Wigan Album

A great picture were everyone is happy, who couldn’t be with Ken Dodd in your company.

I see familiar faces, but the only names I can remember is Mick Duff (son of Sammy) and Gary Coleman.

So true Albert, he was a great comedian who could get folks creased up with laughter and without any foul language.

His tale of King Dick of Wigan with his palace on Plank Lane was a cracker.

Cyril, surely, King Dick of Wigan wouldn't have his palace in Leigh?

George, watch his DVDs An Audience with Ken Dodd and Another Audience with Ken Dodd, hours of laugh out loud material and not one swear word, and you'll also hear the tale about King Dick of Wigan.

King Dick of Wigan living on Plank Lane was just an amusing dry joke, he knew how Leighthers thought about Wiganers, he was really endeared to Leigh and would switch on their Christmas lights every year for free.

Remember this day, not 100% sure of these names but think the person between Ken Dodd and Felix is Brian Heaton, the person behind Brian and Felix is John Haselden and the person to the right of Felix is Derek Wharton. The person behind Ken Dodd's upraised arm may be Fred Hodginkson, and the person to the left of him is Dave Sherrington. Mick Duff is at the extreme left as already said and the person looking over his shoulder looks like Alan Pennington. From memory, i'm either out of shot or it is my caplamp you can see sticking out above Fred Hodgkinson.

Aye I remember Ken standing in the pit yard in front of rescue room telling jokes. If I'm not mistaken I think it was Freddy Hodkinson who knew Ken from somewhere and asked him to pay a visit to the pit. I know most of the faces and agree with all your namings. Another one maybe Brian Cunningham on the extreme left of the photo.

it could be either charl or his brother peter . is that eric greenall at the back of felix to the left ? .tim is that brian heaton who was a leccy who finished not long after the explosion . and the guy at the back of charl is another leccy called alan ? .

Brian, like I said I'm not 100% sure, but I think its John Haselden (electrical shift engineer). At the time of the photo Brian Heaton and Dave Sherrington were apprentices and Alan Pennington was an electrician. The bloke right at the back with no helmet on may be Gerry Walkden, he was an electrician on the surface.

Chris Southworth. Chris did you have relations that were employed at the Maypole, in the early fifties, in the engineering, or the electrical side of mining?. I seems to recollect the name, repairing a coal cutter.

tim did brian ever have a incident down the pit just after the explosion which caused him to finish ? .

Albert S, most likely to be my uncle Gerald. I wasn't aware that he worked at Maypole, but he was on the mechanical side and I know he was at Golborne, Astley Green and Sutton Manor.

That David Sherrington "borrowed" a large chunk of my Northern Soul singles collection, many years ago, as he said he was starting being a DJ. He never brought them back. If I ever see him again, I'll wring his scrawny little neck!

Photo was taken 1974/75, Looks like a young Charl on the left with the tickling stick.

Brian, to best of my recollection Brian Heaton accidentally touched some live wiring and suffered burns to his hand. he left the pit shortly afterwards. Sometime later I heard he was a trainee manager at a pub somewhere, but don't know where exactly.
Tonker, when Dave Sherrington left he told me he was going to be a DJ on Ibiza, so you can probably kiss your records goodbye.

yes tim i remember it now . i thought it was something like that .

L to R mick duff alan pennington ian cross ? dave sherrington freddie hodkinson ken dodd ? brian heaton john hasleden felix derek wharton. gerry walkden [without helmet].

Chris Southworth. Chris, If your uncle did work at the Maypole. He would have gone to other collieries. The Maypole closed in the late 1950s. Saw the story in a British newspaper, in 1957, whilst stationed in Germany.

ah did you work at golborne ? .ian cross worked in C9 when i was in there & i went to school with his brother albert . is that eric greenall behind felix to the left as you look at the pic ?

Whups, do you mean Eric Greenhalgh?

AH, your ? (fourth from the left) is Gary Coleman.

yes i did . the more i look the more i think it,s him.

Albert. S, aye he did. He went to Golborne, then Astley Green and finally Sutton Manor.

It is surprising Chris how a name can stick in your mind after such a long time.

whups; yes ; started with ian cross at old boston 1966,then golborne. felix is in front of derek wharton on the end & john hasleden

whups;i was in the crombouk i think C9 was affected with water on the coal face,or C11

water tell me about it . 1 day it flooded the advanced heading in c9 main rd so we had to go on other jobs until we could go to our own jobs . i was on the pump which had to be timed on how much water came out of that heading . 200 gallons a minute came out . i know ian cross & he was in c9 too .

The fella looking over Ken Dodds left shoulder I think is John Prescott, Linesman

who did you work with in the crummy ah ? .

Fred Hodgkinson was my uncle (my dad’s younger brother). I was very fond of him, could never stop laughing when in his company.

Wuhps; all crummy faces fromC1 to C11 1970s facemen i can remember john roberts john cupid jimmy bryan [ponzer] george eccles john churton ; ian cross was on regular afternoons cliff layland alan parr leccys ; k martland overman

i still see alan parr now & again . keith martland is in a home now & i knew all the others too . when i 1st started i was "on the market" after my 20 days & did a short spell on C7 haulage with jimmy woods .

whups; i remember jimmy woods on the haulage, dickie evans was the overman.also carl bibby steve thompson stevie wood were fitters on the crummy faces

i knew them too AH. karl bibby passed away coming back on the plane from benidorm , ste thompson i last saw years ago in golborne asda,ste wood i see now & again in ashton & his brother pat wood who worked at golborne who passed away recently & of course jimmy woods & dickie evans have also passed on .