Hi there
Just discovered your website on the Midlands coal Industry today.
Absolutely amazing so much to read so much to understand and the memories now making a little more sense.
Spent an hour reading today from my home in Jakarta and will spend many more hours doing the same.
I originate from Selston and my family and school friends have worked down numerous collieries in the area but mainly Langton, Bentinck, Calverton and Pye Hill.
My uncle was the late Jimmy Wright who I believe was the Chief Mining Engineer at one point around 1970.
I can not thank you enough for making all this information available.
Many, many thanks
Best regards
Nigel
PS just wish I could say " Long Live King Coal "
Robert Bradley
11 Jul 2016
Re: Jimmy Wright
Nigel
When I started work as an Apprentice Surveyor at Teversal in 1953 Jimmy Wright was the Manager 1952-1954. He had moved there from Cotes Park where he was Manager from 1950-1952, previously to that he was Manager at South Normanton (Winterbank) 1947/48-1950.
He was small in stature as you probably know but made up for it in shrewdness. If I remember right he always drove Jaguar cars and peered through the steering wheel. He used to give me a cigarette from a packet of Players that was always open on his desk, that is when I went to fetch his plans folder to make the workings up to date every week. If I was lucky and he was in a good mood he would give me another when I took the folder back for him to peruse. He said that he got the cigarettes from Reps who called to sell various mining equipment. I suppose it was a sweetener and a way of getting him to buy. He never seemed to find us any other jobs to do and left us to do surveying.
He started work at Bentinck aged 14 as a pony driver and left about 18 to Bull & Butcher pit (New Selston) so that he could work on the coal face and study at the same time. He obtained his Undermanager's 2nd class certificate when he was 23 and his 1st class Manager's certificate when he was 25. He had a spell as a shotfirer and deputy and then went temporary as an Undermanager for a short period as he became a 'run about' for James Oakes & Co sorting out problems in their group of pits up until Nationalisation 1st January 1947.
He was promoted from Teversal to Kirkby Summit colliery 1954-1956 and promoted again to Group Manager for Annesley, Newstead and Kirkby 1956-1958.
He was Deputy Chief Mining Engineer at No4 Area, Huthwaite from 1958 then Eastwood No5 Area when swapped with Jim Stone in 1964.
When the NCB was reorganised in 1967 he was Chief Mining Engineer for South Notts, then promoted to Deputy Director for South Notts Area at Bestwood in 1973, a position he retired from aged 60 in 1977, after 45 years in the industry.
He reckoned that because they wanted him to go as Deputy Director to North Derbyshire earlier, and he refused, it cost him a Director’s job.
I met him at George Noble's funeral (a later Manager at Cotes Park and Teversal) and we sat together at the wake and reminisced of times gone by. That is why I know so much about him.
He went to Cotes Park because there was a house with the job, instead of stopping at Winterbank where he had doubled the output, he said. However that pit was to close about a year later.
He moved to the Grange in Teversal village when he was Manager at Teversal and then to a house opposite Sutton Baths when at Kirkby and Group and then to the large green roofed house, Green Gables? at Alfreton, leading to Oakerthorpe, not far from the golf course. It was later a 'Cheshire home' for disabled.
He always looked smart, full head of hair combed back (like the Brylcream look). He died aged 94. in 2011.
Regards
Bob Bradley |