Fred sadly passed away earlier this year but his daughter commented on a shared post and has agreed for this blog post to be written
He was born in Stanley and his “uncle” of the same name was an author of local history
My dad was born 1945 and died a month short of his 76 birthday
Fred got the job at the “works” via his dad as his dad did not want him go down the pit- not an uncommon sentiment by dads for their sons
My grandad name was John Kenneth Wade but Jack for short
He worked on the waggons oiling them and then worked up to examiner by the time of the closure in 1980
It would be lovely to hear from anyone who worked with or remembers Fred, Any pictures or stories would be good to see and pass onto his daughter
History of Consett Steelworks 