I was born in 1893, January 10th, in a little mining hamlet, which consisted of one long row of terraced houses, one pub and about 10 more houses on the main street which was called Lily Lane. All this lot, complete with Station was called Bamfurlong. I was born in one of these terraced houses and the street was called Cross Street and was owned by the Colliery, which was named Cross and Tetley, a good company in those days. My Father was Undermanager there for 13 years. It was only about ten minutes walk from where we lived in Cross Street. We moved out of this house when I was 3 years old into the main street, Lily Lane. It was a better house and much larger and suited my mother much better. the reason I can recall these incidents is my younger brother was born in Cross Street and was just six months old, which put me at 3 years old. I can also remember going with Mother to the Bakehouse, this was run by a party of about six housewives who kept it clean and who did all their baking. I have gone with Mother many times and watched them baking their bread and barm cakes and I can assure you when we have got home I always looked forward to a newly baked barm cake with plenty of black treacle on, which to me was a delicacy.

We stayed in this house for two years, which made me 5 years old, then we moved to Platt Bridge, the number I can always recall was 129 Walthew Lane, it was on the main road leading into Wigan; this was where I started my school days at St Nathaniel's School in Hindley. This was about a quarter of an hours walk from where we lived and I fully enjoyed going to school.
I will recall a few events which stand out to me, one which is the steam trams which used to ply back and forth from Wigan to Platt Bridge. Living on the main highway we could hear the old trams clanking past our house. Just below our house there was a shunt or bye pass or what we we term a lay bye, where trams coming from another direction could pass or lay in wait for the other to come in. Time in those days was not strictly adhered to because anyone wanting to board the tram only needed to put his hand up and signal to stop and the old tram would hiss and snort and the driver would give a clang on his bell that he was stopping, and when restarting he would give three sharp tugs on his bell so that the people riding could grip their seats. There were no such things as smooth starting or take off's then.
I also enjoyed going to Wigan Market on a Friday morning with Mother when it was our holidays, it was a tuppeny ride for adults and one halfpenny for children.

There was another event occured whilst I was at school, this is why I can remember my age, I was 8 years old. When I and my school mates were trying to learn to swim in an old pond in a field adjoining a railway line, we used to go to this pond many times during the hot weather but on this particular day there was an excursion train coming from Southport to Wigan and where we were bathing it jumped the tracks and rolled down the embankment about 100 yards from where we were bathing. Many were killed and injured but being young boys we picked up our clothes and hopped it. We were all frightened to stay.
When we came back to the scene the next day after our nerves had settled, the embankment was one mass of crumpled railway carriages. The engine was lying on its side at the bottom with its tender on top of it; it was a truly awful sight. Railway men were working non stop to get things right and to see if anyone was fast or buried. It was our whole topic for quite a while at our school but as time passed it was gradually forgotten.

At school they were holding a session of Cantata Concerts and the teacher sorted me out to go in the Chorus, why I do not know, because I had a voice like a corncrake and whether or not he thought it would blend with the surroundings I do not know. Anyway I was one amongst many and came out of it with a smile.

At home our family was growing and my Mother had her full days work cut out because, at this time there were 7 boys and 2 girls. Luckily the girls were in their Teens and could help Mother a little.

I was about 9 years old when I moved into Class V at school, from then on I was under a fresh teacher and I can say about him he was excellent, strict disciplinarian, knew his work and made us toe the line, any mistakes and he had his cane on the move downwards. We called him old Coppernob because he had a head of copper coloured hair, he was the Assistant Head Teacher. All classes were mixed, equal number of girls and boys. from then on my education improved and I began to sort things out my own way, but at home we were always kept under control by Father, who used the deterrent weapon, the leather belt. He had to do this because we were a healthy lot of lads, full of vigour, but I can say this of Father he was a good fellow to us all, and when he asked us to do anything, we did it.

I was just over 10 years old when I had my first experience of mining. One weekend my eldest brother was detailed by my Father to go down the mine and feed and water 2 batches of Pit Ponies that were housed down the mine in stables, 6 ponies in each batch, but they were separated in different sections of the mine, making the number of ponies 12 to feed and water. So he asked me would I go with him, with the consent of my Father, and I readily agreed to help and go with him. It was quite an experience for me, we got out oil lamps at the Pit Head and informing the engine winder descended the shaft which was about 300 yards deep.
From the bottom of the Pit Shaft we travelled about 200 yards to our first batch of ponies, barrels of water and stacks of provender were always kept at the stables ready for use. We fed and watered the first batch and by the time we had cleaned them out we were ready for our lunch before carrying on to the next batch of ponies which were situated and stabled in another part of the mine, and by this time we had finished and were ready for home.
I will try and explain what these ponies were used for; their work entailed them pulling a train of empty and loaded trucks from the nearest point from the coal face or seam. These trucks when full were about 7cwt and the number of trucks on a train was usually 10. Always a Pony Driver looked after his own pony, going with every empty train of trucks and bringing out a fully loaded train, which went to the bottom of the mineshaft and were then put in cages and wound up the shaft, and this went on all day except for a short break.

