Wigan Album

If you go into the categories on Album. , (walking days, places etc). go onto "Assorted" and scroll down the alphabetical list that comes up until you come to "groups from way back", and click on it, there is a photo of The Black Diamonds with their names on.

First of all, thank you for your guidance, Irene.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find a photograph of "The Black Diamonds". There is a photograph of "The Blue Diamonds". I checked the names to see if there had been a slight mistake regarding the name of the band, but none of the names of the ones typed under the photograph match the signatures. Therefore, I can only conclude that these are different bands.

I wonder if they ( the lads) ever worked down t‘pit….
(‘Black Diamonds’ could allude to coal…it’s not within the realms of fantasy .. )

Ian, the link to the photo which Irene wrote of is here: https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=8&id=11621&gallery=Groups++from+way+back&page=1

Veronica, the pub on the corner of Ince Green Lane & Warrington Road at Lower Ince was called The Black Diamond which as you mentioned referred to what folks called coal, I'm sure it was converted into houses, if I'm wrong someone will say.

Sorry Ian, the photo when I've looked properly is of who you've mentioned The Blue Diamonds and not The BLACK Diamonds of the photo above.

The Black Diamond may have been their local then Cyril.

Ian, there is this photo of the local band Copper Kettle, and someone is asking if any of them were in The Black Diamonds group, but no replies.
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=8&id=6508&gallery=Copper+Kettle&page=1

Cyril, thanks for the link. I have just checked it out and it took me straight to the photograph of "The Blue Diamonds", which I had viewed before my previous post.
This is what it states under the photograph: "The Blue Diamonds (around 1964-65 )
Photo: Eric Johnson"

Apologies. Ian....I had mis-read the name.

Cyril the black diamond got it's name because on the wall of the pub at the bottom of Ince green lane there was a black diamond on the wall.

The name of the pub was The Ince public Hall.

https://www.facebook.com/blackdiamondfireplaces/

Cyril and Irene, just a short message to tell you that there seems to be a long delay in messages being uploaded and this causes a failure in consistency.
When I replied to Cyril's words (posted at 20:33) there were no other posts; Cyril's was the last one. Therefore, the three posts between Cyril's 20:33 post and my 22:31 post were not shown.

Don't worry, Ian. I just wish I could have solved your query about the Black Diamonds. Owd Viewer, the Black Diamond pub was called "Ince Hall Hotel"....... Ince Public Hall was just as it says....a Public Hall used for meetings, dances etc....and was in Ince Green Lane near to the station and the parish church.

Sorry meant Ince hall hotel.

An Ernie Bate was in my class at WGS in 1943-44

He lived in Golborne & I recall his passing in recent years

hello Owd Viewer, I do remember that pub being painted white along with the said black diamonds on the wall, but I was only posting what I had once been told about coal.

When the Market Hall was worth visiting there was a CD, Video and DVD stall Just Entertainments, and Gordon sold pit memory DVDs and a title was named Blue Scars and Black Diamonds, there's a DVD of the same here: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/coal-mining-films-dvd-blue-scars-728825584

Ernie Bate and Roy Gaskell lived on Warrington Road in Abram ( not far from you Irene) Roy Gaskell was certainly in Copper Kettle and I think Ernie may have been.

Broady, I'm glad you've mentioned Ernie Bate. I didn't know him myself but knew there was someone of that name in Abram as I have seen his name in people's memories of Abram on Facebook. I didn't mention him in case it was a different Ernie Bate.

They lived just past Lee Lane on your side. Father and son were called Ernie. The father was in the church choir and prominent in church activities.

My dad was in this group! The Black Diamonds were previously called The Reverbs. There is a photo of them on this site in the Assorted section of Album pictures - Abram Pop groups. They were Brian Wilson, Alan Ainsworth, Ernie Bate, Ray Gaskell and Alec Touhey. Thanks for posting this!

Ernie Bate Snr was secretary of the Foresters friendly society Abram branch !