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Calendar
The Decline Of The Industry Continued
After Nationalisation 1947

Chimneys
1993
  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10   11   12   13   14   15 
 16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   

1993 - Page 23


Rufford Closed 1993 After 82 Years

- Continued -

Managers for Rufford:

  • William J Preston (2117) Manager 1911-1938
  • W Vic Sheppard Manager (2853) 1938-1947 (promoted to No4 Area, later No1 Area General Manager and Deputy Chairman of NCB)
  • Jack A Jones (1292) Manager 1947-1955 (ex Mansfield and Rufford Safety)
  • Frank Heald (3274) Manager 1955-1957 (transferred from Sherwood, transferred to Shirebrook, later Mines Rescue Station Superintendent)
  • Len Wright (4456) Agent Manager 1958-1959 (transferred from Blidworth, transferred to Welbeck, later Mining Engineer then President of Nottinghamshire NUM)
  • Jack E Wood (4395) 1959-1960 (Agent Manager transferred from Manager Welbeck, promoted to Group Manager, Chief Mining Engineer South Derbyshire, Director South Nottinghamshire, Doncaster and North Nottinghamshire -1985, d 2007)
  • George D Edwards (5201) Manager -1961 (transferred to Ollerton and then Bevercotes 1964)
  • Jim Hewitson (5278) Agent Manager 1961-1966, then Colliery General Manager 1966-1968 (promoted from Deputy Manager, later Safety Engineer North Nottinghamshire HQ 1969, then Industrial Relations South Nottinghamshire HQ 1973)
  • George K Noble (5852) (temporary during 1969, Mar - July, transferred from Manager Teversal and returned to Teversal) d 2006
  • Wilf Barrett (5393) 1969-1972 (transferred from Welbeck, sacked)
  • Frank Middleton (8180) 1972-1975 (Kent, previously Undermanager Bentley 1962, Deputy Manager Betteshanger 1965, Agent Manager Betteshanger, Chief Mining Engineer Kent, promoted to Production Manager North Nottinghamshire 1975, later General Manager Kent 1985, National HQ to Operations Mining Engineer Director NCB 1985, then Director North West Area)
  • George D Edwards (5201) again 1975-1986 (General Manager transferred back from Manager Bevercotes, transferred to Area HQ for a short time on Planning) d.2005
  • John Higginbotham (9293) 1986-1989 (General Manager transferred from Manager Sutton)
  • David J Moult (11244) 1989-1992 (General Manager transferred from Manager Sherwood, transferred to Welbeck)
  • Paul G Shorthouse (11369) Acting Manager July 1992
  • Alan Allsop (9700) 1992-1993 (transferred from Manager Gedling)
  • Gordon C Harris (11100) July Nov 1993
  • Steve Wright (9981) Manager for closed colliery 1993-1994.

Deputy Managers:

  • Jim Hewitson (5278) 1959-1960 (promoted from Welbeck, promoted to Agent/Manager)
  • WP Nicholas (7881) 1961-1965 (died in the pit)
  • C Walter Standage (5742) 1965-1973 (promoted from Undermanager, promoted to General Manager Ollerton)
  • Robert (Bob) G Siddall (9974) 1973-1975 (promoted from Sherwood, promoted to Manager Blidworth, later DCME North Nottinghamshire Edwinstowe HQ, Deputy Director Derbys
  • Director Selby and Director Opencast)
  • Albert C Mapp (7959) 1975-1976 (promoted to General Manager Mansfield, later DCME North Nottinghamshire Area HQ)
  • Robert (Bobby) C Watson (9215) 1976-1985 promoted from Ollerton, transferred to Deputy Manager Thoresby, promoted to Manager Sutton and later General Manager Harworth)
  • Robert (Bob) Storey (9610) 1985-1987 (transferred to Deputy Manager Sutton)
  • Reg J Fitzpatrick (10961) Mar 1987-1989 (transferred from Deputy Manager Sutton, promoted to Manager Cotgrave, sacked)
  • Mike W Stevenson (9999) 1989-1990 (transferred to Calverton)
  • Paul G Shorthouse (11369) 1990-1992.

