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We often get contact and emails from people who have past associations with the area and the band, here are a couple that may be of wider interest:

Gwen Osbaldeston (gwen.osbaldeston@btopenworld.com)

I was fortunate to see the Backworth Colliery Band at the Kirkby Lonsdale Contest where I spoke to Catherine McKenzie.

I now live in Glossop, Derbyshire but was born in Shiremoor and my father was from Backworth. My maiden name was Anderson and quite a few of my family played in the band.

Both of my grandfathers, John William Dawson (born in 1891) and George Stanley Anderson (born in 1888) were band members. I was interested to read that originally the band also had woodwind instruments as the photographs of my grandfather Dawson have him with a clarinet and saxophone. I am certain that my grandfather Anderson played the euphonium.

I know that two of my father’s brothers also played in the band, Pete Anderson (actual name George born in 1922) and Stan Anderson (actual name John born in 1915). I don’t know which instrument Pete played but Stan played trombone. He also played it professionally at the Grand, a theatre in Byker.

I have attached some photographs which sadly are not mine, but ones that I took copies of in North Shields library.

Sorry I haven’t got more information but I am going to contact a couple of members of my father’s family to see if they have any old photographs or information. Catherine mentioned that she has a very old photograph that I can have a look at and that there are some in the Backworth Community Centre. I’m looking forward to seeing these when I come up to the north east in the summer.

From Ron and Jill Foster (ronforster@s054.aone.net.au)

Here am I sitting by my computer in Sydney, Australia listening to the Backworth Colliery Band.
My grandfather, Bob Ronald who was a shot-firer and Under Manager at the “Eccles"and my father Bill Forster who worked at the “Maude” and later at the Algernon would never have believed it.

It brought back memories to me of my grandfather taking me as a schoolboy aged 8 to the miner’s picnic at Morpeth to hear the band. (I am now 83), not to mention that he sat me outside with a lemonade whilst he had a pint of McEwan’s inside the pub.

I was especially pleased to read and take a copy of the “Backworth Collieries - Full History” which has filled many gaps in my knowledge of local history, as I am now belatedly writing up my family history for the benefit of my grandchildren. I remember the explosion in the Maude pit because my father was one of those injured. Although I must have only been 4 at the time I remember seeing him walking home to West Allotment from Backworth with burnt clothes hanging off him and with terrible burns to his person. The mention in your “history"of this 1928 Maude explosion is the only reference I have found.

I was born in 1924 in Turner Street, West Allotment where I lived with my mother and father and grandmother and grandfather, three uncles (my mother’s brothers}. My grandfather held the strong compulsion never to let his sons work down the pit. I have only fond memories of life in a colliery village where people cared about each other.

I am collecting material to write up my life story for the benefit of my Australian grandchildren and whilst I have photos of people in Turner Street, I do not have, nor can I locate on the internet, a copy of a photo of Turner Street as it was before it was demolished and replaced by the present semis.

Would you mind asking the members of the band if any of them have or know of anyone who may have a photo of Turner Street West Allotment as it existed in the 1960’s and before.

I have attached a photo of my grandfather, Robert Jack Ronald, his son Robert Ronald, who at the time the photo was taken was a professional footballer with Portsmouth FC, As a schoolboy at Murton school New York he played for the England schoolboy team against Scotland at Hampden Park. I have his England cap. Oh! the little boy in the photo is me. The photo was taken from my Granda’s garden with Turner Street in the background.

Please do not go to any trouble, just thought it was worth a try, you never know?

Sincere congratulations on the web site and best wishes to yhe members of the Backworth Colliery Band.