P9 - 1991 - Bob Bradley

1991 - Page 9

Gedling Closed After 89 Years

- Continued -

Sub-Area Managers / Group Managers / Production Managers:

Norman Siddall (3655) Sub-Area Manager 1952-1953 (later Area General Manager No1 and NCB Chairman)
Charlie Round (2296) 1953-1956
Alan Walmsley (?) Group Manager 1956-1963
Stan Chadwick (3747) Group Manager 1963-
.....

Managers for Gedling:

SA Everett (813) sinking 1900-1904
A Crawford (1750) 1904-1905
William Walker (2311) 1905-1909
William Tate (58) 1909-1912
R Nadin (3524) 1912-1914
Henry Knight (543) and Agent 1914-1926
Frank Hancock (50) (and Agent) 1926-1936
Arden A Bowker (2736) 1936-1941 (promoted from Assistant Manager Bestwood, promoted to Agent, later Production Manager, Area General Manager No5 and No3 Areas)
George P Thompson (2914) Manager 1941-1949 (and Agent) 1949-1952 (promoted from Undermanager, ex HMI, promoted to Group Manager No1 Area)
Charlie Round (2996) 1952-1953 (from Elsecar Main, previously Rotherham Main (1946) Yorkshire, promoted to Sub-Area Manager 1953-1956, DAPM (Planning and Survey) No6 Area 1956, DAPM (Ops) No4 Area, 1956-1959, APM 1959 (and Administrative Staff College at Henley on Thames for 3 months), Director No9 Area South Wales, Director South Yorkshire, Director Special Duties HQ -1972)
Robert (Bob) Scott (4454) 1953-1957 (promoted from Assistant Manager Linby, previously Undermanager Hucknall, promoted to Group Manager No1 Area, later Chief Mining Engineer North Nottinghamshire Area)
TJ Robert (Bob) Sales (5516) Agent Manager 1957-1965 (promoted from Area Method Study Engineer No3 North West Area, Lancs, promoted to Production Manager No3 Area, later Production Manager North Nottinghamshire Area, sacked, went to S Africa, committed suicide, see)
Wilf Knight (5224) Agent Manager 1965-1968 General Manager 1968-1969
Cliff Rhodes (4610) General Manager 1969-1972 (transferred from Linby)
Phillip W Linsley (8006) 1973-1975
Alan E Darlow (5476) 1975-1978 (transferred from Calverton) (transferred to Special duties South Nottinghamshire Area HQ, transferred to Area Planning Engineer -1987, left and joined BMCL as a Senior Consultant)
Roger Bexon (9393) 1978-1981 (promoted from Deputy Manager Bentinck, transferred to Manager Bentinck, later Head of Technical Services Nottinghamshire Area)
Acting Manager Colin Kenny (8894) 1982
Keith R Screen (8939) 1982-1987 (promoted from Deputy Manager Bentinck, transferred to Manager Hucknall, transferred to Rescue Station)
David Oliver (8338) 1987-1989 (transferred from Manager Creswell) d 2008
Alan Allsop (9700) 1989-1991 (promoted from Deputy Manager Bevercotes, transferred to Manager Rufford later joined NUM as Mining Engineer)
David W Baldwin (10132) 1991-1992 (transferred from Manager Bilsthorpe for closure).

Deputy Managers:

Glynn Wyn Rogers (5313) 1961-1962
Maurice Beedan (8023) 1962-1963
Harold Durkin (6168) 1963-1965
George Alan Allsop (5177) 1965-1973 (promoted to Manager Annesley)
George Morgan (8335) 1973-1982
Colin Kenny (8894) 1982-1988 (promoted from Cotgrave)
Robert (Bob) J Hallam (11252) 1988-1989 (later Manager Sherwood, Thoresby, Calverton)
Neil Simmons (11836) 1989-1990 (transferred to Asfordby)
John P Whyatt (11312) 1990-1991 (transferred to Asfordby, later Deputy Manager Ollerton, Manager Asfordby).

Assistant Managers:

CS Smith c1910....Walter Jackson (.) promoted to No6 Area Safety Engineer 1952
Augustus (Gus) J Wilkinson (2093 / 2) 1950-1958
Harry Martin (9134) 1973- (left to Sales Manager Dowty Mining Equipment Ltd, later General Manager Dowty Mining Corp USA, 1982 Exec Vice President)
Fred Straw (8705) 1978-1985, back to U/m 1985-1986
Colin G Fiddler (11597) transferred from Blidworth) Nov 1987-1990
JE Gelson (11777) 1990-1991.

