A Unique History From My Work Diaries

Surveying Jobs

North Nottinghamshire Area from April 1967

Page - 39 -

Jan 1971 - Page 1

Mon 4 … Office … Monthly book and information. Calculated and plotted 9s survey.

Tues 5 … Office … Inked in plans on all scales.

Wed 6 … Office … R & FF negatives, information etc. to date. Frank H Lee and Gordon Darrington came re old North Top Hard and discussed information I had accumulated.

Thurs 7 … Office … Continued with R & FF negatives and information. Other prints as well. Notices for Welfare.

Fri 8 … Office … Finished R & FF plans. Discuss Ron Wood U/m, Len Hallam and Chris Allen Assistant U/ms. Making out survey book for 17s. Making plan for Supports for 15s face heading. - 13727 tons

Sat 9 … Office … Continued with Support Rules for 15s ... (Bad conditions, setting Jumbo wooden props). Calculated and plotted 17s survey.

Mon 11 … Office … New progress negative for 15s. Area HQ progress plans. Made new plan for Manager’s folder. Plotted 17s levels.

Tues 12 … U/g … Dial survey and measurements 21s district … 3 men (CzS, RB, AF) - (935 + 35 u/g)

Wed 13 … Office … Inked in plans. Updated plan for Sister Barbara Harrison for Medical Centre. Information to Frank H Lee Area planning Engineer re workings at Teversal. Making 1/500 plan of 10s district for new 16s panel and information re swilley.

Thurs 14 … Office … Continued with same and information on 10s plan on 1/500. Prints for George Noble, Manager and discussed 16s layout etc. and 15s Support Rules.

Fri 15 …. Office … Support Rules with Ron Wood U/m and prints. Levels inked in on plans. Notices for Manager. 14117 tons

In Charge … Czs on Holiday Mon 18 – Fri 22

Mon 18 … Office … Manager’s and Area HQ progress plans. Installation of Electricity plan for 15s started.

Tues 19 … Surface … Dial survey and measurements and levelling to slurry pond 16 with BT Bailey (Civil Engineer) … (RB*, BTB) … Office … Plotting same. Phone chat to Ollerton Surveyor Keith Houghton. Phone to J Arthur Morley Area Surveyor re the Assistant’s job at Ollerton.

Wed 20 … Office … Plan on 1/2500 for 16s Waterloo layout showing swilleys, faults, projections etc. Finishing and agreeing lines for 16s with Gordon Darrington Group Planner. Continued with Installation of Electricity plan for 15s.

Thurs 21 … Office … Completed Installation of Electricity plan for 15s. Tracing information for 21s salvage. Plotted Scour and disturbances on 1/250. A Eddie Betts came and discussed Computer etc.

Fri 22 … Office … 21s Salvage information on tracings. Prints and coloured. 5 prints for 15s Installation of Electricity. - 13841 tons

Mon 25 … U/g … Dial survey of 15s development … 4 men (RB*, Carl H Sterland, Alf Fletcher, Hedley Hill) … diabolical weight on … wooden Jumbo props app 15 inches diameter were snapping like carrots… Office … Calculated and plotted same. Calculated closing line and distances to go to thirl.

Tues 26 … Office … Discuss G Darrington. Salvage details for Network Analysis for 21s. Inked in 15s on 1/2500, 1/5000 and 6 inches to a mile scales. Monthly book and information.

Wed 27 … Office …Completed Network Analysis for 21s face withdrawal … Meeting … George Noble and Arthur Morley Area Surveyor re me moving to Ollerton. It had been agreed in principle that I could go to Ollerton several days a week to assist in doing a check survey involving a 5 mile traverse, except not on Friday and Monday (calculations of tonnage from Friday’s measurements to take to Silverhill each Monday to get Teversal tonnage, being as they should have washed Teversal coal on nights at Silverhill Washery but it used to get mixed with Silverhill coal so a juggling of tonnage figures was done with the various Managers, George Noble to make sure we got budget tonnage or above. George knew my figures were correct and argued so. We had a good reliable system with proper weekend advances taken by the Linesmen and my calculations. Silverhill Surveyors didn’t seem to have a system, so George usually won even though Silverhill tonnage would be below budget. It would appear that there was not much faith when I was not there, however it was finally agreed that I move to Ollerton permanently, but George Kenneth Noble was not keen on that, having had a spell at Rufford which was a big pit also. He didn’t like it there and came back to Teversal where he was happy and would remain so until the pit closed in 1980 completing 20 years as Manager.

Thurs 28 … Office … Scouring information negative. Information from old progress books.

