MEMORIES OF THE NORTHUMBERLAND COALFIELDS, by Neil Taylor. Published by Countryside Books, Newbury (tel: 01635 43816 ) £8.99. Softback.

THE Ellington author of this book, himself a former miner, takes a nostalgic look at the county’s mines and the men who worked in the coalfield based on interviews with ex-miners and their families. He uses their own words to describe the characters and the humour, the nicknames, the dangers and disasters, the strikes and, above all, the comradeship.
While working in wet and extremely dangerous conditions, having a sense of humour was one way of making the job more bearable. Ellington Colliery manager Jack Tubby recalled the day in 1982 before the pit stood down for the Christmas holidays. “I decided to go underground that day. As I rounded a corner I came face to face with a small pony dressed as a reindeer, antlers and all. Surprised? Yes, but I had a good laugh.”