Undermanagers for Gedling:

John T Noble (2687 / 2) 1902-1904
JH Hickman (2997 / 2) No1 1904-1910
H Astle (3278 / 2) No2 1904-1910
AS Lomas (2583 / 2) No1 1911-1912
HM Holliday (2310 / 1st) No2 1911-1912
WH Wood (3337 / 2) 1913-1925
Harry Shelton (3694 / 2) 1913-1914
S Wood (3925 / 2) 1914-1916
Sam Cook (3281 / 2) 1916-1937
Herbert Gregson (2091) No2 1929-1935
Augustus (Gus) J Wilkinson (2093 / 2) No1 1937-1938
John E Tredgold (497) No2 1937-1940
RS Evans (3775 / 2) No2 1940-1941
Dan S Skidmore (3167) No1 1941-1943 (later Sub Area Manager No4 Area)
George P Thompson (2914) 1940 (promoted to Manager)
Arthur Lomas (2297 / 2) (Top Hard) 1941-1961
William J Hall (2567 / 2) No2 1944-1951
F Nelson Limb (3608 / 2) (Low Hazel) 1952-1958
Stan Chadwick (3747) 1954-1955 (promoted to Assistant Manager Babbington)
Ken Butt (4675) 1957-1958 (promoted to Assistant Manager Clifton)
Harold Durkin (6168) 1958-1960 (transferred to Bestwood, promoted to Deputy Manager Gedling)
Maurice S Beedan (7592 / 2) 1958-1962
Philip W Lindsley (8006) 1962-1963 (promoted to Deputy Manager Hucknall)
Terry E Hill (7245) 1963-1972
Glynn RJ Myatt (7880) 1967-1968
Denis Ward (7402) 1969-1980
Harry Martin (9134) 1969-1973 (promoted to Assistant Manager)
Fred Straw (8705) 1972-1978 (promoted to Assistant Manager)
Rob Stevenson (10121) 1975-1978
Mike G Awbury (10648) 1976-1978 (transferred to Babbington, later Deputy Manager and Manager Bentinck then Manager Cotgrave)
John C Nicholson (10370) 1979-1985
John Gospel (11031) 1980-1985 d 2013
MW Randle (10948) 1985-
Fred Straw (8705) again 1985-1987 (transferred to surface)
Tim J Fifoot (11815) 1988 (transferred to Cotgrave, later Manager Harworth)
Neil Simmons (11836) 1988-1989 (promoted to Deputy Manager)
Kevin Bancroft (11819) 1988-1991 (later Manager Bilsthorpe, Calverton, then Clipstone)
Paul Marriott (11374) 1990-1991.

Assistant Undermanagers: included

Tim J Fifoot (11815) 1986 (promoted to Undermanager)
David E Wheatley (12122) (transferred to Ollerton, later Undermanager Thoresby) 1989
RA Scott (..) promoted from Technical Asst Blidworth) 1988
Paul Marriott (11374) 1988-1990, N Waterfall 1988, BG Dunn, Mar Nov 1991.

Technical Assistants included

Derek R Bell (10149), (later Manager Bevercotes).

Engineering Trainees included

David E Wheatley (12122), promoted to Assistant Undermanager Gedling) Aug 1988-1989.

Surveyors included:

John Rigby (Surveyor to Digby Colliery Co Ltd) 1900s-1930s
Peter Kay (1237) (1950s later No6 Area Chief Surveyor, died in post)
Ron A Pickering (3012) dated 29/7/1954, 1955c-1985c

Richard G Clarke (6009) dated 21/12/1973 from 1985c-1992.

Information from Alan Beales (ex NACODS) Union Secretary.... Gedling was once hailed in the early 1950s as the ‘United Nations Colliery’ because over the years more than at most collieries there were men from all over the world plus at one time over 400 foreigners worked there including men from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They were from many of the Caribbean Islands (Jamaica, St Lucia, Antigua, Dominica, Dominican Republic to name a few), Chile, Australia, Pakistan, America, Canada, Hungary, Italy, Russia, France, Germany, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Georgia, Poland, Jugoslavia, Denmark, Greece, Figi, East Punjab India, Egypt, Cyprus and others. There cannot be another colliery that has ever had such a diversity of peoples and languages, but they all seemed to get along with one another. Many of these ‘foreigners’ lived in Nottingham City where ‘cheap housing’ could be found, whereas the core of the men lived in the surrounding areas of Arnold, Mapperley, Netherfield and the outskirts of Nottingham. Various clubs were set up, some of which exist today, such as the Polish Club (White Eagle Club), Latvian Club, West Indian Club and others. Gedling was not the only pit to refuse to ban outsiders but it certainly had the biggest proportion in the whole of Britain. It earned the description as the ‘colliery of brotherly love’. Everyone seemed happy with one another. For some though the colour bar started when they went home from the pit.