I was also in the St Johns for many years. Again I am at the Miners Holiday Camp in Skegness with the St Johns parade. There used to be hundreds of men there on parade.

Photo shows Ken Swinscoe and Eric Minard.

We went on many, many emergencies, some good and some bad.

We lived in number 13 Manners Avenue and I think Phillip and Lottie moved in next door with Michael and Rosemarie in April 1954. We got on very well and used to sit on the back yard in the evening talking. I can remember one night Phillip and Lottie were panicking, they had lost Rosemarie. Well every one on the station came out looking up and down the road, in all the sheds, on the park, every where.  After some time Lottie shouted “We’ve found her!” Lottie had gone upstairs to look again and Rosemarie was fast asleep in her bed. Phew we didn’t want to experience one of them again.

We worked together and Phillip was always playing tricks on every one; but we always got him back. Phillip and myself went on many, many call outs, We worked very well in sometimes very difficult situations,  I can remember quite a lot of these but there are many long stories that maybe should be forgot but I will tell you one story; I was driving the call van and we had go down Gregory Boulevard in Nottingham; it was very foggy.  We had lights flashing and our bell going when all at once there was a man coming straight towards us in his car, I said “look at this so and so, he is on the wrong side of road” when we got to the next island it was me on the wrong side Ha Ha Ha.

After awhile Lottie was having another baby, when she went in to have it Michael and Rosemarie stayed with us over night, because Phillip could have had a call out in the middle of the night. Lottie came home the next day with a lovely ginger haired boy named Peter.

Les Calladine’s daughters, used to come to our house and take our children out (Jenny I think was one but cannot remember the name of the other). Nigel is in the push chair and Sandra in the pram, they would walk up and down the road and around to the park before returning home.

Eric, Nigel, Sandra, Stephanie

Ilkeston Mines Rescue was a real community, here we are at a Station Fancy Dress party.

Five-A-Side Football

Christine Cocking with Eric's dog 'Laddie'