on the way to the face

[cyril]

I remember at Ackworth Pit west yorks, travelling on the paddy to the face.
Friday seemed to be the day that everyones spirits were up and I remeber someone would start singing Bohemian Rhapsody.

It was strange as we drove through the darkness and confinement of the tunnels hearing and singing this song, with a massed choir of perhaps 150 miners, those were the days I will always treasure.

[John]

We did some funny things Cyril, welcome by the way!

I was an apprentice and most of us lecko's sat together in the same area of the manrider. Ken our chargehand had just got one of those automatic callendar watches, we were on nights and there we all were watching for it to change day and date at midnight. Small things comes to mind! ;D

[dazbt]

cyril said:

I remember at Ackworth Pit west yorks, travelling on the paddy to the face.
Friday seemed to be the day that everyones spirits were up and I remeber someone would start singing Bohemian Rhapsody.

It was strange as we drove through the darkness and confinement of the tunnels hearing and singing this song, with a massed choir of perhaps 150 miners, those were the days I will always treasure.

Cyril, was Ackworth and Acton Hall the same colliery, if not, where was Ackworth. I've seen it listed as Ackworth Colliery but can't find it on any maps.

[spanker]

We had a very talented singer known locally as Brian the singing miner,he was our paddy driver latterly at Markham and before bringing us off he would sing us many a song all lamps would be trained on him and he was off, Brian went onto seek fame in the local pubs and clubs in Derbyshire and would pack many a miners welfare to the rafters with his gargleing and crooning he was very similar in style to Micheal Buble or Sinatra,one memorable moment i remember was in a night club in Chesterfield called the Aquarias which was once again chokka as word had got around about his talent, Brians enterance was made on a donkey with his famous sambrero crooning the Rhinestone cowboy, what a memorable moment that was he did go onto headline at the Ballroom Tower in Blackpool for several years with his group called the flying pit props.
Any one else see him ! ;D

[emleyman]

author=dazbt board=oan thread=232 post=1221 time=1201814422
Cyril, was Ackworth and Acton Hall the same colliery, if not, where was Ackworth. I've seen it listed as Ackworth Colliery but can't find it on any maps.

Hi Daz, If you turn off the A628 Pontefract Road in High Ackworth onto Purston Lane, Ackworth Colliery was on the left just as Purston Lane becomes Ackworth Road

see: www.wakefield.gov.uk/udp/mappages/seast/seast009.htm

Acton Hall was a bit further north in Featherstone, I think it was somewhere off Station Lane

[dazbt]

Nov 18, 2011 6:23:06 GMT -5 emleyman said:

author=dazbt board=oan thread=232 post=1221 time=1201814422
Cyril, was Ackworth and Acton Hall the same colliery, if not, where was Ackworth. I've seen it listed as Ackworth Colliery but can't find it on any maps.

Hi Daz, If you turn off the A628 Pontefract Road in High Ackworth onto Purston Lane, Ackworth Colliery was on the left just as Purston Lane becomes Ackworth Road

see: www.wakefield.gov.uk/udp/mappages/seast/seast009.htm

Acton Hall was a bit further north in Featherstone, I think it was somewhere off Station Lane

Heyup mate, that unit (behind The Brown Cow), I have always known as Acton Hall, I worked there a few times on shearer breakdowns and after it stopped production I remember having to "commandeer the Feenix 7 tonner" one night to collect a 420 electric motor when the colliery site was used as a Central Holding for the Barnsley/N.Yorks Area. Since my original post I have seen it refered to as Acton Hall Ackworth End (or Side), I would hazard a guess that it was originally Akworth Colliery and was later 'absorbed' as a satellite unit to the Featherstone town original Acton Hall Collieries.