A Bridge too Far: Travellers on the A639 to Leeds cannot have missed the metal track laid parallel to the railway line at ground level (Feb 2009). It would appear that Railtrack, or is … Continue Reading →
Savile Colliery – Stay Down Strike 1963
Tuesday 17th September 1963, the colliers on 8s face in the Savile Park seam (Beeston) had been involved in a deployment manning dispute where backshift preparation work attracted a reduced … Continue Reading →
Savile Colliery First Aid Practice
Practice, practice and practice again, words issued by many people but on this occasion by the avuncular Harry Fenwick Moore, Colliery Deputy, St Johns Ambulance Instructor to Savile Underofficials and … Continue Reading →
Savile Fire Fighting Competition
Immediate response, that’s what the training was for – this is a fire fighting capability at the pit. Hence the need to undertake ‘ in house ‘ training for the … Continue Reading →
Pit Holidays St Leger Week
During the 1950’s and 1960’s unless any major maintenance work dictated – the NUM Branch at Savile were invited to contribute to the decision on which 2 holiday weeks the pit … Continue Reading →
Pit Ponies Annual Holidays
They didn’t know it was the August holiday fortnight but they knew something was happening. The conveyors had stopped and yet handlers were in fixing halters and leads at 6.30 … Continue Reading →
Savile Colliery
The two 14ft. diameter shafts were sunk in 1874 to the Haigh Moor seam, 143 yards deep. The upcast shaft was deepened to the Beeston seam (known locally as the … Continue Reading →
Martha’s Story
Martha Naylor’s family, like many from the West Midlands, were part of a massive population shift to the developing coal mines and new housing in the Yorkshire Coalfield. This moving … Continue Reading →
Ruth’s Story – From the Forest of Dean
INTRODUCTION This story was given to me by my grandmother about 20 years ago. It was originally in typewritten form but she told me that it had been published in … Continue Reading →
Picnics in Methley
You won’t see many people enjoying/taking picnics in the village these days – with the exception of those taking in the whole afternoon at one of the cricket matches. … Continue Reading →
Cyril Leeman – Reminiscences
The Beards Family William Beards and Emily Beards (nee Whittaker) William was a miner who moved up to this part of the country to find work from Staffordshire. William Beards … Continue Reading →