Hello
I am trying to trace my grandfather Norman Broughton who died Ollerton Pit in Nottinghamshire on 23/24 November 1961,could you give me any information on how I can find out more I have 1 piece of newspaper from the evening mail.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this.
Lisa Broughton

Thank you for a wonderful site........I am looking for information on the 1962 disaster at Tower Colliery in South Wales. My uncle Daniel Jones died as a result although he is not listed as one of those killed on the day, I believe he died on the 25th April, thirteen days after the accident.

If you have any ideas on how I can find more information I would be very grateful.

Many thanks, and congratulations on a wonder site, I have been browsing it for the past 3 hours and was so engrossed I didn't realise it has gone dark outside!

Hi Fionn,

I came upon your website by accident.

I do have some information regarding the above.

Firstly, my name is John Beale, full name is John Samuel Beale, and Samuel Beale was my grandfather whom I never met as he died tragically in a mining accident well before I was born. I do not know Marie Smith.

I do not know the year of the accident, but by coincidence it happened on this day, 21st November, sometime between 1924 - 1929.

There were two men at the top of the pit, (maybe Coppice or Shipley) Samuel was one of them, they were Banksmen attending to the transfer of the coal tubs from the cage as it ascended, the accident was a winding accident in as much as the cage came up too far leaving the mineshaft completely open, the two men with their heads down were pushing the empty coal tubs on to the cage but the cage was too high and they both fell to their deaths.

I dont know where Marie lives but if she is anyway near Ilkeston she could read all about the accident at the Carnegie Library in the marketplace. They have (microfilmed) copies of the local newspapers that carried the story, one paper was the Pioneer, I forget the other local paper but the library would help.

Samuel is buried at Mapperley in Derbyshire in the village churchyard, his inscription gives the relevant date and his wife Clara insisted that it stated that he was killed, as his death was premature being only 29.

I hope that information helps.

Regards,
John

Hi
Your site is really interesting although I want to ask you something a bit off topic!
My husbands late great aunt was married to a lovely chap called Harry Riley born 1896 and when she died we found a photo titled ' Harry's dad, Willie Riley, Sugar Lane'.
Now I think they came from the Jacksdale area and on Harry's marriage certificate his father is described by him as a Colliery Winder, so certainly involved with coal and there's a family on the 1901 census at Pye Hill who could be the right ones.
I have been trying to find out where Sugar Lane might be and wondered if it was around that area somewhere?

The dog is carrying his 'croust', and Willie has the tea can, probably taken about 1890 according to the comments in biro, which were written by Willie's son, and were what prompted my original enquiry.

My fathers family were mostly tin/copper miners from Cornwall and I always thought they and coal miners were totally separate trades, but since starting family history it's been really instructional to me how miners