George Holliday

See the reply buttons regarding the article published on 12/01/2009 [Hitler, Soccer Gleghorn and More]. Mr Holliday is interested in hearing about John Ramm, Raymond Race, Nora Jackson, Greta Turnbull, Robin Proctor and any other people that recall him.

WB

They Came From Far And Wide

This effort is not an essay. It is not a tightly worded academic piece that has been tooled and crafted with assistance from a dictionary, much inner reflection and a shot of received wisdom. Rather it is another one of my brainstorming ‘let ’em have it’  short articles that may bring anything ranging from shame to universal praise – or  perhaps more realistically – disbelieving silence. Whatever the response, if there is one, it is eagerly awaited. Those dreaded noughts, that are frequently associated with reply boxes, have seldom got me down.

Many men came from far and wide to work at the mine, although the majority came from County Durham. Their main desire was to make money and their chief asset was brawny strength. In the 1880s they were subjected to a mine owner who was armed with some negative Victorian attitudes. That obnoxious demand for deference existed in and around the colliery and perhaps a smattering of Thomas Carlyle’s influence was also in the air. Reports indicate that Chaytor’s appointed manager, Robinson, often behaved in an out of control manner.I would have loved to down a pint with him at The Flass and chat with a view to understanding his view points. As for the  workers, and their families, they deserved much better. They had a  traumatic time until Chaytor tired of it and left the scene.  A detailed account of the mining dispute at Ushaw Moor is on site.

A  fair share of the young women soon left Ushaw Moor to enter domestic service. Some  employers barely understand them and some even thought that they were wild and unworldly -in relation to their comfortable world anyway.

This was the time when many girls did not know where babies came from, but suspected that a kiss might produce one or more children nine months later. Moving on into the early 20th century one of my favourites, Marie Stopes, saw how badly treated women were and sought to provide information and family planning clinics.Stopes wrote a book called Married Love which, amongst other things, demanded more refinement and consideration from men in their relationship to women. She enabled some women to be empowered, although I believe in the early days it was largely middle class women that took advantage of her information, facilities and inspiration. Marie Stopes was a  somewhat flawed individual but nevertheless a brilliant one. Guardian readers voted her woman of the millenium at the end of the 20th century. They were probably right to do so.

WB

Delve Into The Comment Boxes

The casual Internet surfer, albeit with Ushaw Moor connections, might easily miss little gems. A case in point are the recent details supplied by Alf Rothwell and John Graham in their responses to the article published on the 17th of March that started – Debate the 7……

There are other gems hidden away in replies to main posts so I recommend that you do not neglect to read the comments boxes!

WB

David Simpson

David is a very accomplished author and journalist. He clearly loves the North East and you can find out much more about him and his output at www.northeastengland.talktalk.net/DavidSimpsonHistory.htm 

Actually there seems to be a problem with the above link so instead just type: David Simpson North East – in a Google search box and up will come several sites featuring him. I like the very first one – it features a lot about the North East, with some fine pictures.  

WB

School Log Book 1899

You may be interested in this item. I recently stumbled across the Siver Tree Primary School site at www.silvertreeprimary.co.uk . On entry to the site go to  – Old Photos and Documents – for access to an extract from the Ushaw Moor Junior School log and some pictures.

WB

Perhaps One Of Them Was Sleeping In Your Bedroom 118 years ago?

Phillip Illingworth was originally from Rainton and was living at 16 Whitehouse Lane all those years ago. Meanwhile at 19 Whitehouse Lane Wilkinson Oxley was most probably sleeping like a lamb. Yorkshireman John Kirby probably had a quiet drink of something before  retiring to bed at 21 Whitehouse Lane.

Philip, Wilkinson, and John were not always sleepy; being workers at a local pit they no doubt worked very hard indeed.

WB

Large families

While doing my family history I was looking at the 1911 census which has just come on line, My grt grandad Stephen Vasey who was one of 15 children to Thomas Vasey had previously lived in Dale street Ushaw Moor, he had now got married to Hannah Graveling and according to the census they have moved in with the Graveling family at 343 Broompark, this was a two bedroom house with 14 people living there. What luxuxry we all live in these days.

Edward Vasey

Durham Amateur Football Trust

With the very kind cooperation of Crook Town Football Club the trust are organising a weekend of under 14 football on July 18th and 19th at Crook’s Millfield ground. The idea is to make today’s youth aware of the importance local football had to ‘ordinary’ people in the immediate post-war years and to record the successes of County Durham’s teams in a national competition. Trust committee man, Tom Kelly, has contacted teams  to take part in the colours of the four Northern League clubs who played at the old Wembley Stadium in the FA Amateur Cup Final during the 50s and 60s. They will wear replica shirts of the period. For more details  of the trust’s work visit its website  at www.thedaft.org.uk   

Why not become a member of the trust?

WB

Dixon Of Dock Green And The Lone Ranger

Those were two of my favourite television programmes in the 1950s. I loved old Jack Warner, not only for his portrayal of Dixon, but also for his role as Mr Hugget in ‘Meet the Huggets’.  Dixon of Dock Green came to our screens in 1955 and although it did not have the realism of Z Cars, and The Bill, it was very reassuring as a child to see Dixon solve a crime or comment about the criminal characters; they all seemed to specialize in petty larceny.

Ofcourse growing up brings reality and we witnessed the battle between miners and police in the miners’ strike of the 80s – if only on our  television screens. It was not pretty and much removed from Dixon. Were there really a number of policemen waiving fivers at the half starving miners in one almighty taunt? Stranger things have happened and are happening right now!  This is emphatically not a rant at the police, afterall the large majority of them do a fine and admirable job, nevertheless I really cannot understand why a police constable commands c35k a year even after ten years service. That figure is astonishing to me but good luck to them because their job can be dangerous from time to time, or all the time for a few of them, depending upon their locality.

Clayton Moore was The Lone Ranger when I enjoyed the programme . He was partnered by Jay Silverheels as Tonto. All good stuff. I recall seeing it on television just before listening to the football results on the ‘wireless’. My wife still calls it the wireless and I like that so much that I call it the wireless to! De dum De dum… here are today’s football results Fulham 2 Derby County 0 – ah well what are we going to have for tea mum? Meat sandwiches and jelly.

WB

Culture Clash Between Coalminers And University People?

A fairly distant member of my family collected a galaxy of glittering prizes from his university but a few of the miners in our family sometimes expressed how disconnected he was from their daily lives and conversations. Being rather impressionable I absorbed and accepted this criticism of the ‘family scholar’ without evaluating the merit of their point of view. Lately it has been put to me that the ‘scholar’ was actually a rather shy and reserved person prior to the beginning of his middle age. Could the miners not have contemplated the  possibility of that? In any case could it not be that a youngish man, armed with glittering educational prizes, would find the world of the miner somewhat uninteresting? 

 In truth a substantial benefit from higher education ought to be a cultivated interest in, and tolerance of, all honourable people, whatever their ‘station’ in life, but that is easier said than done and can take time to achieve.

You will already know that  family history can be a learning process and is not just a chart of names going back to Tudor times [I would be so lucky!]. Were things what they seemed to be? Are you sure?

WB