Hi ya,
I am trying to discover more about my grandfather Benjamin Williams, 1862-1934. I have a reprint of a South Wales Echo, which mentions he had saved numerous Malay's in a gold mine accident in Sumatra in September 1912.

It also mentions he was in the Cilfynydd rescue work, I am currently researching.

Brief history for my grandfather:

• Benjamin Williams: born July 10th 1862 in 1 Woodland Row,
  Briton Ferry, Glamorgan.
• 1872-1878 Collier boy from age of 10 at Steep Coal Measures, Neath
  Briton Ferry District
• 1884-1902 Merthyr Stream Coal Collieries in Maerdy Collier; Timberman;
  Contractor and Official
• 31/01/1888 2nd Class Certificate No 309
• 01/01/1893 Night Fireman 6 Foot Seam, North West, Maerdy
• 1896-1897 2nd Class Certificate in Geology
• 10/05/1897 2nd Class Certificate as Under Manager No 3127
• 07/06/1900 1st Class Certificate as Colliery Manager No 1695
• Mining and Geology Certificates under Science and Arts Dept, Ferndale
• 1902 worked for 3 years as a prospector, Mine Foreman and Master
  Sinker in Ghana
• 15 months Chida Wassaw Company
• 10/03/1903 appointed Temporary Manager
• 17/12/1903 reference worked at Chida Wassaw mine for one year
• 9 months Prestea Company Block A Gold Mines
• 12 months Chida Wassaw Gold Mines Company
• 1905-1907 1st Class Certificate Manager The Lower Gilfach Colliery
• 1907-1909 under manager at Cynon and Whitchurch Collieries, Cymmer,
  Port Talbot. Had mining and sinking contracts here.
• June 1909-1911 Manager at Llanover Pits, Argoed leaving 31st July 1911

• Aug 1911 Lebong Donok Gold mine, Sumatra
• 1912 Lebong Soelit Gold mine, Sumatra
  Lebong Tandai (Simau) Gold Mine, Sumatra
  ”preselected employment as miner till the end of June (1912) and as Mine
  Captain for the last 2 months”
• South Wales Echo article appears to be from September 1912
• 19/04/1934 Died Tydfil Lodge, Merthyr Tydfil

Any help would be most welcome, and I thank you in advance,
Kind regards
Paul Williams

Hello,
I have seen a posting from Paul Williams on your website. He may be my mothers' (Marilyn Davis nee Williams) cousin. My mothers father was Ivor Williams. He is enquiring about his grandfather who would be my Great Grandfather. I would love to get in touch with him.

Thank you for your help and your website in providing such useful information.

Hi Fionn I wanted to write and tell you that your website has been so helpful to my research. Stella is a great granddaughter from my grandfather's first family, I am in touch with her. Recently I found that someone in Indonesia had found your page as he is from the Rejang Lebong area of Sumatra. Searching through his website:- http://rejang-lebong.blogspot.com I found pictures of two of the mines my grandfather worked at and via links found more pictures.

Rejang Lebong area of Sumatra. Searching through this website: http://rejang-lebong.blogspot.com I found pictures of two of the mines my grandfather worked at and via links found more pictures

Kind regards
Paul Williams

Hello,

I recently bought a clock in Casper, Wyoming USA that bears the following inscription.

J Bingham - From the Dalton & Thrybergh Cripples Aid Society for 20 years Service in the Silverwood Colliery Rescue Team. 1948.

I would really like to find any information on Mr J Bingham.

Unfortunately I can't see anything on this or related web sites.

Can you offer any help / advice or further information???

Thank you,

Tom Elliott - A Brit Lost in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming , USA .

If through your site I could find my Mums relatives then thank you. She came from a humble mining family.

Hello, I am trying to find out the whereabouts of my deceased mothers (Doris Wallace (nee Holmes) brothers and sisters (younger relatives) who lived at, I think, 30 (?) Robin Hood Road, Blidworth, Nr. Mansfield Notts circa 1930 onwards. The name was Holmes and her fathers name I think in full is John William Holmes (His Wife was called Anne or Annie) He Was employed as a Collier (miner). It was a large family consisting of around 12 children. Many would be now deceased or in their late 70's early eighties. Any information please contact the son/daughter at e-mail address:- JwTalisman@aol.com
Doris's brothers & Sisters are listed below to the best of our knowledge:- Most are now deceased.

All Holmes
Doris, Ron, Keith, Trevor (worked down pits), Jack, Joan, Yvonne, Ailsa, Shirley, Arthur, Ennis.

(Thanks)
John. W. Wallace & Mrs. Maria Wallace

Hi Fionn,
I am currently looking into the Pretoria Pit Disaster of 21st Dec. 1910. I am working with a cousin John Staveley in Wigan (I'm in California), trying to identify "J. Staveley", one of three survivors from this Pit Disaster, and presumably one of the three pictured on your website

We have a handwritten note from my cousin's father regarding "Jim" Staveley who was aged 18 the day of the explosion:

" Cousin of John Highton Staveley was only survivor of Pretoria Pit . . . Westhoughton at age of 18. There were 344 killed at Pretoria Pit Halton Near Bolton it was Jim's first day down pit at age 18."

We know who John Highton Staveley is as we have a fair amount of information regarding his family: we're still trying to figure out who his cousin "Jim Staveley" was that was the survivor of the Yard mine blast.

A brother of John Highton's was living in Westhoughton at the time . . . but I can't place this "Jim", at least not at the age of 18, he's not listed in the 1901 census:

I was thrilled to see the photograph of the three survivors on your page linked a bove. Do you know if there was a caption that went with that picture, defining who was who? If not, do you know what the source document was, which paper that photograph was printed in?

Jim was purportedly the youngest of the survivors, so I might guess it was the chap pictured far right. Was this from a newspaper, or from the Relief Fund Document? I'd like to get a higher resolution image of this picture if I can, but I'd need to identify the source...this is the first I've seen an image of the survivors...thank you so much for posting it!!!!!!!!

Any assistance you can provide would be tremendously appreciated.

Best Regards,

Clare M. Staveley
www.staveley-genealogy.com

I have a great uncle who was killed in a mining accident, possibly a rock fall at Bilsthorpe in 1933. His name was Patrick Tobin and he was 32 when he was killed. Do you have any information on this?

I realise that the Bilsthorpe disaster is listed at 1934 not 1933. As Patrick Tobin definitely died middle of 1933 it maybe a different pit.

Thanks very much,

Pam Bromley

Hi there,

My G-Grandfather was a coalminer in fife and died in the mines....I am currently working on a piece of music that documents his family's life and his struggles in the mines.

How would I go about using art for this purpose (i.e. either for the cover of the album, or for a slide show of artwork to accompany a performance)? Are there certain pieces of art that are free of copyright/open domain?

Many thanks

Jeff Touzeau

Hi
My name is Marie Hunt I am trying to find information on my father Harold [hank] Ambler he worked at Bentinck Colliery for many years up to late sixties. He was a miner from age 18, was born in 1908 and lived at 23 Pepper St., Sutton in Ashfield.

Regards
Marie

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