I am researching my family tree and wondered if anyone knows anything of Herbert Tomlinson who was the manager of Kilburn colliery in 1896? He lived at Smithy Houses with his mother and two sisters and was the son of William Tomlinson from Sedgley in Staffordshire.
Many thanks!

Hello there,

I was drawn to your site as I am trying to trace a birth grandfather who was a miner and lived in West Hallam. I say 'birth' grandfather as I was adopted at birth in the 1970s and have only recently been finding out tiny pieces of my life's jig-saw.

His name was Frederick Miles, who was married to a Gladys, and I know he was a miner in the early 1950s, and had lived in West Hallam since at least the early 1930s. If there are any photographs or information about him, I'd love to know.

Many thanks,
David Tompkins

My grandfather, Charles Tranter and one of my uncles, Clarence Tranter, were mines rescue workers at Baggeridge Colliery. I understand that another uncle, Arnold Tranter, had also been a miner at this mine.

I believe that Clarence died in a mines rescue in the 1940' or 1950's. He is buried in Pesnett Church and I have memories as a child of seeing his tomb with a miner's lamp on the monument. He died on my cousin Margaret's 12th birthday (she was Clarence's daughter).

I should dearly like to have more information as I am now the only person in my family who has any memory of our connection with mines rescue. I have memories of a photograph of my grandfather with a mine rescue certificate. I saw it last at my grandparent’s house in Mount Pleasant, Kingswinford in 1967. The house has since been demolished and there are no living survivors to indicate where the photograph may be or where I could obtain a copy.

I would be grateful if you could indicate where I may obtain information about the 1940-50 mines rescue that my relatives may have been involved in and where I could get photographs relating to this event.

Yours hopefully,

I am searching for information about my great grandfather Peter Goee I believe he was killed in Maerdy pit in the Rhondda valley in 1912 he came to Wales from Italy that is all the information I have

Thanks
K Sullivan

Hello Fionn

I hope you don’t mind me emailing you – I came across your website because I am trying to find out more about my great grandfather – Walter Cook. My aunt told me that he invented a safety brake which she thought was for trains. But the only likely Walter Cook I can find on censuses was a mechanic at Bestwood Colliery outside Nottingham.

But that’s all I have found so far – I don’t know whether you can help at all – I thought you might have some ideas about where to find colliery records for example.

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Many thanks

Robert

Hi
I am trying to trace the death in a pit accident of William Brandom. I don't know which pit he worked in, but he lived in Nottingham. I think he died between 1950 and 1960.

Can anyone help me to trace his death?

Regards

Julie

Hope you can help, I have a Baxendale and Co. lamp patent 23186 and stamped 872, how do I light it?
It looks complete.

Also my grandfather worked in the Binley colliery, Coventry, but died before I was born also all my fathers side of the family are no longer with us so I can’t get any information about him, could I find out about his work at the colliery?

His name was Roderick Morgan

Many thanks to all who can help.

Rod (Roderick) Morgan
I don’t mind my email given out

I read with interest the History of East Midlands Coal mining piece.

My collier ancestor, Joshua Kidger, was born 1781/2, and was married to a local girl in Oldham, Lancashire in 1806. He was not born in Lancashire

He was joined by a John Kidger, also a collier, in Oldham around 1820 having worked as a collier in Chesterfield prior to that. However, I cannot find Jos or John's birth in Chesterfield. John was born around 1774. They ended up living, and dying, in the same row of colliers' houses at Alt, near Ashton-Under-Lyne, and they may well have been brothers.

To try and find their origins I am trying to find which East Midland pits were worked in the 1780- 1800 period (Kidger is an East Midlands surname) and also where colliers would have to seek work elsewhere around that time that made them uproot and seek work in Chesterfield and Oldham.

If there is someone you could put me on to with a knowledge of the early days of coalmining in the East Midlands I would be very grateful.

John Kidger

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