A sad question, for the older (and local lads)on here...

[Pegasus Bridge 0]

In the Robert Westall classic, 'The Machine Gunners', they find the machine gun in West/ Chirton woods.

 

I live in West Chirton, have done for twenty years, and I've never heard anyone mention the Chirton woods.

 

I appreciate the book was set in the war, but does anyone remember, or know if there is a wood? Or was it just a throwaway setting, in a otherwise spot on geographical representation of Shields, Wallsend, Tynemouth etc..?

 

Sorry for the ridiculous request...

[Lazarus 0]

According to wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garmouth_%28fictional%29 - so its probably a fictional wood as well.

 

If you look at http://www.old-maps.co.uk theres no mention of a wood at west chirton. however theres loads of pits, quarries, shafts, wells and a couple of mills (the billy mill and the chirton mill) so if there ever was a wood at one point i imagine it would have been consumed by the locsl industries.

Edited March 22, 2007 by Lazarus

[Pegasus Bridge 0]

Aye, I knew Garmouth was a made-up name, due to some of historical inaccuracy in his book, he didn't want to call it Tynemouth, just incase of saddo's writing to him, putting him right.

 

There is a quite wooded area, a few hundred yards from my house, although, the train tracks run right through it (only one train runs on it, once a week), I was thinking maybe that was it.

 

I know I live directly ontop of West Chirton farm like.

[Jusoda Kid 0]

Would love to watch that again, is it available anywhere?

[Pegasus Bridge 0]

I've never seen the film, is it good?

[GeordieMessiah 0]

I've never seen the film, is it good?

 

Don't know if there's a film of it, I can certainly remember a BBC kids' drama serial back in the early 1980s - which was standard BBC fare - but I absolutely loved that book.

 

If I recall correctly, I think perhaps Westall did a sequel with the main character much older, but I can't remember that far back anymore so can't remember what it was called.

[The Mighty Hog 30]

I've never seen the film, is it good?

 

Don't know if there's a film of it, I can certainly remember a BBC kids' drama serial back in the early 1980s - which was standard BBC fare - but I absolutely loved that book.

 

If I recall correctly, I think perhaps Westall did a sequel with the main character much older, but I can't remember that far back anymore so can't remember what it was called.

 

Fathom Five was the direct sequal, but I didn't think Chas McGill was that much older.

[GeordieMessiah 0]

I've never seen the film, is it good?

 

Don't know if there's a film of it, I can certainly remember a BBC kids' drama serial back in the early 1980s - which was standard BBC fare - but I absolutely loved that book.

 

If I recall correctly, I think perhaps Westall did a sequel with the main character much older, but I can't remember that far back anymore so can't remember what it was called.

 

Fathom Five was the direct sequal, but I didn't think Chas McGill was that much older.

 

Aye, that's the one. No idea why I thought he was "much older" in that book, guess it's just the distance of the memory...

[Pegasus Bridge 0]

For some reason, Amazon doesn't stock the sequeal. It links me to an amercian seller

[GeordieMessiah 0]

For some reason, Amazon doesn't stock the sequeal. It links me to an amercian seller

 

Try Blackwell's - sometimes good for out of print books.

[GeordieMessiah 0]

For some reason, Amazon doesn't stock the sequeal. It links me to an amercian seller

 

Try Blackwell's - sometimes good for out of print books.

 

Or nick it from your local library

[Guest alex]

Remember the simpleton in it who just kept saying: "Where ye gannin' now?"

[Renton 492]

Remember the simpleton in it who just kept saying: "Where ye gannin' now?"

 

Beat me to it. That's all I remember tbf.

 

Not a patch on Super Gran mind.

[Guest alex]

Stand back Superman, Iceman, Spiderman,

Batman and Robin too,

Don't wanna cause a raucous with BA Baracus

[Scottish Mag 0]

 

 

[Renton 492]

I wonder if SuperGran is still alive? I remember them filming it in Tynemouth and getting an autograph off Billy Conolly. My God it was shite though.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

My great unlce used to tell me stories about there being nothing but field between Whitely Bay and Shiremoor when he was a kid. So Chirton would have been either fields of trees during WWII I reckon.

[Guest alex]

I wonder if SuperGran is still alive? I remember them filming it in Tynemouth and getting an autograph off Billy Conolly. My God it was shite though.

Wasn't "She's got more bottle than United Dairies" another line from the them btw? JWTBH

[Renton 492]

My great unlce used to tell me stories about there being nothing but field between Whitely Bay and Shiremoor when he was a kid. So Chirton would have been either fields of trees during WWII I reckon.

 

I think Chirton was pretty industrialised - my Dad was from there. There's a great model of Tyneside at the Discovery museum at the time of the 2nd world war iirc, in the River Tyne section.

[Jusoda Kid 0]

I wonder if SuperGran is still alive? I remember them filming it in Tynemouth and getting an autograph off Billy Conolly. My God it was shite though.

Wasn't "She's got more bottle than United Dairies" another line from the them btw? JWTBH

 

 

Was an extra in it twice tbh

[manc-mag 0]

Remember the simpleton in it who just kept saying: "Where ye gannin' now?"

 

Didn't his gran call Hitler 'Hilter' an all?

[Guest Toplass-101]

Remember the simpleton in it who just kept saying: "Where ye gannin' now?"

 

Didn't his gran call Hitler 'Hilter' an all?

yeah she did, and the young dippy one used to always ask "were WE going now?".

 

Funniest bit was when the Gran fell through the door of the air raid shelter, and the young lad asks if she is dead? and the Dad tells them she was on the loo, and cant walk because her knickers are round her ankles.

 

Id love to see it again, it was brill.

[Rob W 0]

The woods were destroyed when they built the" Norham Community Technology College" in Alnwick Road in Chirton - I think it's right on top of the old wood

 

There were still some trees there as late as 1972 I think - a mate of mine lived Ford Avenue across the road and we'd often go there when we were kids and ride around on our bikes.

 

It wasn't very big - I heard an He 111 did crash there during the war - and was quite manky TBH by the 60's

 

Westall came from around Ford Avenue/ The Pineapple IIRC

 

 

Spooky later on to read the book and be able to "walk" the whole thing in your minds eye

[Pegasus Bridge 0]

The woods were destroyed when they built the" Norham Community Technology College" in Alnwick Road in Chirton - I think it's right on top of the old wood

 

There were still some trees there as late as 1972 I think - a mate of mine lived Ford Avenue across the road and we'd often go there when we were kids and ride around on our bikes.

 

It wasn't very big - I heard an He 111 did crash there during the war - and was quite manky TBH by the 60's

 

Westall came from around Ford Avenue/ The Pineapple IIRC

 

 

Spooky later on to read the book and be able to "walk" the whole thing in your minds eye

 

 

Cheers mate! I went to Norham High, its really cleared it up for me.

[Rob W 0]

that the old High School??