Blackhall Colliery
THURSDAY 3 JANUARY 2008
A TRUCKSHUNTER
Loyal and extremely attentive truckshunters may remember that, during Christmas week, I mentioned an email I’d received from Bob Williams. I hope he won’t mind if I reproduce it here.....
Hello Ian
It's that man again from Blackhall.....I am sorry if my emails are not coming through correctly but I am having troubles beyond my brain.... I heard you on Wednesday morning as I am a poor sleeper (unless I have a good shot of whisky). Could you send me your truckshunters blog address? I was a truck shunter at Blackhall Colliery on the steam locos shunting coal and stone about the pit yard, and down onto the beach banks. I also worked on the ‘aerial flight’ when the Get Carter film was made. I know my job has nothing to do with your "Truckshunters" - and can you explain what a Blog is for me? Best wishes Bob.
There are a number of things about this email which I’d like to draw your attention to. (Note: For the pedants amongst you - and I know you’re out there - I have included two composition errors in that sentence just to annoy you; one is grammatical, the other is an offence against accepted usage. Where was I?)
Firstly, Bob is from Blackhall - the one on the East Durham coast. As far as I’m concerned, that alone is quite enough for him to have won The X Factor. Not only is it one of the most gloriously-placed colliery villages in the entire cosmos but it is also home to some of my earliest and most cherished memories. My granda was a deputy at the pit and a regular at the Trust next door to the pithead. (I’ve never understood why Blackhall, Horden and Easington each had a pub unofficially called the Trust.)
Secondly, Bob listens to The Nightshift, even if only occasionally.
Thirdly, he drinks whisky.
Fourthly, he is prepared to admit - even if it’s only to me - that some modern technology is ‘beyond his brain’. A man after our own hearts.
Fifthly, he worked on the strangely magnificent (but environmentally disastrous) aerial flight at Blackhall; a kind of cable-car system of underslung buckets which tipped colliery waste into the North Sea 24 hours a day and which was featured - to great dramatic effect - in Get Carter.
Sixthly, he was there when they filmed it.
Finally - and most importantly - Bob was a truckshunter. A Real Living Shunter of Trucks. As far as I know, he is the only person in our sacred band who truly merits the title of Truckshunter. I am genuinely in awe of the pure serendipity of this fact alone. Bob is a Truckshunter amongst truckshunters - with a capital T.
I’ve been wondering what to do about this singular piece of good fortune. I rejected the idea of a Nightshift New Year’s Honours list as being too trivial and flippant. I have decided instead - through the powers vested in me by the BBC - to raise Bob Williams to the position of
I have emailed him to that effect in the hope that the natural modesty so evident in his email above will not prevent him from accepting the offer.
What an awesome start to 2008!
CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN
NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.
A TRUCKSHUNTER
Loyal and extremely attentive truckshunters may remember that, during Christmas week, I mentioned an email I’d received from Bob Williams. I hope he won’t mind if I reproduce it here.....
Hello Ian
It's that man again from Blackhall.....I am sorry if my emails are not coming through correctly but I am having troubles beyond my brain.... I heard you on Wednesday morning as I am a poor sleeper (unless I have a good shot of whisky). Could you send me your truckshunters blog address? I was a truck shunter at Blackhall Colliery on the steam locos shunting coal and stone about the pit yard, and down onto the beach banks. I also worked on the ‘aerial flight’ when the Get Carter film was made. I know my job has nothing to do with your "Truckshunters" - and can you explain what a Blog is for me? Best wishes Bob.
There are a number of things about this email which I’d like to draw your attention to. (Note: For the pedants amongst you - and I know you’re out there - I have included two composition errors in that sentence just to annoy you; one is grammatical, the other is an offence against accepted usage. Where was I?)
Firstly, Bob is from Blackhall - the one on the East Durham coast. As far as I’m concerned, that alone is quite enough for him to have won The X Factor. Not only is it one of the most gloriously-placed colliery villages in the entire cosmos but it is also home to some of my earliest and most cherished memories. My granda was a deputy at the pit and a regular at the Trust next door to the pithead. (I’ve never understood why Blackhall, Horden and Easington each had a pub unofficially called the Trust.)
Secondly, Bob listens to The Nightshift, even if only occasionally.
Thirdly, he drinks whisky.
Fourthly, he is prepared to admit - even if it’s only to me - that some modern technology is ‘beyond his brain’. A man after our own hearts.
Fifthly, he worked on the strangely magnificent (but environmentally disastrous) aerial flight at Blackhall; a kind of cable-car system of underslung buckets which tipped colliery waste into the North Sea 24 hours a day and which was featured - to great dramatic effect - in Get Carter.
Sixthly, he was there when they filmed it.
Finally - and most importantly - Bob was a truckshunter. A Real Living Shunter of Trucks. As far as I know, he is the only person in our sacred band who truly merits the title of Truckshunter. I am genuinely in awe of the pure serendipity of this fact alone. Bob is a Truckshunter amongst truckshunters - with a capital T.
I’ve been wondering what to do about this singular piece of good fortune. I rejected the idea of a Nightshift New Year’s Honours list as being too trivial and flippant. I have decided instead - through the powers vested in me by the BBC - to raise Bob Williams to the position of
President of the Honourable Company of Truckshunters.
I have emailed him to that effect in the hope that the natural modesty so evident in his email above will not prevent him from accepting the offer.
What an awesome start to 2008!
CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN
NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.
2 comments:
Ian,
Tis an honour indeed to share this blog with a real truckshunter.
I hope Bob accepts the position of President, and I look forward to his comments on these pages.
Ian,
You said in the blog that "Thirdly, he drinks whisky."
I couldn't decide if this made him a saint or sinner1
If he is a sinner then I must confess as well
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