YORKSHIRE MAIN COLLIERY

On the 19th Nov 1953 HRH The Duke Of Edinburgh made his second visit to a British Colliery, Yorkshire Main at Edlington. 

Here is the story of his trip down the pit to the coal face.

By all the signs Yorkshire Main Collliery, Edlington, was expecting a very special visitor.  At the pit entrance workmen were erecting crush barriers.  the Union Jack, not the NCB flag was flying No. 1 pit pulleys.  Back in the village 1,000 school children lining the road whiled away the waiting singing "We must have safety on the Queens Highway".  Parents took up the best vantage points in good time.

At the pit 2,400 workmen were each handed a booklet with their usual Thursday pay-slip.  In it was the story of the pit.  Among the biggest and deepest (both shafts are 905 yards deep) in Yorkshire.  Yorkshire Main produced in 1952 more than 10 per cent of the area, two per cent of the Divisional and 0.4 per cent of the national output.

A development scheme costing nearly £1.25 millions had entailed the making of a new pit bottom 60 yards above the old and driving of the new connecting roadways, the installation of locomotive haulage using mine cars, with skip winding plant at No.2 shaft and mine car winding at No.1 and alterations to surface plant.

Output per working day has risen from 2,900 tons in early 1947 to3,800 tons at present.  It is expected to rise to 4,500 tons when the reconstruction is complete.  The booklet has been produced not only to tell this fine story but also to record a great event in the history of the pit, the visit of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh.

Yorkshire Main's men had already marked the occasion in their own way.  they had dubbed the locomotive roadway along which the Duke was to travel 'The Golden Mile', (It is really 2,500 yards long), the man riding car in which he would sit 'The Coronation Coach', the face he was to visit (10's unit), 'The Dukeries'.

Arriving at the fag-end of a long and busy day (He travelled overnight and had first opened, then inspected the new Sheffield Laboratories of the British Iron and Steel Association).  The Duke was welcomed by Sir Hubert Houldsworth (who presented Sir Will Lawther).

In the pit's St Johns Ambulance Bridgate drill hall, Divisionally Chairman Major General Sir Noel Holmes and the Lord Lieutenant, Lord Scarbrough, presented some 30 bought Inspectorate, and NUM officials, and members of county and local authorities.

Then, within half an hour of his arrival, the Duke had changed into pit togs (his own navy duffle coat, blue shirt and trousers plus Yorkshire Main pit helmet) and was on his way to No.1 pit head with a small group of men.

There, banksman Joe Bicknall turned to see a young man with a long loping stride and an easy smile leading the party. "I'd had the butterflies all afternoon", said Joe afterwards, but they went as soon as I saw that smile.

Half way through a brisk, thorough frisking for contraband the Duke smiled at the rest of the party "I don't think this lad trusts me!".

The party was met at the pit bottom by manager E Greathead and undermanager L Bates (a leading stoker inthe first World War) who acted as guides.  They went first to No.2 pit bottom where the Duke watched skip winding operations - 3.5 tons capacity mine cars being unloaded by a huge tippler onto conveyors feeding the big shaft skips.  Area Manager Mark Le Brun and Area Production Manager J Dearden explained the workings of the system and answered questions.

Then came the journey along the South East locomotive roadway to 10's unit, a newly developed double unit face 440 yards long and 5ft 6" Barnsley Seam, where coal is electrically cut, handfilled onto compressed air powered face conveyors, and carried by gate and trunk conveyors to the mine car loading point.

IN THE CAGE ON HIS WAY DOWN THE PIT WITH A.G.M.MARK LE BRUN.

Before taking his place on the paddy train the Duke had a chat with Loco Driver Syd Davies.  He examined closely the twin 100 h p Diesels (coupled together to pull out 22 mine cars against a gradient of 1-30), and wanted to know which were clutch and gear levers, air and hand brakes.

Reports Syd Davies "He had a pretty good idea of how the Diesels worked before he had sat down and we started the trip inbye".  On the way in Syd pulled up to allow the Duke to see a train full of mine cars pass on their way to the shaft.

At the entrance to 10's unit the Duke was met by overman Chris Thorycroft and district deputy Bill Temperton, who led the party to the coalface.  Here J A (babe) Shaw (mens checker or chargeman) was waiting, his welcome "Good afternoon Sir, I'd like to welcome you on behalf of the men".  The Duke soon made his way some 20 yards up the left hand face and had a cluster of men around him.

"I've never seen a visitor get among the men so quickly before" said Manager Greathead.  In less than no time he was firing questions, knowledgable questions and getting answers".

Among the group of men was Bob Draper (checker), who was filling when the Duke arrived. "A damn'd hard job" remarked the Duke, after asking him how he like his work.  Bob Draper, shotfirer Bill White, 'Babe' Shaw and the District Deputy and Overman took turns answering questions, On timbering "They're like goalposts" said the Duke of the steel bars and props, on boreholes "How bored, how deep and how far apart?", about the Cardox shells used instead of explosives.

"His questions covered every aspect of coal getting,"  said Chris Thornycroft and he was genuinely interested.  A pity the rest of the 28 fillers couldn't join in, but there just wasn't room and the work had to carry on normally.

Returning to the shaft by paddy train NUM Secretary Jack Squires had a chat with the young man who accompanied the Duke.  "And what's your job, young man" asked Jack.  "The Duke's Private Secretary".

Later, when Jack leaned over and suggested that he might swap jobs with him, the Duke replied "I've no objection, but you mightn't make as much!".

After returning to the surface in the man riding section of No.2 pits skips, the Duke passed through the great building which houses both winders.  Upon hearing that the semi-conical drum No.1 winder was the biggest in Yorkshire, he returned to have another look at it.  When pit engineer Bert Hall told him that the rope was 2.5 inches diameter, the Duke remarked "I'm a Navy Man so you'd better talk about cables and circumferences if you want to make me understand.

After changing he passed onto the drill hall again, where three members of the consultative committee were presented to him.  They were Tom Barker (banksman), George Fox (ripper) and Billy Coope (ripper).  Later these three representatives of the workmen at Yorkshire Main were among those who had tea with the Duke in the pit canteen.

Darkness had fallen when the big car bearing the Royal Standard moved slowly away from the cheering crowd at the pit gates.  Soon the Duke would take off from Finningley Airport.  In less than 24 hours he had travelled by rail,car,by diesel-drawn paddy-train nearly 1000 yards below the earth, and would soon be airborn to northolt.It had been a long and tiring shift for him,was the remark of the men on 10`s unit.But as they say in the West Riding,"He went away with the pit in his pocket".

The Duke leaving no1 shaft top after his visit.