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More of Bill Walker's fascinating writings.
Continuing the story of Geordie I describe a frightening nightmare caused
by him working underground. Then G. talking to himself.
Life and Times of Geordie.contd
Of course...being married....having a wife & family made
he would go to the pit each day......descend into the bowels of the earth
and face each fearsome shift at the coal face.
The gnawing dread of the inhuman conditions he was forced to work
in....kept them to himself.....but there were times when this bottled up
anxiety could not be suppressed....
In the twenty's and thirty's the coal company employed men to go round the
streets in the early hours, knocking up the men who were due to go to work
in the first shift of the day....they were called 'callers'.
This next piece begins with Tommy 'the caller' doing his job......
'Forst shift'
'arlreet! arlreet! Tommy lad!
aah's up! nee call t'knock s'hard
dinna want ter wake me canny wife.......
oh gawd!!!! (yawns) what an awful life!
creep downstairs..can't help stairboards creekin'
in the kitchen firelight....seekin'
a spill t'light i'the fire then quick!
pass the flame t'the parafin lamp wick.
'Oh hinny! aah telt yer t'stay in bed..
aah can easy makk up me jam n' bread...'
'Oh! can yer? aah've seen the way y'cut a slice
thick as a doorstep 'n not vorry nice..
just you get yersell ready while aah dee y'bait
noo dint dawdle or yer ganna be late.'
Out in the dark of a cold winter morn,
hours before the light of dawn
trudge..like hundreds more int' the old pit yard
brrr! the life of a miner's bloody hard.
Stand at the shaft waitin' for cage
what a way ter earn a wage!
Crowd in like animals.....the gates clang shut
sudden drop of the cage.....turns yer gut!
out at shaft bottom....trek the wagon way
be breathin' in dust fer the rest of the day.
Keep y'heed down...folla the man ahead..
serve bloody coal owners till yer dead!
In't the face...get stripped off...
listen ter yer marras spit 'n cough...
wait...while the deputy tests for gas 'n tells what's ter be done...
nee fresh air......nee warmth o'sun.
sweatin' n' strainin'....support roof wi' git props
drivin' t'coal seam.....worrk nivvor stops....
'cept t'takk a few minutes t'grab yer bottle,
rinse & gargle...clear yer throttle!.
my gawd!!!! what's that!!! roof's givin' way!!!
instinctive mind makk limbs obey..
fling mesel outa road of rock crashin' down!
daft thought! miners get crushed! sailors drown!
the noise!!! it's stopped! me marras????are they dead??
din't knaa! but might as well get it inter me head!
aah's inbye o'that massive fall o'stone...
aah's barred in!......aah's all alone!
At least there's air! aah'm still alive!
saved mesell by that frantic dive!
if aah jowl on this rail wi' a bit o 'rock
them at t'other side 'll hear uzz knock..
tap! tap! tap! ...'n then strain me ears!
try 'n suppress worrsenin' fears!
tap! tap! tap! oh gawd! will they never come!!
......aah's frightened!!!! aah feel all numb!
tap! tap! tap!.......come on George! yer sleepin' in!
t'lose a shift would be a sin!
what's up luv?.......oh! not again!
that nightmare! oh dear me!
but yer not down the pit pet! yer safe here wi' me!
Bill Walker.
Murton, Co. Durham.
Time marches on..........Geordie, now left on his own lives in a retired
miner's cottage near the pit.
The years of work in dusty conditions, have taken toll on his
breathing......countless shifts worked in water have brought on aches and
pains to his aging bones.......he isn't able to get out and about as he
used to.......
'Geordie tarrkin'
Howay in! sit yesel down by the fire there!
aahv'e just made some tea if y'd like ter share!
noo!....aah din't knaa we y'are!
'n aah'll tell y'summat! aah din't care!
'cos it's that lang sine onnywan came ter call
aah's just glad ter see onnybody at all!
See'n as aah canna get out n' about these days
aah only sees me home help...'n she allus says
she hessant time ter sit n' chat..
sets me fire away.....dusts...'n that's that!
Family? ......oh aye!..aah've family..but they're far away...
it' a lang lang time since they cumm this way!
aye!....but it wadd be champion man! if aah cudd hear
a young'uns voice ring loud 'n clear..
if only..now 'n agyen ahh cudd hear 'Grandad! Grandad!
then the sound o'clatterin' feet
as a canny bairn ran in off the street.
If twor only fer a few minutes....that's all!
if only once in a while....sumwann wadd call
ter see uzz...stuck in a tween these fower walls
but....neebody cumms!......neebody ivvor calls!
Aah suppose ivvorry body hez their arn life t'lead!
for them ter put thesels out...aah's not ganna plead,
but oh! y'knaa....twadd be nice....just wance in a while
if summ wann'd drop in.......'n gi' uzz a smile..
ee! by gox Geordie! thoo's at it agyen!
taarkin' tiv and empty chair!!!
its allus the same!!! nivvor anyone there!
Bill Walker.
Murton, Co. Durham.
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