Coal yard kickabout
UNTIL the 1960s most homes in Britain relied on coal for their heating.
However the introduction of smokeless zones meant many people then turned to alternative sources of fuel such as gas and electricity.
In the middle of the 20th century there were three coal merchants who all shared a yard in Tofts Road, Cleckheaton; the Co-op, Bennett's and Sharpe's.
Reader Rodney Burgin has sent us this photograph of some of the workers there enjoying a lunchtime game of football in the yard around 1958-60
He followed his dad Jack into the coal trade, working initially for the Co-op and then Willie Sharpe's.
"I did that from being 15 to 30," he said.
"It was a dirty job. The coal would come in on the trains and we'd have to bag it up to take out on the wagons. The coal would come out of the hopper and you'd get absolutely covered in coal dust.
"But they were a great set of lads and we had some great times playing kick about in the yard.
"After the smokeless zones were introduced, the demand for coal obviously dropped and smokeless fuel took over, but it was very pricey.
You had to pay 1 for a bag of coalite whereas coal was just 6s 8d."
Rodney left after 15 years to work on the bins and then the ambulance service at Gildersome.
"I've only had three jobs all my life and I was a man in every one of them - a coal man, a dustbinman and an ambulanceman!" he joked.
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Weather for Cleckheaton
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