Assistant Managers:

  • Abe L Goodwin (3834) 1954-57
  • Harry Jones (3595) 1957-1958
  • Emris Pritchard (left to manage private mine Brora, Scotland, the most northerly pit in UK, but it failed due to water problem)
  • Pat J Murphy (7912) 1969- (transferred to Bevercotes)
  • Albert C Mapp (7959) 1969-1972 (back to Undermanager, promoted to Deputy Manager, later Manager and DCME MP and S North Nottinghamshire)
  • David Oliver (8338) 1969-1970 (promoted to Deputy Manager Silverhill)
  • Peter A Chambers (8313) 1970-1972 (promoted from Pye Hill, transferred to Thoresby, later Deputy Manager Bevercotes, Agent Manager and General Manager Silverhill, General Manager Mansfield, Eastwood Hall HQ and DCME Edwinstowe HQ)
  • David Oliver (8339) 1972-1975 (demoted from Ollerton to Rufford, promoted to Deputy Manager Thoresby, later Manager Creswell and Gedling)
  • Don Lunn (6163) 1975-1979 (transferred to Clipstone)
  • R (Dick) B Proctor (10130) 1980-1987
  • Peter G Shorthouse (11369) (transferred from Cotgrave, promoted to Deputy Manager) 1st July 1987-July 1992 (to Acting Manager)
  • Vince J Hawksworth (11712) 1989-1994 promoted from Undermanager).

Undermanagers for Rufford:

  • George E Harrison (Cert No 86) 1914-1921
  • WW Wheatley (3947) 1921-1929
  • J Goodman (713) 1930-1932 died in post
  • H Staley (1378) 1932-1938
  • Elijah Shaw (1156) 1938-1942 (promoted to Manager Clipstone)
  • W Dixon (1348) 1942-1943
  • Eric W Leivers (3634) 1943-1947 (promoted to Manager Chislet)
  • PB Wharton (4530) 1949-1950
  • Frank Wheatcroft (2nd) 1950-1959
  • Harry Jones (2nd)
  • C Walter Standage (5742) (-1965 transferred from Sherwood, promoted to Deputy Manager)
  • Peter Watt (4975) 1960-1965 (promoted to Manager Bilsthorpe)
  • Mick A Ransom (6122) 1960-1965
  • Alan Ingham (6343) 1960-1964 (promoted to Deputy Manager Blidworth, Manager Welbeck, later Chief Mining Engineer)
  • Jim Clarke (6986) 1965-1967 (transferred from Ollerton)
  • A Peter Hall (Surveyors cert and 1st 7238) 1965-1968 (promoted from Blidworth, transferred to Mansfield)
  • David M Hardy ( No.. ?) 1966-1967
  • W Eddie Bumstead (8026) 1967-1971(transferred from Welbeck, promoted to Thoresby)
  • Zdzishaw Jan (Johnny) Pychinski (7551) 1968-1970 (transferred from Clipstone, promoted to Assistant Manager Clipstone)
  • Albert C Mapp (7959) 1968 (transferred from Snowdown, Kent, promoted to Assistant Manager)
  • Lou Moulsdale (7539) 1969-1970 (transferred to Safety dept HQ)
  • George E Bye (9752) 1971- (transferred to Harworth)
  • Brian Allen (9024) 1970-1974 (transferred from Assistant Manager Bevercotes, promoted to Deputy Manager, then Manager Silverhill)
  • Don Lunn (6163) (transferred from Bevercotes) 1976-1980
  • Richard J Dalton (10661) 1975-1979 (promoted from Teversal, transferred to Sherwood, later Deputy Manager and Manager Welbeck)
  • Rob B Proctor (10130) 1975-1979 (promoted to Assistant Manager)
  • Brian T Kimberley (10691) 1980-1987 (transferred to Welbeck, later Deputy Manager Harworth)
  • Brian H Orton (9492) 1981- May 1987 (transferred from Sherwood, promoted to Assistant Manager Silverhill, then later appointed Area Tunnelling Team Engineer Nottinghamshire HQ)
  • Vince J Hawksworth (11712) 1988-1989 (promoted to Assistant Manager)
  • Kevin N Humphreys (11654) 1987-1990 (promoted from Ollerton, transferred to Calverton)
  • Glen J Robinson (11817) 1990-1992
  • D Meikle ( No ?) 1992-1993.

Assistant Undermanagers included

  • John Proudlock 1974, (from out of industry, to Safety Engineer 1975, to Bilsthorpe as Assistant Undermanager 1975)
  • David A Slater (11529) 1988 (promoted to Sherwood)
  • K Jack Allen (11...) (promoted to Undermanager Bilsthorpe 1989).

