Wigan Album

Bin theer,got t shirt. Bold training gallery 1972.

Been there,(1964)got the Pneumoconiosis,wouldn't change the experience though!

been there just like you chris , bold training gallery.

Yea, but what a shock we all got when we graduated from the training centre and went to a real coal mine.

Add me to the list, 1973

1953 low Hall Platt Bridge, Wigan Junction Bickershaw & Clayton St School, off Wallgate

Been there just for a day trip from school... didnt want a tee shirt or and hard hat we a leet on or owt. I were glad to come out... a great experience though, dropping in that lift shaft.. I thowt they'd cut the rope, it went that fast..

I don't know Tuddy, Golborne weren't that bad!

Chris, first day at Golborne I was up at 5am,got to the pit and was sent to to work on the haulage at L. 12. had to walk down L.3.brow. By the time I reached L. 12. my legs were like jelly, then I had to start work! Nothing at the training school prepared me for that kind of start to a day.

tuddy , L12 was only half way for me . L19 top road. even the pipes were sweating.

whups, remember the walk back up L.3. brow at the end of the shift when the belts were stopped? That would have killed a police horse.

to true tuddy, it would have killed several horses. done that a few times . was i glad when i got to the florida shunt.

Alreet then Ste, it weren't that bad int surveyors office then!!! (wink,wink)

Yea Chris, but you had to put up with Parky.

do you mean alan or gary , tuddy.

I meant Gary, but they could both moyder for England. Two good lads realy, I still see them now and then.

We had Alan with us for a spell as well. I've not seen him for years but I've got to put up with Gary sitting 3 seats away from me at Latics games! I've been talking to Roy Southworth at halftime at the last few games as well and at the Utd match he pointed out Alan Mitchell to me!

carpet or handbag as they were called .if you see them , tell em i was asking about them tuddy.

Yea, I'll tell them whups. Chris, do you get a discount for sitting so close to him?

No discount. However, where we sit is immediately in front of the press seats and it's hilarious to see the expressions on the faces of the assembled national pressmen when carpet jumps to his feet and lets rip with some real Wigan words of wisdom interspersed with a good few bits of 'pit language'!!! That must make up for it. Why he's never been chucked out or at least spoken to by the stewards, I don't know! You must be able to hear his every word in the Directors seats, not to mention on the BBC Radio 5 Live commentary!

tuddy, do you know who i am so you can tell the parkies ? .

Chris, that stadium must be one of the very few places in Wigan that he's not been thrown out of!

Yes Brian, I do know who you are.

ok tuddy.

He's not changed much! Apparently he got the red card at the Stag at Orrell Post a few weeks ago!

Came as a surprise to me to find out Wally trained with our kid.Thowt I was a couple years owder than Wally.Thanks tuddy for telling me about this photo,reminds me how innocent we looked(t-i-c)

I did my training at Low Hall at Platt Bridge and at Wigan Clayton st.School,and Thomas Linacre witch is now the Wigan and Leigh Collage,than I went on to work at Wigan Junction in 1956 to 1961 just a few years before it close down.At the end of our training a group photo was taken I would love to see any of these photos as I did not keep mine.Very happy days and good mates..

Started old boston in aprill 75 as mining craft .The first two weeks we were given blue overhalls boots and yellow pit helmit .We then had Mr Valentine for safty and first aid after 2 weeks we did our under ground training at bold in rushy park tommy peet and gordon taylor were our instuctors .Then we were sent to our pits for a few months then went back to old boston we built the mock tunnelbehind the work shops think it was for sum safty display.

we won the football comp 1976 still got the trophy in cabinet

Recognise the lads in the photo, also remember Ronnie Mather at Old Boston.