The Certificate below was sent in by Michael Keegan, it shows his Father Harold Keegan
gaining Class 1 Electricians Certificate in 1961.
Below is my Exam Pass Certificate gained from Rotherham in 1971, also below is my Warrant card that show's i was certified as competent to administer Morphia.
Below are a sample of Adverts from 1955 Coal field Guide,all the products were used at Thurcroft.
The web site holds several Setting on and Leaving books from the early days of Thurcroft Colliery
to 1991 when the Colliery was closed. Unfortunately we don't have a continuous record of all men employed
at Thurcroft, what we do have are names, check numbers, and the dates of starting or leaving of many of the
men who did work at Thurcroft, if it's of interest to any of our viewers i would be pleased to go through the books
to check records for any family members. Please send me the name and any other info you have to the email
address below.
[email protected]
Below are pages from a Price List booklet from July 1957,this is how men's pay was agreed upon by the Union's
and Management and paid to the men after the work was completed. Paid in £. s. d.
The letter below was very kindly sent to the web site by Mr Dennis Turner. Sent from 10 Downing St, by the then Prime Minister
Mr Clement Attlee.
One of our web site viewers has kindly sent in a Pay Slip from the first week of Jan 1984. I have removed his name and check number due to his personal details. If you take all payments and deductions into account it's a poor wage for working a full week on the coal face [night shift] in wet conditions and this includes his incentive pay.
Below is the letter very kindly sent in by Mr & Mrs Galinski, it refers to Mrs Galinski's Great grandfather a Mr Alfred Feek, we had Mr Feek down as a Mr Teek, in the Surface setting on book in [ History 2 section,] this gives us a little more information regarding the first man to sign the book in 1915, also a possible photo of Mr Feek in a Band photo in [ Photo 2 section ].
Below is a photo of Thurcroft Colliery printed on a card that was usually given out to visitors at the pit, or at public relation events. On the back of the card (printed below) are a few details of the pit. The card was very kindly sent in by Mrs Sandra Atkinson.
The small note of appreciation below was very kindly sent in by Mr Harry Lockyer. The note was sent to Harry's older brother Mr Sydney Lockyer,and signed by the then General Manager for Rother Vale Colliery's for Treeton and Thurcroft. Sydney Lockyer at the time of the Gob Fire was on the Haulage and employed in taking sand and other materials to the effected Coal Face. This emergency took almost 30 day's to bring under control with out any loss to life.
Harry Lockyer goes on to say that also fighting the fire was his Father who at the time was part of the Rescue Brigade,and well remembers as a small boy his Father and Brother coming home to bath and smelling of burnt wood and tar [No pit Baths] also his father would bring home his mouth piece and goggles to wash out after each shift underground, his Father along with all the men who helped in the emergency received the above note of appreciation.
The note of appreciation below is for the same emergency as the one above, this one has very kindly been sent in by Mrs Muriel Newton, it was sent to her father, Mr William (Bill) Parsons. Mr Parsons worked at Thurcroft pit from 1922 to 1950, when he retired through the dust disease Pneumoconiosis.
The small paper clipping below is from the ROTHERHAM ADVERTISER 1970, and shows some of the plans the N.C.B. had for Thurcroft. Although the Washer, Head-gear, and Winding engines were completed the link from Thurcroft to Dinnington was abandoned. From Thurcroft's side HO1s Loader gate was the roadway to be used but as some may remember this Face had to be shortened approx 60m due to the loader gate face end collapsing and the face end being re-headed out putting a dog leg in the belt system. At the Dinnington side their connecting roadway hit a fault causing a down throw, the machine that the men were using to head out the road way was almost buried in water and at such a steep angle it was impossible to continue.
[ I worked on HO1s and went to Dinnington to have a look at their Heading problems, Fred ]
Paper clipping below very kindly sent in by Kevin Race, it's from the Rotherham Advertiser's yesteryear page from 1992.
Below is one of the last Deputy's reports to come from under-ground,it shows some of the Salvage work being carried out on 6s Coal Face as it was being salvaged. The original report is on the Left and a little faded, the typed copy on the right is a little easyer to read.
The NCB were great publishers, of Books, Booklets and Pamphlets, in the tens of thousands. Below are just nine front covers of small booklets that were produced for Workmen, Officials and Management. The selection below were very kindly sent in by Leo Martin, via Steve Juggins. This is just a selection of Leo's books. It's difficult trying to use the info from the books as they are all (NCB) - (CROWN) copy right. Most if not all ex miners will have come across these booklets.
