On 4 January 1942 I was born into a mining family in the small colliery village of Victoria Garesfield in the North East of England, some seven and a half miles south west of Newcastle.
The mine around which life was based was closed in 1962, then little by little, building by building, house by house, my village was erased from the landscape and has all but disappeared. Today, as I write, while anyone who happens to pass Victoria Garesfield will most certainly admire the beauty of the place, few, might imagine that just some fifty or so years ago it was home to a whole mining community.
I dedicate this site to my wife Ann, my children and grandchildren, and the friends and neighbours who made up my world at Victoria Garesfield, not forgetting 'me marras'; the many good, honest hard-working men with whom I worked in Garesfield, Greenside, Marley Hill and Wearmouth pits. I set down my memories for anyone interested in local history and the story of Victoria Garesfield.
William Thompson - June 2014
The mine around which life was based was closed in 1962, then little by little, building by building, house by house, my village was erased from the landscape and has all but disappeared. Today, as I write, while anyone who happens to pass Victoria Garesfield will most certainly admire the beauty of the place, few, might imagine that just some fifty or so years ago it was home to a whole mining community.
I dedicate this site to my wife Ann, my children and grandchildren, and the friends and neighbours who made up my world at Victoria Garesfield, not forgetting 'me marras'; the many good, honest hard-working men with whom I worked in Garesfield, Greenside, Marley Hill and Wearmouth pits. I set down my memories for anyone interested in local history and the story of Victoria Garesfield.
William Thompson - June 2014
04 January 1942
08 June 2015
08 June 2015
Fly high dad
We're so proud of you
Shine brighter than the sun!
We're so proud of you
Shine brighter than the sun!