People P22

Information and photographs submitted by subscribers are posted in good faith. If any copyright of anyone else's material is unintentionally breached, please email me

Rebecca Comyn - Do you know any Pounder's in the Derbyshire area.
Caroline Robinson - Looking for info about my late father-in-law Mr Edwin (Fred) Robinson. Died Silkstone Pit 1970's.
Helen and Paul Hickford - David Owen Died, Near or at Pontypridd, Glamorgan 1914
Tom Barber - Thomas Philip Barber of Barber Walker and Company Collieries

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Rebecca Comyn
06 April 2009
Do you know any Pounder's in the Derbyshire area.

I found your website on mining interesting.

My Father and grandfather sold wire ropes to the mines in the midlands; WRights Ropes and British Ropes Ltd.

When I was 12 years old I was taken down a mine shaft in "Swad" colliery, Derbyshire (Swadlincote often shortened its name to 'Swad'). I can remember coming home from Grammar school (about 1955) and seeing all the miners sitting on their "Haunches" with blackened faces waiting for the bus to take them home or " ta Pub" ! Lots of memories.

I notice a name on your website; a Dr Pounder; a Colin Pounder; Mt Great grandmother, Sarah Ann Pounder, came from Mapperley Farm, Mapperley; 1890's. She was one of a big family and married a Frederick Radford ( carpenter) I have no photos; memorabilia, nothing on this side of my family and I wondered if your Mr Pounder, perhaps being a local man would be able to help me.

I live down in the Cotswolds but hope to come up to Derbyshire soon to sleuth around.

Thank you
Kind regards
Rebecca Comyn

Sample Box

WRights Ropes Sample Case

Unfortunately I have lost contact with Dr Pounder and can no longer find his site but he does have some information on the BBC WW2 site

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Caroline Robinson
24 March 2009
Looking for information about my late father-in-law Mr Edwin (Fred) Robinson. Died Silkstone Pit 1970s.

Do you have any old photos or does any body know of my late father-in-law Mr Edwin (Fred) Robinson; he died at the
pit in late 1970's.

His son, my husband David Robinson, started work the day before he died 24th March 1978? I think.

Does anybody have any old photos or do you remember him???

Thank you
Caroline Robinson

Silkstone Pit 1890s

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Helen and Paul Hickford
14 March 2009
David Owen Died, Near or at Pontypridd, Glamorgan 1914

Hi
I'm a family researcher in New Zealand and am attempting to assist a 95 year old (May COX) obtain details of her father's death. He was David Owen who was a mine repairer and was killed on 13 January 1914 (6 weeks before his daughter was born). I believe David was working in a mine near or at Pontypridd, Glamorgan when he died.

David was born on 31 January 1879 and married Eleanor (Ellen) Davies on 17 December 1904 at The Register Officer, Haverfordwest, County Pembroke. Ellen died two years later and her daughters became orphans.

Any information or assistance you can provide will greatly appreciated.

Sincerely

Paul (Hickford)

Hi Paul, I have only found 2 possibles, both in the Glamorgan area.
The first one is less likely, possibly too old:-

Name: David Owen
Age: 47
Date: 04/11/1914
Occupation: Pitman
Colliery: Maindy Colliery, Rhondda Valley
Owner: Ocean Coal Co Ltd
Town: Ton Pentre
County: Glamorgan
Notes: As he was engaged in hitching rubbish at the Six Feet inset, 150 yards above the bottom of shaft, he fell down the pit and was killed. No one saw the accident, and part of the temporary landing of beams and planks fell to the bottom of the shaft also, and it is assumed that the cage, in coming to a stop at the landing, struck the woodwork which he
must have been standing upon at the time.

Maindy Colliery, Rhondda Valley

The second miner:-

Name: David Owen
Age: 34
Date: 05 January 1914
Occupation: Timberman
Colliery: National, Wattstown Porth, Wales
Owner: United National Collieries Ltd
Town: Wattstown Porth, Wales
County: Glamorgan

Notes: Fall of coal from side as he was repairing the road under a hole 20 feet high.
He died 6th January 1914.

National Colliery, Wattstown Porth, Wales

Marriages Registered in Oct, Nov, Dec 1904.
Both David Owen and Ellen Davies are in Volume 11a, Page: 2106
District: Haverfordwest
County: Dyfed, Pembrokeshire

Thanks for all the wonderful information you've provided, it's very much appreciated. As you suspected it was the second David Owen that was May's father.

I've now passed on what you've provided to her daughter for sharing with her Mum.

Thanks again.

Paul

Dear Fionn
Of the two coalminers you researched, I am thrilled to say that the David Owen aged 34; working in the National Wattsworth Porth Coalmine at date of death is in fact the correct David. His daughter (my mother) was born 7 weeks after David's death and at the age of 3 yrs she and her 2 older siblings were inexplicably put into an orphanage by their maternal grandfather when their mother died without consulting with the Owen family.
Mum is 95 years old now - with all her faculties intact - so it has been incredible for her to finally have some details as to how her father died.
I am going to write to the National Coal Board in the UK to see if they have any other records about his death. However we just wanted to thank you for the information you have provided.

Again Fionn, our grateful thanks.
Regards
Sue White (grand-daughter of David Owen)
New Zealand

Me	Tom Barber Sent: 13 March 2009 Thomas Philip Barber of Barber Walker and Company Collieries

Hi Fionn
My name is Tom Barber, and I am about to write a biography on my great-grandfather Thomas Philip Barber, who owned the Barber Walker & Co collieries in Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire until nationalisation.

I’m trying to track down any (very old now) ex-miners who might have any recollections of him, or any ancestors of miners who might have any anecdotes about him or Barber Walker and Company from that era.

Eric Eaton from the Nottinghamshire Ex Miners Association has kindly said he would post a small ‘ad’ requesting information on their site, and I was hoping you might be able to do the same. Please let me know if this is possible, and also if you know anyone else you think I should be speaking to for research.

Durban House, (Now Durban Heritage Centre) The former Barber Walker Colliery Company offices on Mansfield Road, Eastwood

Thank you in advance for any help with this project, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes

Tom

Pit Terminology - Glossary