South Street and other matters
I am very grateful to my aunt and uncle for supplying information about South Street and other matters. In 1944 South Street consisted of five houses that were adjacent to Ushaw Moor Colliery and beside the road that led to Esh Winning. Perhaps it would have taken an average walker about thirteen minutes to reach South Street from the Empire cinema in the centre of Ushaw Moor.
The first house in South Street on the way from the Empire was numbered one; it was inhabited by Billy Whitfield and his wife, together with their son Albert [who at one time was a notable batsman for Ushaw Moor Cricket Club] and, I believe, a daughter called Irene. Billy worked at the pit as a horse keeper and son Albert worked down the pit.
The second house was occupied by Dick and Ethel Hope, together with their family. Dick had moved from New Brancepeth to 2 South Street in 1944. He was under the impression that he had been born on the day of Edward the Seventh’s coronation but that was not so; he was born on the original day set for the coronation but Edward was crowned later, after recovering from an illness. Although he got that wrong Dick Hope was far from ignorant and like many people he filled some of the gaps in his knowledge [after elementary schooldays] by means of self education . I loved my grandfather Dick Hope; he came from a respected family and was a firm but fair man. He was not always popular as an overman but he was certainly respected by the men. The Victorian Samuel Smiles would have approved of his efforts to improve himself after leaving school. I have digressed a little but enjoyed doing so.
At number three was Mr and Mrs George Wren. George had been an overman at the pit prior to Dick Hope doing the same job. Mrs Wren’s first name was Hannah and she regularly baked the most wonderful fruit loaves – some of which were gifted to the Hope family. My grandmother was very friendly with Mrs Wren whose home made toffee was also very good. At that time they had a young relation staying with them called Adamson.
Number three used to be the colliery office at one time, until the colliery built/used another one that was eastwards, about forty yards or so away from number three and located in the pit yard. During an earlier period George Marchant [spelling?], a deputy at the colliery, lived at number three and was noted for being a very good scout leader.
At number four was Mr and Mrs Walton. Mr Walton was a banksman at the colliery. They had two sons, Billy and Bobby both of whom worked at a farm located a little before what was the Memorial Hall, coming from the colliery side of Ushaw Moor. There was also a daughter called Mary. I understand that young Billy married a girl from New Brancepeth called Noreen Patterson [Pattinson?].
Finally at number five South Street lived the Hales family. The father was called Billy. They were a lovely family and in fact all the families at South Street were smashing people that got on well together.
If you were able to look out of the window and across the road from any of the houses in South Street in 1944, what would you have seen? I am told that across the road were five rows of houses; I believe they were called East Terrace, George Terrace, Albert Street, William Street and West Street. Those were the names that I had in my notes prior to talking to my aunt and uncle and they are not responsible if I have used street/terrace names from an earlier era! Anyway there were five of them in the 1940s and part 50s. They were not long, say about 12 or thirteen houses to each one. To my surprise I was told that they were not owned by the coal company, rather they were owned by Ushaw College and rented to the coal company. My aunt befriended a girl called Joan Thompson [another surname open to spelling error] who lived in one of those houses – Joan’s father worked at the pit and her family eventually got a council house in Ushaw Moor. After those rows of houses were knocked down, which I estimate must have been in the early to middle 50s, the area was used for a while by the colliery to store coal.
To digress again my aunt remembered the familiar noise of the Luftwaffe in the early 40s as it flew more or less over Ushaw Moor and New Brancepeth. The planes had a distinctive sound and must have been an awful and perhaps distressing sight. She could recall the barrage balloons that were positioned just behind Ushaw College. There is a mention elsewhere on this website of a bomb that dropped on Ushaw Moor.
Ushaw Moor Colliery experienced some problems just after the Second World War. In September 1946, shortly before nationalization of the coal mines, it was threatened with closure; the reasons given included low production of coal, high absenteeism and the refusal of some workers to assist in the aim to increase production. A new production target was set during a four week probationary period and that target was subsequently met. I believe that at about this period some men were obliged to join the forces if they had not ‘pulled up their socks’.
With Ushaw Moor Colliery workers barely over their Christmas and New Year celebrations in 1949/50 they experienced a problem. The winding engine broke on January the third 1950. Some of the miners were temporarily transferred until it was repaired.
At one point the overmen at the colliery were Arthur Graham, Joe Johnson [liable to misspelling] and Dick Hope. It was a thankless and sometimes stressful task that they had to perform, being wedged between men and more senior management. I know that Dick Hope did have a problem with one manager who at least once referred to him as Hopee. Dick objected to that and requested that the manager call him by his correct name - Hope. Perhaps it was a heated and or fraught discussion brought about by pressure from the coal company to produce good profits - and the incorrect name calling was the last straw to Dick. The alleged reply was something like ‘I am the manager and if I want to call you Hopee I will’. If that was the reply then all I can say is that it was crass management. I have considered the question of benefit of hindsight and am still of the opinion that it was crass then and would be considered crass now. A manager should not play around with a man’s name and especially not when challenged about it. I am not making the point that all managers across all occupations are better now; they most certainly are not and even now few managers have received any formal training that amounts to much, not that formal training is the be all and end all – when you come across a good manager it is like, as it were, seeing a Christmas tree lighting up!
So never mind what training the colliery managers got - what sort of training did the overmen get? I am not entirely sure but I do know that in late May 1953 the overmen received training at Brancepeth Welfare Hall. It was pointed out to them that they should each seek out co-operation from the most able man in the group of men being supervised because that would help in getting the group to perform well. The overmen were also advised to invite respect. Qualities that would help the overmen included: setting a good example, true consultation, good coaching etc. It seemed on examination to have been sound training and it illustrated that good management is largely common sense, especially when implemented in conjunction with the application of sound training principles.
So we have come quite some way since the start of this article. I hope it stimulates some memories and makes those readers that might presently be experiencing bad management feel a little better!
If you feel that there are any inaccuracies in the article feel free to reply with corrections and comments – that is what it is all about!
Submitted by Wilf Bell 27th June 2007
East Street was more or less opposite 3 South Street [which is where she was living in the 1950s]. (Comment this)