Surveyors included:

  • Tom W Bush (845) Bolsover Co Surveyor, promoted to Area Chief Surveyor No3 Area 1947-1962
  • Cyril Wood (2...) transferred to Area HQ Planning dept) 1947-1952
  • A Eddie Betts (2...) 1952-1958 transferred from Mansfield, promoted to Group Surveyor, later Deputy Area Surveyor North Nottinghamshire
  • Alf Evans (3...) (promoted from Assistant, previously Linesman, transferred to North Nottinghamshire HQ Boring team) 1958-1969
  • Peter JK Robinson BEM (3683) (promoted from Welbeck, transferred to Sutton) 1969-1989
  • Andy L Wells (5934) (transferred from Sutton, previously Deputy at Rufford) 1989-1994.

Fatal Accidents Rufford:

  • Andrew Digman and Frank Digman killed by explosion, in the shaft 1/2/1912
  • a heavy water barrel fell down the shaft onto the Sinkers working in the shaft and the following 14 men were killed: Andy Bagnall (37), Frank Bagnall (27), Joseph Bettany (41), Jesse Hart (26)
  • Will Hollins (22), Thomas Jordan (32), Joseph Knowles (33), Fred Paddon (30), Patrick Mulligan (38), Harry Scott (47), John Smith (Tomlinson) (42), Walter Storey (41), James Wigham (27) and Harry Woodward (26) all on 7/2/1913
  • William Wilson (39) another Sinker, hit by an air pipe falling down the shaft 23/12/1913
  • Arthur William Forknall (25) Stall man fall of roof 7/7/1915
  • George James Cornell (16) fall of roof 10/11/1915
  • Gordon Gent (53) Stall man, fall of roof 15/12/1915, died 3/1/1916
  • Paul Mellows (59) fell from a scaffold on the surface 8/7/1916, died 11/7/1916
  • George William Gelsthorpe (40) Stall man, 1/6/1917
  • Joseph Arthur Gilbert (14) Ganger, run over by tubs 6/12/1917
  • Sam Smith (43) Stall man, fall of roof 14/2/1918
  • John William Hayes (44) Haulage, crushed by tubs 9/9/1919
  • Frank Beaver (35) Stall man, fall of coal 23/4/1920, died 25/4/1920
  • Joseph William Patrick (44) Stall man, 8/12/1919
  • Benjamin Burton (44) Stall man, fall of coal 2/12/1920
  • Thomas Charles Melbourne (17) Ganger, crushed by a pony 9/12/1920
  • James William Baker (18) Yard boy, run over by wagons on the surface 22/9/1921
  • Henry Green (56) caught in machinery on the surface Screens 3/7/1923
  • John Pugh (40) Stall man, fall of roof 24/9/1923
  • Noel Vernon Robinson (18) caught in machinery on the surface Screens, 1/7/1924
  • Arthur Gilbert (40) Stall man, fall of roof 29/10/1924
  • Joseph William Hunt (31) injured himself lifting a tub 7/1/1925, died 20/1/1925
  • Ben Moxon (53) Stall man, fall of coal 19/3/1925
  • John Thomas Jackson (43) Stall man, fall of coal 12/8/1924, died 20/6/1925
  • Henry Brittain (15) Haulage, crushed by tubs 27/6/1925
  • Harry Sansom (18) Ganger, crushed by a pony 6/1/1926
  • Joseph Simms (68) run over by wagons on the surface 12/4/1928
  • Harry Columbine (29) Stall man, fall of roof 20/7/1928
  • Neville Arthur Wilson (15) crushed by cage 20/9/1928
  • William Hyatt (56) run over by tubs 28/4/1931
  • John Healey (40) Face man, fall of roof 8/7/1933
  • Hubert Warriner (36) caught in machinery on the surface Screens, 26/3/1934
  • Reuben Smith Dean (23) Face man, fall of roof 27/3/1934
  • William Richard Worrell (57) Face man, fall of roof 23/4/1934
  • Robert Raven (23) Haulage, crushed by tubs 2/1/1935, died from meningitis 7/1/1935
  • William Arthur Farmer (40) Face man, fall of roof 16/2/1935
  • George Edward Lock (29) Face man, fall of roof 9/4/1935
  • Percival Eden Bingham (43) Face man, fall of coal 2/5/1935, died 17/5/1935
  • Jabez Hopewell (59) Haulage, run over by tubs 9/8/1935
