'Emotional meeting for the families of WWII comrades' - The Lichfield Mercury 26th December 2019

The Lichfield Mercury ran the story on the reunion in their edition of 26th December 2019. Still just within the poignant 75th anniversary year of the D-Day landings and the Battle for Normandy in which Private Percy Clews was killed.

A Recollection of 1920's North Staffordshire

Jim Heath aged about 16 (c. 1930)

A couple of years ago I wrote a book about my Grandad's wartime service in the UK and North West Europe between 1940 and 1946. He sailed to Normandy with the 5th South Staffs as part of the 59th (Staffordshire) Division, a D Day follow up Division that landed on Juno on 25th June 1944. But more of that later.

Some recently rediscovered hand written notes in my Grandfather's hand present a glimpse into a North Staffordshire childhood that may be of interest to some members of this page.

Some of the recollections may be 'false memories' reinforced over years of retelling (i.e. the Zepplin raid over the area that saw my Great Grandfather return from Knutton forge to carry the youngsters down into a cellar. To the best of my knowledge there were only a couple of Zepplin raids over the area, the latest being in November 1916 when my Grandfather would have been at the ripe old age of 26 months!).

Nevertheless, the detail in his recollections is of great interest to me as his relatives are named as well as local streets and shops in the area. As I am also now looking into my families pre-war life.

So here is the account of a Silverdale/Knutton childhood in his own words:

'I was born at No. 10 Arthur Street, Knutton, which was in the Parish of Silverdale (which we called ‘Jam Land’), Knutton was called ‘The Banana Docks’. My parents were Robert Heath and Mary Anne Lloyd. My Father called Mother Polly. My Father came from Oakengates, Shropshire, my mother was Welsh but I do not know her place of birth, I imagine that it must have been somewhere near to Shropshire.

They were married at Etruria Church near the park there. I imagine Mother went to live at Etruria, because her sister and brother lived there. They were my Aunt Sally and Uncle Tom. Aunt Sally married Dick Creber and they lived in Sefton Street. Uncle Tom lived on the main road going into Hanley next door to a pawnshop. I did not know Mother’s Mother or Father or anyone else of her family. For a special treat my Mother used to take me by tram to see Uncle Tom and Aunt Sally.

My Father I understand had rather a big family. Those I can remember are Uncle Charlie who lived in the Ashfields, Newcastle-under-Lyme , Aunt Gladys who had a shop in Waterloo Building, Newcastle. She was married to a Hartshorn, Uncle George whom I met for the first time at my Dad’s funeral. With him was his son Arthur. Another brother was a Fruiterer, I remember him for his large hands. I believe he lived in Queen Anne Street, Stoke. There was a butchers in Newcastle, James Heath, I used to go there with a note. He always referred to my Mother as Polly, tell Polly this, tell Polly that. I almost forgot, my Mum/Dad? must have had another sister, my Aunt Lydia. She was married to Billy Price, he was a copper in the Newcastle Police Force. They lived in Victoria Road, Chesterton and kept a fish and chip shop. Billy was transferred elsewhere when he was reported for taking a drink on Xmas Eve on his way home, he understood that if you take your helmet off you’re not on duty. That is about as many of my relations that I know about.

As you know, I was born in 1914, that was the beginning of World War One. They were hard times. My Father was a plate-mill roller at Knutton Forge at the bottom of the Street. When the airships came over bombing they used to dampen the furnaces off and Dad used to come home and take us down the cellar until the ‘All Clear’. I remember well the Zeppelins dropping round, white cards.

Times were bad but we enjoyed it. We would get free clogs, we would go to school then onto the Y.M.C.A. for our meals. At night we would take a basin or a jug and get hot soup and bread from the Methodist Chapel, it was smashing.

During the Coal Strike of 1926 we used to do alright as well, we would all go out cropping, digging coal out of the open ground. Being only 12, I had to fetch the coal home on a Bone-Shaker (a bike with no tyres or inner tubes, no brakes, no chain, it was fun). It was stacked in front of the house and we sold it for 2/6 a bag. A certain Head Master bought 10 bags. We dumped them in the road outside his house, then I knocked on his door and asked if I could get his coal in for him and he gave me another 2/6.

