Childhood memory

You need Adobe Flash installed to watch this movie.
Get Adobe Flash

Video transcript

When visiting the store room at Beamish I spotted the instrument my Dad used to play in the Crookhall Colliery Band. Childhood memories flooded back of Dad cleaning his ‘double B’, cleaning the valves, and washing them in soapy water. I used to stretch up and put my head in the bell probably to see if I could see any music inside. I suppose I’m lucky that I never ended with my feet in the air and this was something I always used to enjoy doing whenever he cleaned it. On practice night Dad would come home, have his bath and dinner and a short rest then go up to the band room in the colliery yard. Our black cat, Topsy, would follow him out of the door and so up the road to the band room. She would sit on the wall waiting while the band played, enjoying the music. As the men left, she would get behind Dad and so back home. When ever the band took part in the Brass Band competitions at Crystal Palace we listened into the wireless. Mam making a clippy mat, the cat upright underneath playing with the dangling clippings and my sister and I listening for Crookhall band. When we heard the oompha, oompha we would then shout ‘that’s our Dad’. An annual occasion was the Durham Big Meeting, we would join the band as it passed our house in Delves and follow band and banner to Knutsley station to get onto the train to Durham. The band and its followers gathered at the Garden House to march the streets of Durham. It was wonderful to hear the music and the furled banners. If there had been a tragedy down the pit the banner was draped in black. The streets were crowded, we were constantly being told not to let go of each other in case we got separated. So the bands came through up into the market square, each band pausing to play, up Sadler Street, turning left to go over Elvet Bridge, pausing outside the County Hotel where the officials stood on the balcony and then onto the Sands racecourse. There were two tents the first aid and the lost children and of course there was the shows. The banners were stood on the outskirts and the instruments beside them. Everyone settled down to enjoy their picnics before the speeches at twelve o’clock, which we weren’t interested in. At two o’clock the bands playing in the cathedral would leave. We eventually got to the shows where we had rides and playing on the slot machines and then we left the race course to follow our band and banner back to the station, grubby and tired ready to go back home.

I was a Bevin Boy and played in thisband. The bandmaster was Jackie Stobbs who had played in the famous St Hilda's Band. Samuel OswaldPosted on 28/07/2011 at 21:14:18

I once took part in a teacake eating contest in the canteen in which this band played. i managed to eat six, while the runner up ate only five. Not bad fpr a Bevin Boy .Posted on 28/07/2011 at 21:19:27

Does anybody remember Norman Natrass, onetime checkweighmna, and later official of the NCBPosted on 28/07/2011 at 21:20:44

Hello there ! My Dad and two elder brothers played in Crookhall Colliery Band in the immediate post war years. I can remember being taken to the band room in the late 40's early 50's. I 'm sure Jackie Stobbs was there then. My Dad was John Watson ( known as Jack ) on the e-flat Base, Brother Dennis on the Euphonium and Alec on the Cornet. Dad and Alec ended up in the CWS Manchester under Jack Atherton (South Shields Colliery Band). All have passed on now. Alec just a month ago.Posted on 12/09/2011 at 19:32:06

Hi, my name is Jean and my Dad (Charlie Monkhouse) also played cornet in the Crookhall Colliery Band and is the small chap on the left of the back row in the above picture. (I have the same picture). I also occasionally went to practices with him in the early 50s and loved sitting next to the Euphonium player as his instrument was bigger than me! We moved to Hull in 1953 where he continued playing in dance bands (trumpet) and brass bands. He was coming home from a band practice (Humberside Police Band) in 2006 (aged 86) when he fell and broke his hip which put an end to his playing days, but he was very proud to be still playing at 86!Posted on 15/01/2012 at 12:41:06

Hi jean, my name is jim and I knew your dad, Charlie, very well. I was a member of the Hull City Police band for approximately eleven years, between 1962 and 1973,when i then transferred to Teesside Police. I am originally from Co Durham and Charlie and i used to talk about our brass and dance band days. He told me that he was a member of the dance band that was resident at spenymoor rink ballroom before he moved to Hull.Posted on 27/01/2012 at 23:21:41

The UR Card is a new product serving the needs of the tourists to South Africa louboutin shoes louboutin shoes . It is a 1-stop medical insurance prepaid debit discount card. Being able to utilize three different features in one simple application makes the UR Card the traveller s unique best friend. UR TransactionsThe UR Card is a MasterCard based new card application for South Africa. With its easy and transparent price structure and its easy usability it is a great alternative for carrying cash or being involved in complicated bank charge structures . After processing electronic transactions (EFT) or simple cash deposits at any Standard Bank branch short boots short boots , you will be able to swipe the card, withdraw at any ATM or even transfer funds with in the UR Card Posted on 23/11/2012 at 04:43:31

Cultureshock

Capturing the history and culture through Digital Stories

Stories

Inspiration

Themes

Search

About