Below is a Price List Book from the late 1950s. Very kindly sent in by Mr Brian Beeston, it differs from the one above as this
example deals with wage agreements for men working on the coal face using Machinery as opposed to hand filling.The lists below are a small example from the booklet and indeed from the lengthy procedure of wage negotiations.
The two certificates below were very kindly sent in by Mr Harry Cartledge. On the left it shows Harry's certificate of Coal Face Training in 1962. signed by the then training officer Mr Reg Fish. On the right is the Authorised papers to Drive the Trepanner Power Loader, and other coal cutting machines, sighed by the Manager Mr Albert Clarkson.
Below we have the Face Training Certificate of Ex Thurcroft Under manager / Deputy manager, Mick Fletcher.
Mick has very kindly sent in his papers from 1966,and also a few dates from his Work History with the NCB / British Coal.
January 1963, Started work at Kiverton Park Colliery.
1963/64, General Surface work including Hand picking screens.
1964/66, Underground haulage work and pony driving
1966/74, Face work,/Development, Installation and Salvage.
1974/83, Deputy / Overman.
1983 Under manager, 1983 Cadeby, 1983/87 Dinnington. 1987/90 Thurcroft. During the 1987/90 period Ray Sherwood was Manager, Dick Green, Deputy Manager. Henry Rollinson, Mechanical Engineer. Fred Rockley, Deputy Mechanical Engineer. Frank Garthwait, Electrical Engineer. Dave Mablethorpe, Deputy Electrical Engineer. Martin Jackson Under manager.
During the 1990/92 period Mick was at Thurcroft, Ray Sherwood retired, Alan Hartley became Manager, to be replaced by Mick Tucker. Dick Green became Area Salvage Manager, Mick Fletcher replaced him at the start of 1993,and was then Transferred to Grimethorpe which despite making a profit of £3.000.000, at the time (and would have made about £7.000.000) by the end of that financial year was closed.
Mick has very kindly sent in his papers from 1966,and also a few dates from his Work History with the NCB / British Coal.
January 1963, Started work at Kiverton Park Colliery.
1963/64, General Surface work including Hand picking screens.
1964/66, Underground haulage work and pony driving
1966/74, Face work,/Development, Installation and Salvage.
1974/83, Deputy / Overman.
1983 Under manager, 1983 Cadeby, 1983/87 Dinnington. 1987/90 Thurcroft. During the 1987/90 period Ray Sherwood was Manager, Dick Green, Deputy Manager. Henry Rollinson, Mechanical Engineer. Fred Rockley, Deputy Mechanical Engineer. Frank Garthwait, Electrical Engineer. Dave Mablethorpe, Deputy Electrical Engineer. Martin Jackson Under manager.
During the 1990/92 period Mick was at Thurcroft, Ray Sherwood retired, Alan Hartley became Manager, to be replaced by Mick Tucker. Dick Green became Area Salvage Manager, Mick Fletcher replaced him at the start of 1993,and was then Transferred to Grimethorpe which despite making a profit of £3.000.000, at the time (and would have made about £7.000.000) by the end of that financial year was closed.
Below is a letter very kindly sent in by Mr Pat Fortune. Signed and dated by the then Colliery Manager Mr Ray Sherwood, thanking Pat for his work as a NUM Branch Official.
The four certificates below were very kindly sent in by Gordon Squires, they show Gordons training and Certification from 1961, Bottom right is signed by Mr Alan Hartley. Mr Hartley was a member of the management team at thurcroft in the 1960s 1970s and 1990s.
Certificate below sent in by Paul Cleary of his Engineering qualification from 1980.
The certificates below were very kindly sent in by David Thorpe, David is ex Thurcroft Deputy Mechanical Engineer. His career in the coal industy started at Maltby Colliery in 1965 in the Fitting Dept, in 1972 he was made Forman Fitter until gaining Technical Assistant position at Thurcroft in 1975. From 1976 to 1987 David was Deputy Mechanical Engineer at Thurcroft before moving on to Kiverton Park as Deputy Mech Engineer and then on to Silverwood untill 1991 where he completed his service with British Coal.
The Certificate below was very kindly sent in by David Page, of his Apprentice Indenture from 1969
Below, a selection of Beer Mats.