Fellow posters to this site have gone quiet since the first part of December. There must surely be sufficient people, motivated by an interest in social and economic history, to ensure a few more regular posts. I am not advocating that grannies and grandfathers are accosted in the street for fresh material but I live in hope that over a cup of drinking chocolate, or whisky, they can be persuaded to open up about earlier life in Ushaw Moor – and Sleetburn for that matter!
Looking around local sites I see that there is a splendid written and pictorial record of the Brandon and Langley Moor area. Bearpark also has a very good site. As for Paul’s highly commendable site it appears to be good at the outset yet if you were truly to delve into the memories section – stretching back about six years – you will be surprised at what turns up .Do you realise that Ushaw Moor’s full FA Cup history is on site? If not I will leave you to find it. If you want to see and hear Sammy Crooks the site gives directions!
If the above does not grab you what about an upturned coffin positioned without human assistance? Some details of Vicar Welby’s family are there to see and at least one member of it reached dizzy heights. A lot of detail about the Ushaw Moor cricket team of the late 40s is recorded. There is a lovely picture of snowy Ushaw Moor, a tale of money lost and found, an account of a WW2 collision as well as Luftwaffe bombs. Business people are not neglected and many of them are named and located. At a wild guess I estimate there are more than 50,000 words on the memories site that covers many aspects of local life – but there is never enough! So get the drinking chocolate out, or the whisky bottle opened, so that we can open the mind to Ushaw Moor’s history, its trials, tribulations, images and a lot more.
WilfB.