Wigan Album

no - 30 is johnny hill not jimmy hill .

yes brian your correct it is me not our jimmy. john hill

my dad and brother worked for donald andeton the owner they also went to his home in parbold on saturday mornings did his huge garden for him it was also a way of paying a bit of overtime, he liked and looked after my dad after a roof collapse almost killed my dad donald was a decent chap alas they are not on this photo i think my bro had left as for dad he had to pack in due to 100% sillicosis the dreaded pit death sentence good old days hey or what? dad passed away 1974 bro is coming up to 75 this december 2012

Just going over this photo again I am very puzzled that no-one could remember my dad ,brother,brother-in-law. He was working there up until 1968 "ish" he had to retire on medical grounds then, he lived in Walpole ave ,worsley mesnes, He was close to Donald Anderton,( owner) my dad Thomas ( TOM ) His son Wilfred ( Wilf) b,in,law BOB Witherington ,he lived down Sims Lane End with his parents. i don't know if there are any owd -timers there but back in February 1956 a roof fall nearly killed my dad, after that accident of which he had just got the chance to work "on the face " more money when it happened, after it crippled his hand and he could not work on the face again. My brother would tell me when he was on the face there was a time when it was pouring water in from roof he and a bloke named JIMMY HARRISON were upto their thighs in water. I apologise if i sound a bit terse it's just that i still after all these years past i still love talking about him.I think he started at Quaker H, around 1950/2 because has iv'e said on here before because he was not employed by the N.C.B. he was not legible for the "pay-out " miners would get in later years.Another thing i vividly just before i was going to leave school at christmas leaving ,my dad and a fireman took me down Quaker House Mine one Sunday Morning to give me an idea. this must have been 1962 i recall putting the battery/lamp strapped on, wow it seemed to weigh a ton ,then off we set ,the thing the most scary was ,when we got to where there was no light ,, Wow is really shit me up ! blimey it was pitch black ,iv'e never seen to this day anything like that dark.. The next harduous thing was walking back to the top and daylight. I'm a young whipper -snapper and i was goosed/knackered, my thought was about all you guys just "" how the bloody hell" did you manage that after a hard shift's graft???? MY HATS OFF TO ALL YO GENTLEMEN ..So finally again i ask if any one knew any of my family i would love to hear from you,OH BY THE WAY I DID NOT CHOOSE THE MINING INDUSTRY FOR WORK ,I STARTED WORK AT A BUTCHERS SHOP ...

alan just as a side issue did you know you could claim for your father ? & quaker house did sign up to the payouts .

Hello whups To say i am shocked is putting it very mildly, my brother wilf and i started the claim through THOMPSONS SOLICITORS and along with ANDY BURNHAM MY MP at that time told us categorically that WE WERE NOT ENTITLED TO A PAYOUT as i have said before they quoted a rule that he did not work for the NCB . NOW reading what your telling me truly upsets me more than anyone can imagine the fact that we did not get recognition for all his hard graft for this bleeding coountry we were cheated and he was too .
Thank you whups i dont think there is anything that can be now the issue is closed thanks again mate G.B.

yes alan i can confirm that quaker did sign up to the agreement . dont forget just because they were a private pit that the miners were paying union subs & still in the num . it,s all about the insurers of the pits involved & must admit that i only got half of what i shud have got because they could,nt find the insurers , but 1 of them was quaker who paid into the agreement.maybe it might be worth another look ? .