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Eddy Joyce was born in 1935 and spent his formative years in Shotley Bridge, Durham.
Webster's garage was further along the road. This is where the wireless accumulator was re-charged. On the wireless, 'Dick Barton Special Agent' was my favourite. If an episode was missed during the week it could be heard on Saturday morning.
'Paul Temple' on a Sunday night, Tommy Hanley, Arthur Askey. Henry Hall`s guest night. All good entertainment. Trouble was we had to have two accumulators in case one ran out.
Mrs Carter's fish and chip shop was very popular, and most nights a free bag of batter was available. There was always plenty of gossip while waiting in the queue.
Danny Fox had the greengrocers shop with the orchard behind. Apples, pears, plums, all for the taking ---- only don't get caught. The only thing is he did see us a couple of times and told our fathers, the usual outcome.
Mr Marshall over the road had the local telephone exchange, and the sash window always seemed to be open. I liked to look in at the array of wires and cables, however if he saw us peeping in he would chase us away.
Tommy Pinkerton had the barbers shop next to the 'Crown and Crossed Swords ' pub and hotel.
Further up the bank is Snows Green, and how it got that name I don't know. We only know that snow isn't. Higher up the hill is Elm Park outside the hospital. Many years ago in the horse and cart days the hospital was an asylum.
The story goes that an inmate was watching a man on the outside shovelling horse manure up off the road. When he asked why he was doing it he was told it was to go on his rhubarb. The inmate called out, 'You should come in here, we get custard on ours.'
Just up the road from there was the railway station serving the line between Consett and Newcastle. The Sunday papers were dropped off here. The family's Sunday job was to sort them out into various piles for delivery. My father and I delivered to the hospital, 'A' and 'B' blocks and the 'Hut Wards'.
It was a bit of an eye opener going into the various wards and seeing how some people where suffering. I went into (I think) ward 27 one morning to find that one of my teachers Miss Coleman had been admitted.
She appeared to be asleep so I picked any paper at random, placed it on the bed and tiptoed out. I found out later that the newspaper that I'd left was 'The News Of The World'. Not a very good choice.!!!
A pal of mine, Tom Longlands, who lived in Wood Street, he and I spent a lot of time together mainly roaming through the woods. We built a camp once in the bluebell wood, and on one occasion this was used by one of the 'notorious' locals on the run from the police.
We carved our names in the 'Blood Tree', so called because when we cut into the bark a red liquid came out. I think our marks are probably still in that tree.
As in every village we had our share of personalities. A few that come to mind are Alf Lamb --- notorious for harmless rumours, but so convincing we believed him. Alf could be found most days standing outside the Working Men's Club.
A rather rude man in a car demanded from Alf directions to a place called Blanchland, some miles further out into the countryside. Alf gave him instructions that sent him in an enormous circle. When he arrived back at the starting point Alf had moved on.
Eddy Joyce, Western Australia, 2002
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