Market days in Newcastle are on Mondays and Saturdays and I got a job on a shoe stall selling then for 4/11 a pair. I got 2/6 a day, on my way home I would take Mam fish and chips and a bar of Frye’s Cream Chocolate. She would eat her fish and chips and then if there were any crisp ones she would give them to me. On my way home one night, as I was hungry, I thought that I’d look see if there are any crisp ones, I found more crisp ones than I should because mam said “ There’s not many chips tonight”.

Behind our houses there was a large field and Farmer Lowe plants every year, potatoes, carrots, turnips (Chonnocks as we called them). Each night all of us boys would go and get what we wanted and take them in the Steel Works and sit in a square shaped Ash-Hole, eat our Chonnocks while the potatoes roasted.
Meanwhile one of the workers would come and ask if you would go down the pub, fetch him a pint and he would see you on Friday pay day. On Friday, you would see about ten of us waiting for the men that we had done favours for. People were on nights, we used to come and fetch their wages. One named Looky Barlow came all dressed up with a watch in his waistcoat, every Friday the same. We would ask what time it is. Looky, he would take it out, look at it, then he would say “T’ain’t mine, it’s our kids”, meaning his brother’s.

Mam never bought sweets for us, she made her own, treacle and coconut toffee allsorts. It was so good, all the kids in the street came to the door for half-pennies worth of toffee. Mam got so fed up, she decided to turn the front room into a shop, that was the worst thing that could have happened to us as it is so much hard work stirring that toffee over a large fire, I dreaded it.

One job I did like was going to Wiltshaw’s on Liverpool Road, Newcastle to fetch the cakes. We used to have a lot of vanilla slices and when we got home she always used to give me one.

We have had our bad times as well. Arthur, my eldest brother, was a miner at Kent’s Lane. Silverdale. He was a good goalkeeper, he had a trial for Port Vale on Wednesday and was supposed to play his first game the following Saturday, but he was killed on Friday night in a fall at the pit. Bang went my sixpence a week pocket money for keeping his football boots clean. Then my Mother died with heart failure and dropsy. For the funeral I had my first suit. My father employed a man for 21 years just fetching beer for him and his gang. The Steel Works closed and my Father never went into a pub again. Instead, one of us had to fetch him 3 pints before they went out and be back in time enough to fetch 3 more before they closed.

I went to work on a Brick Yard making bricks for pits. Then I went into the bakery delivering bread. I never had any pocket money, all I used to get was tips from my customers.

Then I decided to leave home and I came to Sussex in 1936.'

Jim Heath and June Griffiths pictured shortly before their wedding

(Brighton 1936)

1921 Colliery Fatality At Silverdale North Staffordshire

Kent's Lane Colliery c. 1903

Memorial: Arthur Heath

Location: The Silverdale Coal Miners Memorial, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire

Date of Death:  6th December 1921

COLLIERY FATALITY AT

SILVERDALE

Youth Killed by Fall of Roof

Mr. H. W. Adams (Coroner) held an inquest at the New Inn, Knutton on Friday afternoon, on the body of Arthur Heath (16) a taker-off, of 6, Arthur Street, Knutton, who was killed by a fall of roof at Kent’s Lane Colliery, Silverdale, belonging to the Shelton Iron , Steel and Coal Company, Ltd, on Tuesday.

There were present at the enquiry Mr. P.S. Lea ((H.M. Inspector of Mines), Mr. W. H. Abberley (representing the Shelton Company), Mr. R.H. Moon, from the office of Messrs Hollinshead and Moody (on behalf of the relatives of the deceased), Mr. J. W. Sumnall (Secretary of the North Staffordshire Shotlighters’ and Firemen’s Association) and Mr. J. Cocks (agent to the Shelton Company).

[Illegible] by Robert Heath, an iron worker, who stated that the deceased, his son, had worked at the Kent’s Lane Pit 18 months.

Mr. W. Malbon, manager at the Silverdale Collieries, produced a plan showing the scene of the accident, which happened in the South East District (No. [illegible] jig). Witness stated that he visited the place at 9.15 pm – about an hour after the accident. A fall had taken place at the bottom of the jig in the Great Row Seam reeling out a post and two stretchers. The fall would be approximately a ton, one lump weighing approximately 10 cwt. It had come from a slit which could not have been seen before the accident. The place had been sufficiently timbered. A goth¹ might have caused the accident; the district suffered occasionally from goths.