Fri 29 … Office … Transport Rules for 21s face withdrawal and prints. Statutory requisitions with Doreen, Manager’s Clerk. - 13108 tons
Manpower at Teversal 671 u.g. 150 s/f and Ollerton 1050 u/g, 360 s/f

Feb 1971

Mon 1 … U/g … 9s TG put on bearing using Watts 5’ dial … 2 men (RB*, CHS)  
Total of 937 + 33 + 54 = 1,024 u/g shifts

Tues 2 … Office … Overlay tracings to date. 1/5000 General Purpose etc. negatives to date. Plan of 12s panel with Dunsil and Low Main for Ron Wood U/m showing atrocious bad work.

Wed 3 … Office … Sketches in Ventilation book for Brian Stones (Would eventually pass his First Class Manager’s certificate and move to Thoresby as DPT then left to be a Lecturer at Worksop Technical College). Further information re 12s for Ron Wood U/m.

Thurs 4 … Office … Making up 3 Composite plans to date.

Fri 5 … Office … Borehole information stencilled on plans - 12502 tons

Cheslaw Stasiewicz never used an instrument or organised a job from Sep 1968 to Feb 1971 ... I did it all. What they did after I left I did not know other than Ches and Keith took the Code of Surveying Practice to its limits and where theodolite surveys or levellings had been carried out in panels either side of a new Working none were carried out, just relying on the work done previously ... no checks were made. In other words pit shifts were few and far between and relied on Carl Sterland Supervisory Linesmen and his team and Apprentices to do dial surveys to keep the new gates straight. I would have carried out these theodolite surveys and levelling to train the Apprentices ... Keith Briggs transferred to Teversal from closed Ormonde Colliery to replace me. He lived at Loscoe and having no car travelled to work by Midland General bus.

In my tenure at Teversal from 1953 to 1971 there were only 3 Managers … Jimmy Wright, Horace Gubbins and George Noble plus 2 temporary Managers for short spells only, Ray Scothern and John Burgess. Only one Deputy Manager Horace Henshaw. 4 Undermanagers Jim Davies, Willis Bacon, Harry Coppell and Ron Wood. 11 Assistant U/m Fred Turton (would be Undermanager, Manager, HM Inspector); Sam Briggs (would become an Undermanager in No5 Area) Mick Yallop (would leave the industry), Lenny Hallam (would become Undermanager, Deputy Manager and Salvage Manager in N Derbys); Bob Siddall (would become Undermanager, Deputy Manager, Manager, DCME, Deputy Director N Derbys, Director N Yorks and Director Opencast), Alan Vincent (would become Undermanager, Deputy Manager, Manager N Derbys and HM Inspector); Terry Wood (would become Undermanager N Notts); Willis Bacon (would become Undermanager, Assistant Manager S Notts); Ezra Brookes (would become Undermanager then Method Study); Jack Allen (would become Undermanager N Notts); Richard Dalton (would become Undermanager, Deputy Manager, Manager and then leave the industry) 3 Enginewrights / Mechanical Engineers Horace Parsons, Dennis Pearson and Doug Green. 3 Head Electrician / Electrical Engineer Billy Williamson, Johnny Morris, Alan McDiarmid. 2 Safety Officers Fred Daft and Jack Truswell. 4 Ventilation Officers Jack Barker, Cyril Ward, Alan Vardy and Brian Stones. 3 Fire Officers Mod Jones, Derek Harris and Frank Smith. 3 Training Officers Jack Clews, Wilf Turner and Bill Freeman. One Chief Clerk Jack Limmer. 7 Cost Clerks George Blackburn the first one in the new job, Derek Hunt, John Weston, Jeff Carlin, Colin Clarke Brian Watson and Steve Lindsay (who would transfer to Ollerton later).

A Leaving Party was organised for me at Teversal Welfare attended by the Manager, George Noble, Deputy Manager, Horace Henshaw, Undermanager, Ron Wood, Assistants, several Overmen and Deputies and all the Survey team Ches, Carl Sterland, Hedley Hill, Alan Hill, Alf Fletcher and other Officials from the offices and several workmen I was friendly with. Games were organised by Horace and of course drinks and food. I was presented with a lovely wrist watch as a leaving present and it was Engraved … ‘Teversal Time’ … because I loved every minute working there, almost 17 years.

For quite a few years … every Friday evening at Teversal Welfare … 10pm on until 1am ish ! ‘Private Party’ … Steward Albert & Harriett, George Noble & Joan, Alan McDiarmid & Marie, Fred Hickton & Margaret, Gordon Flint, Self and Mary plus odd times a local detective. It was such a friendly crowd. We continued when I went to Ollerton but I was pulled up one night at 1.30am by Police looking for an escaped convict. After opening the car boot he acknowledged that I had been drinking, but to take care and tell the next road block PC all was fine. The drinking and driving law had not been passed then but was muted. We never went again after that. We lived at Sutton then and I needed the car to get to work at Ollerton. The risk was too great. In hindsight I should have drunk fruit juice … however …

Mon 8 Feb 1971 … I Transferred to Ollerton Colliery… Full of Trepidation … What Would I Experience?