I wonder if anyone can help at all? My father was born in Ushaw Moor in 1938 and lived there till he was a teenager in High View, I think it was called. His name's Melvyn Gray and he was the only child of Bill and Peggy Gray. His best friend was George, but I don't know his surname.
My sister and I are organising a bit of a birthday do for him as he reaches 70 this year and we'd love to have something from Ushaw Moor from the time he lived there, even if it's only a memory from someone or a photo of the village at the time. He and my mum live near Durham, so they're not a million miles away, but my dad's memories of UM are all of his childhood and it would be great to do something related to that for this milestone birthday.
Any help posted on here would be much appreciated!
Thanks, Rachel Green.
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Hello Rachel -I made what effort I could but all I have been able to come up with is that there was a Bobby Gray that worked in the blacksmiths' shop at Ushaw Moor colliery. My uncle Norman informed me that Bobby died at a young age.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed a couple of Gray families living in Sleetburn [ie New Brancepeth]at the turn of the 20thC: one lived at 38 Harvey Street - Benjamin Gray a miner and widower, his mother Sarah and his children Thomas, Robert and Sarah.
The other Gray's in Sleetburn, living in Woodbine Terrace,were Joseph Scott Gray plus his wife Elizabeth and their children Robert Spence Gray and Joseph Scott Gray. It must have been confusing to give your child the same forenames as yourself.Woodbine Terrace is still there at the bottom of what was Unthank Terrace - a gentle bank down to the area of Harvey St. and the colliery.
Just thought - have you considered selecting some of the articles on the memories site for putting in a presentation folder for your father?
Sorry if none of this is relevant.
Best regards and good luck.
Wifl Bell
Did Melvyn go to Durham Johnston school?
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if Melvyn was the Melvyn Gray I remember.He was always one year ahead of me at school and don't recall him at all at Junior school and there are only a few things I remember about him at Johnston school.He was very clever-I recall when I was in the first year he wrote a play about the Norse gods which was performed in the school hall at the old Johnston school building down by the waterside.It was funny and he acted in it too and was very enthusiastic.We all enjoyed it but the sting in the tail was we then had to write a play based on what we had seen.
ReplyDeleteAs we lived in Ushaw Moor we were in Neville House which brings me to my next memory of a house meeting in the Geography room where the teacher was late and we were all very noisy and there was Melvyn sitting on the giant globe in the room singing at the top of his voice"I'm sitting on top of the world".
Our paths never really crossed again but I was surprised when I heard he was going to be a vicar.I don't know why but I thought no way!!!!but then again life is full of surprises!!
Taking that last post a little further there is a Rev Melvyn Gray working in the Department of Theology at Durham University.
ReplyDeleteWilf Bell
Wilf B, I am sure I met him in Durham Cathedral last year. He said he used to live in High View,Ushaw Moor and went to school with my cousin John Graham.
ReplyDelete