Arthur Davies, a taker-off, of 44, Goose Street, Newcastle, said he was working along with the deceased at the time of the accident. Witness was taking his tub out first, the deceased following with his load. Witness got through the brattice², when he heard some stuff coming down. On going back he found that the deceased was under the fall. Witness picked up the deceased’s lamp, which was extinguished, and ran for assistance. Witness had heard a goth about a quarter of an hour prior to the accident.

Joshua Jones, colliery foreman, of 31, Newcastle Street, Silverdale spoke to making an examination of the place about an hour and a half before the accident. He thought it was perfectly safe, and would have been satisfied to work there himself.

P.S.C.A. Clarke of Silverdale, described the nature of the injuries. There was an extensive wound under the right armpit, bruises on the neck and face and the ribs were crushed.

The Coroner registered a verdict of “Accidental death”.

Mr. Cocks, on behalf of the owners of the colliery, and the Coroner expressed sympathy with the relatives of the deceased.

A couple of mining terms in the report require some explanation for the layman.

¹ goth: A sudden outburst of coal at the working face accompanied by a loud report. As a rule the coal and stone are projected from the face in a very shattered, and often powdered, condition. The outburst is due to the settlement of the roof producing a state of strain in the coal or its roof, or floor, eventuating in the sudden rupture, which is termed ‘goth’.

² Brattice: a division or partition in a shaft, heading or other underground working place to direct air to a specific point, often to dilute flammable or noxious gases. It could also be used to divide the place or a shaft into two parts, one for the ingress of fresh air and the other for the egress of the used air. A brattice could be constructed of wood, brick or stonework, or heavy-duty tightly woven (sometimes tarred) cloth nailed to a timber frame or timber boarding.

Arthur Heath killed on 6th December 1921 at the age of just 16 was my Great Uncle.

My Grandfather, James Heath, seven at the time of his older brother's death, used to tell me how he used to earn pocket money cleaning and applying dubbing to Arthur's football boots as he had some talent as a player. He was on Port Vale's books and was expected to make his debut at around the time of the accident.

I am sure you would agree that the report above, published in The Sentinel, is extremely matter of fact, only the last line hints at the human tragedy of this pit collapse. This is an indication of how common place fatalities in Britain's coal mines were and also just how conditioned members of the mining community were to such occurrences. Sudden death was indeed part and parcel of a miner's experience.

Whilst preparing to post this piece I did some digging (thankfully not in a mine, but from the safety of my computer chair) into the Silverdale (Kent's Lane) Colliery. The first mine shafts were sunk in 1830 after which the colliery started to mine both ironstone (an iron rich rock once used for smelting) as well as coal. The principal beneficiary of the mining conducted at the Kent's Lane site was the nearby Knutton forge, but a little more on that later. These two local industries, mining and iron production were the mainstays of employment in the area (now really an area of Newcastle-Under-Lyme) for well over a hundred years. Silverdale or Kent's Lane Colliery finally closed in 1998, the last surviving mine in North Staffordshire.

In 1996 a monument was raised to the memory of all those miners who lost their lives in the process of extracting coal at the Silverdale Colliery over its operational life time. There names are recorded on three slate plaques on the plinth that supports the sculpture of a young man pushing a coal laden rail truck. Arthur is commemorated on the third plaque. It is such a shame that my Grandfather was not aware that such a memorial was being planned. Alas he died in February 1995.

The Silverdale Coal Miners Memorial

The list of man's in the third plaque including Arthur Heath (circled)

Sadly, I do not have a photograph of Arthur. However, you will recall that earlier I mentioned Knutton Forge, that took most of the coal extracted from the Kent's Lane Colliery to fire its furnaces. Well, Robert Heath, Arthur's father (and therefore my Great Grandfather) named as being present at the Coroner's Inquiry, worked at Knutton Forge and I go have a photograph of him from a book of old postcards of Newcastle-Under-Lyme, given to me by my Grandmother (his daughter-in-Law) in the 1980's.

A group of Knutton Forge workers c. 1896

(Robert Heath is second from the right)

Robert Heath

Knutton Forge c. 1925 (a photograph fairy contemporary with Arthur's brief time at the Kent's Lane Colliery)

Robert Heath died on 13th January 1949 and is interred in Knutton Cemetery.