News - Memorials are unveiled to men who died down the pit (

TWO memorials to Notts miners who died while at work have been unveiled.

A restored mine car, which was used to transport dirt and coal from the mine, has been revealed on the green in the centre of Calverton.

And an 8ft sandstone Davy lamp, which was used by miners, now sits in Bilsthorpe next to the post office.

The memorial in Calverton was unveiled at a commemoration ceremony for the 18 miners who died at the pit, which closed in 2005.

The ceremony also included a reunion for miners who worked there.

Ex-miner Michael Lloyd, 66, of Calverton, said it was an extremely emotional and enjoyable day.

A member of the Calverton Colliery Memorial Trust, he said: "It was a fantastic occasion and everyone I spoke to thoroughly enjoyed it. There must have been about 300 people there and we listened to Calverton Brass Band and sang along to the miners' anthem.

"The Trust funded the restoration of the mine car itself by appealing for donations from local businesses and by holding fundraising events."

The mine car is mounted on bricks which were donated by local business Ibstock Bricks, and the brass plaque, which explains the function of the car, was donated by Focus Engineering of Bingham.

The car had been lying in undergrowth at Patching's Farm, Calverton, until it was donated to the Trust.

The memorial in Bilsthorpe was unveiled on Tuesday to commemorate the lives of the 77 miners who died while working at the colliery – 76 men and one woman.

The memorial is an 8ft sandstone Davy lamp, representing the lamps which miners used to detect poisonous gases in the pit.

It was unveiled by Patricia Jennings, whose husband's uncle died in the first disaster at the colliery in 1927, and Paul Smith, a miner who survived the last disaster in 1993.

Mrs Jennings, 77, of Wellow, said: "It was a very emotional occasion because many of the people who came to see the unveiling had lost relatives in mining disasters.

"The monument is truly remarkable and I thought it was lovely how the school children played a part – it keeps the memory of the miners who died alive in a new generation."

Bilsthorpe Heritage Society was the driving force behind the project and the creative drawings for the memorial were designed by children from Crompton View Primary School in Bilsthorpe.

The £14,000 project was funded by Notts County Council's Local Improvement Scheme.

Trevor Goodman, chairman of the Heritage Society, said the idea for the memorial was first discussed three years ago when a headstone was dedicated to 14 men who died in the 1927 disaster.

Mr Goodman added: "This memorial means so much to the people of Bilsthorpe and I'd like to thank the Local Improvement Scheme for making it possible. Mining used to be the life of the village and since the colliery closed there is nothing in the village to say it existed.

"Villagers can now pay their respects to the brave men and woman who died and it gives the children of the village some sense of heritage and identity."

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Memorials-unveiled-men-died-pit/story-13490931-detail/story.html

News - Memorial unveiled to miners who died at Bilsthorpe pit

A memorial to miners who died at a Nottinghamshire colliery during the last century is being officially unveiled later.

The eight-foot sandstone Davy lamp was created in recognition of those who died at Bilsthorpe pit between 1927 and 1997.

Carved into the sculpture are the names of 76 men and one woman.

The £14,000 project has been paid for by the county council's Local Improvement Scheme.

Bilsthorpe Heritage Society Chairman Trevor Goodman, who worked at the colliery, said: "When the mine closed and was knocked down, there was nothing left to say we've ever had a mine in Bilsthorpe.

"There's never been a monument to remember all the men who were killed, and unfortunately we did lose one woman."

'A lot of research'

The possibility of a memorial was first raised more than three years ago after a headstone was dedicated to 14 men who died in 1927 when a pumping system collapsed down a shaft.

"It's been a long process to gather all of the information because that was hard to come by so there was a lot of research having to be done to find out all of the names," said Mr Goodman.

"Then it was a question of funding and we were very lucky that Nottinghamshire County Council have a group called the Local Improvement Scheme, and they took us on, been with us throughout and financed it."

The Davy safety lamp on which the sculpture is modelled was devised in 1815 by Sir Humphry Davy after a group of Newcastle miners told him of the dangers they faced from methane gas.

The lamp's flame burned with a blue tinge when flammable gases were present and extinguished if oxygen in the air dropped to dangerous levels.

The Bilsthorpe memorial was due to be unveiled by Patricia Jennings, whose uncle died in the first disaster, and Paul Smith, a miner who survived a later disaster.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-15164749

Event - Mines memorabilia on display (Newark_

Members of Bilsthorpe Heritage Society with the display and some of the Bilsthorpe Colliery exhibits at Millgate Museum, Newark, are, left to right, Mr Bob Bradley, of Mansfield Woodhouse, Mr Eric Purdey, of Bilsthorpe, Mr Morris Goodman, of Rainworth, and (seated) his brother, Mr Trevor Goodman of Bilsthorpe.

