal men who everyone new, ...see more

In the early years, when I worked for the N C B at Langley Park Pit, all the lads, myself included, looked up to the big coal hewers, Garforth, Calland, Gardner and Co, but there was another fella there that we would like to be a friend of but were too young. His name was Dennis James, he joined the army and when he came home on leave he brought with him a monkey. This monkey kept getting out into the streets. ...see more

We have read the memory about the Coal Motor and George Garforth remembers the following: I remember the Coal Motor very well but not in the detail that you do David. I do remember that there were 2 or 3 lads that followed it round so that they could put the coal into coal houses for a shilling or two. One of the lads was called Joe Smith who was handicapped quite severely. He was the one I chose to ...see more