Hello,
I am trying to find information about the Robinettes drift mine, When it opened / closed, who owned it etc. I notice that it is not mentioned, as far as I can see, on your site and I wondered if any one has any info on it?

Any help will be appreciated.
Thank you

Hi ,
do you have any photos of  Portland Colliery?

Kind Regards
Ben

Darren Haywood has a few remains

My great grandfather died as a result of a roof fall at the Bunns Lane Colliery Nr Dudley, Worcester (now West Midlands). He died, according to his death certificate, on 17 February 1842.

I am anxious to learn more about the colliery but the people I have spoken to at the local archives are unable to help.

His name was William Cambell/Campbell of Dudley.

Any help would be appreciated

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.  I had some excellent times in my 3 years down Silverhill and my dad “Charlie Wright” had 50 years down the pits his main one Silverhill, and by the way he was buried twice breaking his neck and back but still recovered and went back to the face “what a man” you wouldn’t get that today!!! Mind you he had 5 kids me being the youngest.

My Dad told me once they were a man down one day and Roy Link was put on my dad’s team before he was a Union Rep and my dad told him to clear off after half a shift as he was not up to scratch or words to that effect.

Thank you very much for your input, it is very interesting.

A chap named Frank Gledhill, 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. Frank lives on Stoneyford Road, in Sutton in Ashfield, and every time I see him I thank him for saving my life he once said to me that it was all part of a Coal Miners attitude to help his fellow miner. Again “what a man”.

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)

Teversal Group of Pits - Drawings, Plans - Silverhill, Sutton, Pleasley and Teversal Collieries

20 February 2013

Hi Fionn

Thanks for that Fionn, my father "Charlie Wright" was a character and may I add a good Bare Fist boxer. I was 27 at the time and my Dad was in the pit bottom as the Onsetter he was 59 at the time and me and Stena, a mate of mine, sat on the bench waiting for 7.00am, after the night shift, to get off the shift. These 4 tough contract lads from Derbyshire, around about their early 30’s, came in the bottom and insisted my Dad let them up early so they could go for a smoke!! My Dad said he wouldn’t let them up, their time was 7.0 o’clock, then they threatened him and started fighting and before I could get up and help him he had dropped all four on the ground in a mess. My mate Stena said to me “Christ Charlie” that’s me by the way, your Dads handy and I said I am glad he is or I would have had to have helped him. He really was the Tuff Coal Miner and man but he loved his family.

If you ask any of the old pit men from Silverhill they always said don’t mess with Charlie Wright.

Best regards

Ray Wright

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