Bilsthorpe Heritage Society has taken its roadshow to Millgate Museum, Newark, where it will be for seven weeks.

The exhibition features many items related to Bilsthorpe Colliery, which closed in 1997. These include lamps, helmets, tools, models of mining equipment and photographs of Bilsthorpe and other Nottinghamshire pits.

The heritage society wants to open its own museum in the village and is in the process of organising a monument to the 77 mine workers who died at the pit.

The pit was sunk in the 1920s and closed in 1997.

Bilsthorpe Colliery is the only pit nationally to have a woman worker listed among its fatalities.

Fourteen workers, many of them poor Irish immigrants escaping famine, were killed in one incident while sinking the mine.

They were buried in a communal grave in the churchyard but the society organised a memorial for the men and traced relatives, some from the USA, who attended a service of remembrance in the village.

The society takes its collection into schools. The chairman, Mr Trevor Goodman, of Bilsthorpe, says because there is less of a reliance on fossil fuels to heat homes these days, some children have never seen coal before.

Mr Goodman, a former miner at the pit, said the village was very supportive of their efforts.

The memorial is being paid for by the county council at a cost of £60,000.

It will be a 1.5m high depiction of a miner’s lamp and will stand on a plinth in a garden at the side of the village chemist shop and list the names of the 77.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Mines-memorabilia-on-display

News - Pit casualties to be remembered (Bilsthorpe)

PIT WORKERS who lost their lives at Bilsthorpe Colliery-including the county’s only female fatality - are to be commemorated by a monument.

A two-year campaign has led to Bilsthorpe Heritage Society winning £16,000 funding to build the 6ft stone sculpture of a miner’s lantern.

Its plinth will list the 75 people who died while working at the village pit, including Josephine Fenwick - the only woman ever killed while working at a Nottinghamshire colliery.

The plan is the result of months of research by the society, which has painstakingly trawled records and chased funding applications.

Said society chair Trevor Goodman: “We decided the time had come to at least pay tribute to the people who lost their lives.

“We’ve not got a lot in Bilsthorpe but the one thing that made the village thrive was the pit.

“After it closed everything was knocked down and now unfortunately there’s nothing really there to say we even had a pit.”

The monument will be built on a small street park at the junction of Church Street and Crompton Road in the village.

Children from Crompton View Primary School in Bilsthorpe were asked to come up with three designs for villagers to choose from, with the lamp winning approval.

Megan Spencer’s brother William will be honoured by the monument after he died in a roof collapse in the 1950s.

“I’m really pleased,” said Megan (85), who lives on The Green in the village.

“I can still remember the day he died and it will be nice to have his name there for everyone in the village and everyone who visits to see.”

William was one of four brothers who worked at the pit, losing his life aged 23 on 4th February 1953.

Added Megan: “The momument is a lovely thing to have and it will be a nice landmark for the whole village.”

The pit opened in 1927 and closed in 1996, with 14 men killed in a disaster during its sinking in 1927.

Those who died in accidents above ground will also be remembered through the monument.

Jack Staton (77) lost his brother Fred in a freak accident in November 1954.

He died in hospital aged 22, days after being hit by a bicycle in the pit car park.

“With the pit gone there’s a risk the people who lost their lives there could be forgotten,” said Jack.

“I think Fred would be pleased. The safety there was always fairly good but with pit work there was always a bit of doubt in your mind; it was more dangerous than many people imagine.”

Mrs Fenwick (36) was a sawyer at the pit who died nine days after she was buried by a pile of pit props which fell on her in the timber yard in August 1959.

She lost her fight for life in hospital after her husband George, who also worked at the pit, had helped pull her from the pile. Another worker, John Wharmby (57), was killed instantly in the tragedy.

Also remembered on the memorial will be victims of more recent accidents, including three men killed in the 1993 disaster.

A planning application has been submitted to Newark and Sherwood District Council for the landmark, which won cash from local improvement and county council schemes.

Added Trevor, who himself worked at the pit from 1965 to 1993: “It’s important to achieve this because it’s a part of our history and without these men Bilsthorpe wouldn’t even be here.”

Anyone related to a worker killed at the pit who would like to check their relative is on the monument’s list is asked to contact the society on Mansfield 871366.

From: http://www.chad.co.uk/news/local/pit_casualties_to_be_remembered_1_3103188