The coroner "Danl" Ashford was from Shepton Mallet and found it to be an accidental death. I have looked through your list of deaths but his name is not there. Would you know if there are any records of this accident and where I might be able to look to get a newspaper report or anything relevant. I hope it is not too impertinent of me contacting you and I look forward to your reply.

Regards,
Elaine Skehan.
Longford, Victoria,
Australia.

Hi, my name is Brian Draper and I was born and bred in Ilsun`and have lived in Germany since 1968 when I left the Royal Air Force.

I worked at the Derbyshire Miners Holiday Camp Skegness in 1958-59 as a waiter together with Ray Havil and another mate Kenny Taylor. I would be much obliged if you could tell me if he is still alive and kicking. Another big mate of mine was the brother of George Brock-Roy "Mokey " Brock who sadly passed away about 5 years ago. My Dad and my Grandad were Miners at Cossal Colliery as were most of the relatives on my Dads side of the Family.

Glad I found your web site

Keep up the good "wok".

All the best, Brian Draper

From:     Danielle Woodward Sent:      10 February 2013 15:37 Subject:  Brian draper Ray Havill still alive and kicking still lives in ilkeston

Hi there,
I have read your website. Its is truly marvellous. I wonder how I might locate a miner who possible worked but lived in the Wakefield area of Yorkshire.

His name was Joseph Doherty, born Mar 1937, from 120 Ard O Donnell, Letterkenny, Donegal, in Ireland.

He left home when he was 16 years of age in the early 1950s.

He went to Scotland and then to Dewsbury and finally to Wakefield.

He was married to a woman called Emily and the had a family, mostly sons.

The last communication his family had with this man was in the 1970s.

Can you please help me in trying to locate him or his children or point me to some registry that was kept of miners who worked in the collieries in this area of Yorkshire.

Regards,
Christy Galligan

I am an ex coal miner who worked at Silverhill Colliery in the mid to late 1970’s my father was “Charlie Wright “ who had a roadway named after him off the central return airway.

I did my Stable Hole Training at Butcherwood in 1976 with a chap “Stena McSymcu” he was a Polish chap very knowledgeable and looked after the newby’s very well.

I then went back to Silverhill to go on the market “coal face” and ended up in the development heading out 6’s in the Black Shale Seam. 

A chap named Frank Gedling the Deputy saved mine and a chap named Johnny Armstrong’s life one night shift, after he had fired the face we had bored, he would not let us back under to set the props and bars for about 15 minutes because he said the roofs going to come down, we would have ignored him but he insisted we stay out, guess what! The roof came down like a mighty slab and trapped the Waffler Undercutter I had been driving. It took us 3 weeks to get the Waffler out and thanks to Frank my son and daughter were born in the 1990’s me and Johnny are still alive.

Is there any records of the underground roadways I could get copied and pass on to my son who’s named after his Granddad.

I have in my possession a book about Silverhill dating to the late 60’s and many ordinance survey maps showing old coal pits around Teversal and Skegby as they were then called.

It would be nice to see the old workings and drawings if you could help.

Yours Faithfully

Ray Wright (Young Charlie as they called me at the pit)

Hi there
Just seen your site, I was wondering if you knew my father Alec Freebody. He was a training officer at Ellington before he retired in 1983 and had some service with the mines rescue at Ashington.

Sadly he passed away back in June of 2000 but always spoke very highly of his time down the pit and the special relations with colleagues in the rescue brigade.

Look forward to your response,

Yours hopefully

Graeme Freebody.

To whom it may concern.
We are trying to contact Ron Thacker of British Columbia, Canada and Brenda Winfield.

This is all to do with Bretby, the Thacker Family history and other relatives.

We are not sure how we can contact Brenda, she may be in England, Canada or the USA.

Mrs Sayers relations came over to Canada from Bretby, Burton upon Trent. England.

If you can help in any way. We would be very pleased  to have your ideas.

They were from the families of Thacker and Ingram.

If anyone gets this message and wants to get in touch. We would be pleased to hear from you.

Regards, Nick Cook. UK. (In the USA for a few weeks).

Sent from my iPad

Just to let you know, we have managed to contact Brenda Winfield via ancestry.Com

From:            Ron Thacker
Sent:             24 October 2013
Subject:        Nick Cook  miners families email addendum

Hello Mr, Taylor. I am wishing to contact Nick Cook,  who posted looking for RON THACKER, concerning Bretby Colliery and the THACKER, INGRAM families.  Could you please add this to his posting. 
Ron Thacker, Mission, British Columbia, Canada. 
Thank you