  • George Henry Shaw (59) Haulage, run over by tubs 13/8/1935
  • Ernest Shaw (33) Face man, fall of coal 14/8/1935, died 13/9/1935
  • Frederick Ward (20) Face man, fall of roof 28/2/1936
  • Baden Wilfred Birch (38) Face man, fall of coal 12/10/1938
  • Frederick Herbert Milnes (31) Haulage, crushed by tubs 24/4/1939, died from pneumonia 5/5/1939
  • Samuel Ashley Marriott (41) Face man, fall of roof 11/12/1939
  • Arthur Holmes (24) Face man, fall of roof 18/3/1940
  • William Stokes (41) Face man, 5/4/1941
  • Joseph Rogers (35) hit by broken haulage anchor slipper 8/8/1941
  • Ernest Sadler (17) fall of roof 3/10/1941
  • Walter George Lewin (44) fall of roof 4/4/1942
  • Donald Pearson (37) Haulage, crushed by tubs 19/6/1942
  • Daniel Whitehouse (62) hit by a haulage engine handle 26/2/1943, died 7/3/1943
  • Jack Ward (45) fall of roof 18/3/1942
  • Stanley Wilton Stanton (28) Face man, fall of roof 10/6/1943
  • John Stirland (46) Face man, fall of roof 3/7/1943
  • Leonard Crosby (41) Face man, fall of roof 22/9/1943
  • Harold Godfrey (33) Face man, fall of roof 19/10/1943
  • John Frank Dearman (29) Yard man, crushed by wagons on the surface 12/1/1944
  • John William Clough (35) Face man, fall of coal 30/9/1943, died 30/11/1943
  • George Instone (33) Face man, fall of roof 3/5/1945
  • Joseph Severn (53) Face man, fall of roof 18/11/1948
  • William Maddison (46) Face man, fall of roof 25/10/1949
  • George Edwin Bates (48) shotfiring accident 28/10/1950  
  • Arthur Hayes (58) fell down the steps to the shaft on the surface 26/2/1951
  • Samuel Vincent Willoughby (58) accident on the screens on 27/9/1951, died 4/10/1951
  • Peter Yates (59) Haulage, crushed by tubs 17/4/1953, died 21/4/1953
  • Richard Edward Gough (33) Face man, fall of roof 7/12/1953
  • Denis McCarthy (27) Haulage, crushed by tubs 21/1/1955, died 22/1/1955
  • Joseph Gretton (63) Face man, 8/5/1952
  • William Postlewaite (39) Face man, crushed by an armoured conveyor 25/3/1955
  • Norman Brittain (40) Face man, fall of roof 4/5/1955
  • Robert Hendron (23), burnt by shale on the surface tip 13/5/1955, died 14/5/1955
  • Arthur Raven (42) Haulage, crushed by tubs 31/3/1956
  • Peter Siddall (23) fell from top of winding house roof 21/12/1957
  • Bernard Charles Wood (29) Face man, crushed by a coal cutter 21/5/1958
  • John Joseph OBrian (32) Face man, fall of roof 12/8/1958
  • Andrew Gilmore Smith (51) Face man, fall of roof 22/10/1959
  • Robert Ian McMurdo (22) caught in machinery 17/10/1961
  • George Horace Squire (?) ? 1963
  • John OBrian (30) crushed by bulldozer on the surface 19/11/1963
  • Donald Guy (34) Face man, fall of roof 25/10/1965
  • William Cecil Barnes (52) caught in machinery 13/5/1969.

Charles H Newman (57) committed suicide by hanging from a rail on the screens 3/8/1944. William Radford (56) died from natural causes 4/11/1956.

Other Incidents: included - a tub fell out of the chair at No2 shaft on 28/8/1989.
John Higginbotham (9293) Manager, collapsed momentarily from the extreme heat in 208s gate whilst the men were arguing for heat money. (Quote from one of the men on the job.)
Alan Allsopp (9700) Manager had an accident underground and broke his leg. After leaving British Coal he was a Mining Engineer for UDM.


During The Year The Radioactive Substances Act, 1993 Was Passed.


Opencast 1993

  • Lounge, Middle Lount, Nether Lount, Yard
  • Flagstaff, Lower Roaster
  • Swannington, High Main bottom, Upper Main, High and Upper Main, Smoile, Upper Lount 09/1993