Ashington - Sound

Transcription of an interview with Jimmy Oswell recorded on the 21^st July 1976.

During the full interview Mr. Oswell talks about his employment at Cramlington Colliery. He also recalls various aspects of life in Ashington village.

During this extract he talks about his employment at the colliery at Ashington. He recalls how he, his father and two brothers all worked at the pit all on different shifts.

[Transcription]

I fancied going down the pit, of course that was the tradition, your name was on the board as soon as ever you were born, in Ashington, there was no factories or anything like that then, it was the Mines.

I start putting coals in and I was there until 1921.

Can you remember how much you got paid when you first started?

I had 15 and three pence for six days. And we worked eleven shifts a fortnight, there was one Saturday called the back Saturday, that was one day when you were off. And I went to work when I was in first shift, that was half past twelve in the morning and walked from just above the road their to Ashington Coal Company, I used to go there when it was dark, and I would come out the pit when it was dark, and I would see the sunlight on the Sunday morning, that was the first time of the week when I would see the sun, because it was half past eight when we left the pit, well I didn't get light until nine o'clock, and I used to come home and have my breakfast, wash in the bath tin in front of the fire, which you will have heard, other people would have told you, away to bed, it was dark when I got up, it was dark when I went to work, I tell you I seen the sun on the Sunday morning.

Did you have any brothers who worked in the pit as well?

My father worked the pit, and three brothers.

Did you use to work different shifts, or sometimes the same shift?

My father was night shift, and there would maybe be two in first shift and one in back shift or vice versa. And my mother would never have her clothes off, until the Saturday night, because she used to have to take the pan off, dinner off, put the pan on for the hot water for us coming in to bath.

 

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This tape recording comes from the large collection of oral history recordings held by the Northumberland Archive Service. Interviews were conducted by Record Office staff from the early 1970's right through until the mid 1980's. The purpose of the recordings was to capture the essence of life in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Many different subjects were covered, including coalmining, farming, fishing, domestic life, World Wars and entertainment. Over 350 recordings have been collected comprising approximately 700 hours of recollections.

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