At home everything was as usual, I think in those times life was an automatic living. My Father and Mother and all our household always did the same procedure every day. At this time the family consisted of Father and Mother, 2 girls and 7 boys. I can remember Father saying to us about 9.00pm every night "get your supper and off up those stairs, it will soon be morning and time to get up". Father always had a knocker-up who came every morning with his long pole, at the end of the pole there were a number of flexible wires attached so that when he used it on the bedroom window it used to make a rattling noise and Father would shout to him "right OK", and Mother would be down first, putting the kettle on the fire and making the sandwiches for those who were going out to work. This is why I describe automatic living, this was a daily routine, all work with very little change. As I have grown older and looked back over those years it is marvelous to think what went on in those days and kept us happy.

Outside our house at this time work had started on the New South Lancashire Electric Trams Service, workmen were busy putting up electric wires for the new tram service and making the old trams obsolete. This caused a bit more excitement for people living in our neighbourhood, because we would be able to get further afield. It was about this time Father came home and told us that the Colliery where he worked was paying for an Excursion Train to Blackpool for all who worked there and their families, this caused a bit of excitement in our family but also a sad point because Father said our two girls had to stay at home to look after the house and the younger ones of the family. I was lucky Father said I could go with my elder brother who had started work at the collery. We were all issued with railway tickets and these tickets allowed us free access in the Tower, a free ride on the Big Wheel and also free to go in the Winter Gardens. I wonder how many remember the Big Wheel and had a ride on it.
The amusing part of this trip to Blackpool to me was the amount of cash we had between us. We used to get one halfpenny every Friday night when Father came home with his wages, this was spending money for the week. Anyhow I had 6d (2 and a half of our new pence - Editor) and my ticket, my elder brother had a little more he had 9d (about 4 new pence - Editor) and his ticket and this is where the amusing part begins.

The train arrived at the Talbot Station North and had hardly stopped when we were all jumping out of the carriages to get a glimpse of the sea and the Tower. As I and my brothers came out of the station we got the smell of a Chip and Hot Potato vending machine and this was too much to resist so we made a beeline for that machine and we spent a penny each on a bag of chips and a halfpenny on a bottle of pop, and we thoroughly enjoyed them. Our hunger satisfied we made for the sea and gazed at it bashing against the sea wall, for the tide was well and truly in. We looked up at the Tower and decided to go in as our railway tickets gave us free access. We spent quite a while at the Tower looking and enjoying the sight of the lions being fed and watching the monkeys, also the different kinds of fish we were interested in.
By the time we had done the rounds of the Tower our stomachs told us we were getting hungry so we got out of the Tower looking for the most we could get for our money; I had fourpence halfpenny and my Brother had a tanner (the old name for the sixpence - Editor), we were both trying to save a penny for a stick of Blackpool Rock to take home for our younger brothers. We did quite a lot of budgeting and managed to make out quite well. The tide had gone out and stalls came on the sands selling their different kinds of eatables and we managed to come across a stall that sold barm cakes at halfpenny each, also Tram Scotches at a halfpenny each, we had also thrown in with this lot a pint pot of tea, this cost us three pennies.
I'll try and explain what a Tram Scotcher is, it is a slab of sponge mixture with icing on the top, 2 inch thick and about 4 inches square, it was always noted as a filler up. This lot dropped our revenue down to a low basis, leaving me with 3 pennies and my brother with 4 and a half pennies, we left by the tide. We had to get to the station for 7 o'clock so we left the sands and looked at the shops. As we wended our way to the station we bought our sticks of rock to take home. This left me with 2 pennies and brother with 3 and a half pennies, which we converted into another bag of chips and pop. I was completely broke, but happy and tired and ready for home.

I was nearly 11 years old when I went for my Grammar School Exam, but only one passed, it was a girl named Elsie Kyte. I have wondered how she fared in life because we were always good pals at school.
At home things were beginning to move, my eldest sister was getting married and this caused a bit of excitement for the time. I remember borrowing 3 pennies from Mother to buy her a clothes brush which I bought at Alf Peacocks Penny Bazaar in Wigan Market. I had to do quite a few errands to pay this back.