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Post by kundyhole on Feb 25, 2015 15:21:17 GMT -5
 Here's the story After a few weeks in hospital I decided to start going through my late grandfathers things . He was a manager in the North Staffs and I seem to have enherited quiet a collection ! he died in 1995 but it has taken this long for me to really take the time to go through his gladstone bag . There are various sets of Negatives from Sneyd and Florrence also a set from the East Midlands Power Loading Machinery Exhibition at Calverton Colliery 1955 I have to find a way of getting prints from the negatives if possible so to be able to share them . But the photo I posted above is turning out to be ellusive !!! Are they trainee's in the Photo ? was it a Visit ? what year are we looking at ? 1940's ,1950's We are not sure if my father is in the picture ! After school he went to work in a foundry for a year until he went down the pit but he does have recolections of a visit to sneyd as a child but has no memories of going under ground on that visit . Any help on an approximate date for the above photo would be helpful and also any clues as to what the lads would be doing in a photo taken by my grandfather . Many thanks Max |
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Post by John on Feb 25, 2015 15:49:00 GMT -5
Here's the story After a few weeks in hospital I decided to start going through my late grandfathers things . He was a manager in the North Staffs and I seem to have enherited quiet a collection ! he died in 1995 but it has taken this long for me to really take the time to go through his gladstone bag . There are various sets of Negatives from Sneyd and Florrence also a set from the East Midlands Power Loading Machinery Exhibition at Calverton Colliery 1955 I have to find a way of getting prints from the negatives if possible so to be able to share them . But the photo I posted above is turning out to be ellusive !!! Are they trainee's in the Photo ? was it a Visit ? what year are we looking at ? 1940's ,1950's We are not sure if my father is in the picture ! After school he went to work in a foundry for a year until he went down the pit but he does have recolections of a visit to sneyd as a child but has no memories of going under ground on that visit . Any help on an approximate date for the above photo would be helpful and also any clues as to what the lads would be doing in a photo taken by my grandfather . Many thanks Max
As far as getting negatives processed, it might be just as cheap to purchase a negative/photo scanner, they usually come with software. CAUTION, don't get the cheapest, they do not reproduce great copies, on the other side, mines an Epson I bought some years back, very expensive one for scanning photos and negs for business purposes. There are some excellent mid range scanners at reasonable prices, and by the time you've done your Grandads negs, you'll probably want to sort through all your own and save them.
Now here's the problem, what size are the negs, 35mm, 120's or other format sizes?? Most reasonably priced scanners come with various neg sized holders to take several of the most popular negs sizes, others you you may have to purchase.
You cannot place negs directly on the scanners glass, it creates "Newtonian Rings" on the scanned image, plus they have to be in certain positions on the scanner base as set by the neg holders. |
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Post by dazbt on Feb 25, 2015 16:38:33 GMT -5
Just a guess, a gut feeling, maybe the sad cynical side of me poking through but, I would think this could well have been a group of school pre-leavers, possibly on a 'Career's Experience Outing', I can just about visualise the guy at the back, third from the right being the school careers master. The confident arms folded lad at the front being the 'Cock of the School' and hero to the little lad on his left. The big lad with the Wind Jammer (blouson) jacket and Black and White Minstrel's attempt at make-up would likely be the second in command. There is an obvious hotchpotch of clothing, particularly the belts and variants (substitute ties perhaps) that don't really indicate a practical long time working option. Some of the faces have obviously been blacked up for the pose and the 'second in command Blouson boy' could only have achieved that level of blackened facial by following a shearer in full flight over 5 or more full face passes. Hazarding another guess the photo would have been taken early 1950s, I'm usually wrong so don't pay much heed to my guesses, I almost always way out.  |
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Post by dazbt on Feb 25, 2015 16:55:21 GMT -5
forgot,
black faces, white hands and necks, just might be trainee Electricians.
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Post by John on Feb 25, 2015 17:42:13 GMT -5
forgot, black faces, white hands and necks, just might be trainee Electricians.
