Pegasus Bridge 0 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 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... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazarus 0 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Bridge 0 Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jusoda Kid 1 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Would love to watch that again, is it available anywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Bridge 0 Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 I've never seen the film, is it good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieMessiah 2 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mighty Hog 539 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieMessiah 2 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 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... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Bridge 0 Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 For some reason, Amazon doesn't stock the sequeal. It links me to an amercian seller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieMessiah 2 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieMessiah 2 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Remember the simpleton in it who just kept saying: "Where ye gannin' now?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 22650 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Stand back Superman, Iceman, Spiderman, Batman and Robin too, Don't wanna cause a raucous with BA Baracus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottish Mag 3 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 22650 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetleftpeg 0 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 22650 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jusoda Kid 1 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Remember the simpleton in it who just kept saying: "Where ye gannin' now?" Didn't his gran call Hitler 'Hilter' an all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Toplass-101 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W 0 Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Bridge 0 Posted March 24, 2007 Author Share Posted March 24, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W 0 Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 that the old High School?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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