Alnwick_Lad

One the girls used to do: Chinese.. (pull eyelids into upward slant) Japanese..(pull eyelids into downward slant) Dirty knees (point to knees) What are these? (jiggle breasts)

Skipping rhymes from one of my daughters about 30 years ago: Cinderella dressed in yella came downstairs to meet her fella, On the way her knickers busted, how many people were disgusted...1..2...3..4 etc. Whats the time, ten to nine, hang your knickers on the line, When they're dry, bring them in, put them in the biscuit tin. Eat some biscuits, eat some cake, eat your knickers by mistake.

The main residents when I was there were Jim Reading, the London lads Mick Fowler and Jon Stevenson, Micks girlfriend Geraldine. Various people would turn up to doss there for the weekend, Steve Bancroft, Gabe Reagan, but I don't remember John Allen. I think he had gone to New Zealand. This was just after the heydays of the Allen and Bancroft routes in 1976.

Anyone remember punk bands at the Broadfield in 1977? I shared a flat on Abbeydale Rd with a bunch of rock climbers and we'd often walk down to the Broadfield on Friday nights. Punk wasn't really my cup of tea but I admired the energy at the time. I'm sure I saw the Boomtown Rats play there one night, Like Clockwork was in the set, everyone pogoing. Most of the band names have gone from my memory, lots of local musicians. The Broadfield was a dive, is it still there?

I recently found this forum while thinking about Treeton pit. I started working there in summer 1977 in the lamp cabin, then did my underground training at Orgreave, I was 21 and living in Sheffield. I was trainee in Wathwood Inset (the banksman used to call it the leisure centre, lol) with a young guy who was the onsetter, but I can't remember his name now. We'd be onsetting on days and afternoons and elsewhere around the inset during nights. I think there was an onsetter on nights regular. I stayed onsetting after finishing training while the guy who was my supervisor went on face training. On nights did all sorts of jobs in the gates of I think 21, shovelling stone dust and filling in holes in the road. There were three guys on materials who used to stop by the shaft and have a pinch. Their names have gone but one young guy with curly hair who had a ford anglia, and a tall skinny older guy. One young guy on the face used to call me Joe 90 because I had safety glasses with thick black frames. I remember a grumpy old deputy who would strut around with a stick, he shouted at me one time when he was taking someone down to a disused level, maybe high hazel, because I looked at the board to double check the number of raps. Happy times, they were great lads at Treeton. In autumn 1978 I applied for a transfer to Gedling pit because I had some good friends in Nottingham, worst move I made, it was not a friendly atmosphere and I didn't stay there. I'm living in Canada now but often wonder how things would have turned out if I had stayed at Treeton. Steve