One thing I will add though, Oz coal isn't as dirty as UK coal, don't ask, I have no idea, but none of us got anywhere near as black as I did in UK pits. I'm sure we have a few ex Brits who worked/work in Oz pits to back me up. None of the "runny mascara" either that we suffered in UK pits after a shower. |
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Post by dazbt on Feb 25, 2015 17:54:13 GMT -5
One thing I will add though, Oz coal isn't as dirty as UK coal, don't ask, I have no idea, but none of us got anywhere near as black as I did in UK pits. I'm sure we have a few ex Brits who worked/work in Oz pits to back me up. None of the "runny mascara" either that we suffered in UK pits after a shower. [/b] [/quote] I wonder, in ignorance, if the Clean Feature Oz Effect might have had anything to do with the fact that no one was allowed (or expected) to work 'down-wind'? Having said that, some coal dust was unbelievably difficult to remove, a greasy oily constituency whereas other seams coal dust simply flushed off in the showers. |
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Post by tygwyn on Feb 25, 2015 18:18:51 GMT -5
forgot, black faces, white hands and necks, just might be trainee Electricians. Good God Daz,all them boy`s are wide awake,they`d never make sparkies. |
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Post by John on Feb 25, 2015 18:41:04 GMT -5
[/b] [/quote] I wonder, in ignorance, if the Clean Feature Oz Effect might have had anything to do with the fact that no one was allowed (or expected) to work 'down-wind'? Having said that, some coal dust was unbelievably difficult to remove, a greasy oily constituency whereas other seams coal dust simply flushed off in the showers. [/quote] Like I said, I have no idea Daz, but on a longwall face, you always have someone working down wind of the shearer, T/G shearer driver for a start, then the guys pushing over and advancing the roof supports. In the developments, CM driver is in the thick of it, as are the shuttle car drivers.
Could be as you mentioned, something to do with the coal seams themselves.
Just washed off real easy in the showers, what dust clung to us that is. |
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Post by John on Feb 25, 2015 18:46:36 GMT -5
forgot, black faces, white hands and necks, just might be trainee Electricians. Good God Daz,all them boy`s are wide awake,they`d never make sparkies. |
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Post by dazbt on Feb 25, 2015 18:58:22 GMT -5
forgot, black faces, white hands and necks, just might be trainee Electricians. Good God Daz,all them boy`s are wide awake,they`d never make sparkies. Now now Tygers, If there is one thing that can put a spark into a Sparky it’s the opportunity to be shown doing something worthwhile, or for that matter doing anything at all ............... it would be the pretentious possibility provided by anybody brandishing a camera, quick make-up opportunity, mock-up, slapstick and pseudo work situation, that would motivate this particular and otherwise inconspicuous species to appear before any kind of audience. |
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Post by colly0410 on Feb 26, 2015 5:51:52 GMT -5
Loving the banter going back & forth on this subject.  When I was a security guard doing 12 hour shifts I found doing nowt more tiring than the proper work I do now on a hospital ward.. |
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Post by kundyhole on Feb 28, 2015 4:12:15 GMT -5
Just a guess, a gut feeling, maybe the sad cynical side of me poking through but, I would think this could well have been a group of school pre-leavers, possibly on a 'Career's Experience Outing', I can just about visualise the guy at the back, third from the right being the school careers master. The confident arms folded lad at the front being the 'Cock of the School' and hero to the little lad on his left. The big lad with the Wind Jammer (blouson) jacket and Black and White Minstrel's attempt at make-up would likely be the second in command. There is an obvious hotchpotch of clothing, particularly the belts and variants (substitute ties perhaps) that don't really indicate a practical long time working option. Some of the faces have obviously been blacked up for the pose and the 'second in command Blouson boy' could only have achieved that level of blackened facial by following a shearer in full flight over 5 or more full face passes. Hazarding another guess the photo would have been taken early 1950s, I'm usually wrong so don't pay much heed to my guesses, I almost always way out. Dazbt This time you were spot on many thanks for the help . Turns out after a lot of time on the phone to blighty and the help of my wifes in built facial recognision powers my father is in the photo . It was a carees visit to sneyd colliery in 1950 . Dad has got a large copy of the photo know and is putting names to faces well at least trying too. Dad is the boy back left to the left of our intrepid shearer driver with the clean face . No he wasn't a sparky ended up as a deputy in developements and stayed there until he retired . I asked him why he never went further , he replied deputy was good enough and he would never try for overman as the definition of an overman was a Pigs head with no brains !!!!! You shouldn't be to hard on the sparkys ,at least if you knew which transformer he slept on you could always find a pile of packing bags and a 3 day old copy of the Sun. Many thanks for the help gentlemen Max |
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When I was a security guard doing 12 hour shifts I found doing nowt more tiring than the proper work I do now on a hospital ward..