"Shifty" Folk

[Michael Dixon]

 Janis 2Zpool in another post added that she had worked the last 25 years in a shift  covering 11pm - 7am.

This reminded me of my father's shift pattern when he was a coal hewer at Bedlington "A" Pit. i.e. He rotated 9am-5pm,( think this was called Back Shift)  then the following wk  5pm - 1am ( Night Shift), then the 3rd wk 1am- 9am (Fore Shift). And so on !

When he was in Fore Shift he used to curse the Ice Cream vendors and Grocery Vans than cruised Cowpen Estate ringing bells, blowing whistles, playing music and shouting to announce their presence and thus waking him up !


 For us families of miners we had to be aware of their shift patterns and tread softly accordingly.

After Bedlington A pit closed in 1971 he was transferred to Bates Pit in Blyth and perhaps because of his age was able to choose permanant Night Shift, which he coped best with,  for the rest of his working life c1982.


 Michael